Peeking through the window, Ida observed the chariot ready. Her father was leaving for the castle. Till now, Lord Commandant would have gone to the castle too. The council along with the King and Prince would wait for the evening and send royal knights to their village to catch the beast.

The training sessions was cancelled today. This meant that all the soldiers were at their homes. Before the Knights could arrive, Lord Commandant would get Jeffery's sister kidnapped. This would lead to Jeffery going to the forest. The noise of missing lady would lead to Samuel not being able to stop himself from reaching his friend in the forest.

The Knights would claim one of them as the beast.

Ida shook her head while hiding behind the curtains as the chariot started moving. She needed to stop the injustice from happening. She needed to save Samuel.

For which, she needed to save Jeffery's sister.

With that thought, she started doing her routines and got ready for the breakfast. Wasting no time in finishing her meal, Ida dared to ask, "Mother, is Nathaniel coming tonight?"

The words brought a smile to her mother's face. "Of course, he is. While your father and father-in-law will be gone to see for the beast who would be caught by then, Nathaniel will be guarding us here."

Ida blinked slowly. "This means that he won't let me visit my friend, Lauren. She has brought these new pearl earrings made from another city. She has invited me to have a look at them."

The mention of pearls caught her mother's interest. "Lauren? The daughter of the painter who lives at the countryside."

Ida nodded slowly.

"Her father is a renowned artist, mother. You must join me someday. Their house looks lavish."

"Why didn't you tell us before? We could have make acquaintances already. Your cousin, Ethan has been a bachelor after his first marriage gotten annulled. Is she beautiful?"

Ida kept her patience while smiling. "She is a beauty, mother. Now, shall I go this time of the day only to avoid going in the evening?"

Her mother turned concerned. "But your father has asked me to. . ."

"Mother, please. I will return soon." She pleaded heartily.

Her mother nodded slowly. "Fine-"

"My Lady, Lord Barton has arrived. He is waiting in the drawing room." Their butler announced from the door.

Dread filled Ida's chest when her mother waved her hand at the servant. "He is soon to be our family, Gavyn. Do not make him sit there. Let him come inside the dining room already," she said cheerfully.

The whole confidence of hers went down as looking neat in those tidy white breeches and bluish coat, Nathaniel entered the big room with a smirk on his face.

"Good morning, Ladies."

_______

"The cage is twelve-foot high."

Jeffery looked up from the iron rod he was working on. "He is a Werewolf. Not monkey who needs space to jump and climb around."

His father brought the brush closer to the iron chair, painting it smoothly. "The measure they gave us, we followed it. The King specifically asked us to make this twelve rounds lock. They are serious about today's capture. Someone will be burned tomorrow morning in front of everyone."

Jeffery let out a scoff. "Morning? If they get him sooner, he will be burned in the night only."

Silence hung in that light afternoon. The sun was being continuously crossed by dark clouds, producing shade and brightness consecutively.

"Work on those two rods and we will take the break," said his father while Jeffery nodded.

While ten foot away from their cabin in the backyard, in the room Jennifer braided her hair while looking in the mirror.

"Ask Lady Maria if she needs the jam. I will start making it this evening. If she says Yes, I will have to put more berries," said her mother.

Jennifer nodded while pushing her hair off her shoulders. She walked towards the wall and pulled out her cloak from the nail.

"Come sooner and don't look in the eye if you cross any Royal Knight," said her mother lightly.

"I will be fine, mother." Jennifer said while turning around and taking the steel bucket from her hand. "I am going to take the shortcut."

"Go now or your brother will ask so many questions. You know, your father needs the hot milk. Look at him, he will turn into a stick by doing all that work. It's the heavy food I give that keeps him alive."

Jennifer nodded sincerely while clutching the handle of the bucket tight in her hand and walked out of her home.

________

Nathaniel looked up from the book he was reading. His jaws clenched at seeing Ida glaring at him.

"Rest. It is a cold day," he taunted while looking back on the pages.

Ida raised her eyebrows at his normal tone. "I wonder what Samara used to like about you. She is a woman who doesn't care about money or face. She must have looked for something precious in your heart. But I feel that she must have had a hallucination," she muttered through gritted teeth.

Nathaniel breathed heavily, ignoring her.

Ida could feel the satisfaction reaching her heart when she saw the twitch in his eyebrows. "Do you know that she is betrothed to Rodwin? The ladies around the town are discussing it. Isn't she lucky to have someone so kind and ambitious like him? He has always been naughty though."

