Chapter 8

A Truce in Blood

The forest pressed against Evelyn like a living entity, the air thick with dampness and the faint scent of decay. Each step sent sharp pain through her side where the hunter's blade had grazed her, leaving a wound she could only hastily bandage. Her breath came in ragged gasps, as she gripped the silver knife, which was now splattered with blood-some of the hunter's, some of hers her hands shaking.

A slight stir in the woods reached her ears. Her heightened senses came alive, and she instinctively froze, every muscle tensing. Her heart thumping in her ears, she searched the darkness, drowning out everything else.

Then she noticed it.

Emerging from the dense foliage was a figure hunched and monstrous. The rogue werewolf's form was a grotesque blend of human and beast, its sinewy frame covered in matted fur and its glowing yellow eyes fixed on her. Evelyn raised her dagger, her knuckles white, ready for another fight she wasn't sure she could survive.

But the creature didn't attack.

Instead, it stopped a few feet away, its growl low and steady, its posture almost...restrained. Evelyn's confusion mingled with fear, and she tightened her grip on the dagger.

"Stay back," she warned, her voice shaking. "I'll kill you if I have to."

With a disconcerting intelligence, the werewolf cocked its head to examine her. Then it spoke, shocking her.

It hissed, its voice gruff but clearly human, "You'd be a fool to try."

Evelyn's gaze expanded. The renegade werewolves she had previously faced had been ruthless.

However, this one this one was unique.

She said, scarcely raising her voice above a whisper, "You can...speak?"

With a laugh devoid of amusement, the creature's lips pulled back, exposing pointed, yellowed teeth. "I used to be like you. Prior to the curse stealing everything.

Evelyn's thoughts whirled. Maybe there were answers if this werewolf had been human. Could she trust it, though?

She held her dagger up and said, "What do you want?"

The werewolf didn't approach closer but maintained its piercing eyes set on her. "To caution you. The artifact you are pursuing is not what you believe it to be.

Evelyn's hold on the dagger shook a little. "What do you mean?"

The werewolf's growl became more intense, although it sounded more like a frustrated snarl than a threatening one. "The artifact may break the curse, but it comes at a price. A dark force binds it. If you take it, you'll give that force the power it craves. And it will consume you."

Evelyn swallowed hard, her mind reeling. This isn't possible. Could it?

Her voice trembled as she continued, "I don't have a choice." "This curse will destroy me if I don't break it."

The werewolf approached, its steps deliberate and sluggish. Evelyn stiffened but refrained from striking.

With a softer tone now, it stated, "There's always a choice." However, you won't make it through this alone. Not in opposition to hunters. Not in opposition to them. It pointed to the woods, where distant howls could be heard.

With the weight of its words bearing down on her, Evelyn hesitated. She was hurt, outnumbered, and quickly running out of alternatives, yet she didn't trust this thing.

"Why are you helping me if you're telling the truth?" she questioned tentatively.

She couldn't quite place the flickering emotion in the werewolf's eyes regret? Pain? "Because I've been where you are. And I know what happens if you fail. The curse doesn't just take your body. It takes your mind, your soul. You'll become like the others nothing more than a beast, driven by hunger and rage."

Its words sent a chill through her. She saw the snarling features and dead eyes of the renegade werewolves she had previously battled.

Evelyn finally lowered the dagger a little but kept it ready and stated, "I don't trust you."

The werewolf said, "Good." "You will be killed if you trust."

The werewolf continued to explain the curse as they made their way through the woodland with caution. It was a part of a bigger, more sinister plan, not just a family curse. The dark power that had bonded the Kael lineage to the moon was old and evil, and it thrived on the misery of its victims.

She held her dagger up and said, what do you wal

The werewolf didn't approach closer but maintained its piercing eyes set on her. "To caution you. The artifact you are pursuing is not what you believe it to be.

Evelyn's hold on the dagger shook a little. "What do you mean?"

The werewolf's growl became more intense, although it sounded more like a frustrated snarl than a threatening one. "The artifact may break the curse, but it comes at a price. A dark force binds it. If you take it, you'll give that force the power it craves. And it will consume you."

Evelyn swallowed hard, her mind reeling. This isn't possible. Could it?

Her voice trembled as she continued, "I don't have a choice." "This curse will destroy me if I don't break it."

The werewolf approached, its steps deliberate and sluggish. Evelyn stiffened but refrained from striking.

With a softer tone now, it stated, "There's always a choice." However, you won't make it through this alone. Not in opposition to hunters. Not in opposition to them. It pointed to the woods, where distant howls could be heard.

With the weight of its words bearing down on her, Evelyn hesitated. She was hurt, outnumbered, and quickly running out of alternatives, yet she didn't trust this thing.

"Why are you helping me if you're telling the truth?" she questioned tentatively.

She couldn't quite place the flickering emotion in the werewolf's eyes regret? Pain? "Because I've been where you are. And I know what happens if you fail. The curse doesn't just take your body. It takes your mind, your soul. You'll become like the others-nothing more than a beast, driven by hunger and rage."

Its words sent a chill through her. She saw the snarling features and dead eyes of the renegade werewolves she had previously battled.

Evelyn finally lowered the dagger a little but kept it ready and stated, "I don't trust you."

The werewolf said, "Good." "You will be killed if you trust."

The werewolf continued to explain the curse as they made their way through the woodland with caution. It was a part of a bigger, more sinister plan, not just a family curse. The dark power that had bonded the Kael lineage to the moon was old and evil, and it thrived on the misery of its victims.

The werewolf remarked in a low voice, "The artifact you're searching for was made to trap that force." However, your ancestor was in dire straits. Instead, he utilized it to make a deal. Evelyn's chest constricted and she froze in place. "A deal? What sort of deal?

The werewolf's flaming eyes turned solemnly upon her. "Power." defense, at his descendants' expense. His avarice is costing you dearly.

The realization struck her like a hammer. She had always believed that the curse was an accident, a condition that could be reversed. She now understood, however, that it was intentional-a contract her family had voluntarily signed.

The werewolf went on, "That's why the hunters are pursuing the artifact." "They think destroying it will end the curse. But if they do, the force will be unleashed."

Before Evelyn could respond, a distant howl broke through the silence, closer and more chilling than before.

"They're coming," the werewolf growled, its posture shifting into a defensive crouch. "Who?" Evelyn whispered, though she already knew the answer.

The werewolf answered sadly, "The pack." "The damned." They won't give up until they've ripped you to pieces or driven you into their insanity.

As the howls increased in volume and were joined by others in a melancholic chorus, Evelyn's heart raced. Her instincts told her to flee as she stared at the werewolf, but she realized that her injuries would prevent her from getting very far.

Her voice was hardly steady as she questioned, "What do we do?"

The werewolf flashed a vicious smile. "We battle. And you hope your dagger is as sharp as you believe it to be..

Evelyn clutched her dagger, terror mingled with deadly resolve as the darkness drew closer. The whispers from the ruins still echoed in her mind, warning her of the dangers ahead. But for now, there was only survival.

The pack was coming, and she had no choice but to trust the monster at her side.