Chapter 23

Cirilla's point of view

"What the fuck have you done again, Cirilla?" My mother's enraged voice vibrated against the corner walls of the apartment, and without warning, her hand collided harshly against my cheek, causing my head to snap to the left.

I froze.

Slowly, I pulled my eyes towards her. Her sandy brown eyes were simmering with rage. Was it just me sneaking out without her permission that had her so furious?

Somehow, it didn't seem like that was the only reason.

"Answer me, bloody bastard! Where have you been?" She yelled again, blasting my ears.

I held the cheek where her hand hit me. "I was with my friends. Happy now!" I found myself yelling with similar rage embedded in my gaze.

I walked away from her, but she grabbed me before I could take a couple more steps.

"Friends?" She repeated, her gaze widening as if thinking it was impossible to have some of those. "What the hell have you done?" She asked, this time without yelling. I could see the fear that crossed her features.

I was surprised at the fear in her depth. I had never seen her like this.

"Nothing," I replied, slowly. Uncertainty rooted in my own words

"Last night didn't seem like nothing," she screamed, her rage returning. She began pacing, her hand in her black hair while the other rubbed her face.

Last night? Now what did she mean by that?

"What do you mean by that?" The words attacked her. Mum stopped pacing, her eyes holding more fear. She stared at me for the briefest of seconds.

Bloody hell!

My heart banged against my chest. I could hear it beating fast in my ears. I know that look of hers. She always made that look when she was about to say the familiar words I never liked.

No, no. This can't be. I begged whatever force was out there that I was mistaken.

Mum's lips parted, and I held my breath as if bracing myself for the words that were about to be spoken.

"Pack your belongings, Cirilla, we are moving!"

I was struck in my position. My eyes were stinging with tears as her words kept echoing. I didn't like this. I didn't want to move. For the first time, I actually had a life here and friends that truly cared for me. No, there was no way I was moving.

"I am tired, Mum. Why the hell are we always moving?" I yelled, everything now infuriating me. Mum looked at me with wide eyes, as if my sudden outburst had taken her by surprise.

"This is all your fault, brat! If you simply stayed put, we wouldn't have to move!" She was yelling back

"Stayed put? What the heck did I do?" I shot back at her.

"Don't be stubborn, Cirilla. We are moving, and that's final."

I couldn't stop the laughter that left my lips. Something about what she said amused me.

"If you want to leave mum, you can. But I am not. " I counted my last few words so she would get my message clearly. I was done with all of this madness.

"Don't test me, Cirilla. You will do as I say!"

"Like fuck I won't. And you should know, the second I turn eighteen, I swear it will be the happiest day of my life. I will finally be able to escape from you!" I screamed at her. I stormed my way to my room and locked the door behind me.

I fell onto my bed, burying my face in my palms. Before I knew it, tears began to roll from my eyes. I didn't know exactly why I was tearing up. I couldn't tell if it was from the persistent pain in my chest, the argument with my mum, or the emptiness I felt within. Whatever it was, the bitter truth was, my entire life sucked.

****

Asher's point of view

"What do you think happened here?" Wren spoke behind me as we walked around the woods in the pack.

I groaned, rubbing my palm against the back of my neck. "I fucking don't know!"

I was being honest. No matter how many times I walked around the affected places in the pack, I couldn't come up with any idea of what could have happened here. This was a disaster, a destruction.

Whatever we felt last night caused this much destruction. Every one of us felt it. It was like a powerful wave of energy piercing through the pack. We have no idea where it came from, what caused it, or rather still who. I swear last night I thought I heard a piercing scream, but when we rushed out we saw this destruction, but no one was there. Whatever or whoever caused this was long gone.

The patrolling warriors said they didn't see anything, and no one invaded our territory. That confused me the most. So, what then, or rather, who is responsible for this?

I gave one last glance at the trees in the woods that were slaughtered from their roots. I walked closer to the spot that seemed to have started the crack on the earth's surface, spreading throughout the entire pack. There were large marks rooted on the ground, like some kind of claw mark, but it couldn't be. No mere wolf could cause this much destruction.

I sighed, turning to the guys. "It's not a wolf. Whatever caused this much chaos is something very powerful. Something dangerous."

"A witch?" Andy asked, but it seemed as though he was making his own suggestion.

I shook my head. "The energy from last night and this destruction seems to point to a witch's doing, but the claws on the earth seem to differ," I said, stifling a groan from the pain in my chest. It has been persistent since last night.

"That's right. These claws could belong to any creature, but it's just confusing how we couldn't find whoever did this." Stefan said, frustratingly.

I glanced around. Everyone looked kind of frustrated. I could also feel their frustration. Tonight was the full moon, and yet we had so much to deal with in the pack.

"We will triple the patrolling today. It'll be in shifts to lessen the tension for everyone, seeing as tonight is the full moon. After tonight's full moon, we will get to the bottom of this. " I said to everyone. The wolf warriors would patrol during the day, and the demon warriors would patrol at night since they were free from the moon's effect.

"What do you plan on doing?" Dorian asked.

"I will invite a friend over. She's a witch from the Crescent Moon Pack. Hopefully, she will be able to find out what caused this much chaos." I said, "For now, everyone should rest up and prepare for tonight's full moon."

I watched as everyone left. I bent down, my thumb trailing the large claws on the ground. What could have done this?

"Did something happen last night?" Stefan's voice made me pull away from the ground. I sucked in the pain. It was getting worse.

