The Moon Phase Trilogy | Protected
Six

The girls got home and there seemed to be a lot of commotion coming from inside the house. Ericka froze and held her sister’s hands tightly. She could hear growling and whining from outside and then threats being made from the backyard. “Please don’t be another killing incident for the necklace...” Ericka said under her breath.

“Sissy, why is there yelling?” Alyx asked, clinging to her sister’s side.

“I don’t know, kiddo. You stay hidden in the woods right here okay? I’ll be right back,” Ericka said softly. She kissed her sisters on the forehead before leaving them in the shallow brush next to the house. She walked to the backyard and saw Mrs. Connerton arguing with another man, a younger man with dark hair and very pale.

“There’s the girl! Grab her before she gets away again!” The young man shouted. Mrs. Connerton tried to stop them, but couldn’t pull the men away. Ericka panicked and just stood there, frozen.

“Run Ericka!” Mr. Connerton yelled, running out the back door, with what seemed to be a blood thirsty young woman behind him. She looked identical to the young man, but longer hair, shorter in height and the obvious, being a girl.

Ericka wanted to run, but her feet wouldn’t budge. Even if she could, she wouldn’t have been able to outrun the intruders. Their speed was impeccable. “Sissy!” Ericka’s ears rang that word. She looked behind her to see her two sisters, held by their hair in the young man’s hands.

“Let them go!” Ericka screamed in tears. Her eyes stayed the strange color they had been since she went to get her sisters and she felt the rumbling inside of her once more. The moon phase necklace that wasn’t hers burned her chest, but it wasn’t a painful burn, it was more of a soothing burn if there was such a thing. Her eyes scanned the forest and saw the blond wolf blend in well with the forest colors. She waited for it to do something, but it just stayed there, silently.

“What are you going to do if I don’t let them go?” The young, dark haired man laughed.

“What do you want with me?!” Tears fell down her cheeks as she slowly turned around, facing the twenty year old and her sisters.

She suddenly felt her hair yanked on and a silver knife to her throat, “Your necklace my sweet,” the young woman came up behind her so quickly, she couldn’t believe it. “If you don’t hand it over, we will have to kill you and your family, just like we did your mother,” she hissed in her ear, so soft Ericka almost didn’t hear it.

Her heart almost stopped when she heard the last words of the woman, “Y--you’re the ones who had my mother killed?” She asked in disbelief. She watched as the blond wolf slowly moved in on its prey. “Why would you order my mother to be killed?” Ericka demanded.

The young woman gave a smirk, “You’re so oblivious aren’t you, wolf pup? We ordered her to be killed because sh--” she was cut off by an animal tackling her. “Why you little,” she hissed.

Ericka watched the scene go from a hostage to almost a murder in a split second. She scrambled away just in time, before she got trampled on by the angry looking blond and white wolf. She looked over to see her sisters still being held by the young man. “Let them go!” Ericka gritted her teeth.

“Grant, come help me!” The young woman hissed. The young man sighed and dropped her sisters.

Ericka ran to help them, “Are you two alright?” Her breaths were short and she held her right side a little. “Damn it...she was strong...” she hissed through her teeth. She looked back at the attack, but the black haired twins were gone. “Where did they go?” She looked around frantically.

“They left...that wolf scared them off,” Alyx said with a giggle. Ericka looked at her in shock, she was so happy after what just happened only seconds ago.

Ericka’s chest felt the soothing burn more when the wolf came closer to the girls. It lowered its head in respect and looked at the glowing under her shirt. Ericka looked at the wolf and took the glowing necklace off. “Is this what you want, boy?” She asked, bending down to his level.

The wolf made a small light yelp in response to Ericka’s question looking her straight in the grey blue eyes. He lowered his head again so she could put the necklace around his neck.

Ericka was hesitant, but she gently put the necklace over the blonde wolf. It laid on his chest nicely and it stopped glowing as soon as it touched his fur. The wolf gently nuzzled Ericka’s pant leg before he ran off back to the forest. “Wait! I wanted to thank you...” Her voice grew softer and she lowered her head.

“You girls okay?” Mr. Connerton asked, slightly limping towards them.

Maxie and Alyx nodded, “Who were those people?” Maxie asked.

Mr. Connerton was about to answer when his wife interrupted him, “Maxie, it’s hard to explain sweetheart. We will explain everything later. Right now you three should come inside and rest after that. Ericka, come see me after the girls are situated.”

“Yes ma’am,” Ericka said, shuffling her sisters into the house. Mrs. Connerton shook her head and put her hand on Ericka’s shoulder gently, massaging it soothingly.

“Ericka, how many times have I told you to call me Maria?” she commented. Ericka looked over her shoulder to the old lady and smiled softly. She turned to face her and noticed her eyes were a lighter brown than they were that morning.

“You actually hadn’t told me to call you Maria, but I can if you’d rather me do that,” Ericka felt the rumbling in her chest again, only this time she let it continue. She wanted to ask Mrs. Connerton if she knew anything about the changing of her eyes and her sister’s eyes, but didn’t think this was the best time to do so. “I actually have to get to work soon, but I was going to um...stop by the house before I actually headed to the hospital for work...”

Mrs. Connerton gave a kind smile before hugging her, “Stay safe and call if you need anything,” she said, but before she released Ericka she whispered in her ear, “Your mother was a warrior, she was a strong warrior, be careful at the house...she may still be there.” Mrs. Connerton let her go and went into the house. Ericka stood there in awe and confusion before going inside and grabbing her scrubs to leave right away.

Ericka kissed her sisters before she left, “Be good and no arguing.”

Alyx gave a big grin and Maxie rolled her eyes, letting out an obnoxious sigh, “I can’t promise the no arguing part, but I’ll try my best to be on my best behavior, Ricky,” she brushed her brown hair from her green eyes and smirked.

“Max, I’m counting on you to be on your best behavior with Alyx.”

“Yeah, I know that. I’m just telling you that I can’t promise it,” Maxie stuck her tongue out before shoving her big sister out the front door. “You’re going to be late to work Ricky.”

“I’m going, I’m going. I love you girls.”

“Yeah, we love you too, now GO!”

Ericka laughed as she got to her car and saw through the window her sisters waving frantically. She waved back and pulled out of the driveway. She rolled down her windows and heard shouting from the house. Ericka rolled her eyes and sighed, taking her eyes off the road for a split second. She looked back at the road and the young man who she thought was named Grant from before was on the hood of her vehicle. She swerved and ended up in a tree, not hurting Grant at all, but she ended up totaling her car. “Shit...” she whispered before she closed her eyes and her head laid on at the back of her seat. She heard screams and cries and she felt someone dragging her out of the car. Soon after that, her world went black and silent.

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