LUNA ASTERBELLE’s POV
My eyes flinched from what Mr. Asterbelle vocalized, I could feel a huge portion of my blood was boiling inside my body, making its way up to my head. “Are you trying to tell me that if it wasn’t for the accident that gave you this burn mark, I am most probably dead by now?” I asked, longing for assurance that I understood his statement correctly. He only gave me a slight movement of his head up and downwards as a reply. “If that’s so, then, why am I seeing such a dark aura surrounding your body, Mr. Asterbelle?”
I blurted out something that should have just remained inside my mind, but I could no longer suppress myself.
“You… You can see the color of my aura?” Mr. Asterbelle asked, with his eyes widened as if it was such a surprise for him that I could actually see his aura.
I nodded my head twice. “Yes.”
All of a sudden, his facial expression changed for one more time. If only I could get a logbook on how many times his expression alters in the same hour, then I would have completed an entire book already. Mr. Asterbelle’s footsteps were heavy and yet, it didn’t even make any sort of sound. He was getting closer and with each step, I had to move backwards due to the intense pressure that I was feeling against him at the same time that I had to close my eyes firmly, to avoid meeting his gaze.
It’s not like I’m about to face him in a duel, I’m just afraid of my own father.
“How about now? What can you see?”
I gulped as I stared at his eyes. I gently moved my vision to his aura, then covered my mouth with both of my palms in the exact moment that I got to see a different set of colors. “B-blood…” I stuttered as I observed its continuous flow along his entire body which was still paired with his natural color, black. “F-forgive me, Mr. Asterbelle. I shouldn’t have mentioned anything regarding your aura and also about the mark that was a scar of your past. I’m really sorry, so, please…” I could feel my own lips trembling as I spoke. I did my best to kneel on the ground to beg for his forgiveness. “Please, let me get out of this place alive,” I continued.
Mr. Asterbelle stepped a few steps backward to set me free from being trapped, which was the signal for me to run as fast as I could. “Your journey as a werewolf, as a human, and as a vampire would surely not bring you to a bright future, but you would rather be going through the depths of hell even if you’re still breathing on Grimstone. There would be no city that you can consider as a safe place, since everyone would be secretly despising you from the bottom of their hearts. No one would want to put their own lives at the risk of dying in exchange for a petty ‘friendship’ that you humans treasure.” Even though I was already out of that room, I can still hear his last words that he left for me as I was strolling away from the packhouse. “You’re no longer a member of the Blood Moon Pack. It’s up to you now where you would join, or if anyone out there would be willing to take a dangerous creature like you. Note that we wouldn’t be delighted to have you back in our pack, unless your vampire blood gets eradicated. Starting from now on, you would not be able to use the mind link between you and the rest of my pack.”
I’m back in the same woods where I ran away to as I escaped the venue earlier. The moonlight was literally shining upon me as if it was telling me that I’m not alone, despite being thrown out of the pack.
Why do things never turn out great for me?
“O-ouch!” I groaned when my head started to buzz at the same moment that my back was aching. It was the same feeling that I had when I was transforming for the first time. And just as I expected, my bones began to crack and expanded to its…
Vampire form?
My fangs were sharp enough to pierce through my lips unintentionally. My senses were keen, I could determine that there were a lot of mysterious creatures that were lurking up through the branches of the trees that were surrounding me. It was as if I were some kind of prey that they had been searching for such a very long time.
“Well, well…” I heard a man’s voice from afar.
I glanced at each side of the forest, but I couldn’t even get a glimpse of his shadow. He kept on moving around at the speed of lightning.
“There’s no use in trying to look for me, Luna,” he said. His voice was the same as the one who created a disaster at the cafeteria, and he’s the only one who addresses me like that besides my parents. “I knew it right from the start, that you’re going to end up astray… and you didn’t betray my expectations of you.”
“What would you even gain from someone like me? I’m a cursed being,” I mumbled as softly as I could, knowing that he would still be able to perceive what came out from my mouth.
“Your blood. I’m sure that you can feel all of these monsters around you and they all have the same goal — devour you alive and bring your blood to their respective leaders. They might even sell it in an auction or something,” he replied. The wolf jumped from above and before I could have even reacted, he already held me captive with his broad shoulders. “You’re coming with me whether you like it or not, Luna. I won’t let a random wolf get a taste of your precious blood,” he whispered directly to my ears.
