Under a Raging Moon: Part Two

by Chambers, V. J.

  I tiptoed out of the den, ready to run for the front door.

  But my heart sank when I saw that the bedroom was open, and that Hudson and Kale were out in the living room, both dressed again.

  “Well,” Kale was saying, “since we’ve both fucked her now, she could be pregnant with either our offspring.”

  Horror went through me. No, no, no. I could not be pregnant. I’d taken special care to wash all of the semen out of me, and that would stop the whole thing from happening. I hoped.

  “So, I don’t think it makes sense for either of us to try to claim her now,” Kale continued.

  “That’s not what I’m saying,” said Hudson. “I’m only saying that it’s obvious that she’s meant to be my mate. You saw us together. That’s the only thing it could have meant.”

  “I didn’t see shit,” said Kale. “Anyway, I’m not rolling over and letting you have her.”

  “But you don’t even want her. You just want to keep me from—”

  “You don’t know what I want,” said Kale.

  “She’s white trash,” said Hudson. “She wandered into town with nothing, and I don’t believe you give a flying fuck about her.”

  “Well, believe whatever you want.”

  I stepped into the living room.

  Both of the guys looked up at me, their expressions a little sheepish at being caught talking about me. I was a little offended by the conversation, especially at being called white trash. But there was one thing that was really important for me to get across to them.

  I folded my arms over my chest. “Look, I don’t have any desire to get pregnant, okay? And you two are not going to get me pregnant.”

  “Obviously not,” said Hudson. “Only one of us is.”

  “Actually,” said Kale, “it’s possible in some cases for there to be twins with different fathers. I read this thing on the internet—”

  “You know what I meant,” said Hudson. He turned back to me. “After this morning, Piper, it might have already happened.”

  “No way,” I said.

  “Well, where are you in your cycle?” said Kale.

  I furrowed my brow. “What are you even talking about?”

  Kale gave me a look. “I went through this with Lila. There are only a few days a month when a woman can conceive. So, are you in a fertile time frame or not?”

  “A few days?” I had always sort of figured that anytime that I wasn’t on my period was a time that I could get pregnant.

  “Yes,” said Kale. “Only a few days. After menstruation, the ovary doesn’t release an egg for about a week. That egg is alive only briefly, for about a day. If there are sperm present at the time of ovulation, then fertilization can occur. Otherwise, it can’t. It’s very simple. When was your last period?”

  “I’m not answering that.” I glared at them both. “My body is none of your business, okay? You guys have me here against my will. You’re forcing me—”

  “Forcing you?” Kale snorted.

  “You did,” I said. “You got me all confused with your hands and your touching. And you.” I rounded on Hudson. “You make me the most confused of all. But I know exactly how I can get unconfused. By not being near either of you anymore. So… from now on, just stay away from me, got it?” I turned on my heel, stalked back the hall, went into the bedroom, and closed and locked the door.

  * * *

  It was dark outside, but I was awake. I’d spent the entire day locked up in the bedroom, and I’d refused to answer the door or let either of them inside. I’d been waiting until I couldn’t hear a peep from either of them, until I was sure that they were both asleep.

  I was getting out of here. I had found a set of flip-flops in the closet in the bedroom. They were two sizes too big, but they were better than going out barefoot. I carried them in my hand as I eased open the door to the bedroom. I didn’t want to make unnecessary noise, and I didn’t think I could possibly be quiet in them.

  I padded out into the hallway on my bare feet. It was dark out here, and I could only see the shadowy outlines of the rest of the house. I took my first step forward, letting go of the door behind me.

  It creaked on its hinges.

  I paused, waiting to see if there was any reaction to the noise.

  When nothing happened, I began to walk again. I crept into the living room. I could see the sleeping form of Hudson on the couch. His chest rose and fell with his breath. That must mean that Kale was in the den. I looked over my shoulder. The door to the den was standing open.

  I tiptoed past Hudson, heading for the front door.

