Six.

"Conan," Lupita called out in a faint, brittle voice. She looked up at his face, expecting to see at least a trace of emotion on his face but she saw nothing.

She held his hands as he turned to leave but he slapped her hand off his and her knees fell to the ground.

As he did so, Lupita felt like sharp needles were piercing her chest.

MAKE IT STOP! She screamed in her head but it only got worse.

STOP IT!

She fell to the ground and began to roll.

Wounds! She could feel them. They were on her chest. Might not be visible when checked but they were there and it hurt her. They were more like wounds on her heart.

"Moon Goddess!" She cried out, with tears streaming freely from her eyes. "Could you please be any less cruel? It's too much to bear. Please, make it stop."

More tears flowed from her eyes as she held her stomach and groaned. She cried out as the pain spread from her chest and stomach to other parts of her body.

"Hot," she yelped in pain as she felt her skin burning. Lupita glanced at her skin. It looked normal but it felt like her skin was peeling off. Lupita looked around to see if she was on fire but the only thing that was on her skin was the air around her. She wondered if air could sting as the fire did.

"Please," Lupita pleaded tearily as she looked up at the sky.

"Why are you crying?"

Lupita touched her face and it felt wet.

" You shouldn't cry." The voice of whoever had spoken was soothing. Lupita looked up at the face of the person with the soothing voice.

Lupita stared in awe at her face. Gazing at her eyes was like gazing at the ocean. Her long white dress matched the peaceful aura she had. A beautiful diamond crown rested on her waist-length, silver hair.

Lupita knew who it was right away.

"Moon goddess?"

The woman smiled at her. "Child," she called out softly.

"Did you just call me child?" Lupita's voice was brittle. "Can a mother watch her child get bullied by meanies without helping?"

"I favor you the most and that's why you're passing through this." The moon goddess said sadly. She drew closer to Lupita and stroked her hair gently. "What is after you is greater than what you see. The danger." She shook her head sadly. "Sorry child, but trust me you won't be alone for long. He would join you and you'd win in the end."

"Who would join me?" Lupita was puzzled. None of the things she said made sense.

"I have great plans for you. Just hang in there for a while," the moon goddess said lovingly, and immediately, she disappeared into thin air.

Suddenly, everything began to blur off until she blacked out and felt nothing again.

~~~

Lupita's eyes snapped open and as they did, she braced herself for the excruciating pains but she felt nothing.

She lay on the grass without moving, waiting to feel sharp needles that weren't there piercing her chest. She waited to get consumed by an invisible fire and for her guts to get bitten by sharp-toothed animals that did not exist in her stomach, but she felt nothing.

Lupita gasped. Had the moon goddess helped her? Was the dream not a product of her imagination? Was it real?

Lupita sat up straight, trying to make out something from the dream she had, but she could make out nothing.

She stood on her feet, happy to know that she no longer felt pain from Conan's rejection, both emotionally and physically.

She took subtle steps as she approached the pack house and hid behind a tree as soon as she saw Lilith with her co-meanies approaching. They were all dressed up and luckily, they did not see her.

"You look dashing, Lilith," one of the two she-wolves with Lilith said, complimenting Lilith.

"Of course I'm beautiful," Lilith bragged. "I'd make even Alpha Romulus drool over me tonight."

"Face of an angel. Heart of a demon," Lupita scoffed.

Lupita's heart beat faster as they drew closer.

"Ouch," Lilith yelped in pain as her left foot struck a stone.

Lupita's heart paused its work as Lilith and her posse stopped beside the tree she hid behind. She peeped at them.

"Oh my! This is a bad omen," the she-wolf who had complimented her said and suddenly, she turned to the tree.

Lupita's eyes widened in panic and she quickly took her eyes away and hid properly.

She hoped the night was dark enough to prevent her from getting seen easily. If they caught her, she'd be dead meat. Lupita shuddered.

"What bad omen? Are you out of your mind?" Lilith barked.

"Lilith." The she-wolf looked back at Lilith and then back at the tree. "I think there's a per—"

"Can't you see I'm injured?" Lilith snapped. "Help me get to Alpha Romulus' party."

"But—"

"Now!"

"Quit it, Sandy, and let's help her," the other she-wolf frowned at her friend.

Lupita sighed in relief as she watched Lilith and her posse walk away from where she was hiding.

She smiled, fell lazily on her butt, relaxed on the tree, and placed her hands on her chest as her heart beat faster. "That was close. Thank goodness."

~~~

"I can feel her presence," Alpha Romulus said flatly to the wrinkle-faced man standing beside him. The man's hair had left his head to form a long white beard and mustache around his mouth.

The man looked away from the group of dancers on stage to the entrance of the hall.

"You'd reject her," the old man said, stroking his beard. "Why?"

"Old wizard," Alpha Romulus said curtly. "How is it your cup of tea?"

"You're definitely up to one of your wicked tricks." The old man shook his head in disapproval and Alpha Romulus scoffed.

"She is wicked herself. Every one of these she-wolves is an evil creature. The moon goddess made a mistake by choosing one for me." Alpha Romulus looked at his mate who walked in and he remembered what happened the last time he saw her. "I'm the one to punish her, not the foolish she-wolf."

"Lilith," Alpha Romulus heard one of the she-wolves who were with his mate call out. Even from a distance, he could hear them clearly and could feel their aura.

The she-wolves with his mate had a weaker aura. That of his wolf was much more powerful and domineering.

"Too bad! She has an aura worthy of that of a Luna, but you're rejecting our mate," his wolf said angrily. "That mate of ours is evil. She suits you and not me, but I'm still ready to accept her but you're about to reject our mate. What a shame!"

"Who are you punishing and who are you calling a foolish wolf?" The old man asked.

"Mind your business. Your job is to break the spell. Do it now. Let her know she's my mate."

"Lilith," one of the she-wolves accompanying her, called out again immediately after the old man clapped twice and muttered strange words.

"She can smell you. She's trying to find you and she would," the old man said to Alpha Romulus and they watched as Lilith pushed the she-wolf who had called her name aside.

"Do you think the other she-wolf would come?" The old man asked. "I don't see her around."

"She's coming," Alpha Romulus smirked.

Things were about to get interesting.