Daughter of the Darkest Moon

Little Savior

When I felt it had been long enough, I climbed down into the closet and peeked out into the cabin. Her sundress and shoes were on the floor in front of the closet and the silver collar was on the counter directly across from it. I picked up the dress and folded it neatly.

After I moved her sandals, I closed and secured the doors, then called Geri to see what the update was. The hunters had infiltrated the territory and killed five enforcers. Warriors and enforcers flooded the areas of silence and overwhelmed the men. Three hunters escaped, but at least one was seriously wounded.

A couple others survived and were in the dungeon being questioned. I was relieved my pack was safe. I always worried something would happen if I ever wasn’t there and this just showed I was right.

I called Ben and found he was already on his way back to pack territory. He was taking a roundabout route so he wouldn’t be caught by any backup the hunters may have had. It was a good plan.

The only loose end was making sure the hunters who’d come after me wouldn’t have a second chance, and trying to help Liviana. Even though she said she didn’t need it, I wanted to help. She’d risked a lot by talking to me and trying to save me.

After I opened the back door, I stripped and shifted into my wolf. I followed her trail until I picked up the scent of the hunters, too. Carefully, I tracked them to a hollow where the second hunter lay with his throat torn out. I sniffed the corpse. She’d killed him.

I found her scent a little further off and followed again. The trail was tricky, she was searching for something, or evading something. After a few minutes, I could hear the sound of someone grunting and fleshy impacts.

Quietly, I stalked around the trees and saw the first hunter. He had a large gash in his arm and blood trickling from his neck. There was a bite spanning from side to side, but hadn’t had the clamp and tear his partner had gotten.

On the ground was the naked girl. The hunter was punching her even though it was obvious she wasn’t in any condition to move, let alone fight. If she was human again, that meant she was too weak to maintain her wolf. I shifted into half-wolf form and jumped out of the trees with my claws bared.

With one strong swipe, I knocked the hunter away from Liviana. Another bound had me on top of the man giving him the same treatment he’d given her. Eventually, the man stopped fighting to live and gave into the massive internal injuries I dealt him. There was some satisfaction in knowing he would never harm another wolf again.

Crawling away from the body, I went to check on Liviana. She was barely breathing. I gathered her up in my arms. I didn’t like the looks of some of her injuries. The dim light from the setting sun wasn’t enough to fully see everything he’d done to her.

Since half-wolf form was faster than human form, I decided it would be best for getting her back to the cabin quickly. I ran the entire way, worried my little savior would die if I didn’t get her somewhere safe soon.

***

When I got to the cabin, I laid Liviana on the double bed in the corner of the sleeping area. I pulled out my phone, but realized it could take hours for the pack doctor to get to me. If nothing else, I could get advice. I dialed Frieda, the pack doctor.

“I’m busy. What do you need, Ollie?” She answered curtly.

“I have an injured werewolf in my bed.” I told her.

“Kinky. Why does it concern me?”

I sighed. “I didn’t do it, Freddy. A hunter was attacking her.”

“What injuries does she have?”

I examined her carefully. There was a deep looking slice in her back. I hadn’t noticed earlier, because dead leaves were pressed into it stopping the blood from flowing. There was another cut on her scalp which I saw when I picked her up.

There were rope burns on her ankles and wrists, silver burns on her neck, scratches and bruises on her thighs, and more bruises on her shoulders, arms, face, chest, and neck. I reported each injury to Frieda through clenched teeth.

She couldn’t have been much more than eighteen. They kidnapped her and did this to her. Some of the bruises were a week, or more, old and starting to yellow. The collar had kept her from healing them.

“You need to clean her wounds and check how deep the one on her back is. Most hunters use silver knives. Do it last, if there is silver in it, her wounds won’t start healing until it’s out. If she starts to heal with debris in the wounds, you’ll have to reopen them. If anything’s left behind there could be an infection. Get to work. Use gauze and tape to cover and close wounds. When she wakes, she’ll need a lot of meat to replenish her energy.” Frieda explained.

“Got it. Thanks, Freddy.” I said.

“Good luck, Ollie.” She told me as she hung up.

I filled a bucket with hot, soapy water and grabbed gauze, tape, tweezers, and washcloths. Carefully, I worked to clean the worst cuts and examined her back for silver shrapnel. The tip of a knife was stuck in one of her ribs. The skin wouldn’t heal, and I was able to take my time pulling it out.

Once she was cleaner, I moved her to the couch and changed the bedding. I put her on the clean bed, covered her with the blankets, and went to take a shower.

I paused at the bathroom door, I still had to get something for dinner. There was a pack of wild pigs not too far from the cabin. I decided to get one for our meal.

It would be best to do it before I took my shower. I locked the front door and left from the back, securing it before I shifted into my wolf form and went to find dinner.

-

[Livy]

-

I snuggled down into the blankets and soft mattress. My body ached all over and my throat was dry.

The last thing I remembered, was Karl on top of me punching after he’d knocked me off his neck. I lost my cool when he stabbed me in the back while I was killing Peter. Something good must have happened if I was in a soft, warm place.

A heavenly smell wafted by me and my stomach growled. There was a masculine chuckle and I stiffened. I finally opened my eyes and saw I was in the cabin of the Beta the hunters were trying to kill.

