And it does, the succubus in me stops. I finally break free and Alec Winters slumps onto the ground. On no, my eyes widen in horror. I quickly kneel on one knee and place a finger on his neck. He’s alive…thank the heavens he’s alive!
My face crumbles and I sob, nestling my face in my palms. I mustn’t stay here, I need to leave. With trembling hands, I reach for the golden ring on the floor and tuck it into my pocket.
“I’m sorry.” I get up and knock down the basement door, flee past screaming nuns and as fast as my feet can carry me, I escape the very walls where I grew up in.
And for the first time in my eighteen years of life, I set foot outside the gates of the convent. But this newfound freedom is not one of happiness, it is one of great pain. Taking one last look at the convent, I whisper, “Forgive me for I have sinned.”
*****
I am lost. The witching hour has come and gone and I haven’t the slightest clue where I am. I had escaped without a concrete plan in mind and once I was out of the confines of the convent walls, I took off into the nearest forest, afraid that the nuns would send the Hunter after me again.
Stupid me. I sigh and pull up my torn blouse, trying to keep myself warm. Far away, a wolf howls and the hair at the back of my neck stand up like little soldiers. It is scary to be alone in the woods. I place a hand over my chest and mutter a string of prayers as my eyes travel up to the pale white orb in the sky. Somehow, just by looking at the moon, I feel more at peace.
I walk some more, ignoring twigs and branches that claw at the soles of my feet. But where do I go? I do not know. If only the Lord would show me the way, if only –
Oh. The moonbeam that shines through the leaves of the dense forest lands on a stream. Wow, is that a sign from the Lord?
I kneel by the stream and scoop some of the water, hungrily gulping it down. The water is fresh and sweet but it does nothing to quell my hunger. In fact, a sudden dizzy spell hits me. I press both palms to the muddy ground to steady myself. Argh…there is a peculiar pounding in my head, like when someone lacks sleep or is low on sugar. I quickly sit on the ground and hug my knees, forcing my eyes to close. Maybe I need to rest awhile.
But as I pull my knees closer, my hand suddenly brushes against a tiny bulge in my pocket.
The ring!
Ignoring the pounding in my head and the impending hunger for a moment, I quickly fish out the ring and hold it under the pale moonlight. Strange, there is a perpetual glint to the ring’s shine even with the minimal amount of light shining on it. I feel a sense of power emanating from it. My brows furrow, this is no ordinary ring.
Gently, I slip it on and…oh God.
Something has happened. I bring my hands to my stomach. The hunger that had threatened to consume my very soul a moment ago has vanished into thin air; it makes no sense, is this my imagination?
I stare at the ring on my finger and pull the ring out and the moment I do, a disquieting chill creeps up upon me. The hunger has returned, this time with a vengeance. I immediately slip the ring back on and all too soon the hunger fades once again.
“What in the name of the Lord?”
I shake my head in disbelief. What sorcery is this? Sister Abbie said this belonged to my parents…but just who were my parents?
An owl hoots and I jump a little. The leaves around me rustle too as if an animal lurks behind the trees of something. My imagination starts to run wild, what if a tiger or lion attacks? Or even worse, what if creatures from the underworld like werewolves and vampires come?
I slap myself on the face.
“Get a grip of yourself, Alisa!” I hiss. “You are a child of light! You are…oh wait…you’re not. You’re a succubus.”
But that doesn’t mean I deserve any less. I take a deep breath, I will keep the ring on. Hopefully it'll stop me from hurting others.
I need to find shelter. I get up on my feet. My clothes were torn and tattered and I desperately need to find food and lodging. With fingers balled into fists, I follow the stream, hoping and praying that the source of water will lead me somewhere safe.
And it does. At breaking dawn, I stumble upon a path that eventually leads me to a clearing where a lone building looms ahead. I blink, the place is huge, almost as big as the convent! It looks different though, more like a warehouse.
I take a deep breath and make my way towards the entrance, but one foot at the front door and I am greeted by curved glass and steel with RED MOON written over the frosted glass doors.
My eyes narrow in suspicion. The name sounds like one of the many cults that the convent used to warn us of.
“RED MOON?” I mutter, shaking my head. “What blasphemy is this? This goes against the teachings of –“
Oh. Bacon….I smell bacon. Cults don’t serve bacon. Umm…maybe RED MOON’s just a fancy name for the warehouse. My stomach grumbles and I realize I haven’t eaten anything since yesterday!
Cautiously, I push against the frosted glass door, ready to run at a moment’s notice but upon setting foot in the building, a voice sweet like an angel’s calls out.
“Good morning, are you hungry?”
Where’d the voice come from? I look to my left and right but see no one in the lobby. The lobby, though dark is beautiful. A plush maroon carpet pools across the lobby and covers the walls where full-length mirrors do not.
“Hello? I’m sorry to intrude but I'm looking for a place to stay,” I call out with my hand still on the glass door. My heart goes thump thump thump. If anyone pounces on me I will scream and run.