Nathaniel scoffed. "When did a high class lady like you met him?"

Ida chuckled humorlessly. "I have been a good friend of Samara. I have spent enough time with her. Most of those moments included going to her home so I could see Samuel. But sometimes in our path, we used to bump in Rodwin. He is a gentleman when it comes to being serious. But when he is casual, he can be notorious. I always could see his love for her in his eyes."

"Enough!" Nathaniel scolded loudly while putting his book down. "Being my fiance, you don't have any errand to do rather than talking about a peasant's son!"

Ida flared her nostrils and got off the bed. "You are not my father. Just fiance. You are nothing but a puppet to your father's words, Nathaniel."

He laughed humorlessly while crossing his legs and relaxing back on the arm chair. "I never loved Samara. I do not care who she is in love with. And I am very much of your soon-to-be husband. Sit down and rest, or I will have to use the forcefulness."

Ida glared at him. "Forcefulness? Nothing new for someone like you."

Nathaniel got up from the chair angrily. "Do not dare!"

Ida collected all of her confidence and stabled her steps. "I am not letting our fathers play with us anymore. I am not letting your father frame the man I love. I am going-" she started walking towards the door.

Nathaniel clutched her elbow and pushed her away. "Do not tempt me to hurt you," he gritted his teeth with murderous eyes.

Ida shuddered but didn't let her courage down. "Someone can die. Someone innocent when it should actually be you!" She screamed in anger while running towards the door but Nathaniel had pulled her back by forced.

She tried to scream and hurt him with fists, he turned her around and backhanded her, making her fall on the floor with the force. Ida looked up at him with wide bloodshot eyes. Her lips was bleeding.

"Monster!" She murmured, glaring at him. "If the love of my life dies tonight, I won't leave you alive, Nathaniel. I swear on my God."

Nathaniel looked at her with disgust in his eyes and got out of the room, bolting the door.

_______

Jennifer smiled back at the woman.

"Thank you, Aunt Maria. My mother wanted to know if you need the fruit jam. She has started already. . ."

"I will love it. My little Diana will be pleased. Here's your container," she gave him the bucket of one and half kilogram milk. "Is your father alright? I have heard that he was gone to the castle to make the big cage for the beast."

Jennifer nodded sincerely. "He is. I must go now."

Lady Maria waved back while watching her walking on their big verandah. She reached the bamboo gate and closed it after her not before waving back one more time.

Jennifer chuckled at the woman and looked down at the covered bucket. She checked the lid and sighed. Clutching the skirt of her dress in her fist, she walked carefully on the muddy path. If she had taken the concrete road, it would take time. But the path from between Aunt Maria's acres of grassy land was muddy.

She hurried her footsteps.

_______

What happened ahead had never been found in Pylas' own sayings. Only the people who had lived during his era, had told stories to their next generations. Some of the listeners wrote how a soldier with mischief in his eyes, had returned from the Sherfield.

The old Pylas was kind. This Pylas was prepared ruthlessly for being a soldier. He distributed the treasure among his village and joined the army. In the day, they heard shouts, in the night, the growls. Pylas had brought the treasure and left his real self back there in the Sherfield.

A minister who worked during his presence in the army wrote how Pylas was the strongest warrior and had helped in winning wars. But since the day he had returned, they had suffered deaths of random people. Everyone doubted him but no one accused. Everyone was scared and got free of that fear until he finally married a woman.

Some seers have written that Pylas was sighted going towards the Sherfield with his dead wife in his arms which happened while she was giving birth to their dead son. No one knows what happened ahead. Because no one had seen him again.

Today, the land of Sherfield is barren and empty. It looks dead. It looks being ripped off by the nature and men. What has only remained are the marks of the past. Some soldiers who have fought war on that land in the recent times have admitted to feeling the presence of ghosts. They listened to the howls at night in the Sherfield and now at their homes too. Some says, they never found a cave that looked like tunnel. Why would they even look for it as the treasure was taken away by Pylas, the soldier?

All they can look for is the horrors of that place.

Violet finished and relaxed back on the chair while watching Samara's confused face.

"Maybe, it's not the ghosts of the all the wolves but only the spirit of Pylas," said Samara while looking at her. "And this soldier of our army who is the beast, is actually possessed by Pylas."

"Who was turned into a werewolf by that pack of barren wolves?" Violet added.

Samara nodded quietly. "It is all so horrific. The stories. Have you read the book further?"

Violet shrugged her shoulders. "I didn't get the chance. Your brother's naked chest stole my senses," she mused.

