"Move!"
The command cracked through the night, sharp and laced with venom. Dorianna snarled, the sound scraping against Selene's raw nerves like fingernails on bone. A quiver, cold and involuntary, rippled through Selene as she stumbled forward.
The full moon, a stark white eye in the inky sky, cast its glow on the silent procession of three. It was the only illumination on their journey to a destination covered in dread for Selene. The land they passed through was perfect, an expansive space that spoke of Maintenance and care.
Yet, even as its serene beauty registered in Selene's mind, the icy fist of fear clutched tighter around her heart, suffocating any appreciation.
They passed a large, still pond, its surface mirroring the cold moonlight. A damp chill emanated from it, seeping into Selene's skin and amplifying the unease that already clung to her like a wrap.
She strained her eyes, desperate to pierce the oppressive darkness that veiled the path ahead.
If this is to be my final night, she thought with a bleak resignation, at least let me imprint this fleeting beauty onto my memory.
Selene had been led away by Dorianna and this hulking, silent man. Dorianna's occasional, guttural hisses and curt snaps were the only sounds that broke the oppressive silence.
Selene offered no pleas, no questions. The raw fury blazing in Dorianna's eyes was a stark warning, but beyond that, the air was filled with hatred and each syllable Dorianna uttered was laced with bitter contempt.
Who this 'Lady Dorianna' was as Isolde had uttered with a hint of fear, remained a mystery to Selen. Where she was being dragged was an even bigger mystery.
But Selene was no stranger to misfortune which she saw as a constant shadow in her young life. It was as if peace was a foreign concept, forever just out of reach.
They halted abruptly in a clearing. Dorianna's grip tightened on the young man's arm, pulling him a few steps away from Selene.
"No mistakes," she hissed, her gaze locking onto his with an intensity that promised dire consequences for any deviation.
Then, she whirled on Selene, her fingers digging into Selene's arm like talons. Sharp nails pierced Selene's skin, drawing blood instantly and causing Selene to bite back a whimper.
Dorianna leaned in, her voice a low, venomous purr that sent shivers down Selene's spine.
"I crave the satisfaction of watching your life drain away, of feeling the last flicker of your pulse beneath my fingers," she said, each word a precise and cruel incision. "I wish to see the life leave your eyes as you struggle… but I will settle for the knowledge that your death will be agonizing, a fitting end for the spawn of a cursed bloodline. You are an abomination, a shadow cast from the Darkness itself."
Understanding crashed over Selene with brutal force.
Her father.
Dorianna's hatred, so intense and consuming, was rooted in him.
Dorianna yanked Selene forward, the sudden movement eliciting a gasp of pain. Selene's gaze locked with Dorianna's, meeting eyes as cold and hard as polished stones.
"As your final breaths rattle in your chest," Dorianna hissed, her voice a low, poisonous whisper, "remember the names… Raulv and Lucian." With a final, brutal shove, she sent Selene stumbling towards the waiting man, who seized her arm in a rough grip.
Casting one last look of pure, unadulterated loathing at Selene, Dorianna turned and stalked away, a ripple of frustrated fury still radiating from her.
She longed for a more personal, more torturous demise for this girl, but the coming Solstice night promised a more satisfying vengeance.
For now, this would suffice.
Selene watched Dorianna's retreating figure, the anger practically radiating from her stiff back. She didn't need to know the specifics; the depth of Dorianna's animosity spoke volumes. Her father had clearly left a legacy of profound pain.
"Wear this," the man growled, shoving a coarse, brown hood into Selene's hands. His voice was a chilling indifference.
Her hands trembled as she pulled the oversized garment over her head. A wave of cold dread washed over her as she saw the man swiftly wear an identical hood, obscuring his features. Selene's eyes darted frantically around the clearing, a desperate, futile search for any glimmer of escape. But Isolde's story about the pack being impenetrable echoed in her mind and killed her hope.
"Come." The man grunted, his strong fingers tightening around Selene's arm, dragging her deeper into the encroaching darkness.