Pure Moonlight Ch. 13

Hi Everyone,

It has been such a long time. Too long really. It has been 9 months since my last chapter post. Whilst I never intended there to be such a time lapse in posting, so much has happened in my life; my engagement, my first niece (my first time being an aunty), buying our first home and my dog having to be put to sleep are some of the notable events.

It has been so long, that I would strongly suggest everyone read at least the previous chapter (or it all over again) to reacquaint themselves with the story. I cut this chapter in half, since I want to polish the second half, but this part is ready to go.

Please comment/send private feedback and rate. I love hearing from my readers and always do my best to reply to PF if a reply address is left. Commenting/PF always helps me get my ever distracted mind back to my story and gets me in the mood to write.

With that being said, I hope you enjoy this chapter and the continuation to my tale.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An annoying, echoing drip broke Ally from the darkness. Dazed and bleary eyed, she shifted uncomfortably. Her body was stiff and sore, and she shivered from cold. Underneath her was a cold hard surface, which woke her quickly through its wrongness. Her arms were stiff above her head, and when she moved, she felt thin chains pull against her wrists.

Blinking against the dim lighting Ally saw she was on a slab of stone. Looking up she saw her wrists were indeed bound by thin, shiny silver chains. Shifting her legs she felt a similar chain binding them. The light chinking sound of metal echoed off the walls in the large cement chamber. There were flaming torches driven into the concrete ground at intervals, providing eerie flickering light in a perfect circle around her. Ally could just make out shelves and dusty boxes around the edges of the building she was in.

"Ah," came a quiet voice from the shadows, "Finally she wakes."

Ally spun her head to find the figure who had spoken. The shadow detached itself from the darkness and moved into the light. Hood drawn over, all Ally could see was the basic figure of a person. Draped in a tattered black cloak, the figure stood tall and imposing, its faceless form watching her.

"Who are you? What do you want?" she demanded as confidently as she could. There was no way she was going to cower or show her fear.

"What I want," the hooded figure chuckled dryly, "is revenge."

Ally's mind whirled, trying to think of anyone she knew who could fit that description. Coming up blank, she shook her head, "I don't know you. I haven't done anything to you. You don't want revenge on me. You have the wrong person."

A slow, cold, harsh laugh emitted from beneath the hood, "You are the vehicle for my revenge, not the victim."

Ally struggled against her binds, feeling them cut into her wrists painfully. They didn't budge. "There is no point, my dear. Those binds are designed to hold you at your strongest, though I needn't have bothered. The guards on your true power border the ridiculous; I don't know what he was thinking."

Ally had no idea what the man was talking about. Her wrists throbbed against its binds. Unease growing, she looked around for something to aid her. She needed something to break the chains.

"Ah," the figure said, as though she had spoken aloud, "You can't break them, there's no way. Things have finally worked out perfectly. You are virginal once more and thus useful to me again."

"How did you...? I'm not a virgin," Ally contradicted. She thought maybe if he couldn't use her he would let her go. "I have been deflowered," she continued matter-of-factly, her chin held high, "it can't be undone."

The figure laughed, "Pathetic, stupid girl. The churches all bleat about some stupid scrap of blood? It is not the act of sex that destroys a virgin; it is the bond the act creates. The bond you destroyed hours ago, leaving you alone and vulnerable.

"It took me years to find you after your mother's death and your father's interference. When I did, I tried for delicacy, to make you form a bond with me, which would make the transference easier and more powerful. But you were too stupid and it was pitiful having to exhaust so much energy just to bow and scrape to you. Then that stupid wolfman of yours almost ruined my plans," the anger in his voice disappeared as he shrugged, "But it makes no matter now; I have succeeded through sheer force alone."

Ally's mind, still groggy, fought to comprehend. Her father? She had no father; it was unspoken between her mother and her. If he did exist, and he cared enough to intervene in something, surely he would have revealed himself to her at least once. And what was that about trying to form bonds with her? She had never met this creep in her life!

And yet. There was something about him. Her gut was telling her she missed something. But what? she asked herself.

He watched her closely from underneath the hood. Her eyebrow creased in thought. She was missing something; a vital piece of the puzzle.

