Chapter 24 LEAVE!
Hours earlier, Thane arrived at the cave deep inside the forest.
Behind him were Orion, Talok and Henry who pulled heavy, thick chains behind them.
He stopped at the entrance of the cave and looked back. He could see Eryndor from that distance, and as he stared at it, only one person came to his mind.
Rue.
Which was funny because he never thought about anyone whenever the blood moon appeared. The only thing he thought of was getting through the ordeal.
Now Rue invaded every corner of his mind. He couldn't help but wonder what she was doing.
She had been fast asleep that morning when he left.
"It's almost night time, Alpha." Talok said beside him.
He looked at the chains they held. The last one that was used to chain him was damaged already, and there was no telling if this one would be damaged too.
He was tired of the curse. He just wanted a way to break it.
"Fasten it to the wall." He said after a while.
Orion and Talok dragged the chain into the cave to set it up, while he remained with Henry outside. Night was fast approaching.
"Henry..." He began, but Henry already knew what he was going to say.
"I'll keep an eye on her." He said. "If the skinwalkers attack again, I'll protect her."
Thane didn't know why he was so bothered about Rue. He couldn't understand why she suddenly occupied a huge part of his mind.
In the end, he nodded, then walked into the cave.
Orion and Talok had fastened the chain and were waiting for him. The moment he stood close to the wall, they slipped it around him and secured him.
"The silver chains are stronger." He muttered.
"Messengers have been sent out to BloodOak pack to get them." Talok replied. "They'll be back before the next blood moon."
Both Orion and Talok just finished securing the chain around Thane's body when he started to twitch.
They stepped back, their eyes wide open.
"It's happening already." Orion whispered.
Behind them, Henry rushed inside in haste. "The blood moon is out."
"Go back to Eryndor." Thane growled in a deep, guttural voice. His eyes had switched from red to gold as his body contorted, taking the shape of his beast.
Black fog spilled out of his body, cloaking him like a wall of smoke. Sharp canines tore out of his mouth, ripping a vicious roar from him. His claws emerged as dark fur sprouted out of his body.
He looked up and noticed they were still standing there, dumbstruck.
"LEAVE!!" He roared.
Henry was the first to move. He shifted into his wolf form and bounded out of the cave.
Orion and Talok followed next, running as fast as they could as a loud roar shook the cave. Talok looked back and noticed that Thane's transformation had completed.
In his place was a mighty beast, as huge as the interior of the cave.
"The chains might not hold him throughout the night." Orion said as they hurried towards Eryndor.
"Let's hope the magic of the cave holds him then." Talok replied. "If he wasn't so damn powerful, this would have been a good time to kill him."
"We can't risk it." Orion shook his head. "He might be a mindless beast, but I think he would recognize anyone. We just have to stick to the plan."
"What did Cersei say about the girl?"
"The girl is hiding something." Orion frowned. "I already sent out spies to Mountain Pack, to find out who she is."
"Why is that important?"
"Cersei thinks she's not an omega."
"We don't have time for that." Talok snapped. "I say we stick to the original plan. Drag her to the cave and let the beast finish her off. It would seem like she tried to escape again and was mauled by the beast."
And that was how they dragged Rue to the cave, injected her with a heavy drug and left her for dead.
...
Rue looked up through her hazy vision and gasped at the enormous beast chained to the wall, struggling to free itself.
As she struggled to her feet, a memory surfaced in her mind. That black fog! She had seen it before.
Could it be Thane? Why did he look different?
She stared at the beast, her heart thudding, her limbs shaking from terror.
"Thane?" She whispered, but the beast roared in response.
She started to back away when it suddenly swung its hand, ripping off the chain from the wall.
It tried to repeat the gesture with the other hand, but the chain remained fastened against the wall.
Rue's gaze followed the line of the chain. It was only a matter of seconds before the beast tore it off the wall and came after her. She needed to run.
With her legs wobbly and her entire body weak from the drug, she staggered out of the cave and down the path that would lead her back to Eryndor.
She was so weak from the drug that she couldn't see where she was headed. All her instinct told her was to run as far away as she could from that cave.
Suddenly a growl from somewhere in the bush alerted her.
She stopped, her heart pounding wildly, her entire body frozen. A twig snapped in the darkness, followed by another growl.
The blood moon didn't help much. It painted the surrounding bushes an eerie red glow, causing the shadows to stretch like demons.
Suddenly a skinwalker burst out of the bushes.
Rue saw the flash of claws, the bright glint of sharp teeth and the twisted body.
She screamed and fled back the way she came. Despite feeling hazy, she ran. Paws pounded heavily behind her, getting closer. There had to be more than one skinwalker.
Back inside the cave, Thane in his beast form heard her cries for help. The urge to protect her suddenly surged through him and he tore out the second chain from the wall.
The earth shook as he moved towards the entrance of the cave. But when he tried to step out, an invisible barrier held him back.
No matter how much he tried, he couldn't leave the cave. The dark fog cloaking him couldn't even get past the barrier.
He looked up and saw Rue racing back. There was pure terror in her eyes.
He rose to his full height and let out an ear shattering roar. The skinwalkers stopped mid-pursuit, slowly backing away as they came face to face with the beast.
By this time, Rue was exhausted. She collapsed just outside the entrance of the cave and fell unconscious.
Seeing the beast beside her, the skinwalkers turned and retreated into the forest, blending perfectly with the darkness.
Thane remained in his beast form. He paced about at the entrance of the cave, unable to get out, but protecting Rue all the same.
It wasn't until the early hours of the morning when the blood moon disappeared that he finally shifted back to his human form.
And saw Rue lying unconscious in front of the cave.