The mistake

LIA’S POV

“James!” I yell as I realise the sound is coming from further into the woods. 

My heart skips, then slams back in motion and I don’t think as I rush forward, my mind screaming. I can’t lose James, not him too. I am more than certain that he had to watch his mama die. My heart breaks for the little boy, how scared he must have been. 

As I walk further into the darkness, every nerve in my body goes on high alert as I feel an odd chill in my bones. I never come to this part of the woods, as it has always given me the creeps and it isn’t any different. 

I stumble on a root, almost falling in my face. I hold myself together, breathing heavy as I try to navigate my way in the dark. The moon has been completely covered by the cloud and without any wolf powers, I can barely see more than a few steps ahead. But if James is here,  he would be even more terrified. My eyes catch something on the ground in front of me. 

“Oh no.” It is blood. And then I see him, a figure laying on the ground a few steps ahead. 

“James!” I run towards him, my panic fueling my movement, but it's not until I’m standing directly in front of the figure that I realise that it is bigger than James’, very much bigger. 

I am staring at a fully grown man, a very naked grown man with surprisingly toned skin that even the darkness can’t hide. He looks a little larger than anyone I’ve ever met, lying unmoving on the ground, his face directly in the dirt, with a muscular back that is halfway covered by long black hair. I have never seen anyone like this in the pack before. 

I feel blood rush to my cheeks and I avert my eyes. 

That is when I notice the source of the blood. On his leg, or what’s left of it is a huge gash, no, not a gash. It looks like someone tried to tear his leg off completely. The blood flows from the top of his thigh to his ankle. 

Bile rushes up my throat. I can clearly see his bone! And it doesn’t look like he is healing. 

I take a shaky step forward.

Is he dead? 

I look around but there’s no one else here. Well, I guess that’s a good thing. Lesser chances of me getting murdered, too. 

Terror claws at my heart, my chest tightening as I move back. My mind imagines different scenarios of the situation James could be in at this very moment, each one worse than the last, with no one to protect him, to hold his hand and tell him everything will be alright. I should run. 

But I hesitate, almost like my body refusing to move. It feels completely wrong to leave this strange man lying helplessly here without doing anything.

I move closer to him, my steps slow, trying to check for movement. If I don’t know who he is, that means he is part of the people who did this to my pack. 

Suddenly, I feel the urge to end him myself, to avenge the death of James’s mother and everyone else whose lives have been taken away. To avenge every pain, every tear that has been brought to my pack. He is as helpless as any wolf can ever be, even more than I. I can take him before he can even lift a finger, but every bone in my body screams no.

My skin tightens as I move in to nudge him, to check for any sign of life. However, the moment the tip of my finger comes in contact with his shoulder, sparks explode. That is what it feels like. I fall backwards, as if pushed by an unknown force, but it is only my fear. My ass hits the dirt hard as I fall to the ground and I feel something tear into my leg. But I don't have the time to dwell on the pain, not when my eyes are transfixed on what is in front of me. 

I let out a loud gasp, my features contorting in horror at the scene. I am familiar with the sounds of bones snapping when a werewolf transforms, but this is very different.  

Coming into the woods was a terrible mistake.