A Werewolf Fantasy
Chapter 31

"Danshak!" Erin screamed inside the dark cave that seemed not to have an end.

She had been running forward for the past ten minutes or so, but she could neither see the other werewolves she entered the cave with nor hear them. It was as if she was running alone inside the cave but she knew she was not alone. This is nuts!

"What is going on here?" she whispered to herself as she continued to run in the pitch-black darkness, hoping to catch even a tiny glimpse of light ahead.

When she couldn't take the endless running anymore, she suddenly found herself in the middle of what seemed like a forest. It was a moonless night but she could make out the tall trees and smell the grasses.

She looked back to see where she'd come from but there was no cave in sight. It was as if she had just dropped into the middle of the forest from nowhere. She was so confused that she didn't know whether to keep going forward or turn back, with the hope of locating the cave.

Where were Danshak and the others? Why was she alone? Should she call out his name and hope that he would hear her or would that put her in danger instead? Erin was so confused. She felt as if she was in a bad dream and she desperately wanted to wake up.

She turned around, intending to retrace her steps, after all, she had been running straight ahead in the gave. If she went back, following a straight path, she might get into the cave again and return to the border where she was supposed to be waiting with Zanisck and Zorraya and the last pack of warriors.

But what about Danshak? She couldn't just run back and leave him here. What if he was searching for her too? Gosh, this was hard!

Unsure of what to do or where to go, Erin stood where she was, thinking. She still couldn't figure out how she could be here alone when she'd run into the cave with over a dozen werewolves, including her mate.

And what about those that had entered the cave before them? What about Nikjin who had been speaking to them from within the cave? Was this another one of his dark magic? Was this place even real? "Edvana Batog of Quandagh, or is it Erin Brown of Fairbanks?"

Erin turned toward the voice that she now recognized as that of the ultimate enemy but nothing prepared her for who she saw.

"Darren White?" she said in awe. "How?"

The tall handsome man with platinum blond hair tied up in a half bun just as Danshak wore his, was dressed in a leather combo outfit that was way ahead of its time in terms of design.

This man standing in front of her was the replica of the leader of the White Werewolf pack in Fairbanks where she'd come from. He was a member of her clan in the future, but here, he was the devil who was determined to wipe out her family and maybe her too.

"In this era, I am Nikjin Whitehound," he said with a smirk, enjoying how rattled she was to see him.

"I am surprised that you did not recognize me sooner, but I am not offended. I am aware that you have been quite smitten by your dashing mate, and speaking of which, where is he?"

"I should be asking you," she said shakily. "Where are the others? What is this place?"

Nikjin shrugged. "Take a wild guess."

Erin wasn't in the mood for guessing games. "Why are you doing this? How do you even know my name?"

"You underestimate me, Luna," he said.

"That is what I shall call you henceforth because I can see that you are a combination of Erin and Edvana who are both Lunas. And as for your first question, I believe I have already answered that.

"My brother is a weakling who does not deserve the position he now occupies, and I am ready to take over from him and enter into my destiny as the supreme leader of the werewolves. I mean, look at me, am I not fit to be a Prime Alpha?" She wasn't sure if that was a rhetorical question, but she chose not to answer it. "What is this place?" she asked instead.

"This is one of the perks of being a powerful being like me," he said proudly. "I can create any reality I choose with the help of my trusted friend and shaman, Zokman.

"But to put it simply, this is somewhere in Vomani and I shall keep you all here until the next full moon when I will kill my brother and take ownership of his title and all of the power that comes with it."

Erin was gobsmacked by his speech. "Wait, are you saying that you intend to keep all of us here for the next one month?"

"That is correct, my dear Luna. Whoever comes after you into this cave shall be doomed to the same fate. You will all be held separately in this forest that leads nowhere until I am ready to ascend my throne." "This is crazy!"

"It is genius, my dear," he said gleefully. "Can you now begin to understand the extent of my powers?"

What Erin could understand was the extent of Nikjin's lunacy. How did he think he could get away with holding dozens of werewolves in what seemed like a virtual reality forest for a whole month?

How big was this place? How would they survive alone in a fake forest for four whole weeks until the next full moon showed up? How cruel can one person be?

"This isn't right," she said, unable to hide her fury. "What is wrong with you? Isn't there a better way to go about your quest for power?"

