Alethea (Zoe)
I know I should start praying to the Moon Goddess to protect Selena and my son because, at this moment, I can practically see my life slipping away.
Maya flashes the silver knife toward the same one I had returned earlier. My heart pounds wildly, and I’m paralyzed, unsure of what to do.
If I scream and draw attention, she might twist the situation, turning everyone against me and leaving me helpless.
I watch in horror as her eyes shift, darkening from their usual blue to a shade so deep it’s almost black.
Her wolf is threatening to surface, and I know this is more than just a confrontation-it’s a challenge, a threat to my very existence.
Panic sets in deeper, my breaths coming in shallow gasps. I’m as weak as a human, unable to summon any strength to defend myself against her. My wolf hasn’t surfaced, and without that power, I’m completely at her mercy.
“There’s something about you,” Maya says, with a low, dangerous voice, her eyes narrowing as she steps closer, “something I can’t quite put into words. You remind me of someone I hate with every fiber of my being. And it makes me want to rip your eyes right out of their sockets.”
My throat goes dry, her words slicing through me like the sharp blade she holds. She’s suspecting who I am, but I hold onto the hope that Maya, despite her cunning, might never truly figure it out. Not completely.
“You must be mistaking me for someone else,” I manage, with a trembling shaky voice.
Maya smirks, a cruel twist of her lips. “No, If it were just a mistake, it would be different. But you’re invading my space, my life. And you’re taking something that’s mine. The Goddess knows I don’t share.”
“I… I don’t understand,” I stammer, trying to keep a steady voice, though the tremor betrays my fear.
Her eyes flash with anger, and she leans in, the knife gleaming as she brings it dangerously close to my neck. I can smell the faint metallic tang of blood, and my pulse races, pounding in my ears.
“Alpha Asher is mine,” she hisses, her breath hot against my skin. “But the way he looks at you… it’s as if there’s more to you than meets the eye.”
Maya steps closer, the silver knife glinting in her hand as she raises it slightly, a menacing smile curling at the corners of her lips. I feel the cold, hard wall against my back, and my mind races, searching for a way out, but I find none.
“You think you can come into this pack, into Asher’s life, and take what’s mine?” Her voice is low and venomous, each word dripping with the possessiveness of a Luna protecting her territory. “You’re nothing, Zoe. You don’t belong here.”
I swallow hard, my throat dry, my body trembling with a fear I haven’t felt in years. “Maya, please… this isn’t necessary,” I manage to say, my voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t want any trouble.”
“Trouble?” She laughs, a harsh, cold sound that echoes in the space around us.
“You’re already in trouble. You should’ve stayed away from Asher, from this pack. But now…”
She lifts the knife, pointing it directly at my chest, and I brace myself, heart pounding in my chest like a drum. My instincts scream at me to fight, to run, to do something, but I’m frozen, trapped in this moment of pure terror. I have no wolf, no strength to defend myself.
“I have nothing to do with Alpha Asher,” my voice trembling as I try to keep my composure. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m only here for the database app, and once I finish in a couple of days, I’ll leave.”
Maya lets out a cold, mocking laugh. “And you expect me to believe that?”
I nod slowly, hoping to convince her, but I can feel the blade pressing deeper into my skin. Panic surges through me, and a voice in my head screams, ‘Do something!’
“I swear, Maya,” I plead, my voice shaking with desperation. “I have nothing to hide. I’m telling you the truth.”
But I know it’s useless. Maya is treacherous and malicious, always getting what she wants, no matter the cost. Even at the expense of someone’s life.
She’s convinced herself that Ally is dead, just like that night when the wolf lunged after me. That night still haunts me.
“I’ll make sure I end your life before you take what’s mine,” she growls, her eyes blazing with fury as she raises the knife, ready to strike.
I know she intends to stab me, to watch me bleed out, and then call for help that would come too late. By then, I would be gone.
At that moment, I think about my son, about all the milestones I’ll miss-his graduation, his wedding, the family he might have someday. The thought of not being there for him fuels my fear but also stirs something deep within me.
I can’t let it end like this.
I drive my knee into her core, and she lets out a loud groan, clutching at her midsection with one hand while still holding the knife in the other.
My breath comes in short bursts as I desperately scan the area for anything I can use to knock her out, even if just for a moment.
But we are far from the training arena where we were earlier. She must have moved us without me noticing.
Before I can react, she charges at me, knocking me to the ground with a surprising force.
Her body lands on top of mine, and we roll, each of us trying to get the upper hand. I struggle beneath her, our limbs tangled as she attempts to plunge the knife into me.
Somehow, I manage to dodge each strike, strength flows through me, something I can’t quite explain.
Then, in one swift motion, she drives the knife into my shoulder blade. I scream out in pain as I feel the cold steel tear through my skin, the sharp scent of blood mixing with the air around us.
“You deserve to die, Zoe,” she snarls, her voice dripping with hate. “You’re the reason Asher’s been treating me like shit.”
Her words cut deeper than the wound in my shoulder, but I don’t let her see the effect they have on me.
She tries to stab me again, aiming for the same spot, but I’m quicker this time.
I grip her wrist, preventing the knife from sinking into me once more. Her eyes widen in shock as I twist her arm, and with a surge of adrenaline, I throw her off, pushing myself up and landing a punch to her chest.
She crashes to the ground beneath me, and for a moment, I can’t think. My heart pounds in my ears, my blood rushing with both anger and fear. The knife flies out of her hand, clattering against the dirt.
Without thinking, I raise my fist high and slam it into her face. The punch lands with a sickening thud, and for a moment, I just stare at her, my breath coming in ragged gasps. I’ve never felt this kind of rage before.
Each punch I land on her feels like a release like I’m finally fighting back against the years of torment. I think about all the times she bullied me at BloodMoon The cruel words, the hate-filled glares.
‘Punch.’
I think about the time she grabbed my head and shoved it into the icy water, holding me down and laughing as I struggled for air.
‘Punch, punch.’
I think about the time she pulled out a knife and threatened to end my life if I didn’t run, leaving me with no choice but to escape or face death.
‘Punch, punch, punch.’
I think about the way she roared at me with a fury I couldn’t comprehend, ordering me to run from the pack and never come back again. And the way she sent that wolf after me, ordering him to finish me off.
‘Punch, punch, punch, punch.’
My hands are covered in her blood now, each strike is filled with the weight of all the fear and pain she’s put me through. I’m so lost in the anger that I barely register the figure approaching me.
Before I can throw another punch, someone grabs my wrist. The sudden grip stops me, pulling me out of the haze of fury.
‘Shit.’