Chapter 6 The Beast Lurking In The Shadows

Karen's heart raced wildly, knowing that the unknown sounds signaled a disturbance in the tranquil night. She wiped away her tears and rose from the fallen log where she had been sitting on.

"Hello, is anyone out there?" she called out, her voice trembling slightly as she ventured deeper into the inner parts of the gloomy woods.

The only response was the eerie echo of her own voice bouncing off the trees. Then, it was met with a cold silence that sent shivers down her spine. The wind rustled gently, seemingly carrying a message of foreboding danger, warning her of unseen presence that lurked in the shadows.

At every snap of a twig and rustle of leaves, Karen shot her head sharply as she cautiously scanned her surroundings with keen eyes. Her heart pounded in her chest as she grappled with the unsettling feeling of being watched- a sensation that prickled at the back of her neck.

Karen was desperate to uncover the source of the noise, knowing deep down that she was alone in this treacherous expanse of forest.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" she demanded boldly, her gaze sweeping the darkness in search of any hidden figures.

Then, as if materializing out of thin air, a noxious odor assailed her senses, causing her to recoil in disgust as she recognized the stench belonged to a rogue werewolf. Turning around, she met face-to-face with an ugly looking beast with large black eyes that were utterly terrifying. It growled and swiped its overly long tongue across its black lips.

Adrenaline forcefully surged through Karen's veins, while a primal force compelled her body to shift and contort into her lycan form. The fabric of her clothes tore apart as her muscles swelled, her body frame expanding and bones elongating.

The once gentle green of her eyes darkened to a fierce emerald hue, and her teeth sharpened into long deadly canines. Facing off against the rogue, Karen sensed its aggression, its low growl rumbling ominously in the air.

With a sudden burst of speed, the ugly beast lunged toward her, aiming to strike.

Reacting swiftly, Aria, Karen's white wolf leaped to the side, narrowly evading the attack. In a split-second decision, she spun around and launched herself at the rogue with a powerful kick from her thick paws.

The impact sent the rogue hurtling into the nearby tree stands, as the force of the collision shook the ground beneath them. Undeterred, the white she-wolf pursued her enemy, closing the distance with lightning speed. With a primal snarl, she lunged forward and sunk her razor-sharp deeply into the beast's fur-covered neck.

A pained howl escaped the rogue's lips as it thrashed and writhed, attempting to break free from Aria's grasp. In a desperate bid for survival, it lashed out wildly, swiping its massive paws toward the white she-wolf head in for a brutal assault.

But then, she sensed it quickly.

Drawing on her agility, she deftly lifted her left paw and narrowly dodged the rogue's deadly strike.

Afterward, she seized the opportunity to grab rogue's jaw with her powerful claws, snagging it open with a savage snarl. Blood sprayed in a crimson arc as the rogue let out a final, guttural cry before it finally went silent.

After confirming the threat was gone, Karen's body shifted back to its human form, the moonlight casting a haunting glow on her naked figure.

Without sparing a second glance at the lifeless body, she sprinted back to her desolate cabin, the thudding of her heart drowning out the night's silence.

Since she didn't want to see the face of her sister, Charlotte, who had betrayed her, and her parents, she chose to return back to the cabin.

From afar, the moonlight revealed the silhouette of her wooden cabin, signaling her return to the solitude she thought she had once escaped. When she reached, she forcefully pushed open the door, looking tired and exhausted.The room was as she left it - shrouded in darkness, devoid of life and furniture, except for three storey bunk tucked away in the shadowed corner.

As Karen lay on one of the flat foams, she pondered on the unpleasant events she had encountered tonight. Still thinking about them all, yawns of exhaustion escaped her lips, betraying the weariness that plagued her.

With the call of nature tugging at her, she reluctantly pushed those thoughts aside, opting instead to bury herself under the comfort of her wornout blanket. Slowly, the darkness of sleep crept in and her eyes fluttered shut, seeking refuge from the haunting memories of her time at their castle and in the forest.

Little did she know that the repercussions of her actions would haunt her in the nights to come, turning her peaceful slumber and dreams into nightmares. The darkness that now enveloped her was not merely a temporary freedom from reality, but a foreshadowing of the horrors that awaited her in the nearest future.

*****

"Squeaks!" Karen's eyelids peeled open when she heard a loud, violent noise banging against the door.

Tensed, she quickly sat up on the bed as her eyes sharply narrowed toward the direction of the doorpost.

A feeling of insecurity haunted her mind when all she saw were strange shadows, standing at the entrance of the door. The heat of their intimidating scents only revealed to Karen that there were more of these unknown lycans outside the cabin.

She stealthily came down from her bunk, her heart thudding against her chest like a wild beast, as tiptoed towards the door.

When Karen reached, the first thing she did was to place her right ear on the door, hoping to eavesdrop on them since there were no peepholes. However, the deafening sounds created by the violent knocking banged into her ears, making her regret her decision.

"Bad idea", she hissed uncomfortably while covering the affected ear. With the increasingly loud knocks, Karen was forced to snap the locks.

As soon as the door gave way, the unfamiliar faces of dreadful-looking men who glowered with dangerousness and disgust greeted her. They were all dressed in sophisticated black suits, dark shades, and matching black shoes. Everything would have looked perfect with their gentlemanly outfit except that there was no atom of a smile on their stoic faces.

Immediately, Karen was alerted. Although she couldn't tell whether they were from their pack, she was sure that their intention of paying her an early morning visit wasn't a good one.

"The Alpha has ordered us to bring you to him. You have an interrogation waiting for you, so I urge you to remain silent and follow us now", a man in front sneered, keeping a straight face that made him look dangerous and unfriendly.