Chapter 8: Running Away

In the end, the group decided to go south to another human town, Ulminster. Archibald did not approve of Perseus bringing Elise with them, but it’s not as if he can do anything to make him do otherwise. So, the four of them – Selene, Perseus, Elise, and him – ran out of Mournstead as the town went into chaos.

It seemed like one of the townspeople found out about the dead guards and the mayor’s dead family. They immediately gathered outside their homes with torches and whatever weapons they came across. “Werewolves! Werewolves!” the increasing number of crowds screamed into the night. Archibald knew by then that they would inevitably come to the inn to inform Ida and realize they had Elise in captivity.

They moved quietly under the protective cover of the trees in the forested part of the path. Perseus had Elise gagged and tied on his shoulders. Archibald saw disgust in Selene’s eyes as she rolled them whenever she glanced at him.

“Why did you bring her with us? You’re just endangering her life more,” Selene confronted him.

He stared at her, unamused. “How many times should I repeat? Mind your damn business.”

“But we’re talking about another person’s life here. She has a family back there. Have you thought about how devastated they would be when they realized their daughter is missing? Do you even feel remorse that you’re destroying lives? And for what?” Selene stopped from walking and faced Perseus. She was like a pup fighting a huge wolf over scraps of food.

Archibald flinched when Perseus slapped her on the face. She flew backward and fell on the rocky forest floor. He growled at Perseus and immediately ran to Selene. She was shocked by the assault but her eyes still burned with anger. He offered his hands to boost her up and she reached out to catch them.

“Stop it,” he whispered to her as she brushed off the dried leaves and mud on her clothes and her elbows. “It’s no use. When he has his eyes on something, nothing can keep him from it.”

She glanced at him with equal flare and returned to Perseus with clear anger. She stomped at the ground towards him and let her hand find its way towards his face.

The echoes of the strike were deafening to Archibald, that he was actually worried all the night creatures will come at them as if awoken lured by the sound. Selene and Archibald stared at each other like statues, both unmoving, and both unrelenting to each other. He felt like anything that will come in between will be shred to pieces by the mere intensity of their glares.

Perseus was the first to end the silence. “You bitch,” he sneered. “How dare you slap my face?” He dropped Elise haphazardly on the ground and raised a fist high on the air, steadfast on striking Selene down. Archibald ran in between them in time to block the blow with his hands.

Despite getting blocked, the force threw him back a couple of steps and staggered him. He was furious at what would have happened if Selene was the one to receive it. He tackled Perseus to the ground, sat on top of him and repeatedly punched him to the face.

Perseus did not resist his attacks and took all his blows as if taunting him. His eyes stared right through him with every blow, unwavering. His blue eyes did not leave his, never blinking, undermining his strength, and mocking his will.

“Is that it?” he taunted in between blows. “Will you protect the woman with this?” Perseus smirked at him. Archibald resisted the growing urge to transform and maul him. He kept the building anger within him, extinguishing the flame before it burned out of control.

He instead concentrated all his fury into one punch and threw it onto the smug, but miraculously unbloodied face of Perseus. The contact sent out an audible smack that reverberated noisily around the forest. A trickle of red dropped lazily down his chin as Archibald gasped for air.

Perseus laughed. “All of you are pathetic,” he said. He pushed Archibald aside and stood up like nothing happened. He brushed his shirt and pants, then wiped the blood off his chin and lips. “You’re prey, all of you.” He looked around the group, showing with his eyes and tone that he was serious at his statement. “I can kill you all right here, right now, and not even break a sweat. Even you, zeta. You’re a pathetic excuse for a werewolf. Skulking in the library did not help in making you any less worthless.”

Archibald realized Selene untied and ungagged Elise and they were seated on a fallen tree. It seemed like Selene was comforting Elise by keeping her close and whispering calming words to her. His body tensed up once again when Perseus made his way towards the couple.

“Stop,” he insisted. “Just go away from the girl and return to the Peaks. You’re just making everything worse.”

He grabbed Archibald by the neck and lifted him up. “Are you commanding me? You? Ha! You make me laugh with your unfounded bravado, zeta. You really are trash. Go be with your kind.” He threw him with such a force that he was midair for a couple of seconds before crashing down head first on the rocky surface of the forest floor. The wind went out of him and he struggled to regain his composure for a while. He desperately gasped for air and tried to stand up as soon as he can. His knees wobbled and blood started to flow down his face from a cut on his forehead.

