Intruder

Astrid’s Point of View

I was sitting on the edge of my bed, unable to sleep because of the noise I could hear from the outside. The tent I was staying in was in the center of the forest. From afar, I could hear the hushed sound of the night breeze, the chirping of the crickets and the howling of wolves. I pushed myself to my feet, sighing as I walked back and forth and pondering whether I should or should not trust Peter at this point.

The only thing I could do was stay inside the tent while he slept in the barn with his horses. As I looked around the tent, I saw boxes stocked with food supplies, which I imagined were being utilized by their warriors in the event that they were called to battle against different packs or rogues.

My eyes could not stop observing the weapons that were safely stored in this huge tent. Some of them could only be seen in literature books, and I wanted to learn how I’d be able to make use of them.

I smirked as I shook my head. True to its name, the Crimson Moon Pack possessed cutting-edge technology that could really defeat small packs like us, the Silver Moon Pack. These weapons were something that our warriors had dreamed of, but were unable to provide because of our incompetent Alpha.

I inhaled sharply. Running my fingers through my hair, I felt the urge to go all by myself to the Crimson Moon territory. But I had to admit that I needed to be stronger, far better than I had ever been, in order to protect myself. My body hasn’t recovered from the over fatigue, so I had to remain still and wait.

My thoughts were directed towards Diva and the Witch Mountain, as well as how to restore my original eyes while still carrying out my plan. In order to fulfill everything all in one necessary move, I must be strong enough and I need to follow my instincts.

"I am going to thrust Peter from the Crimson Moon for now..." I murmured and went back to bed to take a rest.

****

As the sun rose above the horizon and its sunlight illuminated the tent's windows, I went outside to take a look at the view of the mountains and trees.

The wind hushed roared, along with the birds' chirping above the sky. The coldness of the morning embraced my skin, and my eyes feasted on the breathtaking view of the mountains and tall trees, as well as the fish pond just beside the barn.

I then turned around and cast a longing glance towards the direction of the Crimson Moon Pack's entrance gates from a distance. It was indeed intriguing. I could not help but wonder how they were able to keep their powers for over a century. Their existing Alpha, and even the previous leaders, were all ruthless murderers.

I clicked my tongue as my lips curled up into a bitter smile. Just so you wait, Alpha Gregory. Your bloodline would end in no time...

I noticed Peter walking out of the barn. When our eyes met, he motioned for me to follow him.

"Come inside," he said, and I obliged by following him into his barn.

Even though my mind had decided to somehow put my trust in him, I still put my guard up, being extremely cautious about anything he might do to me. As I entered the barn, I could smell the stink of some horses' excrement combined with the odor of the damp grass and their food. I winched and scratched my nose a bit.

He took something from his bag and then handed me some clothes. My brows furrowed, but I still took it from him. It was a dark red shirt and trousers.

"You have to change your clothes." He then looked at me from head to toe. "Otherwise, my pack mates will be suspicious of you. After you change, you can eat, as I prepared some food before we go."

He then went outside of his barn and then proceeded to a tiny bungalow house where I bet he cooked the food because it had a small kitchen.

After changing clothes, I went to the bungalow house. Peter prepared the table for us. I cleared my throat, which made him notice my presence.

"You can have a seat. That’s your food," he said, pointing to the left side of the table where a plate with a small piece of chicken and a glass of milk were prepared.

I licked my lower lip. My stomach instantly rumbled as I took a glance at the food, but a little part of me was hesitant.

What if he put poison on the food?

"Don’t worry. I didn’t put poison in it. Dig in, Trisha," he assured me before heading outside to probably check on his horses again.

I didn’t hesitate anymore and ate the food he prepared for me. Immediately after I finished eating the chicken and drinking the milk, I felt a burst of renewed energy flow through my body.

"Amazing…" I whispered to myself as I noticed that the wounds on my feet were getting healed after I regained energy. It was as if my wolf had become stronger all over again because of the food I ate.

I stood up and decided to go outside. There I saw him riding on one of his horses. He was trying to condition his horse and then descended onto the ground afterward.  He then walked towards me, pointing to the horse on the other side.

"Do you know how to ride a horse?" he asked carefully.

I gritted my teeth before I answered, "Of course. I have done it in the past. I know I can do it again."

