Moonlit Fur Chronicles: Rising Moon
Chapter 10 Tempting Fate

Peyton continued to study veterinary medicine and work part time at the clinic. Sawyer continued his warehouse job. Things were peaceful and quiet. Peyton never again looked for the cruel wolves. She stayed away from the mansion. Every once in a while, she felt eyes on her. She was convinced that the cruel wolves watched her. The days turned to months. Peyton didn’t feel the hateful gaze so often, soon enough she forgot all about them. Peyton and Sawyer were happy.

“I have good news, Darlin,” Peyton’s father exclaimed over the phone. “I’ve got a team together to track the beastie that attacked you.” Peyton frowned, “Don’t let it bite you, Daddy, it’s really important.” She could hear the smile in his voice, “Don’t worry your pretty little head, Sugar. I’ll be ok.” They chatted for a few minutes before she hung up the phone. Her anxiety started to gnaw at her heart, she was worried about her father. Sawyer was busy in the kitchen with dinner preparations. Peyton leaned against the kitchen island and vented to him. “I’m so worried about him. I don’t want to end up with this furry curse.” Sawyer put down the spoon and cradled Peyton’s face in his hands.

“You have such a big, wonderful, caring heart. Remember, your dad does this professionally. He is going to be okay. He knows what he is doing. Peyton’s arms wound around Sawyer’s waist and she laid her head against his chest. His arms wrapped around her shoulders and held her tight. “He is taking a group of guys with him, yes? They will look out for each other.” Sawyer’s words soothed her, but a seed of worry lingered in her mind. He kissed the top of her head, “Everything will be okay, baby.” They stood there and held each for a few minutes, before Sawyer returned to dinner preparations.

He served Peyton a plate of tacos and fixed one for himself. They sat at the table and enjoyed their meal. They talked about their day. Sawyer mentioned he wanted to plan a road trip sometime in the future. Peyton liked the sound of that. They talked about the road trip and where they might want to go. Sawyer wanted to go to an amusement park and stay in a hotel for a couple days. Peyton wanted to go to a national park reserve. They were welcome to make all the plans they wanted, but Fate had a different plan.

They finished their meal and snuggled down on the couch to watch some tv before bed. Sawyer fell asleep pretty quickly but Peyton’s mind raced. She was worried about her father. She was restless. The woods behind her house called to her wolf. It longed to answer, to run, to feel the breeze in its fur. It pawed at her ribcage and begged to be released. She disentangled herself from Sawyer and padded to the back door. The moon was just above the tops of the trees. She let her clothes slide down her body and pool at her feet. She stepped through the door and out into the moonlight.

Peyton knelt on the ground and succumbed to the transformation. Her spine elongated and her cheekbones cracked and broke as the wolf’s snout emerged from her face. The pain was intense, nigh unbearable. Soon, it was all over. The large powerful wolf stood majestically where the girl once knelt. She lifted her nose and sampled the air. Something was different, the vague scent of wolf was no longer in the air. Peyton was confused and curious. She found herself on the trail to the mansion where the cruel werewolves stayed. She stopped in her tracks, one paw still raised. Was she seriously about to investigate the place where she was brutally attacked and gaslighted?

A shiver of fear ran down her spine. Peyton both wanted to and didn’t want to look for the cruel wolves. She didn’t want to imagine what they would do to her if they were still around. She remembered how the huge guy had manhandled her and stared at her body. She remembered how dirty and gross she felt after. She remembered what she did to Sawyer inadvertently afterward. She was loath to repeat that experience. She stood still, indecision tortured her. Peyton had to know the truth, come what may. She slowly stalked forward until the mansion was in sight.

The air smelled oddly fresh, the scent of werewolves was nowhere to be found. Peyton slowly and carefully tread up to the house. The vague scent of ammonia tickled her nose. The house was completely dark and silent. She strained her ears to hear the slightest sound. She heard nothing except regular forest night sounds, small creatures rustled about in search of food. There was nothing to make her think the cruel wolves were still around. She circled the house and searched for signs of life. No lights on, no sounds of people, no indication of anyone or anything inside the house.

Had they finally left? Where had they gone? Was she finally safe from these monsters? Peyton’s mind raced with possibilities and scenarios. More to the point, she was absolutely convinced that the cruel wolves were finally gone. A terrible thought entered her mind. If the cruel wolves were gone, and her dad was about to leave…was her dad chasing the cruel wolves? Fear gripped her heart. She had to warn her dad but how was she supposed to do that without sharing her secret?

Peyton turned tail and raced back home. She ran fast and hard. She bounded into her backyard and forced her body through the arduous transformation. She threw her clothes back on and yanked open the back door. Sawyer was still asleep on the couch. He jerked awake at her frantic call. He urged her to take a deep breath and tell him what happened. Her words tumbled out all over each other. Sawyer listened intently as his girlfriend frantically explained how she figured out the cruel wolves were gone and how she connected the dots to her belief that her father was about to hunt them.

Sawyer tried to console her, but Peyton persisted. “But you don’t know what they did to me. What they can and will do to him if they capture him!” Sawyer took a half step back, he was stunned. “What they did to you?” Tears filled her eyes. “Tell me what they did to you,” Sawyer’s voice was low and dangerous. “No, Sawyer please no. I don’t want you to go after them and get hurt. I can’t lose you.” Anger filled Sawyer, Peyton saw it in his eyes. He took several deep breaths, he had to choose his words meticulously. He didn’t want to make a bad situation worse.

He took her by the hand and led her to the couch. He sat down and gently pulled her down beside him. His mind raced and his emotions were all over the place. He held her hand. He was angry that she felt she had to hide this from him. He was angry that she had been hurt by these cruel wolves. He was sad that she felt he couldn’t protect himself or her. Did she not trust him? So many emotions flooded his mind and heart. “I feel a lot of things right now and I need you to hear them. We need to figure this out,” Sawyer began. He tried to control his voice tone, but it fluctuated on its own accord. Tears filled his eyes as he tried to articulate his pain. She held his hand and listened. She knew this was a difficult conversation. It had been a few hard weeks. They managed to get through strenuous conversation and grew closer to each other.

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