  My fingers started to sweat, and I had to get a better grip on the flip-flops. I was almost to the door. I could make it.

  Everything within me wanted to move faster, get it over with. But I knew that I had to be quiet and smart if I wanted to get out.

  The wooden floor felt cold under my bare feet. I stepped carefully over it.

  I hit a loose board. Another creaking noise, this one louder than the door had been.

  I froze, looking over at Hudson.

  He hadn’t stirred.

  I let out a breath I hadn’t known I was holding and took my next careful step. Now, I began testing each board before I stepped, making sure that it was solid before putting my weight on it.

  I made it past the couch, halfway across the room.

  Hudson made a noise—a sort of moan.

  I whirled, expecting to see him sitting up. But he was still in the same position before.

  Just making noise in his sleep, I told myself. Nothing to be worried about. Calm down.

  But my heart was racing, pounding out of my chest.

  I took another step forward. My legs were shaking. I was so shaken up that I’d forgotten to test the board I put my weight on, and it was another loose one.

  A very loud creak filled the room.

  My heart stopped. I held my breath.

  I waited, but Hudson didn’t move, didn’t make a sound.

  I shut my eyes, pausing a moment to keep calm and reorient myself. And then I took the next step. Slowly and deliberately, I made my way to the front door.

  Finally. I’d made it here. I let out a trembling breath, and then looked around, because it had seemed so loud—too loud—almost echoing in the silence.

  I turned the door knob.

  Oh God! I thought my breath was loud? It sounded like the metal gears were grinding against each other in the door, and the slow way I was turning it seemed to be making it worse. Fuck it, I decided. I wrenched the door knob open quickly.

  The sound was harsh and squeaking, emanating out throughout the tiny cabin. It sounded so loud to my ears that I was sure that people on the other side of the world had heard it.

  But Hudson didn’t stir.

  After waiting for several long, long seconds, and seeing that nothing had changed, I pulled the door open.

  Great. Screen door.

  I grasped the handle of the screen door, pushed in, and opened that door too. It made a thwap-thwap noise like spring being let go. I cringed but pushed forward.

  I pulled the front door closed behind me, pushing the screen door even further open.

  The sound the door made when it closed made me flinch as well.

  Carefully, slowly, I shut the screen door too, as quietly as possible.

  Then I took a deep breath, closing my eyes. I did it. I’m out. I’m free. I opened my eyes and set the flip flops down on the ground in front of me. I slipped my feet into them.

  “What are you doing out here?” said a voice.

  I jumped a mile.

  Kale was lounging on the grass in front of the house, staring right at me. He hadn’t been in the den as I’d supposed, but instead out here the entire time. I couldn’t believe how stupid I was.

  You couldn’t check the damned den, Piper? And you call yourself a thief. Can’t even steal yourself.

  I rubbed my face. “I was… getting some air.”

  “You we
re being awful careful not to make noise.”

  I folded my arms over my chest. “Well, I didn’t want to wake you guys. I was trying to be polite.”

  Kale snorted. “Polite, my ass. You’re trying to escape.”

  What did it matter if he knew? I shrugged. “Fine, maybe I was. You’re holding me captive here, after all.”

  “We’re all being held captive here.”

  “That’s what Hudson said, but it isn’t the same for you two.”

  “We can’t leave,” he said. “We’re stuck in this tiny cabin with each other and with you. Seems pretty much the same.”

  “No,” I said. “You wanted to come here. I didn’t.”

  Kale snorted. He got to his feet and sauntered over to me. “You think I wanted this?”

  I lifted my chin. “You seem pretty pleased about it.”

  “Well, think again. I was fine in my house, doing my work, with my big TV and my phone and the Internet. And then you waltzed in and turned everything upside down.”

  “If you didn’t want to be here, you could have just told that old guy at the conclave to let Hudson have me.”