He staggered his way back to the group as Perseus grabbed Elise by the arm and yanked her towards him. Selene screamed angrily at him, but Archibald can’t quite hear what she was saying due to the high-pitched ringing in his ears. He slowly walked back, grabbing at each tree he could grab on. He leaned on a tree not too far from the group to recoup.

“I will not go anywhere until you leave her in town,” he heard Selene said. The clear animosity from her gestures were directed solely towards Perseus who held a hand on Elise’s mouth, blocking her obvious distressful cries. “We will stay here until she returns with her family safely. So, you have to return her or you won’t get to play.”

Perseus eyed her curiously. “What if I kill her right now?” he placed his other hand over her defenseless throat acted as if he’s going to strangle her. “What will you do?”

“I will go to the town myself and tell them about the murder and your true identity. I may die or I may not, but what I am sure is that you won’t have the chance to follow me anymore and play with my life.” Selene’s steadfastness reminded him of his mother. He felt endeared at her actions and felt that protecting her was clearly the right thing to do. The world needs her.

“That won’t do,” Perseus said, placing his hand firmly on Elise’s neck. “I may as well kill you all right now.”

“I will pay for her life,” Selene blurted out. Archibald was confused at what she meant and it seemed like Perseus was too. “I will pay you with whatever I have if you let her go back in town and see to it that she is safe with her family.”

Perseus released his hold on Elise and placed the free hand on his chin. He seemed to think about the proposition. Then he stared at Selene’s face, then her body, and kept his eyes on her chest. “I want you to be my plaything in exchange of her life.”

Archibald was shocked at the statement and jumped forward, intending to interject.

“Sure. That’s a deal,” she agreed.

Why did she agree? Did she not know what he is capable of? Is the woman’s life really so important that she’d rather take the assault for her?

“No, Selene,” Archibald blurted. “No.”

“A deal’s a deal, Archibald,” she explained. “Now, return Elise back to her home.” She pointed at the town and looked straight at Perseus.

Perseus licked his lips and smiled at her. “A deal’s a deal.” He replaced Elise on his shoulder. She was no longer gagged nor tied, but she looked like she calmed down upon hearing the discourse. “Stay here,” he said as he turned around and walked back to town.

“Why?” Archibald questioned Selene.

“It’s the only way to keep him from destroying a person’s life,” she explained.

“But, what about yours?”

“Mine is already shit, don’t you remember? My parents are murdered and I have no home,” she smiled meekly at him. She reached a hand on his face and caressed his cheek.

“Thank you for standing up for me all this time. I’m sorry you got hurt,” she looked at the gush on his forehead. “Let me fix you up,” she said as she teared a piece of fabric from her dress. She wrapped the cloth around his head and looked him in the eye. “I really hoped we became friends much sooner.”

Archibald can’t keep the feeling that she was saying goodbye to him. He felt a weird sharp feeling stabbing him on his chest. It’s not unlike the pain he felt when he learned his parents died while scouting north of Crescent Peak. He hated the feeling that he was losing something important.

“No,” he said.

“I made up my mind,” she said. “This is the way. I want to at least do something good for somebody for once.”

“No,” he repeated. He was lost in thought. His mind ran through every possible way he could save her from Perseus. “No.”

Selene started to tear up. He saw the exact moment when the weight on her shoulders started to fall down on her. She cried out, and her knees started to fall, but he caught her. He hugged her tight, while she wrapped her hands around him. He felt how tiny she was, and how heavy the burden she was carrying. She was vulnerable. She was weak. She needs somebody to protect her.

She wept on his shoulders. He felt the heat of despair coming off her, like a furnace fueled by sadness. He smelt the fear and resignation emanating from her whole being. He felt like he has to do something, but it was clear the odds of survival against the alpha were slim. But he has to do something.

“Let’s run,” he relented.

“What?” Selene managed to say in between her sobs. Her eyes were red and swollen, but they portray the look of confusion and disbelief.

“Let’s run together.” Archibald imagined the hardships they may come across along the way, and the fury that may befall them courtesy of Perseus.

“But—”

“Trust me, Selene,” he whispered to her ears as he made up his mind that he would protect this woman no matter the cost.