Chapter 75: Fangs in the dark.
Bella knelt in the dirt, her hands pressed into the ground, her chest tight from the talk with her wolf. Her breathing was uneven, her body shaking like she’d been running for hours, but she hadn’t moved.
A low, rumbling growl suddenly cut through the forest, vibrating the ground. It came from the trees behind her, she spun around, her heart pounding. Something moved in the leaves, getting closer fast. Her wolf’s voice snapped, "Stand up now, Bella. It’s coming. Time to fight."
Bella scrambled to her feet, her legs wobbly, she grabbed a branch from the ground, holding it like a bat. "Who’s there?" she called, her voice shaky but loud.
"What are you holding? Do you really expect to fight with that?" Her wolf asked in disbelief. "Oh Bella, if only you know what’s coming for you..."
Then, a black wolf stepped into the clearing, its fur dark and patchy, eyes locked on her like she was prey. It was bigger than she expected, and her stomach twisted. Her wolf said, "Focus, listen to its steps, feel its move before it attacks."
The wolf snarled, its voice rough and beast-like.
Bella’s grip tightened on the branch. "Why is it here? Who sent it?" she asked, stepping back, trying to keep distance.
"Doesn’t matter, it’s here now so fight it off." Her wolf said, "Stop talking, swing now!"
Bella swung the branch hard at its head, but the wolf dodged and lunged, knocking her to the ground. Its weight pinned her, claws digging into her shoulder, she gasped as pain shot through her arm.
"Get off!" she shouted, kicking at its belly with all her strength, rolling away as it snapped its jaws near her face.
"Use your hands, you have claws, let me through." her wolf screamed within.
"I don’t know how!" Bella yelled, scrambling back, her hands scraping the dirt until she grabbed a sharp rock. She threw it at the wolf’s eye, and it yelped, backing off, blood dripping from the cut.
It shook its head and growled, "You’re weak, cub, you’ll die alone out here."
Bella’s heart raced, but her wolf said, "You’re not weak, open the door, let me fight."
She closed her eyes for a second, trying to let go like the wolf told her. Heat surged through her veins, her fingers tingling. When she looked down, her nails were longer, sharper, like claws.
The wolf charged again, slower now from the injury, and Bella swung her hand, her claws raking its side.
It howled, stumbling back, panting, blood staining its fur.
"Finish it, don’t hesitate." her wolf commanded. Bella’s stomach turned, she didn’t want to kill, but the wolf lunged at her again, with jaws wide open, she had no choice.
So she dodged and slashed at its throat, her claws cutting deep. It choked, blood pouring out, and collapsed, its eyes dimming as it gasped, "They’ll find you, Moonblood, you can’t hide."
Bella dropped to her knees, hands shaking, blood on her claws making her sick. "I didn’t want this," she whispered, tears mixing with sweat.
Her wolf said, "You had to, it was us or him, you chose us."
She wiped her hands on the grass, trying to clean the blood, but it stuck to her skin. "What if more come? I barely survived this one," she said, her voice breaking as she pressed a hand to her bleeding shoulder.
"They will come," the wolf said, blunt and hard. "Maren’s behind them, she sent this one to test you, you’re not safe yet."
Bella’s eyes widened. "Maren? Why does she want me dead?"
"Because you’re Moonblood," the wolf said. "Your power threatens her, she’ll keep sending rivals until you’re gone or you’re strong enough to stop her."
Bella’s chest ached, her shoulder throbbing. "I don’t know how to get stronger," she said, tearing a strip from her shirt to wrap the wound. "I’m scared, I can’t keep doing this."
"You can," the wolf said. "You’re already stronger than you were, you fought and won, now you learn to control it, learn to let me shift so you can fight as a wolf."
"How?" Bella asked, tying the cloth tight, wincing as pain shot through her arm.
"Listen to me," the wolf said. "Focus on one sense at a time, like before, hear the forest, feel your body, let me guide your moves."
Bella closed her eyes, trying to calm her racing heart. She focused on the sound of leaves rustling nearby, blocking out the rest. Her breathing slowed a little. "Okay, I hear it," she said.
