Shadow Moon Series Book 3

His heart dropped as the words fluttered around the room. Without sparing a glance, he quickly stuck his head under the pillow, pressing hard against it.

The voice had become more frequent, sometimes an image appearing before him. At first, it had been kind, standing in for the friends he did not have.

The pack had kicked his mother out for trying to seduce the beta, a move she hoped would lead to power. Instead, it led to them being rogues and forced them to keep on the move constantly.

“Go away. Go away. Go away,” he softly whispered as he clenched his eyes together, hoping the thing would get bored and leave him alone.

“No!” he screamed out into the open. The sound bounced against the walls, shooting back at him.

Luke counted to ten in his head before slowly opening his eyes and moving the pillow away. It took seconds for them to adjust, but he let out a sigh of relief when it did.

The bed dipped as Luke moved to get off, making his way to the bathroom. Once inside, he quickly turned on the water, splashing his face with the cold liquid. Whenever the voice came, his mind would go dark, and it took days to return to normal.

He reached for the towel next to him, keeping his eyes shut, and dried the water off. The sink felt cold beneath his hands as he gripped it, his fingers turning white from the strain.

The mirror in front of him showed his features, a face he hated, but still, he forced himself to look. Ear-length hair hung shapelessly over his forehead and ears, the color reminding him of dirt but what his mother called ash blonde.

Next, he focused on his eyes. They felt too small for his face, and the brown was dull and boring. A sharp, pointed nose pushed out and usually into people’s faces, or that was what the kids at school said.

“Stop!” Luke shouted at himself in the mirror, his mind turning back to what he hated. Now and then, he imagined blood and himself covered with it. Only, it was not his, but the blood from the dead bodies scattered around him. Their faces would change every time, morphing into people he hated.

Luke spun around to search for the voice, but the room was empty.

“Leave me alone.” The door slammed behind him as he closed it hard while entering his room. It was small, but at least the bed was comfortable and the window visible.

His mother always lost the job she managed to get, forcing them to keep moving to a new city and a new identity.

The chair scraped on the floor as he pulled it out, sitting by the desk. If the voice didn’t leave him alone, he would do something to occupy his mind, and the books in front of him would help. The math book was on top, and even though he hated the subject, at least he could stay distracted.

“I can try,” Luke shouted out to the unseen force before opening the book at a random page, reading the first line. Over and over, he read the line, the words not sticking to his mind. He let out a loud huff before slamming it shut and getting up.

“Fine, what do you want?” he asked into the empty space. Minutes passed before he gave up, and as he sunk onto the bed, he mentally kicked himself. Maybe he imagined it, and he was just crazy.

This time, Luke ignored the voice, grabbing his phone and surfing the web. Nothing was interesting enough online to keep him occupied, so he dropped it next to him, blankly staring up at the ceiling.

Luke must have fallen asleep, for when he woke up, the room was cast in darkness, the moon illuminating his room.

His neck muscles screamed as he shifted to get up, and as he stretched it side to side, something caught his eye. The window in his room looked down at a park, usually full of families, but this late at night, it was eerily empty.

Luke shrugged his shoulders, forgetting what he saw when something pink caught his eye. Since he had not received his wolf yet, his eyes were like any human, and he had to squint his eyes. Nestled in the darkness, between the trees, was an old playground. Swings sat in the middle, and as he focused on them, the shadow of a person jumped out.

Luke opened his window softly, the glass hindering his view. The fresh air filled his lungs, and he gladly accepted it. Luke’s head leaned out as he tried to make out a figure.

He had been right. A girl with a pink dress was swinging back and forth, the wind swooping the material all around. Homeless people were frequent, but his gut told him she was not one of them.

Before, he never listened to the voice, but now he needed to. The girl seemed young, and at night it got dangerous.

So, Luke grabbed a jacket and made his way down the stairs as softly as he could. His mother was a full-blown wolf, and her hearing was immaculate, but lucky for him, she was also an alcoholic and after a bottle of whiskey, she was dead to the world.

The stairs creaked beneath him, but he kept going. The door was unlocked again as usual since his mother did not care. He gave himself a mental note to remember to lock the door when he came back.