But the truth is that I was lying. I never rode a horse even once, as my parents did not allow me to do so whenever I got the chance. However, I still had to try now. It was better for me to ride on a separate horse than to ride with him.

"That’s good. You can ride that one. We will go to the Crimson Moon land now," he remarked, and then he went back to his horse.

I inhaled sharply and focused on this dark horse he had given me. I stepped my left foot onto the saddle and forced myself to mount all the way to the horse’s back. My eyes widened when I was able to do it without breaking a sweat and without falling on the ground. I giggled, astounded. I then held the strap that I would use to control the horse and tried my best to make it move.

"Let’s go!" Peter announced as he rode his horse. Then he controlled his horse to walk into the trail.

"Let’s go, buddy…" I whispered to my horse, and then we followed Peter.

We went through the trail for almost two hours. The sun was up so brightly that even though I wasn’t walking, I felt exhausted. It's a good thing I had a jar of water with me. However, it didn’t take that long because it got empty.

"Are we near?" I asked Peter.

"We are almost there," he responded without looking at me.

Minutes passed and we were only a few steps from the Crimson Moon gate.  I let out a long sigh as I looked at the gate, which seemed to have towered over the tallest tree in the forest.

Peter descended to the ground and then walked toward me.

"All you have to do is to stay silent. Do not say anything. I will do the talking instead," he whispered warily.

I swallowed so hard. My heart was racing so fast inside my chest, thinking that I might screw things up if I didn’t listen to him. In the end, I nodded my head. He offered me one more glare before he went to one of the ten guards that were stationed around the gate.

I only watched him as he spoke with them. After that, no time was wasted, and the gates were immediately opened.

The bush made a rustling movement beside my horse, and I was shocked when I saw someone standing up behind it.

"Good day, beautiful lady," he said.

I was unable to see his face as it was hidden behind a wooden mask— a wolf-designed mask to be specific.

"Who are you?" I asked, both curious and confused.

But then he just laughed like a lunatic. He then ran towards the gate and attempted to enter through it. However, before he could step inside, he was quickly decapitated in just a single attack by one of the warriors.

His mask slid off as his head rolled to the ground.

I gasped for thin air, eyes widening as I looked at the head, completely bewildered. He was a member of the Silver Moon pack!

"What the hell was he doing here?" I muttered to myself.

I took a big breath to compose myself. I looked away and ignored what had just happened, as the more they saw that I was affected, the more they would be suspicious of me. I managed to maintain my composure as we approached the gate. I was still riding my horse at the time, and the same went for Peter, who rode back to his horse after the incident occurred.

I tilted my head, discreetly taking one last look at what they had done to my fellow pack mate. I winced and bit my lower lip, thinking that they would not hesitate to do the same if they found out that I was also part of the Silver Moon pack.

They put the head inside a trash bag and transported it somewhere. I then return my attention to a little bridge that we should cross to enter the Crimson Moon land.

I couldn't help but smile when I remembered what I'd seen earlier.

"He's earned it…" I thought, a grin extending from my ear to ear.

When we eventually made it into the village of the Crimson Moon territory, my jaw fell.

My eyes were greeted by a group of folks who were dressed in fancy suits and outfits. In the park, children were free to run around and have fun. A big fountain with a wonderful sculpture of a beautiful lady clutching a spear could be seen in the distance.

Peter had told me to go down to my horse, and I obeyed his instructions.

My mouth dropped open when I observed how they had designed the houses here. I couldn't put my finger on it at first, but the carvings of miniature wolves on the walls of each building astounded me. The moon and clouds were shown in the design. A quiet, attractive, and wealthy community that I have only ever seen in books was what I was seeing right now.

Peter explained that a banquet would be held the following day to commemorate Elijah Montreal's birthday, and I was able to come to my senses after that point.

"We can look into whether or not his slave is your sister. Every time his father left the house, I noticed him bringing a new set of slaves," he remarked.

I nodded. Given the obvious behavior of their Alpha, I was not that surprised if he collected slaves from the other packs they attacked.

"Why are you going to such lengths to help me?" I asked curiously.

"No, I am not risking my own life just to help you, Trisha. It is just that you reminded me of someone else. That is the reason. Please pardon me if I am  unable to provide you with a specific reason. But, once again, if you make a blunder, I will be the one to put you down for good." He said those words in a deep and serious tone, and that served more as a warning to me.

"Of course, I understand what you're saying," I said, and offered him a smirk.