"Really, don't strain yourself there. Look at your face, all screwed up trying to think," He chuckled coldly, "pathetic."

With a gasp, it fell into place. Brown shaggy hair, chiselled nose and eyes closed as he leaned in to kiss her, his smile and attempts at seduction... Sneering with derision as they were stopped by road workers, "Pathetic," he had said, "Stupid, useless creatures. How dare they hold us up."

"Paul?" she whispered.

He laughed, "You finally figured it out."

He threw back his hood. Despite the dark lighting from the flaming torches, his face was thrown into stark relief. Ally stared in disbelief.

~~~

The blackened husk of the car sat ominously silent against the tree. Its doors hung loose, swinging softly in the breeze that rattled through it, like a soft mourning howl. Zac stood still, taking in the sight with horror as his people swarmed around. Keith gripped his shoulder, turning his friend away.

"There are no bodies inside, Zac," he said quietly, "She's not here."

"Then we are too late," Zac replied miserably.

"No," hissed Keith, "We are still in the game. She is still alive; you and I both know it."

"We don't know where she is."

"We will find her. We're the good guys, remember? We always get the girl," Keith tried for a smile and managed only a grimace. He was just as worried as his alpha.

One of the other betas came up and saluted, "Sir, there are no bodies in the wreckage. The fire has cleared away all scents in the vicinity. There is a trail in the leaves leading back into the forest that seems like someone was dragged; maybe a rescue from the car. The trail leads just into the tree line and just vanishes. We think mayb-"

A cry of discovery interrupted the man. They raced over to see what the trackers had found. Keith cried out in horror at the scene that lay before him.

The Braanan woman lay on the ground, her skin a mixture of nasty red and ghastly black. Her clothes were in rags around her body, most of it had burnt away. She lay on her side, curled up in a foetal position. Most of her body had been burnt badly. Had she been in the car when it exploded? Zac wondered.

Keith knelt gently next to the woman, almost afraid to touch her. He tried to listen for her heartbeat, but there was too much noise from his people at the cars and in the surrounding scrub. He gently rested his had on her shoulder. A faint groan met his ears. There was a collective sigh of relief.

~~~~~~~~

Caitlin scoured the streets from the shadows, her full focus spent on trying to detect any hint of the vile things that followed the creature around.

Growling in frustration, she slammed her fist into a wall. They had to be somewhere, creatures as foul as those would not be able to stay hidden for long.

~~~

Ally's mind went blank; in front of her stood her ex-boyfriend in the flesh.

He was looking at her, a sneer marring his handsome features. "Paul?" Ally asked, "I don't understand."

"Paul does not exist, he was a means to an end... You. My true name is Alamihr and this is what is left of my true form." He stepped further into the light and closed his eyes. Slowly his face started to ripple and morph. The change happened quickly, but Ally saw everything.

Red eyes with empty black slits bore through her soul as she took in his new features. He was a combination of a cobra snake and human but unlike anything she could have ever imagined. He had a slight snout with nostril slits, and his skin was a dull red with black markings. Fangs dropped from behind his almost invisible lips, his smile making them prominent and terrifying. His ears had morphed into a hood that ran from his temples to his shoulders, with markings like a cobra's. When he spoke, she could see a forked tongue through his fangs and teeth, through his speech was somehow not affected.

"Yes, my true form is now hideous, thanks to my brother and family. Look at what they have reduced me to! I was a god and they destroyed my followers and cast me out. I am barely more than mortal. I can hold other forms, but it takes energy and concentration. But this... This is my true form, nothing is left of my perfection," he looked at Ally, his smile widened and a malicious glint entered his eyes, "You are the final piece to my revenge. It will be swift and complete. Those fools won't know what hit them."

She watched his fangs with apprehension, wondering what he was going to do with her. She opened her mouth but he spoke before she had the chance to ask.

"You will see once my preparations are complete," he said dismissively, "For now I need to concentrate."

He then turned to a dusty book sitting on a lectern. Flipping through the pages, reading carefully, he ignored her completely.

A door opened, the sound echoing off the walls. Hope beamed through like a ray of sunshine as Ally tried to twist and see whoever had come in. She could barely make out a figure moving through the shadows between dark shelves. A smell wafted through the room, coming from the creature that burned in her nose.

The figure stopped outside the flaming torches and kneeled. "Masssster," it hissed softly, "The preparationssssss are going assss planned. The wolvesss are at the car and chasssssing their tailssss."

"Good," Paul replied, not looking up from his book, "We will be ready soon." Ally tugged surreptitiously at her chains. Paul, or whatever that thing called himself, was clearly nuts and she didn't want to hang around any longer!