He was standing nearby with a large bowl full of seared meat. I looked at him, then at the bowl. They hadn’t been feeding me nearly enough since they took me. Especially with how much damage I was trying to heal every day.

“Are you hungry, Liviana?” He asked.

“Yeah.” I rasped.

“Let me get you some water first. You didn’t survive all that, just to have a little pork choke you to death.” He said.

After he returned with a glass of water, and I drank the whole thing swiftly. The Beta put the bowl down in front of me and stood back. I looked at the food, then at him.

Seriously? I wasn’t feral. I rolled my eyes a little.

“Fork, please?” I requested.

The Beta looked shocked, but got me a fork and watched as I ate gently, but quickly. It made me nervous to have someone watch me eat. I tried to focus on my food, but my eyes kept being drawn to him. He was pretty cute.

“My name’s Oliver Pines. It’s nice to meet you Liviana.” He murmured.

I nearly laughed. Of course his name was Oliver. My grandfather was watching over me again by sending a man who’d been named for him to save me. I knew there was a reason I felt safer when I entered the cabin the first time.

It was difficult, but I swallowed the food in my mouth. It was so good and my stomach was finally feeling full, for the first time in weeks. The urge to sleep overwhelmed me. Oliver reached over, taking my fork and bowl as I started slipping down the headboard.

“Thank you for saving me, Beta-boy. Sorry, I’m gonna sleep now. Call me Livy.” I whispered as I began to drift off.

“Sleep well, strange girl.” He sighed and left as darkness enveloped me. I liked it when he called me that.

***

The next morning, I woke when the sun rose. I sat up and rubbed my temples. I had the worse headache. Probably from dehydration. Scooting to the edge of the bed, I tried standing to go get a drink, but fell with a yip.

Oliver jumped up and over the back of the couch. He picked me up and put me back in the bed, gently. I stared again.

He was at least six feet tall, with chocolate brown eyes and glossy dark brown hair, which was slightly mussed from sleep. His lips were full and soft looking. A perturbed scowl furrowed his brow. Oh, goddess, with his muscles and strong jaw, he looked like a living bronze statue of a god.

I bit my lip as my eyes descended down to where his skin disappeared beneath the cloth of his pajama pants. His arms crossed over his broad chest and I remembered myself. Looking up, I saw the scowl had been replaced by an amused look.

“Sorry. You’re pretty as hell.” I murmured.

He laughed and I smiled a little. It was a nice sound. I wondered at him being unmated. They’d read his file aloud to everyone. He should have had a chosen mate by now if he hadn’t found his fated mate.

“What do you need?” He asked.

“A drink. I have a headache. I think it’s from lack of water.” I replied.

“Do you want some more food, too?”

“Yeah. I’m hungry. They didn’t feed me a lot.” I nodded softly.

“I want you to rest for the next couple days. I’ll get you anything you need.” Oliver told me.

“Thanks, Beta-boy. I’d like to take care of myself, once I can stand, though. I promise I won’t run or leave until I’m better. I need to get the key and go to their motel. My stuff is there and it’s only paid for until tomorrow.” I explained.

“Let me head back to their bodies and find the key, then I’ll go. What does your stuff look like?” He asked.

“It’s a khaki colored canvas bag. I’d hate to lose it. All the pictures I have of my family are in there.” I whispered with tears in my eyes.

“Let me get you some food and water, then I’ll take care of it, Livy.” He reached out and stroked my hair.

“Thank you.” I sniffled.

After a few minutes, I had a huge omelet with pork, cheese, and spinach in it. He’d given me a glass of water and a glass of orange juice, too. A T.V. tray held my meal right next to the bed. I leaned against the headboard and carefully ate while he dressed.

“Karl, the one that was punching me, had the key. He kept it in the front left pocket of his pants. Thankfully, he kept the collar key in his vest. I don’t think I could’ve managed to get it otherwise.” I sighed.

“Rest as soon as you finish your food. The silver slowed your healing. You have a lot of injuries recovering only a little faster than human speed. Everything you got after the collar was removed seems to be going normally. Mostly, you’re weak from your body healing some serious injuries.” Oliver told me. “I’m heading out. I’ll be back in a couple hours. I’m going to lock the doors.”

He left and I worked on eating my food cautiously. I worried about getting over excited and choking. I really loved food, especially without that damned collar on. Eating with a fork slowed me down enough that I was usually fine. I knew Oliver was confused by the request, most injured wolves would have just dug right in.

Part of the rules of conduct the council instituted, required use of flatware. Only certain foods were considered ‘finger foods’, all others had to be eaten in a civilized manner. Growing up in the pack house had instilled those habits.

When I finally finished, I found myself tired again and curled up under the blankets to sleep. My dreams were full of running and hiding. Trying to get away from the men who’d used me for the last couple weeks. Trying to escape grasping hands and vicious slaps. Trying to find my grandfather to protect me and let me feel safe again.

A heavy pressure and soothing scent soon pulled me out of the maze in my dreams. I woke with a whimper to find myself pinned against Oliver. He was shushing and petting me.

The urge to push away was strong, but not nearly as strong as the urge to melt into him and let sleep wash over me again. I let go and drifted back into the bustle of my dreams.