Samara gave her an unbelievable look which made her chuckle. She ignored her words and murmured, "I understand that Sherfield has a history. A past. But if the treasure was taken and Pylas was their heir, nothing is left. There is no closure that the town needs. Then, why?" She stared at the book in her friend's lap.

Violet tilted her head. "Why? Because a terrific war happened there in that city, Samara. I don't believe in spirits and ghosts, but maybe they were disturbed by the killings there. Or the obvious reason, that the thirteenth night, one of soldiers got killed by the wolves and instead of him, returned a Werewolf."

"What about the sins?" Samara said irritatingly.

"What sins?" Violet furrowed her eyebrows. "The killings?"

Samara was about to explain her but then she realized immediately. "Oh! I haven't told you about her."

Violet turned interested. "Who?"

Samara realized that she could be the one who could actually make out of these stories and find out the link between the incidents.

"The seer."

_______

Jennifer twitched her lips when the skirt slipped from her hands and the hem of her dress slid though the mud.

Clutching the handle, she put her foot on a branch trying to pass over the puddle of dirty water when she suddenly heard a whistle.

Her heart dropped and eyes immediately moved around.

The leaves, the trees—nothing was moving in her sight.

She gulped and crossed the puddle. But slowly as she walked ahead, the whistle reached her ears again. She didn't stop this time and continued walking. Sweat beads formed on her forehead while her heart had started to shrink.

Her home was still fifteen minutes on foot. She needed to hurry.

Walking with force, she didn't care about the flicks covering her forehead. Her cheeks turned red from the lack of breaths in that cold atmosphere. The evening had arrived.

But immediately, the sleeve of her cloak hooked on to a branch. She stopped and tried to pull her arm while looking around hurriedly. Not coming off easily, she kept the bucket down and used both hands. Sorting out the threads of her sleeve from the branch, she patted her cloak and was only picking up the bucket when the third whistle came.

And this time, the Whistler came too.

Jennifer gulped hard at the sight of the two men getting out from behind the trees. She recognized one of the man as her brother's colleague.

"Well. Well. Isn't she a beauty?"

The other man chuckled while looking her up and down. "I would know if I see her without clothes, Preston."

Ants crawled on to her face. Her skin shrank in dread. Jennifer knew the environment that was surrounding her. But she won't get trapped.

"Brother, is this how call your mother and sister beautiful too?" She said while picking up the lid of the bucket slowly.

Lori stopped smirking and looked at the girl. "Daring enough like her brother," he said. "We all love courage. Don't we?"

Preston walked slowly towards her, while Jennifer looked carefully at Lori.

"What do you want?" She asked shakily, trying hard not to sound scared.

Preston chuckled, "Spit on your brother's face. . ."

Jennifer's lips parted while she slowly started moving backwards.

". . .and your blood on my cock," smirked Lori.

Horror filled her eyes, Jennifer screamed loudly while running away.

"Get her!" Lori yelled while running after her.

Preston took the left which was a shortcut back to the lands of Lady Maria.

Jennifer ran hard with tears of terror running through her eyes. She glanced back at Lori only to see him speeding up. The terror reached her spine, making her throw the lid at him, hitting him right on face.

Lori grunted hard, slowing down to get a hold of his senses. The lid had hit his cheek. He gritted his teeth while watching the blood on his fingers.

Jennifer kept running fast, thinking about going to Lady Maria's house which was the nearest because she had to run on the opposite side. The terror had filled her veins that she couldn't stop her feet at seeing Preston coming in front all of a sudden.

Behind her, Lori panted while wiping the blood off his cheek. "I am going to make you pay for this wound, you little tease."

Jennifer shook in horror, her lips trembling as she looked back and forth slowly. "Why are you doing this?" She choked out.

Preston walked towards her slowly while Lori looked at her intensely.

"For some joy," said Preston while reaching her. He caught her shoulders and wrapped his arms around her neck and brought her hands together in one fist. "He will start and I will end."

Lori walked towards her, making her scream the loudest. Even the birds flew away from the branches.

Preston cupped her mouth and started pulling her towards the big tree. While Lori helped by carrying her feet.

Laying her on the muddy ground, Preston put his knee on her arm  and caught another with hands. Lori slapped her hard when she kept screaming.

"One more scream and you'll be dead."

"Help!" Jennifer screamed and sobbed loudly. "Please! Please! Stop! Please!"

She squeezed her eyes while writhing hard when Lori pushed her cloak open. He caught the neck of her dress and ripped the dress open.

