Running through the woods, I welcomed the adrenaline that coursed through my veins. Gritting my teeth, I fought the tears that kept falling from my eyes. My mother had left us. She had left my father and me. I knew something was wrong with her the past couple of days. Whenever I tried to play with her, she would look at me with disgust.Ever since she had returned from selling her gowns at a nearby village, she had acted weird. She had not unpacked her gear or taken me to the village like she usually did. She was cold. No longer was the loving feeling I once got from her received with open arms.Pushing my legs faster, I fought to find her. An elderly man told me she went into the woods after fighting with my father. Sobbing, I screamed out for her but was greeted with silence.Coming to a stop in a small clearing, I gazed up at the night sky. Rain pelted down from the dark clouds, soaking my white nightdress. Crying into my hands, I started to shake."Mummy!" Sniffing, I turned aroun

Since the night the young girl was found, all women and children were to be home before dark and to not travel alone. This meant Matthew stuck to me like a bad smell. Although I promised my father I would go on with this marriage to appease him, I still found myself longing to run into Gabriel's arms. I hadn't been able to see him for five days now, and those five days felt like hell.My body would always heat-up of a night time and with the new moon approaching it felt like it was getting worse. Five days, that's all it took for my body to crave his presence and five days we were in peace. At least that's what we all thought.When I woke that morning, I found my father seated beside my bed. He looked like he was deep in thought, and the longer I gazed at him the more I noticed he seemed tired. "Father?"The sound of my voice caught him off guard, causing him to jump slightly but he masked his surprise with a bright smile. "Good morning, Annabelle. Did you sleep well?"Nodding, I just

"Anna!" Turning around at the sound of my name, I spotted my father running towards me. Pulling me into his arms, I felt his body shaking slightly, as I wrapped my arms around his waist."Father, you're shaking," I whispered.Nodding, I felt his head move into the crook of my neck. "I couldn't find you... I thought..." Father was unable to finish his sentence as his shoulders began to shake uncontrollably. "Where were you, Anna?"Pulling back, I turned to where Gabriel was once standing, only to see he was nowhere to be seen. He had vanished without saying goodbye. Frowning I turned back to look at Father, placing a smile on my face, I whispered. "I was with... Gabriel."As soon as the words left my lips, my father frowned down at me. With a shake of his head, he looked towards Matthew. "I can't have you here anymore, Anna. I'm sending you and Matthew to the nearest town."I stared at my father for a few seconds as I tried to register the words coming out of his mouth. Surely I had he

The sound of skin breaking open filled my ears as my stomach began to ache. Even with my eyes closed and the red and black picture behind my closed eyelids, I could still see the scene play out. The look on Matthew's face as he noticed what he had done. The way he lay on the ground, unconscious from the blow to his head. The dream felt so real that even as I breathed, I could feel pain.Eyes wide, I gazed up at the ceiling as I tried to steady my breaths. Turning my head slightly, I felt the soft silk fabric move with my actions. Covered in what looked like expensive white silk blankets, I felt all my aches and pains slowly disappear. I was laid in a comfortable four-poster bed, with the gold silk curtains pulled around me, shielding me from whatever waited beyond its wake.Taking a deep breath, I felt a small twinge in my stomach, causing a little whimper to leave my lips. Pushing the silk away from my body, I gazed down at my naked chest. Although I had on my undergarments, the clot

Sitting on the bed, I placed my head in my hands. My mind felt like it was racing with so much information. Everything I had grown to know now meant nothing. The people back in the village I had grown to love and some hate, had all been hiding something. None of them was who I thought they were, and it made me question if Matthew was one of them too. I knew Matthew had been taken back to the village, and I could only pray he wasn't planning to come to find me. If he did, I was worried my childhood friend would turn out to be like the rest of the people who filled this place.Thinking back to Gabriel's words, I wondered if my father knew my mother was or could be a werewolf. Just at the mere thought of my father, I felt my heart yearn to see him. I wondered if he knew I was safe or if he too was safe back at the village.As I continued to sit on the bed in Gabriel's room, I knew what I had to do. I needed to see my father and find out what he knew about my mother. I wasn't sure if he w