I turned to look at him. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you look like crap. I know it's the full moon tonight, but frankly, you look like a dead man walking." He said. His brutal honesty couldn't even offend me. I turned to glance at Wren, regarding me with hooded eyes as if reading me.

"Did something happen with Cirilla?" Wren's cold voice sounded, and I couldn't stop the angry look I sent his way.

"Fuck! I guessed as much. " Stefan muttered, "I knew something was wrong when she left without even saying goodbye to anyone. Lyra even said she was crying."

My eyes snapped onto Stefan. Why would Cirilla be in tears?

Could she have felt the pain of rejection last night? That was impossible for humans; only wolves could feel the pain.

"So what did you do to her?" Stefan probed further. If I didn't know better, I would say he sounded upset.

I walked away from them, not replying.

"Did you reject her?" Wren's voice sounded again.

This time I couldn't stop the growl that left my lips. "Just keep your fucking mouth shut, Wren! "

"You did?" Stefan was before me. "Fuck, man! Why? Tonight is the full moon. You know exactly what that means."

I closed my eyes, pinching the skin on my brow.

"Precisely why I rejected her." I couldn't trust myself nor my wolf to make more mistakes tonight being the full moon. Ryker will be stronger, that alone gave me a bad feeling. "She is not safe with me. Last night, Ryker took control, and he almost—" I paused as I remembered what happened last night. Ryker almost marked her against her will and forced himself on her.

I pulled my eyes open. "Believe me, this is for the best," I said to them, walking away back to the Packhouse.

I wished I believed my own words.

I headed straight to my room, shutting it down. Instantly, I collapsed on the cold ground, writhing in pain. With each passing second, the pain only intensified.

What the hell was happening?

The pain from the rejection was supposed to lessen after last night, but it seemed like it just kept getting worse. I felt my bones twist against their joints. My heart felt as if it was tearing up, and my head almost wanted to explode.

'Ryker, what is happening?' I couldn't understand. This was a result of last night's rejection, but why was it happening? Something was wrong.

Usually, when a wolf rejected his or her mate, the rejection had to be accepted by the other mate, who was also a wolf. But Cirilla wasn't one of us; she was human, and thus, the rejection only went one way. But it was still valid.

'I want mate!' Ryker sounded angry. Those have been the only words he has said to me since last night after I rejected Cirilla. He was angry at such a decision. But if he hadn't lost control last night, maybe I wouldn't have done it.

'You don't understand. Something about her is different. I can feel it. It's like something within her recognizes us.' Ryker sounded. 'I want her.' He said stubbornly

I groaned, ignoring him. It was hard enough dealing with Azalea. I honestly didn't have the strength to deal with Ryker.

I pulled myself to bed, fighting the pain.

••••••

Everyone was already feeling the effects of the full moon. We were already bound to it. I glanced up at the sky from the entrance of the bunker. One could almost see the faint outline of the moon in the dark sky.

I sighed, feeling tired, upset, and somewhat afraid.

I couldn't lie to myself even if I wanted to. Tonight's full moon terrified me. It was the first full moon after I found my mate. She was supposed to be beside me. It would make the effect of the moon bearable. But she wouldn't be.

And what was even worse, I had a raging wolf eager to be set free. That scared me. I, of all people, knew exactly what Ryker was capable of. He was capable of charging out of here in search of Cirilla and finishing what he started last night.

I groaned at the pain in my chest; it was still present. I don't know what happened with the rejection last night, but it seems something went wrong with my rejection. I couldn't understand why. I could still feel the bond between Cirilla and me, but it was knotted by pain. Somewhere deep within me, I hope she is spared from the pain.

I drew in a sharp breath, feeling Dorian and Stefan by my side.

"Let's do this." I went inside the bunker, stopping close to the wall where several chains had been bound into the wall. Hopefully, this will keep Ryker and me from doing anything stupid.

I knelt on the cold floor, and the guys began to confine me. Soon they were done. My hands, legs, arms, and neck were bound with chains against the wall.

Lyra came in with Wren.

"Ash, is this really necessary?" She asked worriedly.

I nodded. "It is." This wasn't only for Cirilla's sake. If Ryker goes crazy tonight, he wouldn't mind killing anyone who stands in his way from leaving here and finding Cirilla. I couldn't afford that.

Lyra tried to say something again, but a sudden jolt of pain in her body cut her off. She groaned, and quickly Stefan was by her side. Lyra's eyes started to gleam brightly.

It was time. The full moon was already up.

I nodded to them, indicating they had all left now. Everyone left the bunker except for Wren. I was thankful he wasn't a wolf but a full-blooded demon. Tonight, all of the wolves would be busy with the full moon, but the demons in the pack would be just fine. Their help will be greatly needed around the pack.

"You know what to do," I said to him, He was leaning against the wall, staring at me from afar.

"To stop you from leaving the pack at all cost." He said, and I nodded.

Suddenly, a sharp and devastating pain tore through my chest. I growled as another sharp pain stabbed my lower back. I was crippled on the floor, as I continued to writhe in pain. It was excruciating. I let out an extremely loud, ear-piercing growl.

I could feel Ryker emerge within me, slowly taking over my mind and body.

"Wren–" I croaked.

Wren stalked closer, his eyes began to glow a blinding red. He had aligned with his demon counterpart

"Sleep, human!" Ryker growled within me, fighting me. "I'll find a mate and make her ours." He whispered, snickering in his beastly voice, before releasing a loud, menacing growl.

I felt my body begin to transition, and he was in control once more. My beast.