“Come to the kitchen! We can have breakfast together!” There! That angelic voice again! And wait, I smell toast too! My stomach growls and I let go of the door.
“Oh, okay.”
The aroma of food leads me down a hallway and straight to a massive kitchen. One word, wow. My gaze immediately flies to the massive island table in the middle of the kitchen. On it is a sea of food, glorious food, food enough to feed an orphanage of children!
I tear my eyes away from the food and turn my attention to a little girl with pigtails in one corner. She has hair the colour of midnight and eyes as clear as a still lake. The little girl stares at the wall behind me and smiles, she is missing two front teeth. She can’t be more than six or seven years old.
“Have a seat and eat.” She places her tiny hands on one of the many chairs that surround the island table.
Dumbfounded, I make my way to the table. “Did you make all this?”
I pick up a bun and stuff it into my mouth, chewing on it hungrily and swallowing it dry. Hmm, this is good. I quickly fish for another one. There would be time for formalities later, right now food comes first.
The little girl laughs, trails her hand over to a teapot and seamlessly pours it into a teacup. The tea is filled to the brim without a single drop being spilt and all this while, her steel-blue eyes remain on the wall behind me.
“Some…the rest were made by Nana but she left a while ago to buy groceries. My name’s Marlene. What’s yours?”
“Alisa.” I stuff yet another bun into my mouth, choking a little. The little girl points to her teacup and motions for me to drink. It’s odd, but it doesn’t seem as if she can see me.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I wave a hand in front of Marlene. The little girl does not blink.
“I’m blind,” she says, answering the burning question in my mind. My cheeks heat up with embarrassment and I lower my head in shame.
“I’m sorry..” I whisper, unsure of what to say.
Marlene laughs and does a little skip. “Don’t be. My other senses make up for the lack of vision. I hear and smell better than common folks.”
The little girl’s cheerfulness is infectious and for the first time since yesterday, a little smile plays on my lips.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
I take a sip of her tea. It is deliciously warm and fragrant. “For all this.”
My eyes roam the kitchen, the place is filled with rays of sun and love and it reminds me of the kitchen in the convent where I used to cook and the thought makes me sad.
Marlene wrinkles her button nose, picking up a strawberry cream pie for herself. “You smell like you need a bath,” she complains.
Oops. I sniff my armpits. Ugh…Marlene is right. I badly need a shower and a change of clothes. My habit is torn and barely clinging onto my body.
“Did you run away from your home?” Marlene continues, licking off the cream from her pie and smudging her little fingers in the process. The little girl is like a tiny ball of sunshine, I like her.
“Yes…something like that. I’m looking for food and shelter actually. Do you know if anyone is looking for a kitchen helper? Or any helper of sorts?“
Marlene suddenly squeals and I almost swallow my bun whole.
“Talk about fate! The Alpha’s looking for assistants to tend the bar!”
I blink. “Wait, this RED MOON is a bar?”
But bars are for sinners. I can’t mingle with them, it goes against my teachings!
Marlene happily continues, “Yes, RED MOON provides food and lodging for employees too.”
Food and lodging! Oh well, maybe I can preach to the patrons.
I am still thinking of whether to take up the offer when Marlene takes a step closer and sniffs at me. Breaking into a toothy grin, she says, “I’m sure Alpha Ryder will like you very much, you smell nice underneath all the grime and sweat.”
There, she said THAT word again. I cock my head and drum my fingers on the tabletop.
“Marlene, what do you mean by ‘Alpha’?”
The world outside the convent is a strange one. Granted, it is loud, noisy and full of smoke but it is not as bad as the sisters at the convent had painted it to be. The people here at RED MOON are friendly and helpful. “Hey, Alisa! Can you take out the trash?” Big Ben, the chefs yells over the sizzling of burger patties and the frying of potato chips. Marlene had somehow put in a good word to ‘The Alpha’ and got me a job as a kitchen helper at RED MOON. I even have a brand new uniform, it is a simple white blouse and black skirt with a cute little tuxedo apron. The skirt is the shortest I have even have ever worn, it only covers up to my knee but I musn’t complain if I want to keep my job. I have yet to meet the elusive Alpha though. I’m hoping he will come tonight so I can thank him in person for hiring me. “Okay!” I quickly head over to the trash bags and tie them up. A full moon rides high above the clouds as I step out of the kitchen and head to the back
RYDER’s POV The lights from the cityscape below twinkle like stars dancing to a song that no one can hear. The view is magnificent as it is calm, so much peace, so much serenity and yet there is no sense of peace within me. Instead, a raging fury burns inside my heart and I have to close my eyes to calm myself. I don’t like killing, every kill, no matter how much they deserve it is a life given by the heavens. But those men were preying on the weak and that is something that I simply cannot accept. ‘They deserved it, Ryder,’ my wolf, Bane growls. I open my eyes and let out a pent up breath, folding my arms across my chest as I think back to the three scumbags who begged for their lives at the back of my bar. Okay, only one begged, the other two died instantly upon coming into contact with my fists. Weaklings. My attention turns to the redhead who lays unconscious on my sofa and my eyes narrow into slits. Alisa,