Nikjin smiled slowly and then burst into laughter. "Your naivety is very refreshing. Please, tell me another way I can become the Prime Alpha without killing him and his three sons who are next in line to succeed him. Go on, I am all ears." "How are the two of you even brothers? You are nothing like the Prime Alpha - he is kind, considerate, and noble. But you... you are - "

"A powerful, charismatic visionary who will waste his time discussing politics with an emotional female. I did not expect you to understand my motive, and that is why I am not disappointed by your childish words." His dismissive remarks cut her like a sharp knife. "I am not emotional!" she snapped at him.

"Good. That means you have what it takes to think on your feet and weigh the consequences of the decision you shall make soon. I came here because I think that you are an intelligent werewolf whose presence here might be beneficial to me. "It will be many days before the next full moon and the conditions here will be too harsh for your fragile disposition, therefore, I am proposing that you join me and allow me to treat you to some level of normalcy for the next couple of days before the day of reckoning comes."

"You are speaking in riddles," she said, not liking the direction that this conversation was going. "What do you want from me?"

Nikjin grinned. "As I said before, you are intelligent and I can see that you have a grasp of what I am proposing." "Actually, I don't," said Erin, with a straight face.

"I want to take you to my home and shelter you, protect you, and also provide for you while you remain in Vomani. And on the day that I shall come into my true powers after defeating my brother, I shall decide whether to spare you or not, depending on how things have progressed between us."

Erin gasped. "Are you saying that you want me to live with you as your mate?"

He shrugged. "I would not go as far as using the term, mate, but I need a female to keep me company for the time being and if I am being truthful, I replace you very attractive."

"I am your nephew's wife!"

"I am aware of that," he said easily without missing a beat. "He is not here right now, is he?"

Erin was disgusted. "You are despicable. You have no scruples, no moral compass, nothing!"

"I agree," he said, still smiling.

"I'll rather die in this desolate place than stoop so low to your level. I am not shameless like you. I have a conscience and I am loyal to my mate. If you are looking for a playmate, you have come to the wrong female for that." "Very well, suit yourself," he said with a nonchalant shrug.

"If you would rather remain out here in the cold night and under the scorching sunlight at daytime for the next one month, instead of living in comfort and being well-fed, then that is entirely up to you. I have extended a warm welcome to you which you have foolishly rejected. Suit yourself then."

He turned to leave and melted into the darkness right before her eyes. Erin had to blink repeatedly to be sure that he had indeed disappeared and she was alone.

Where did he go? Did he become invincible or did he really vanish? What was she going to do now? How was she going to get out of this place?

"Erin Brown, you are officially in trouble," she said to herself. "What the hell did I just get myself into?"

How was she going to survive in this place? Feeling desperate, she continued to retrace her steps with a pounding heart and a dry mouth, hoping and praying that she would miraculously stumble into the cave again and replace her way back to Zanisck and Zorraya.

"Oh my gosh! I have to warn them," she said and began to run.

It would be a disaster if the entire Smallchief family ended up inside the stupid death trap that Nikjin had prepared for them all. There had to be a way for her to warn the others and tell them to go back home to get reinforcement.

They could even go to Quandagh to summon her father and his warriors to come here and rescue them. They could rally other allies from neighboring villages in Pentuck and Winshita up north to help them too. It could be done but only if she can reach the others on time and warn them.

She ran and ran until her joints began to ache and her throat became parched from thirst, but the cave was not in sight and there was not even a drop of water anywhere. When she couldn't run anymore, she stopped to rest under a tree. It didn't help that everywhere was so dark that she could barely make out the shape of one tree from another. The wind was cold and the forest was unusually quiet-there was no cricket sounds or any other kind of sound for that matter. It seemed as if someone had pressed the mute button, making the place deathly quiet and creepy.

Was this what she was supposed to endure for the next four weeks until the full moon comes? And after that, what next? Death at the claws of Nikjin Whitehound the traitor?

"This is messed up," she whispered to herself, her heart breaking inside of her.

Was Danshak feeling the same way? And Weruona? And the Prime Alpha too? Were the warriors together or were they also in separate forests? The odds were stacked against them and their adversary had no plans of playing fair. Perhaps she should have accepted Nikjin's offer, but that would mean betraying her family and being disloyal to her mate. She was now caught between a rock and a hard place and her mind was seriously scrambled right now. What had she gotten herself into this time?

Feeling defeated, she shape shifted into her human form and lay on the grass in a fetal position. She was way in over her head this time and she does not see how this situation could ever end favorably for her. This was going to be a long night and it was the first of many more to come. She closed her eyes and wept bitterly.