Chapter 10- Werewolf Encounter

My eyes blinked open to be met with the darkness that surrounded me. Where am I? I switched my eyesight to night vision so I could have a better view of my surroundings. Trees surrounded me, and that confused me. What's the last thing I remember?

I remembered trying to escape and getting caught in the chaos. I remember being lifted from the ground just before my consciousness slipped. I looked around, and I noticed it looked similar to the forest Duke had abducted me in.

"How did I get here?" I wondered out loud.

I suddenly heard a rapid crunching of leaves behind me, prompting me to reach for my pocket, which I clearly remember held a knife. Before I could even try to swing the knife, a figure grabbed me, causing me to scream as it knocked the knife away from my grasp. The figure put its hand over my mouth to stop my screaming. I wriggled to get out of their grip as I kicked with all my might.

"Can you not kick so much?" I heard a voice hiss behind me. I immediately recognized it as Duke's voice.

"Heck! You scared me", he immediately placed his hand over my mouth, making my brows furrow. I gave him a questioning glare because, in all honesty, I still don't trust him and I'm still confused about what was going on.

"Stop being so loud", he hissed again as his eyes darted from one direction to the other as if scanning the area for a threat. "What's going on?" I asked as I picked up the knife I had dropped earlier and put it back in my pocket. I was finding his behavior a little strange.

He stared at me, debating whether to tell me. "And Drake got shot," he said with a strained voice that was filled with worry.

"He was shot?!" I shouted, causing him to place a hand over my mouth before quickly checking our surrounding and sending me a warning glare. "Stop shouting," he bit out. I just stared at him, since I really couldn't say anything. "Blink twice if you understand", he instructed. I just gave him a look that said 'Get your palm off my mouth before I bite it'.

He seemed to understand as he sighed before letting his hand drop to his side. "If Drake was shot, why are we in the middle of the forest right now instead of helping him?" I asked with utmost curiosity and worry as I tried my best to hide the strain in my voice. "He wanted me to take you away", his voice revealed worry for his brother and he seemed bothered. "The attackers have been taken care of though", he further informed as he sat down at the root of a tree.

"If they've been taken care of, why are we here?" I asked causing him to groan in annoyance and bury his head in his palms.

Maybe it isn't the best time to bombard him with questions when he's so worried about his brother.

I suddenly started to pant lightly as I felt a tingling sensation in my fangs. Just great. "Um... Duke?" I called to him, making him stare up at me with cold, glowing eyes. Vampires' eyes glow in the dark as an indication of night vision.

He isn't in a good mood.

"I'm... uh... thirsty", I confessed as I bit my lip nervously. He groaned in annoyance. "We're in the forest. Go hunt", he replied before he shifted his glowing green eyes back to the dirt beneath him.

I played with my fingers nervously while shifting from one leg to the other before announcing, "I can't... hunt".

His eyes looked up at me in shock before realization flashed through them. He lowered his eyes and proceeded in muttering a string of curses under his breath. He got up and gestured for me to follow him. "You need to tap into all your senses", he explained as we walked further into the forest. "Clear your mind and focus", he instructed as he came to a stop, prompting me to do the same.

I stood still as I tried to focus on my senses and enhance them. Taking a deep breath, I did my best to enhance my hearing. I heard soft footsteps not too far away from me. I waited for it to come closer as I further enhanced my already strong eyesight. I felt the glow in my silver-gray eyes.

The moment the rabbit crossed my peripherals, I lounged at it, sinking my fangs into its soft fur and flesh and feeling the sweet taste of its blood on my tongue as it satisfied my craving.

Sure, I felt bad for the poor animal I had just murdered but- "Mmm, it tastes so good", I hummed in satisfaction before finally pulling my fangs away from the dead animal and licking my lips to get rid of the blood that stained them.

I noticed Duke's body go tense and rigid as his eyes searched our surroundings. "Did you hear something?" he asked. I enhanced my hearing again and my heart started to pound as I heard aggressive, rapid footsteps coming in our direction.

The next thing I heard was an ear-splitting howl, and I didn't even need my advanced hearing to notice it. I immediately got off the ground as Duke pulled me into a full sprint. I heard the footsteps getting closer, and the howls were more aggressive.

"Werewolves", Duke managed to say as we continued to run through the forest grounds. My heart was beating rapidly as adrenaline began to run through my veins.

We took cover behind a sturdy tree as we tried to catch our breaths. Duke let the back of his head rest on the tree as he mumbled something I couldn't quite hear. The sounds of the howls and footsteps got dangerously close to us. "We need to shift", Duke whispered to me. "But I can't- "before I could complete my sentence, a dark brown wolf lunged at us. Its claws only missed my leg by a few centimeters. I heard the cracking of bones and the next thing I knew, I was left to deal with these monsters on my own.

"No, wait!" I called Duke, but he was already gone. Another wolf emerged right behind the one with darker fur. This one had lighter fur. It stood a little behind the wolf with darker fur as it growled at me with barred teeth.

The lighter wolf lunged at me, knocking me to the ground. It lifted its claws and scratched my arm, making it bleed profusely. I was too distracted to even attempt to heal it. "Ugh, get of me", I yelled in panic at the werewolf that now had me completely at its mercy as I lay scared and motionless beneath its paws.

With a sudden surge of energy, I pushed the wolf off me and took off in a sprint. The two wolves followed closely behind and I willed my legs to go faster. I must have gotten distracted or something because the next thing I knew, I had tripped over a stone and fallen on the ground hard. The darker wolf took the opportunity to pounce on me. Its ferocious teeth were centimeters away from my face as its paws pressed on my shoulders hard, rendering me immobile.

I don't want to die.

"Get off," I groaned as I started to feel the consciousness I just regained begin to slip away again. The last thing I saw was the scrunched-up and confused face of the beast as it looked me over.

I have to stay... awake.

I felt the darkness draw me once again into its void depths.