Chapter 3 Three

Eliana's POV

I gasped for breath, each inhale sharper than the last. my chest burned like it had been hollowed out with a burning spear, still aching from the strain of summoning Scarlet.

I stumbled forward, dragging me feet across the thick grass. The woods around me blurred. Branches reached out like claws, scraping my arms and legs, painting lines of red across my already dirt-covered skin.

I glanced over my shoulder, I saw no one. The only sound I could hear was the sound of my own wheezing.

I puIled forward again this time faster, despite the ache in me foot but then, I froze.

I heard a crunch and then another. Slowly I turned my eyes, only to find Titus.

He was limping, bloody, but alive. And worse of it all was that he was healing fast

I stared at the deep gash that Scarlet had ripped into his neck, and the scratch on his leg, horrified to see the muscle stitching itself back together.

Slowly, but enough. His teeth were gritted, blood smeared across his neck and chin like red paint.

His eyes locked onto me with disgust.

"Seems you don't have full control of your beast yet," he snarled, his voice thick with contempt. "That's not bad... You're still worth more alive than dead. We could train you, you know." He spat blood to the side.

"A real asset to the Alpha, once you're broken in properly."

My lips trembled. my voice cracked as I whispered "Scarlet..."

my eyes flash red just for a second but dimmed instantly back to their usual hazel.

Nothing happened!

The fire inside me was gone.

I was empty and burned out.

A soft whimper escaped my lips as my knees buckled. I tried to crawl, to back away.

But Titus was already in front of me.

He grabbed me by the hair in a fist, yanking me back so hard my neck snapped upward. Before I could react, he slammed my body against a thick tree trunk.

The bark scraped my back.

And then, his claws elongated, glinting silver in the moonlight.

He pressed them to my throat.

I felt a sharp sting as warm blood slid down my neck.

"We'll take you to the Alpha," he hissed near my ear. "He'll want to make an example out of you first. A good beating, maybe more. Then we'll take what we need from you."

His breath was foul and his grin was twisted.

I clenched my jaw, blinking back the blur in my vision.

"It didn't have to be this way, Blood Moon," Titus sneered. "You could've just come with us, now? You'll beg for chains."

Suddenly, my hand shot up, my fingernails elongated to claws and scratched the gaping wound at his neck.

"Argh!!" he roared, stumbling back.

Blood goshed out in hot streams, splattering his chest and dripping down to his waist. The flesh tore back open as if my strike had undone all the healing that had begun. He clutched his neck, choking on pain, screaming into the night.

I didn't wait, I had no time to waste nor spare.

I gathered myself barely, my legs threatened to give out, but I forced them to move.

Taking one shaky step after, I ran.

Tears blurred my vision, and the world spun around me like a nightmare. The wind laId against my bloodied skin, and my lungs burned with every breath.

I spotted a large rock ahead, almost like a boulder split in half by time. I dove behind it, crashing into the earth with a gasp.

I curled behind the rock, my arms over my head, blood trickling from my throat. My heart pounded like a festive drum. Everything ached, the world tilted, in fact it was spinning.

I was on the verge of passing out.

Titus was still alive, I could hear him.

"Wmee could you run?" he hissed, voice strained. "You're weak and bleeding. I'll find you...and when I do, I'll take you with me."

I could hear him sniffing the air like a beast.

His footsteps grew closer and closer. Then suddenly I heard a howl.

A long, deep, echoing sound not from a distance, it sent chills down my spine. It seemed to ripple through the trees, like the forest itself shuddered at its call.

Titus froze.

"No..." he muttered.

I heard anotme step toward me, then a low growl.

"No...not you."

That was the last thing I heard from him.

Because suddenly, Titus screamed. It was an agonizing ear piercing scream.

I could hear bones cracking, flesh tearing. The wet, sickening sound of organs being cruId. His agonizing cries split through the trees, louder than the wind, louder than me own heartbeat.

Even the birds flew away at the sound of his screams.

I sat behind the rock, stiff and frozen. My body wouldn't move, it couldn't move.

My vision was blurred but I didn't dare peek, I didn't dare turn me gaze or lift me head to look.

The sounds were too awful to witness. Something was killing him and it wasn't me.

All I could do was tremble, sweat clinging to me skin, and listen.

And then suddenly tmee was... silence.

No more screams, no more bones cracking or blood spewing, no growls and snarls.

Just slow, deliberate footsteps coming towards me.

My body tensed up, but I couldn't move.

I could barely breathe, let alone scream or even fight.

The footsteps were getting closer and closer, they were steady.

I wanted to run but my limbs were dead weight.

My heart beat wildly in my chest as the steps stopped right in front of the rock.

And then, the shadow of a tall towering figure stepped into view, blocking the moonlight.

I could barely keep my open, I was slowly slipping into unconsciousness but before the darkness claimed me completely, I saw one thing.

His eyes.

Glowing blue! They were piercing, unblinking and watching me.

And then the world went black.