Jennifer screamed in utter terror. "Lori, please! Please leave me!"

"I will leave you," chuckled Lori while putting his weight on her legs and pulling the knots of his breeches.

Jennifer tried hard to get her hands loosen but Preston's hold was strong.

"Help!" She screamed the loudest she could.

"Get a hold of her, Lori. She is getting loud!" Preston grunted while putting his weight on her arms.

Lori clenched his jaws, pulling his breeches down and spreading her legs.

Jennifer looked at him in terror. "Lori, please! No. My brothers works with you! Please! I will do anything else you want. But please don't do this. Please!" She started wailing when he moved her dress up, smirking at the sight.

With one hand Lori cupped her mouth and the other reached for himself. He held and moved for the right place. Trying to crawl on her, he tried to set himself at the right spot when ground beneath them shook faintly.

Jennifer shook her head, weeping hard while Lori paused and felt eyes on him.

His eyes narrowed as he looked around and checked properly. They were being watched.

But the lust had filled his mind already. He didn't stop himself from making himself ready. But before he could even snatch her innocence, a loud force from nowhere hit him hard from the right.

Lori was thrown away to the bushes. Preston widened his eyes and gasped at the sight of the form that was attacking Lori. Covered with black fur, the man was still in his breeches.

Jennifer stopped writhing at realizing the absence of hold on her arms. She followed Preston's gaze and raised herself immediately. From above the breeches, the man was covered with fur. Was he even a man when he had a fully grown wolf face?

The Werewolf raised Lori using his one hand, choking him. Preston saw Lori's tall frame hanging. His eyes widened and breaths lost.

Jennifer crawled backwards in horror when the Werewolf scratched Lori right on the chest. The blood sprinkle on its face, while he dropped Lori. Groaning hard in pain, he tried to crawl away but the Werewolf's tall frame had overpowered him.

Scratching his face and chest repeatedly, the Werewolf looked above and growled loudly.

Preston got up immediately when the Werewolf bit Lori on the neck and snatched a chunk of meat. Lori face dropped on one side with eyes wide in horror.

Jennifer turned numb while Preston started running away. The Werewolf turned his head immediately, running towards the soldier running away.

Jennifer watched with wide eyes as Preston was caught within a blink. The Werewolf pushed him down, scratching his thighs. Ot ripped a huge chunk of meat from his arm, making him scream louder than Jennifer.

The Werewolf lowered his head over his stomach, licking the blood.

Bile rose in Jennifer's eyes as she witnessed the whole scene. She was too numb to realize anything. But the moment, she saw Preston's body turning limp, she knew it was her turn.

She slowly crawled backwards, trying to hide behind the tree. But the Werewolf was already done with what was left of Preston.

He got up slowly, the Werewolf.

Jennifer's eyes narrowed as she observed his terrible walk. For that body of the beast, the legs were too thin and hinged.

The Werewolf let out a low growl as if he could feel what she was thinking.

Jennifer had nearly pissed. She breathed harshly, trying to control the terror in her. But she had lost her sanity as tears started falling from her eyes.

She blinked and the Werewolf jumped to reach right in front of her.

Even the scream didn't leave her throat. Jennifer was stunned beyond beliefs. Tears slid her swollen cheeks, smoothly. She kept quiet and even tried to stop breathing. But he was there watching her.

She closed her eyes when the saliva leaked from his wolf mouth. She opened them, weeping slowly and his canines came in her sight. She would be dead within a blink. She knew and started praying in mind to give her family the strength to suffer this pain. She knew that they won't be able to handle this. She closed her eyes again in extreme terror.

He growled lowly and sniffed her.

Jennifer shook visibly and didn't open her eyes.

The dark fur drenched in blood, slowly started fading. Making way into his skin, the taller frame turned to its original height. The hinged legs straightened beneath the breeches. The canines made their way back into his jaws but the blood stayed there on his mouth.

Jennifer could hear the breaking of bones and manly groans. She slowly opened her eyes in suspicion as how the Werewolf hadn't even touched her yet. The mere noise made her curious enough to see if death sounded like that.

But what she had seen was nothing like death. Instead, the handsome human face was in her sight, just inches away from her own. She whimpered in shock as she recognized him immediately. The ground shifting beneath her.

There he was, the Soldier of Sins.
He put a shaky finger on his bloodied lip, giving her the dead eye.

"Shhh. . ."

_______

"What do you think?"

Please vote and comment.

____

"Whom did Jennifer see?"