  “No,” said Kale, “no, I couldn’t. You have no idea how the conclave works. I have responsibilities. There are unwritten rules. I couldn’t just shirk my duty. Hudson’s not pure blood, you know. I am. I’m descended all the way from the first werewolf that settled this area. I have to continue the line, you understand?”

  I shook my head. I didn’t understand.

  He looked away, his expression bitter. “You’d like that anyway. All you want is him. I see the way you are with him.”

  “No, I don’t,” I said. “I don’t want either of you. I don’t want any of this.” I fumbled to open the front door again.

  “You’re a wolf, Piper. You need to be around your own kind.”

  I flung open the screen door. “What I need is to get the hell out of here.” I fled back to the bedroom and shut the door, locking it behind me once again. Damn it, I’d blown my best chance. They wouldn’t let me sneak out again that way, I was almost sure of it.

  * * *

  The next day, it was a cloudy, dreary day outside. It looked like it was going to rain. The weather outside only seemed to echo my frustration. I was hungry. Whatever we’d done in wolf form had really satiated me, so much so that I had hardly noticed that I hadn’t eaten the day before. But now, the lack of food was starting to get to me. Also, locked in the bedroom, I didn’t have any access to water, and I was getting thirsty. I couldn’t stay in here forever, because I knew that I’d need to drink at some point.

  So, finally, I slunk out of the bedroom and went into the kitchen for some water. I found a gallon jug of spring water in the pantry. I took that with me and headed back for the bedroom.

  “You can’t stay locked in there forever, you know,” said Kale, who was in the living room, reading a dog-eared paperback.

  “Oh forget about her,” called Hudson’s voice from the den. He appeared in the doorway. “Maybe you’ve got the right idea, anyway. We’ll just wait it out. One month, and then this is over.”

  “Not over,” said Kale. “One of us has to impregnate her. One of us has to mate with her.”

  “You’re both redneck rapists,” I spit at them. I slammed the bedroom door hard enough to jostle things on the walls.

  Once inside, I took my jug of water over to the bed and sat down with it.

  I drank water until my belly was full. But my stomach still growled.

  Honestly, I envied Kale out there with his paperback. I was bored. I was bored and alone with my thoughts. I began to think that boredom in captivity was what actually drove people crazy. Maybe it wasn’t the lack of freedom. After all, when I considered it, I realized that my life outside of this cabin wasn’t that free. I was stuck being a werewolf. I was stuck with the occupational choices I’ve made. And I was stuck with society’s opinion of me. Even if I got free, I would still be fettered with all of that.

  I figured I was thinking this because I was hungry. I knew from personal experience that not getting enough to eat often made me depressed.

  But I wasn’t going out there. I wasn’t going to shift into a wolf again. I wasn’t going to go hunting for food. Eventually, I knew I was going to have to eat something. But not yet. I was fairly sure that as long as I had water I could survive for a pretty long time without food, anyway. Weeks. Maybe even a month. It wouldn’t be pleasant, but it would be possible.

  I got up off the bed and peered out the window. The sky was gray. I realized that fat droplets of rain were starting to drop out of the sky. Maybe it was just as well I hadn’t made my big escape last night. I would’ve been stuck out in the rain, and it looked like a downpour.

  As if to emphasize my point, lightning flashed, and thunder rolled across the sky. I shuddered, pulling back from the window. I didn’t much like storms.

  I returned to the bed. Boredom really was the problem. Hudson had said we’d wait it out, but I didn’t think I could stay locked up in this room for an entire month. It wasn’t because of the lack of food either. It was because of the boredom.

  Outside, the storm was picking up speed at an alarming rate. The thunder crashes came right on the heels of each other, and the lightning lit up the inside of the bedroom like a strobe light. I backed up into the corner and wrapped my legs around my knees. I was doing that a lot these days. It seemed like I always wanted to protect myself. Of course, I was in a pretty crappy situation.

  For a few seconds, I toyed with considering the idea that I had brought all of this on myself. That being captured and trapped here was all a result of some colossal karma. Maybe I deserved it. After all, I made my living stealing other people’s possessions. And I did that for money. Profit. Maybe this was just the universe’s way of putting the smack down on me.