"Good," the wolf said. "Now feel your hands, the claws are yours, not just mine, use them like you would fighting with your arms."
She opened her eyes, looking at her hands, still tipped with sharp claws. "This doesn’t feel like me," she said, her voice small.
"It is you," the wolf said. "You’ve been hiding from it, but you’re a wolf, Bella, You’ve not fully accepted it, until you do, it’ll be a struggle for me to help you fight."
She swallowed hard, the weight of it hitting her. "What if I hurt someone I care about? Like Elara or Corrine or Luca?"
The wolf’s voice softened just a bit. "I control you. You can’t hurt anyone who’s not enemy. Luca’s wolf is with you, he’s your mate, trust him when he comes."
Bella’s cheeks warmed at the word mate, but she pushed it aside. "You keep saying that, but how do I know he’ll find me out here?"
"He will," the wolf said, certain. "His wolf feels you, just like I feel you, he’s coming, but you have to stay alive until he does."
Bella nodded, her hands still shaking but her mind clearer. "Okay, what do I do now?"
"Move," the wolf said. "The blood scent will draw others, find a safer spot, a cave or a hollow, and rest to heal."
She stood, legs steadier now, and scanned the trees. "Which way?" she asked.
"Listen," the wolf said. "Hear the stream to your left, follow it, it’ll mask your scent."
Bella turned, catching the faint trickle of water, and started walking, her steps careful but quick. "What if another wolf finds me before I get there?" she asked, her voice low as she moved through the brush.
"Then you fight," the wolf said. "Like you did now, but faster, surer, you’re learning, Bella, every fight makes you stronger."
She ducked under a low branch, her shoulder aching but the bleeding slowed now. "I don’t want to keep fighting," she said, her voice tired. "I just want to get out of this forest."
"You will," the wolf said. "But not yet, Maren’s watching, her wolves are hunting, you have to awaken fully to face her."
"Awaken how?" Bella asked, stepping over a root, her eyes scanning for danger. "You keep saying that, but I don’t know what it means."
"It means letting me through completely," the wolf said. "Your body, your mind, your heart, all of it, it’ll hurt, but when it’s done, you’ll be whole, you’ll be us."
Bella’s throat tightened. "That sounds like I’ll lose myself."
"You won’t," the wolf said. "You’ll find yourself, the real you, the one who’s been waiting to come out."
She stopped by the stream, kneeling to splash water on her face, the cold helping her focus. "What if I’m not ready?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
"You are," the wolf said. "You fought today, you survived, you’re ready for the next step, trust me."
Bella cupped water in her hands, drinking slowly. "I’m trying," she said, her voice steadier. "But it’s hard, I’m still scared."
"Good," the wolf said, "but don’t let it stop you. Right now, you have to keep moving, find cover."
She nodded, standing and following the stream until she spotted a small cave hidden by vines. "This good?" she asked, crawling inside.
"Yes," the wolf said. "Rest here, let your body heal, but stay alert, they’re still out there."
Bella leaned against the rock wall, her shoulder less painful now. "Thank you," she said softly. "For helping me back there, I’d be dead without you."
"We’re one," the wolf said. "I fight for you, you fight for me, we survive together."
She closed her eyes, her body heavy but her mind clearer. "What’s next?" she asked.
"Heal," the wolf said. "Then train, you need to learn to shift, to move like me, it’s coming soon."
Bella’s hands clenched, the thought of shifting terrifying but necessary. "Okay," she said. "I’ll do it, just stay with me."
"Always," the wolf said, its voice warm for the first time. "We rise together."
She rested, her senses still sharp, listening for any sound of danger, ready for the next fight.
As Bella curled up in the cave, her eyes heavy but senses sharp, a faint rustle came from the vines at the entrance.
She froze, her wolf’s voice whispering, "They’re here."
Before she could move, a beast loomed outside, and a new growl, deeper and hungrier, echoed through the forest, followed by the glint of multiple eyes in the dark cave."
"What... are these?"