~~~

Kate moaned quietly as a hand touched her. Slowly she opened her eyes. Everything hurt so badly. Muffled sounds surrounded her.

She opened her eyes to find the Coleman Alpha standing over her, concern etched into his face. Memories came flooding back as she remembered watching Ally being dragged into the woods by a cloaked figure. She moved to sit up but cried out as her entire body screamed in pain.

"Ally," She whispered, her eyes closed.

Zac crouched beside the ailing woman, "She is not here, Braanan. What happened? Where is she?"

Kate let out a gargled whisper that no one could make out. The Alpha leant down and listened as best he could to what happened.

~~~

The chains around Ally's wrists and ankles were chafing, her skin red raw and bleeding a little from rubbing. She tugged and pulled, ignoring the pain as best she could, knowing that it would be nothing to her suffering if she couldn't escape.

Alamihr had left a while ago, and she had been trying her best to escape. The chains, while thin, seemed to be made of something that was strong enough to not break under her best effort. Panting, she collapsed back onto the altar, quietly grateful for its smooth, cold surface to ease the heat coursing through her body from her exertions.

She had no idea how long she had until Alamihr came back and she was determined that she would not be around when he did. Something was niggling at her again. There as something else she was forgetting. Trying desperately to calm herself, Ally began counting her breaths. She promised herself that she would find the way out and live to see the dawn.

Like a flash of lightening it struck her. What had the creature said? Eyes closed, ran through her memory. "The wolvesss are at the car and chasssssing their tailssss," the thing had said. He must have been talking about Zac! He must have realised what was going on and chased after her and Kate!

Hope rose in her heart. If there was some way she could let Zac know where she was, he could free her and all would turn out.

Ally closed her eyes and searched inside herself. Her heart still ached, but it had taken a backseat while her mind was occupied. As she felt around, the ache came back with a vengeance, causing her to gasp aloud. It felt as though there was a hole in her heart and soul, had it been a physical wound it would be ragged and bleeding.

Tears poured down her face as she faced the loss that she had caused. Hatred rose in her throat at the man who had orchestrated and manipulated her so easily. She was so sorry for everyone that had been affected by him.

Alamihr, as he called himself. He had to be absolutely insane, she decided. After all he had identified himself a god so casually and clearly believed it completely.

She looked up at her bloody wrists and sighed. Things were looking bad for her if she couldn't escape. The chains were so thin it was frustrating to not be able to budge them. The harder she pulled the deeper they cut into her wrists and ankles, much deeper than normal chains would have been able to go.

All the movies she had seen of people escaping chains just wriggled their hands and they appeared to simply just slip out. Even with her blood lubricating the way, the chains seemed to tighten around her wrists when ever she tried to pull them out.

Crying out in frustration, Ally fell limp against the altar; her chest heaving.

"I told you they wouldn't break," Alamihr said behind her, his voice light with amusement. Ally didn't even need to see his face to know he was smiling.

Hatred boiled in her stomach. "Let me go," she demanded, putting as much authority into her voice as she could manage, "I don't want anything to do with what ever your crazy ass is planning!"

Quiet laughter echoed around the chamber, as he circled around the altar, "It's a good thing I never asked then. You can try to command me all you want, little Alluna, but I am not a puny mortal to be swayed by the trickle of power you currently wield."

He stepped closer to her and looked down at her prone form. His face was different again, the snake-like features were gone, replaced with a strikingly handsome face. The only thing that ruined his perfection was the emptiness in his eyes, "Your say is not conducive to my plans, so it is no longer a question of you wanting to do anything."

Ally glared at him, trying to figure out if there was anything she could possibly say to convince him to felt her go. Looking up at his smiling face and empty eyes, she realised the answer. Unable to let things lie, she spat at him, hitting him square on the cheek and followed up with a glare.

His smiled widened as he moved back to the book.

