Chapter 6 Chains Of The Moon

• The forest stretched before her like a sleeping beast, wrapped in bluish shadows and the faint glow of the full moon. The night breeze rustled the treetops, and the creaking of branches sounded like a distant whisper. The air was thick with moisture, earth, and a wild, almost metallic scent. In the center of the grove, a group of figures moved with unsettling synchronization, murmuring softly, as if their presence did not wish to disturb the night’s calm.
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• A massive man, built like a mountain, carried a body effortlessly. Ellie lay unconscious over his shoulder, her light brown hair cascading wildly, covering her face, barely visible under the shadow. Around them, the pack murmured, their voices filled with disdain.
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• "Did this human really save our Alpha?" asked one of the werewolves, his tone incredulous, as if he couldn’t believe it.
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• "Pathetic," another growled, spitting on the ground. "I suppose we depend on this woman now."
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• "Are you sure this isn't a mistake?" said another, throwing contemptuous glances at the sleeping girl. "How could someone like her save us? Shouldn't the one in the prophecy be someone stronger? Someone better?"
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• "Silence!" ordered a firm voice. It was a woman, with cold eyes and a severe expression. "It is not for us to decide. We must only prepare everything for the Alpha."
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• There was a murmur of agreement, though some bit their lips and clenched their teeth, clearly displeased. The group continued forward with swift steps, weaving whispers of disdain and frustration. The giant carrying Ellie, however, broke the silence.
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• "She’s awake."
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• His voice was deep and emotionless, like distant thunder.
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• Ellie indeed began to stir. A gasp escaped her lips as consciousness returned in chaotic waves. Her breathing quickened, her chest rising and falling frantically. Instinctively, her fingers clung to the fabric covering her. She wasn’t in her bed. She wasn’t at home.
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• "Let me go!" Her scream tore through the night, filled with desperation. She struggled, kicked, and punched, but the man carrying her didn’t even flinch. He held her as if her resistance meant nothing.
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• "The human is awake," he repeated impassively.
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• "Perfect," responded the woman from before, with a cold smile that never reached her eyes.
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• Immediately, the group stopped. Ellie felt the vertigo of being abruptly lowered. As she touched the ground, she collapsed onto her knees, her trembling hands clutching the damp earth as she tried to orient herself. She looked around, fear gripping her. She recognized nothing. There were no houses, no paths, only towering trees and shadows stretching beneath the moon.
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• "Where… am I?" she whispered, but no one answered.
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• A shove made her stumble.
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• "Walk," ordered the woman.
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• Ellie tripped, and when she tried to regain her balance, she felt hands gripping her arms. Before she could react, she was dragged toward a brighter area, where several women waited, holding fabrics and garments in their hands.
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• "No… no. What are you doing?" Her voice broke in pure terror. She struggled, but a brutal yank threw her forward. The sensation of rough hands tearing at her clothes sent a chilling shiver down her spine.
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• "You have no choice," one of them whispered, as if amused by her suffering.
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• "No…" Ellie sobbed, her nails clawing at the earth as her mind sank into chaos. What was happening? Why were they treating her this way?
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• "Just get it over with," growled the woman who had knocked her out before. She seemed to be leading everything, her gaze sharp as knives. "We can’t be too rough with her. We need the pathetic human… Ugh, why did it have to be a marriage? Zean should be mine."
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• Ellie felt restraints tightening around her wrists. The fabric they put on her was coarse, fitting tightly like a prison. It was ceremonial attire she didn’t understand. But the worst part was the veil. A white cloth covered her face, blinding her and plunging her into confusion. The sensation of being sacrificed, not married, overwhelmed her.
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• She couldn’t breathe.
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• "I don’t want this! Please! I don’t want to die!" Her pleas were strangled sobs, but no one saw her. No one listened. To them, she was nothing more than an object.
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• A shove forced her forward.
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• "You’re not going to die," a man grumbled tiredly. "You’re going to marry our Alpha."
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• Ellie lowered her head, swallowing her fear. Tears slipped beneath the veil. She clung to a single thought: this can’t be real.
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• She remembered her kitchen.
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• The warmth of the fire, the crisp wood crackling in the stove, the aroma of freshly baked bread filling the air. Her hands covered in flour, kneading patiently. The clinking of utensils, the sound of oil sizzling in the pan. Everything was so simple, predictable, safe.
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• How many times had she looked out the window of that kitchen, sighing, wishing for something different?
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• "I wish my life were different."
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• She had longed for adventure. A change, something to shake her from routine.
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• Life is ironic.
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• Now, with her body trembling under the weight of fear, her eyes brimming with tears slipping beneath the veil, she only wished for what she once took for granted.
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• She didn’t want an extraordinary story. She didn’t want thrilling experiences.
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• She just wanted her simple life back.
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• She wanted to be in her kitchen, feeling the warmth of the fire, not the icy night wind. She wanted the scent of bread, not the stench of damp earth and wild beasts. She wanted routine, those days that now seemed like an unreal paradise.
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• But the full moon shone overhead, indifferent, bearing witness to her pain and tears.
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• And then, a sound shattered the night’s stillness.
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• A dull crash.
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• Stealthy footsteps, many.
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• Ellie felt the tension in the air snap suddenly, like a rope pulled too tight.
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• The forest trembled.
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• Murmurs turned into low growls. Something was happening.
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• Ellie lifted her head, her breath uneven, her heart pounding wildl
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• Someone was coming.
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• And the nightmare, far from ending, seemed only to be beginning.