ALISA’s POVThe dawn of a new day has arrived and with it comes the glory of the morning sun pouring in through the sheer soft curtains that flap in the morning breeze. Outside, birds perched on tree branches begin chirping to a symphony of nature’s music.I get up from the couch and quickly fold the soft woolly blanket that kept me warm throughout the night. And as I do, I take in my surrounding, something I did not get to do last night when the place was dark.Ryder's cabin is nice, open and large. I like it, it makes me feel safe somehow but asI touch the gold ring on my finger, my eyes begin to tear up.Memories of yesterday and the day before come rushing back like a tidal wave and I have toshut my eyes and shake my head to clear my thoughts.Don’t think too much Alisa, take things one day at a time. I take a deep breath and wipe away the tears with the back of my hand. There is work to do.The man, Ryder o
RYDER’s POVHOURS BEFORE ALISA’S NIGHTMAREWe are at my office on the top floor of RED MOON. I sit behind my desk, drumming my fingers on its cool sandstone surface as I look at Zion, my Beta pacing back and forth. Zion as usual is agitated, he growls and shakes his head even as he wears out my carpet with his pacing.“Where did the rogues come from?” Lines mar his forehead. “We’ve set up perimeters all around and yet they still managed to break in. Had my son not been on patrol last night –““Yes, yes, we’re all safe thanks to Liam. All hail Liam,” Hayden chuckles, settling onto the leather lounge chair with hands crossed behind his head. My second in command is way more relaxed than Zion, even though he is half his age.“Are you mocking me, Hayden?” Zion arches his brow, he does not appreciate being made fun of. The man has no sense of humour
ALISA’s POVI feel his eyes of midnight bore into mine and I frown. Mark me? I’ve heard of the term before. The sisters at the convent used to talk about werewolves who would turn into human form and claim their mates by marking them.Alpha. Mark. Rogues. My heartbeat quickens as realization sinks into me. These words finally make sense.“You’re a werewolf,” a whisper escapes my lips. My eyes roam his face, merely inches away from mine and my chest heaves up and down as I try to catch my breath. Ryder does not look like a werewolf, at least not like the kind I used to imagine as a child after listening to the nuns’ stories. Ryder is kind, protective and…and very sensual.“Yes,” he answers, “Are you scared?” He leans forward, urging me back until I lean right back onto the sofa and instinctively, my hands splay across his chest in an attempt to stop him from coming closer. I can feel the be
ALISA’s POVI awake to find that it’s still dark. How long did I sleep? I do not know. I stretch out beneath a thick warm quilt, feeling the feathery soft fabric underneath and I blink, rubbing my eyes. This isn’t the sofa.A gaze around the room tells me that I am in Ryder’s bedroom and lying on his huge king-sized bed. His room is massive and airy with shades of grey and white though I cannot quite make out the colours right now. I had taken a peek into his room earlier this morning when he was out and was mesmerized by the sheer beauty of this room. But looking at it and sleeping in it are two totally different experiences.I touch my lips, they are swollen from his kisses and I feel my cheeks flush. He must have carried me to his room while I slept. He is nowhere to be seen though.My body feels sore too, very sore but at the same time, there is a feeling of exhilaration that I’ve never felt before. I feel like a bud that
RYDER’s POV The breaking dawn is such a friend; it always has been. When I was younger, I would run wild and free in the forest during the wee hours of the morning with my father in our wolf forms. The snapping of tree branches, the brush of leaves and little animals scattering at our presence…those were the days of innocence. Then came the hunting. I remember my first kill and how frightened I was, crying as my prey breathed its last. But these days, the sight of blood no longer bothers me. Not even the memory of my parents’ blood-stained wolves when they fought to protect our pack from rogues years ago. It doesn’t make the memory any less painful though. I tighten my hold on a sleeping Alisa, the touch of her skin against mine somehow helps soothe the invisible pain I feel inside. She is asleep and I as spoon her from behind, I listen to her soft rhythmic breathing. I had been rough with her. ‘She can take more of us,’ Bane coos. Bane wants
ALISA’s POV The packhouse is not what I imagined it to be at all. It’s more like……a grand hotel. I stand in front of the great white building in awe, taking in the sight of countless rooms that open up to individual baronial balconies. I lose count, there must be hundreds of rooms here! Ryder places a hand at the small of my back and ushers me into the colossal building. Two massive glass doors slide open to welcome our arrival and I am instantly transported into a world of fairy tales with polished marble floors, a grand dame staircase and sparkling chandeliers. This place is beyond beautiful. “All this belongs to your pack?” I am literally stupefied. Ryder whispers cheekily into my ear, “We’re crazy rich werewolves.” I have to smile, indeed they are. We walk up to a counter of sandstone where a young woman is busily typing into a keyboard but upon the sight of Ryder, she immediately stops her work and straightens her posture.