Lahat ng Kabanata ng A Werewolf for the Witch: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

AvaleaAnn got away. She is safe.Ann got away. She is safe.I chant this over and over again in my mind as my feet carry me away in a direction they’ve deemed safe. My silk bedroom slippers are no match for the rough forest floor. Sharp pebbles and thorns tear at my feet, just as the low-lying branches are making short work of my nightgown. I’m covered in scrapes and bruises, and my tired legs stumble on a gnarly root that I failed to notice in the darkness. Neither of the two moons have made an appearance tonight. The canopy overhead is so thick that only the barest hint of the brilliant starlight is able to make its way through the gaps. How long I have been running I do not know, but I can still smell the acrid stench of smoke as the fire destroys everything in its path. Or am I smelling the residual smoke clinging to my now ruined-beyond-repair nightgown? I’m not certain. One glance behind me will tell me if I have come far enough, but I cannot look back, nor can I stop my feet

AvaleaWhen the Werewolf leaves, I force myself to rein my tears in. Shame and unease wash over me. I should not have shown him just how much of a wreck I am right now. Werewolves are savages. And after what the Council and Father did just last month, they hate my kind more than ever. What’s to stop him from killing me once he knows how weak I am?I don’t know what caused me to shed tears. Perhaps it was a delayed reaction to the happenings of last night, perhaps it was realizing how well and truly alone I am now, or perhaps it was just relief, knowing this Werewolf isn’t one of those who invaded our palace last night and murdered my father. Ann and I might not have seen the faces of the assassins, but we heard them speak. I know with an unshakable certainty that this Werewolf wasn’t one of the assassins.Or perhaps it was his kindness towards me that caused me to shed tears.Despite my vulnerability, despite knowing I was probably defenseless at that moment, he did nothing to hurt m

AvaleaI don’t know how long I was unconscious, but when I come to, I’m once again staring into the Werewolf’s silver-gray eyes. They’re not glowing this time, thanks to the bright sunlight flooding the hut. I try to sit up, but wince as pain shoots up my leg. I’m still feeling light-headed.The Werewolf is looking at the blood-soaked remains of my nightgown and the pool of blood on the floor with horror. “What the hell!” he exclaims.“My thigh…” He reaches for the hem of my nightgown with hesitant fingers. “Go ahead,” I whisper.He tries to push the fabric up my leg, but it’s stuck to the open wound along with the bit of the fabric from my sleeve I had used to staunch the flow of blood.“I’ll have to cut it away.”I nod, too tired to speak. My eyelids feel heavy, and I feel myself slipping back into unconsciousness. “No!” His sharp cry serves to open my eyes. “Don’t close your eyes. Here, look at me.”The authority in his voice forces me to follow his command. Somewhere in the ba

Aldrich Roark and I head for the alpha’s cave in silence. I glance at Roark a time or two, wondering if he will question me, but he seems to be lost in his own thoughts. He is no doubt thinking about the testimony he’ll be giving. There will be uncomfortable questions thrown his way. I wish I could stand by him and support him, but I cannot break protocol. As the alpha’s personal guard, my primary duty today is to maintain order during the meeting and make sure that the alpha is safe. Today more than ever, I think the younger members might actually become disruptive. We head upstream, walking briskly along the hard rocky surface. Up ahead, we can see some other members of the pack heading for the cave. Since both of us are keen to avoid conversation, we maintain our distance. The alpha’s cave is located in a small hillock at the edge of our settlement. It’s not a single cave, but a series of interconnected caves with some of them extending underground. The largest cave is large enou

Aldrich It is late evening by the time I am relieved of my duties. Roark left immediately after the meeting, but since I serve the alpha, I couldn’t leave, no matter how badly I wanted to get back to the princess. I have been distracted and half sick with worry. What if my pack members chance upon my hut? What if they find her? I have to hope that the Werewolves won’t venture that deep inside the forest. I have made up my mind to spend the night in the hut so I can guard her. I reach my hovel just as Roark is about to leave for his night duty, and I’m forced to wait until he leaves before I grab some more bread and cheese, wrap it up in a piece of cloth and head for the forest. I’m not going to be able to keep my nightly wanderings hidden from Roark forever. He’s also going to notice the missing food. We’re only allowed to keep meager amounts of dry rations in our individual hovels since we all gather in the community kitchen for meals. I missed breakfast this morning, being