Moonlit Fever

Ch. 32: Nate

I stood up and shadowed over him, and with dark, narrowed eyes, I clenched my fists, and another cut sliced across his face.

Sebastian writhed in pain, his body a broken mess, every movement causing him excruciating agony. His eyes grew wider, and beneath the lens of rage, I saw his terror.

"You will never hurt another person again!" I declared, finally realizing my worth, my strength, and the power I wielded. "You will never control me again!"

"You're nothing without me!" Sebastian screamed.

"No." My voice was steady, fueled by the anger and grief that had consumed me. "You are nothing without me!"

I clenched my fist, and Sebastian writhed in agony.

"You will feel everything I've felt, all the pain, and all the suffering you've put me through!"

With one last surge of power, I focused all my energy on Sebastian, watching as his body contorted, his bones snapping and reforming in unnatural ways. His screams grew louder, more desperate, until they finally faded into a gurgling whimper.

"Enough!"

I startled back at the sound of my wolf's voice.

"Stop it!" he commanded.

"And why should I listen to you?" I cried back, tears streaming down my face. "After you went silent on me when I needed you the most?"

"I warned you to stay away from Sebastian. You can only blame yourself for the pain you have suffered," he said. "Now stop this! This isn't you. You're not a killer."

He was right. This wasn't me. My eyes shook over Sebastian's pained form. What was I doing?

"I'm sorry!" I cried. "I'm sorry! Please make it stop!"

"I'm here!" My inner wolf growled. "If you promise to listen to me from now on, I promise I'll never leave you again."

"I promise!" Anguished tears fell from my face.

"Good!" he growled again. "Now take a deep breath, and calm your nerves!"

Immediately, I inhaled, calming my nerves and stopping this newfound power that was coursing through me, and dropped my arms. My wolf's warmth embraced me, his spirit encircling my heart and fighting off the darkness the necklace had settled upon my soul.

The moonstone's glow faded.

Breathless, and my energy spent, I stumbled and fell to my knees, struggling to keep my balance.

Sebastian lay still; his body broken and bloodied. The surrounding chaos went quiet. Even the rain had shied away, as the other wolves from the Drake and the Novak packs had stopped in their battle to watch in stunned silence. I looked down at my hands, feeling the immense power that still hummed within my palms.

Oh Goddess, what had I done?

"Silver-eyes." Fredrik approached me, his eyes were filled with a mix of horror, fear, and finally settling on anger. "You need to leave before the Royal Council arrives. I'll deal with Sebastian."

"He's right!" my wolf said urgently. "Too many people have witnessed your power. They will come for you. We need to go back to Havenwood."

"But I killed Sebastian."

"He's not dead," my wolf said. "It will take a lot more than that to kill an immortal wolf."

"But–"

"Run, Nate. Run!"

I ran. I ran so fast it felt like my heart could burst from my chest. I made it to the edge of the estate, climbed the oak tree, and jumped over the fence.