~~~

Caitlin finally reached the centre of the city, just as the sun set over the hills in the distance, throwing deep shadows all over the place. Hating her slow pace she cursed loudly. Rounding a corner, a scent hit her sensitive nose making her stop in her tracks.

A team of trackers and warriors from her pack were going through the central park.

Making up her mind, she approached the Weres cautiously.

Bart looked up from his search when he smelt a familiar scent. He growled as he faced the exiled woman who caused all the trouble.

She approached cautiously, her hands in the air, "Bart," she said pleadingly, "Please, I want to help."

"I think you've done enough," he said coldly, "Count yourself lucky you are still breathing. You know my Alpha's orders. You are not one of us anymore. You should not be talking to us."

"We are in no man's land, I am not encroaching on the territory; I just want to help. I am a victim in this too."

Bart snorted, but refused to answer.

"Look, I think I can help- he took me to a place, and I think that is where he has the Alpha's mate."

"Where?"

"Ok, I don't know where exactly, but it was a warehouse type building near the sea. I heard seagulls and smelt the ocean air.

"Thanks for that," Bart said dryly, "We'll take that under advisement." He signalled to the group to move out. Caitlin grabbed his arm before he could walk past her.

"Bart, I'm serious! The kidnapper himself has no scent and leaves no trace. His minions have an unusual scent that is easily discernable. They are the only hope you have of finding her!"

Bart sighed and pulled his arm out, "It wouldn't matter what you have to say, it won't help us because we both know my Alpha won't accept any advice or help from you. I should not even be talking to you, even in no man's land."

With a signal the rest of the group melted into the shadows, heading towards the nearest sea. Bart looked down at Caitlin, who was stoically trying not to let his rejection affect her.

"Look, for what it's worth? I'm sorry you are in the position you're in. I'm also sorry, because I can't help you except for this piece of advice," He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. Her eyes were red and puffy and there were shadows under her eyes that showed her sleep had not been restful for some time. His heart broke for her, realising that her torture had begun long before anyone else's. He looked deep into her eyes and saw a strength that promised she would be ok.

"You need to move on," he said gently, "Get away from here. Go. Travel the world. Get to know yourself again. You will be ok, but you can't stay here. Forgive yourself, for there is nothing else you can do. May Luna guide you always."

He dropped his hold on her and retreated with the rest of his group. Reaching the shadow of trees he turned to glimpse her one last time, standing alone in the middle of the dark parklands, eyes closed as she bared her face and soul to the rising full moon. He silently wished her all the best before he followed his team.

~~~

Zac paced the wreckage site, his wolf growling impatiently. Their mate was in serious danger and they couldn't find her using any of the means at their disposal. He sighed in frustration. His eyes glanced to the spot where the trail ended. From Kate's witness report and the obvious trail signs, someone had dragged Ally from beside the car to that spot. There was a singed trail where fire had burned in a straight line to the car which had led to the explosion that nearly claimed Kate's life.

Stooping down to the spot where the trail ended he inhaled deeply. Ally's scent was layered with fear which soured his nose. Her scent still sent shivers down his spine at the same time his heart ached, the hole that she had left throbbed painfully. Even under her scent, all that he could smell was the forest scents and the smell of smoke.

No accelerants or rope. The fire was all sorts of wrong to him. Fire did not travel in a straight line, ignoring the piles of leaves and debris on the ground that would have been perfect fuel. It was not a natural fire. Zac didn't know any witches personally, but he knew they existed. Was the person who took his mate a witch?

Car headlights appeared on the horizon, speeding towards them. His pack melted into the shadows, hiding themselves from whoever was coming. The car screamed down the road and screeched to a halt before the brunt out wreckage.

A roar echoed through the night as a beast tore from the car and launched itself at Zac.

~~~

Footsteps echoed through the darkness, startling Ally. She twisted and turned to see above her head, trying to find out who had come. The faint glimmer of hope died when she saw two stooped figures moving towards the flaming torches surrounding her and the creep, Alamihr.