“Fuck off!” I pushed him with all of my strength, although unlike what I did back then, he was able to control his balance that made me unable to send him flying with a single kick of mine, but at least I got out of his captivity. “You’re no different from those who are thirsty for my blood…” I muttered as I furrowed my eyebrows, trying to come up with a plan.
“Ahh, yes… Those sweet, red eyes of a vampire really amuses me.” There’s no doubt. This wolf is creeping the heck out of me and I know that I’m about to face some serious trouble if I don’t manage to get away from his reach.
My movements were like a blazing flame that sped up through his body. I can’t explain what exactly happened back there, but one thing’s for sure, I scratched his nape with my fingernails that were pointed enough to make anyone injured.
“H-hey!” he growled as he held onto his nape. “You’re a mixture of a vampire and a werewolf, and yet, you don’t know where to target your enemy?” he inquired, and he sounded like he was mocking me.
I faced the ground when I felt embarrassed because it was an undeniable fact. “W-what’s wrong with that? It’s not like I’m the mate of an alpha who’s expected to be born without any flaw.” I evade his gaze.
For the first time in my whole life, this was the only moment that I felt casually talking to a werewolf who could possibly take my life away without a warning. It’s like there’s something about him that’s making me want to trust him for a little bit. I shook my head in refusal of my own thoughts. I might have gone insane after being casted away by my own family and even my best friend, to the point that I am now willing to be stuck by anyone’s side and have faith in them.
“I can assure you that you’re going to be living in a stress free city, Luna,” he interrupted and must have read what has been going through my mind just now. “You have not been given proper training by your parents or even some pack warriors, have you?” he asked and I simply shook my head twice as a response. “Then, that’s even more of a reason why you should come with me, Luna. I’ll be the one who would enhance your capabilities as a hybrid.”
His offer was kind of tempting me to go with him. “But I sent you flying at the cafeteria without my awakened power yet… What more if I’m totally capable of exerting all of the skills that’s still undiscovered? I feel like it’s going to be the other way around— I would be the one training you and you’d end up exhausted with it.” I hate twisted words and I have no intention of sugarcoating it.
“Do you want to test me, then?”
My heartbeat went crazy, I was kind of terrified of what this wolf can do if he gets serious. I should have been careful of what I said.
I didn’t give him a reply, instead, I initiated the fight between us. The both of us kept on running away from one another, one wrong move and it’s going to be the end of one of us. There’s nothing that can hold me back if it means that I can win and escape him. My legs that were wobbly just a few minutes ago regained their strength and I can already stomp onto the trunks and transfer over to different trees.
From above the woods, I saw someone watching us. I felt like it was purposely standing there to grab my attention and that it had no other motive other than that. He doesn’t seem to have any interest in getting involved with our duel, he must be waiting for it to be over. I breathed in and out continuously to catch my breath, as I considered how I have to avoid getting near that person. I don’t want anyone else to get hurt just because of us.
“Aren’t you getting tired running away? You provoked me, you have to deal with it, Luna.” His voice began to change, it was no longer the same tone that made me feel safe.
From this point onwards, I knew that there’s no one that I can rely on other than myself. This might just be the first trial that I have to endure and if I don’t get to survive this one, then that just means that I would not be able to live with such a happy ending. I braced myself for the impact as I faked my jump onto the next tree. I purposely landed myself on his head and was anticipating the cracking of his neck, but I failed.
“W-what?” I murmured when my feet almost wrecked the land. “Scared?” I clenched my fists and pretended to punch through the wind. I wasn’t informed that it would be reaching him! There was a trace of my punch on his face, but it wasn’t enough to give him much damage. My power isn’t enough to take him down. I must have underestimated him when I saw how weak he was at the cafeteria. “Should I go easy on you now?” I still proceeded to provoke him despite the harm that I’m putting myself in.
He placed both of his hands and feet to the ground as he rushed to my direction. I was too focused on what my next attack should be when he was already on top of me. His weight was sufficient to get my back glued and force me to freeze on my current position. Just like a ferocious beast, his saliva was dropping from his mouth as he continually breathed in and out.
“You should have begged me for mercy instead of trying to get into my nerves, Luna.”