Confronting Shadows

"Get up, would you," I felt someone kick my legs and I opened my eyes, still having a splitting headache from how my head was hit earlier. 

As I turned my gaze to where the voice had come from, a lanky black haired man revealed himself, and there was a scoff in his face. If looks could kill, I'd be deep in the soil because of the number of times I had been stared at with malicious intent in all my life. 

"Would it kill you to be display a modicum of respect?" I snarled, boring into his ugly face with the same intensity his voice had displayed. I was still shocked that Theo had played an active part in this happening to me, and that Matteo had just luckily stumbled upon me when he was captured by the Bloodmoon guardians. 

He was no doubt going to tell Theo about the new and hidden werewolf pack he found me at, and I could tell it wasn't going to end well. Zane could possibly blame me if a scuffle were to ensue, and the people would hate me even more as that would pile more onto my bad luck image. 

"I don't owe ya anything lady. Get up on your feet," The man shot back, forcefully yanking me by the chains, and I let out a shriek, my hands burning with a fiery sensation. 

"Shut up. You-"

"No, you shut up," Matteo came in and snapped at the ugly man who just bowed his head and walked out, leaving the two of us alone. 

"We're going home, aren't you happy?" He smirked, crouching to meet me at my level. 

"Go to hell," I spat, feeling nothing but contempt for him and how he had more or less lied to me. But what could I have expected? He was from Nightfang, and I wasn't welcome there. 

"I wasn't expecting to find you in that pack, but thank you. It'd boost my credibility and help me oust Fenrir from the Beta position," He smiled with such wickedness, it was like he was an entirely different person from the one I had met just yesterday.

"Beta? You're doing this because you want to be the Beta?" I chuckled, amazed at his level of delusion. The Alpha and Beta positions were always held by relatives, and no outsider had managed to break that chain in years. What made him think he'd be any different?

"That's enough chatting. Get up, or you won't like what I do to you," He said, rising up to his feet and opening the old and creaky metallic door. He then winked at me and stretched out his hand in a mock attempt to offer help. 

I spat at the hand and his face contorted to that of fury, wiping his hand on his ancient of days old trousers as he grunted. 

I shakily rose to me feet, having a little trouble with how heavy the chains were. 

"Are you going to get these off my hands?" I muttered and he scoffed.

"You wish. Get out," 

Without another word, he roughly pushed me out, and trailed behind me as I walked on the straight pathway that led to a clear view of trees. As soon as we were out, I saw a group of the rogues, all muttering in inaudible voices, no doubt talking about me. 

"Let's go," Matteo ordered, and the men stopped their discussion, paying attention to both of us. I cringed at how horribly dressed they were, and how they smelled like they hadn't showered in weeks, reeking of sweat. 

"Are we to transform?" The burly man from yesterday showed up and asked Matteo, his fur wrapped around his build. There was something about him that disgusted me down to the bones, and I could only assume that he was the leader of this group of rogues. 

"Of course you fool," Matteo snapped and the man grunted, signaling to his men with a nod of his head. In a flash they all transformed into various colors of wolves, their furs marred by several scars and discoloration. 

Matteo remained human and grabbed me by the neck, pushing me in the direction of where the burly man had once stood, now replaced by a large grey wolf. 

"Get on," He said, and he helped me climb the wolf as it knelt down. Its fur even smelt worse than the smell of sweat, and I was repulsed. I would have vomited if there was still so much food in my stomach. 

Matteo crushed any hopes of me sliding off the wolf when they were on their run to Nightfang, because he proceeded to sit directly behind me, and at an uncomfortable proximity. His breath stank of spoilt mushrooms, and he smelt like a dead squirrel. 

His wound had magically closed up and there was no stain of blood anywhere, leading me to ponder upon what could have happened to magically make him healed. 

"Go," He spoke softly and the wolf lunged forward in a sprint, the other wolves following its lead and darting through the forest. Matteo firmly held on to me, despite the overwhelming weight of the shackles on my hands and the nausea that sometimes came with moving at such speed. 

"Do you know how I found you?" Matteo asked from nowhere. It felt like he was boring into my skull from behind me and I rolled my eyes. 

"Charm me, will you?" I retorted sarcastically, dodging my head at a lowered tree branched. Matteo didn't see the branch on time, and proceeded to get smacked in the face, my lips stifling a laugh when I heard him groan in pain. 

"As I was saying," he continued. 

The wolves suddenly started running faster, as if they had smelt a threat approaching them, and it made a wave of unease wash over me. 

"The Malefica," 

My blood froze at the mention of the Malefica and the dots connected. They had sent them to my location, and I just happened to be at Bloodmoon. 

"Theo sent a Malefica?!" I yelled, still in disbelief. 

"Men can get really desperate," He snickered, I could imagine the smirk on his horrible face even without looking at him.

As I processed the news, I felt a seething rage building inside me. After Theo had embarrassed me, kicking me out in the cruelest way possible, he had the audacity to do this? How despicable.

The wolf we were riding slowed its pace, and the Nightfang gate came into view.  It stood tall and imposing, constructed from ancient, weathered stone that had seen countless generations of wolves come and go.. Two men emerged from the gatehouse, likely there to entertain their guests. My heart threatened to explode from the rush of anxiety coursing through my body. Beads of sweat formed across my forehead, and I wished I could simply disappear.

As the men drew closer, I recognized one of them, and my heart raced, teetering on the verge of passing out. A turbulent mix of rage and fear churned within me as he approached.

It was Theo.

"Welcome home, Una."