  But I nixed that idea. I didn’t think it was true. Okay, maybe I just didn’t want to think it was true.

  Thunder exploded next to my ear.

  I put my hands over my head. Geez, this storm. I could hear the wind now, whipping around the house. Where had this come from? There been no sign that something this severe was coming through. Of course, we were cut off from civilization. We didn’t have the Internet or phones or even a television. When I thought about it, I realized that was the way I was usually warned about storms. From the media.

  It was really coming down out there. The rain was coming against the house sideways. I cringed.

  This wasn’t karma. Not the storm, not being trapped here.

  No, if anyone was at fault for this, it was the werewolf conclave. They were backwards, misogynistic, and immoral. It was wrong to force a woman to get pregnant against her will. It was barbaric. I couldn’t condone it, even if I’d had another dream last night. The dream was an amalgamation of all the dreams that had come before. It was a full moon, howling, claws, fur, and a sense of rightness, that I was at one with the cosmos. It was a sexy dream too. Not only had I felt bursting ecstasy, but I felt my nude body entwined and interlaced with the nude bodies of both Hudson and Kale. And being close to them in that way, that had cemented the feeling of rightness, the feeling of oneness.

  But that was just a dream. It didn’t mean anything. No matter what Kale had said last night, I didn’t belong here. And I definitely didn’t crave their company.

  Another crash.

  Abruptly, the lights went out. Involuntarily, I screamed.

  The rain pounded against the window, the thunder growled, and the lightning seared into my eyes, brighter now that there was no light inside.

  I couldn’t help it. I got up, went across the room, threw open the door, and ran out into the living room.

  Kale was still on the couch, but Hudson had come out to the living room as well. He was standing at the sliding glass doors looking out at the storm. The sky had turned an angry, greenish color. All of the trees in the woods were blowing sideways.

  I hugged myself.

  Kale l
ooked up to see me. “Well, hello there.” He waggled his eyebrows at me.

  I wanted to slap him, but I was also afraid. Honestly, I’d never really seen a storm like this. The wind seemed to be finding its way through every chink and cranny in the house. The walls were groaning. I clenched my hands into fists. “Are we going to be okay?” My voice came out high pitched.

  Kale chuckled. “It’s only a thunderstorm.”

  Hudson turned away from the doors. “It does look pretty bad out there.” He looked up at a light fixture. “The electricity hasn’t come right back on. That probably means we’re in for a wait.”

  “Will the electric company come out here?” I asked. If the electric company could make it out here, couldn’t be that far out in the middle of nowhere. Maybe it would be easier for me to escape than I had imagined.

  “Eventually, I guess,” said Kale. “Maybe it’ll come back on its own.”

  “You know,” said Hudson. “This cabin has a well and an electric pump. If the electricity is out, there’s no running water. We can’t even flush the toilet.”

  I made a face. “You’re kidding.”

  “We can pour water in the tank,” said Kale.

  “Yeah, if we had any water,” said Hudson. He shook his head. “This could turn into a bad situation. If the conclave doesn’t help us out, we could be in a lot of trouble. All the way out here, sometimes the electricity is out for days, even weeks.”

  “The conclave isn’t going to come,” said Kale. “They’d just tell us to shift into wolves, anyway. We’re on our own.”

  I shivered. I hadn’t thought it was possible, but things were worse.

  CHAPTER SIX

  We watched the storm. All three of us stood at the glass sliding doors, staring out at the world outside us. It was almost as if nature was trying to rip herself apart. The wind got worse and worse. It was harsh and fast. It howled like a wolf. There was nothing comforting about the howl, not the way the sound of real wolves seemed to speak to my soul. It screamed through the trees, over the top of the house, through the windows. It picked up everything in its path. We saw lawn furniture flying through the air. We saw children's toys, trash cans, umbrellas.