The path around the house and to the park was clear, the only light from the moon, but he had walked here every day, the area familiar. A light breeze tickled him, and Luke moved to put on the jacket.

The gate came up just as he zipped it up. Glancing around to make sure there was no one else before proceeding. A feeling in the back of his mind screamed to leave, to run away, but he couldn’t. This girl was all alone, and he wanted to help. Sure enough, she was still there, swinging up and down.

Luke gave a little cough as he approached, making her aware of his presence and not to scare her. Clouds covered the moon, the light gone, so he could not make out her features, only her size. He was ten years old and tall for his age, but she seemed taller, and he figured she must be sixteen or seventeen.

“Hello,” he called out to her.

Her head turned in his direction as he came closer, but she kept swinging. Again, something told him to get away, but he couldn’t.

His gaze traveled around the park, but only they were here.

“Hi.” Her voice was soft, and he instantly felt drawn to it.

“What are you doing here?” Luke stepped closer to her as he asked. The girl lowered her feet to the ground, using the motion to bring herself to a stop. Once she was still, she climbed off and straightened her clothes. “I was bored at home,” she replied.

“It’s dangerous out here,” Luke pointed out. He had stopped moving toward her as she was now coming to him. He stood frozen, watching her advance, the rays from the moon peeking past the clouds and landing on her face.

His breath left his body as he gazed upon her, unable to find words to describe her beauty.

Anger crashed into him as the voice spoke, interrupting the moment. “Shut up.”

“I didn’t say anything,” the girl said, and Luke mentally kicked himself. He had thought he had said it in his mind, not out loud.

“Sorry.”

The girl shrugged her shoulders at his apology. Luke watched as she finally stopped before him, her warm breath fanning his cheek. “My name is Veronica, and you are?” Her smile was big and contagious, causing him to respond with his own.

“Luke.”

Veronica held out her hand to him, and Luke accepted. “Nice to meet you, Luke.” She shook his hand, holding on longer than usual. Her skin was soft and warm, tiny sparkles tingling where their skin touched. The shock from the response made him step back, severing the connection.

Using all the willpower he had, Luke ignored the voice, focusing on Veronica. She kept her eyes glued to him, and he felt nervous under her gaze. “So…uh…won’t your parents miss you?” He changed the subject.

“No. Sometimes they forget I’m around.” Veronica’s smile faltered as she spoke, and Luke felt sorry for her. They were both in the same boat. “But at least I can have as much fun as I want.”

“No.” The voice became more demanding, causing his anger to flare.

Fear gripped Veronica’s face, and she stepped back. Luke reached out for her, the need to apologize overwhelming. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me.”

Veronica decided it was time to go. “Sorry, I need to go. You were right; my parents might miss me.” Her smile was weak as she took two steps back.

Luke felt terrible about his outburst and grabbed her hand, forcing her to stay. “Wait, before you go…”

He’d had enough of the voice. He spun around quickly, his arm slamming into Veronica and sending her falling to the hard ground. It happened too fast, and before he could turn back, her head hit something.

“Shit, I’m so sorry…” He moved to help her, but the scent of iron filled his nose. The smell awakened something dormant within him, and as he bent down, he saw blood pooling around her head.

Her chest rose and fell slightly, indicating she was still alive, but he was different. Images flashed before him as power surged within him. His mind opened up, allowing the voice to take over. Slowly, he lowered himself over her, pinning her down.

Veronica let out a moan, her eyes fluttering open. Above her was the boy, Luke, only now he was different. “Please,” she murmured, noticing the look in his eyes. Her mouth opened to scream, but he quickly stopped her, placing a hand over it.

“Take her.” It was his voice this time.

Her eyes grew wide as fear gripped her. Her voice was muffled as she tried to scream, but it was useless.

From across the field, he stood watching. Another one was succumbing to his power. These creatures were easily manipulated, and if he kept it up, the victory he sought would be in the palm of his hand. After many years, he had observed them and noticed the ones craving darkness and chose them.

The scene unfolded before him, a smirk on his unseen face. Long gone was the remorse, now only revenge remained. Others needed his attention, and with a final approving glance, he disappeared, dissolving into a ball of white light.