Meeting Again

"Look what we have here. A prey," a voice echoed in the ghostly night. She turned to see a man leaning on a tree, his hands crossed. He was tall and lean, his eyes shone in the darkness. His smile sent creep to her bones. The stranger turned to the other men, who looked at her like they would kill her the next second.

Lucette's heartbeat increased with every passing second. Not only one man, but five. She was in a dire situation with her frozen body as she couldn't run away.

'What am I going to do? It's hard to move.'

"Who are you?" Lucette asked, her voice sounding dull and light. She was in big trouble and needed to think of a way out.

"We are rogues, princess," the man said.

'Rogues? What did he mean? And princess? Is he joking, or does he know my identity?'

"Who sent you? And why are you targeting me?" Lucette asked. This time, her voice was loud and clear.

"It doesn't matter if you know, since you're going to die soon," the man said, and Lucette tightened her fist.

"Whoever sent you perhaps didn't tell you I am alpha Orson's Luna. If anything happens to me, he will haunt you down even if you hide a hundred feet under the ground," Lucette said. Using the alpha to threaten them was the only way she thought to scare them away and have some time to be able to move.

The man laughed out loud. "If you're his Luna, then where is he now? Why didn't he come to save you?" he mocked. "We had wasted time. Let's play a little."

Lucette leaned on the tree with difficulty. Sweat formed in her forehead and her breath hitched. Her eyes widened when the five men transformed into wolves.

They are werewolves? They weren't from the pack for sure, as their scent was unfamiliar. She spent enough time in the pack, so she was used to the pack's scent.

The five of them surrounded her. They moved in a cycle showing their superiority.

Lucette looked down for anything useful she could use as a weapon. She saw a long branch with a sharp edge. She held it with her shaking hands and then took a deep breath.

"HELP—" she screamed.

Before she finished, the wolf slumped her body to the ground and the wooden weapon was thrown away. Lucette winced in pain. The wolf's paws were both on her shoulder, pinning her down as its massive body towered her.

Lucette's fang elongated, she tried sinking them into the wolf's calf, but its nails scratched her neck. Her nails broke from trying to penetrate its thick fur.

Lucette muffled a scream. She extended her hand to hold the branch but the reddish-brown wolf put its paw on her hand.

"HELP," Lucette shouted once again. The beta said that some guards were patrolling so they might hear her.

'Please, someone.' Lucette cried internally as the animal seemed to enjoy torturing her. Its sharp nails pierced through her skin.

Lucette's vision turned blurry. The heavyweight left her body. She hurried and held the branch. The four wolves came close, showing their claws to her.

Lucette's heart hammered in her chest. Lucette closed her eyes. 'Is this the end?' Dying here with no one to help her, she didn't even become a meritorious Luna.

Suddenly she heard a menacing growl. Opening her eyes, a wolf fell motionless a few meters away, blood lunged from his neck. Then, the reddish-brown wolf walked close to the others.

Her mouth opened from the shock. She gazed at the familiar brown wolf. The same wolf she met two weeks ago glared at the wolves, growling menacingly.

The four wolves attacked it at once. The brown wolf sent one of them flying by using his head and howled at one who clawed his leg. The three of them couldn't bring the wolf down as it counterattacked them, crushing one under his paws, then attacking the third one right in the neck, looking at the fourth who backed down, seeing his companion in the brown wolf's mouth.

The wolf dropped the wolf's body, then he sprinted toward the fourth who ran away, bringing him down in one swift strike on his ribs.

She heard a cracking sound.

The one who attacked her and was probably the leader, looked at the brown wolf, growling at each other and moving in a cycle. Their eyes looked prudent from the opponent. The reddish-brown wolf attacked first, aiming at the brown wolf's neck but the latter evaded it easily, opening its claws right to the opponent's flank causing it to howl in pain. It continued its attack at the brown wolf's clap resulting in it falling on the ground. They rolled while attacking each other fiercely, but the brown wolf's speed allowed him to stand and bite the wolf's neck, throwing him onto a tree, the other wolf screamed and dropped to the ground.

The injured wolf tried to stand, but he couldn't, the blood oozing from his injuries. The brown wolf walked to him, raising his head and looking at him.

Lucette stopped breathing for a moment as the brown wolf stabbed his claws into the opponent's neck and then ripped it apart.

Lucette didn't dare to make any sound. She hoped the wolf didn't notice her. The fight engrossed her. She didn't notice her body returned to normal and she could move.

The wolf looked at her. She gulped. It marched to her, looking at her with its shiny, vicious eye, bloody, brown fur and proud build.

The wolf won over five opponents and could easily defeat her. The animal purred, glaring at the branch she was holding.

"I will not hurt you," Lucette said, throwing the branch away.

The wolf howled. Lucette thought that what she said seemed silly. How could she hurt the wolf who defeated five wolves by itself?

So, the wolf was going to end what the other left?

They stared at each other for seconds. Shadow of the Moon befell on the wolf, then on her. The wind moved the leaves of the trees.

Peaceful, how strange? She thought.

The wolf stepped backwards and walked to the opposite side. She noticed the wolf's injured leg. It was still oozing with blood. But the wolf walked as if nothing happened.

She stepped forward, but the wolf growled at her. "I just want to wrap your injured leg," she said, pointing at the white handkerchief.

She didn't know if the wolf understood her, but she shuffled to him. Seeing the wolf didn't move, she wrapped the injury with her handkerchief and walked back.

The wolf tilted his head and sniffled her. Its pointed nose swam from her face to her neck, then her chest.

Lucette stepped back, raised her hand and flung it to its face. The wolf growled at her.

"Sorry, sorry. You can continue," Lucette said, closing her eyes as an invitation. The wolf continued to sniff her. She wondered if her scent bothered it.

Did I smell awful?

Lucette felt ticklish as his lung caressed her shoulder where her wounds were. The wolf walked away, and she looked at her wounds which seemed to heal completely.

Did the wolf help me?

Maybe it returned her favour when she wrapped its wounds. She was indebted to him as he saved her. Will it count as a save? It fought the wolves that attacked her, so it was considered a  rescue.

Lucette followed the wolf. "Wait! Are you a werewolf?" she asked, fastening her steps to cope with its fast steps.

She wanted to know. Earlier, the wolf seemed to understand her. If the wolf was a werewolf, then it meant it could shift. So, she could thank him or her.

The wolf didn't even look back at her. Its speed increased, and then it went to the hill and sat on the rocky ground.

Lucette panted as she arrived at the wolf. "Thank you for saving me. Can you shift?" she asked, sitting beside the wolf.