8. ABDUCTION

For several days now, Gil has noticed her parents' nervous glances and their intense stares. She senses they have something significant to tell her, but they seem fearful. Another thing that has her on edge is a voice she has started to hear in her head, telling her its name is Lúa and that she will meet it soon. Curious, she searched the library for the meaning of the name and discovered it meant 'Moon'. The voice had told her she was a daughter of the Moon.

Her wolf, for some reason, had indicated he wouldn't come until the full moon—or at least that's what she thought she understood, and the voice in her head translated for her. She relished this because, since the voice appeared, she felt as though she could communicate with her wolf. She wasn't certain it wasn't all in her imagination, but it made her happy to believe she could converse with him.

He, according to the voice in her head, wouldn't come all week until the night of the full moon, when he intended to reveal a great secret to her. This intrigued her immensely. She asked Lúa several times, but the voice refused to tell her. She had to wait until she was sixteen, according to Lúa. That was considered coming of age for those of her kind.

She also didn't understand what was meant by 'those of her kind'. As far as she knew, the age of majority for humans was eighteen, but since it annoyed Lúa when she contradicted, she stopped doing so. The voice insisted that those like her came of age earlier. Were they not human? To what species was it referring? She had to stop reading so many fantasy stories about wolves and supernatural beings, she told herself. She even had a voice in her head now. Her mother's voice brought her back from her reverie.

"Gil dear, don't linger after school today; we have something very important to discuss with you."

"Alright, Mum, I'm off; Dad's waiting for me."

"Don't forget what I told you; come straight home."

"I will, Mum. If it's about my birthday, I've already told you I don't want a party."

"It's not about that, daughter; it's something far more important."

"Alright, Mum, I love you. I must go now; I can hear Dad calling me."

Gil dashed out and got into her father's car. They had bought the house and Mrs. Rita's sweet shop a few years back, after she had moved abroad to live with her daughter. Gil had made friends at school and was genuinely happy. The only person she hadn't spoken to was a girl named Luna, but she didn't mind. She had other friends who appreciated her regardless of her hair colour, which wasn't considered strange in the city anymore since people dyed theirs in all sorts of hues.

"Gil, my dear," her father spoke, "you know I won't be able to pick you up today; I have an important meeting. Head straight home after school; we need to have a very serious talk with you."

"Mum already told me; I'll head home as soon as I finish, Dad."

And she truly intended to do just that, her curiosity piqued by this secret her parents were to reveal. Could it be related to the voice in her head? And her wolf, who hadn't come, she missed him dearly. Classes went by normally, though on that day it seemed the clock was standing still, the minutes crawling by no matter how often she checked.

She focused on listening to the teachers, whom she always paid attention to; she enjoyed learning. Finally, the eagerly awaited bell rang signalling the end of the day, and she packed up her things. It was her turn to tidy up the classroom, which she did as quickly as possible. To her great surprise, upon leaving, the girl named Luna called out to her—a girl who had never spoken to her in all the years they'd been at school together.

"Gil, can you come with me to the bathroom for a moment?" Luna asked casually as if it were a daily occurrence.

"Are you talking to me?" Gil asked, genuinely astonished, even looking behind to see if there was another girl there.

"Yes, there's no one else," Luna said, sounding slightly irritated.

"It's just that you've never spoken to me in all these years; I thought I'd imagined it. Why do you want me to go to the bathroom with you? I'm in a hurry; my parents want to talk to me—I can't delay," Gil said, making a move to leave, but Luna stopped her.

"It's an emergency, please. Can you come with me? I don't feel well," Luna pleaded, which made Gil hesitate.

"Alright, but I can't stay long; my mum is waiting for me," Gil agreed and turned back.

"No, it will all be over very quickly; I must be off too. My car is waiting for me," Luna said with a barely perceptible smile on her lips.

Gil followed her, somewhat suspiciously, but noticing Luna's perspiration, she believed the girl might truly be unwell. As they approached the bathroom, Gil suddenly heard the voice in her head.

Don't go in there, Gil, it's a trap.

She's not well; we'll leave right away, Lúa.

We must leave now, Gil, or we won't be able to!

"Gil, please, can you accompany me? I feel like I'm going to faint," Luna implored, tugging at her hand.

"Did lunch disagree with you?" asked Gil innocently

"Something like that, it seems."

Luna opened the bathroom door and entered. Gil followed, still wary and seeing no one else, but as soon as she stepped in, the door slammed shut violently.

Run, Gil! Be careful! the voice in her head warned.

It was too late; as she turned to escape, someone grabbed her tightly while another pressed a cloth to her nose. She tried to defend herself, but the scent quickly lulled her to sleep. As she drifted off, she could hear Luna speaking with two men.

"Are you sure you saw her eye colour change, Miss Luna?"

"Do you doubt my word, you fool?" Luna snarled furiously—or at least that's how it sounded to Gil, like the growl of a wolf.

"No, Miss Luna, certainly not," the man retracted, fear evident in his voice. "It's just that she hasn't reached sixteen yet, which is when they undergo the transformation."

A silence followed in which Gil felt her eyes being pried open and her body rearranged. They also checked her mouth for something they apparently did not find.

"Are you certain she's the one my father speaks of?" Luna now asked doubtfully.

"Yes, we've been tracking her for years. It's her, but she should not transform yet—not on our watch," the other replied in a deep voice.

"Take her to my father; he will know if it's her," Luna commanded.

"Aren't you coming? Your father instructed us to bring you along for the meeting with the Alpha."

The so-called Luna denied and explained, "I shan't be going with you; I'll make my own way later, as I have some matters to attend to. Inform my father that I shall be there in time. Let them go ahead. I must look my very best for when the Alpha sees me. I need to purchase clothing and some ingredients the witch has requested."

One of the men dared to ask, "Why present yourself to him as a human, Miss, if he does not take human form?"

A fierce growl and a thud were what Gil heard, though she was drifting into sleep, she could still clearly hear everything that was said.

"And what concern is it of yours? When I am his Luna, he will do so, idiots! He will transform into a human because I shall free him," Luna finished angrily.

The men hastened to apologise. "Please excuse our ignorance, Miss Luna."

"Tell my father to make Gil disappear today; he cannot allow her to become the Luna of the Arcanos pack, it shall be I, especially if she truly is the one you claim. To me, she does not seem so. I've been by her side for a long time; aside from the change in eye colour, as you can see, she has nothing else. If it is her, arrange the ceremony for tonight; I will arrive in time."

"Yes, Miss Luna."

Gil could listen no more. She felt herself being covered and hoisted, then placed in the boot of a car that started and sped away. She then fell into a deep sleep, yet within that slumber, she could sense they were travelling for hours without stopping. Upon awakening, she was still in the boot. She screamed and banged but could not find a way to escape. The voice of Lúa in her head told her to stay calm, that they needed to conserve their strength for when they could escape.

Gil searched her pockets in the hope that her old phone had not been found, but alas, it was gone, and with it, her last hope of ever seeing her parents again. After many hours of travel, during which she dozed intermittently, she felt them stop. She feigned sleep, guided by Lúa's advice. They carried her and entered a place which she sensed was underground.

"Is she still asleep?" asked another man.

"Yes, it seems the journey has exhausted her greatly after all her screaming and thrashing about," replied the one who had captured her.

"Are you certain it's her? She doesn't quite seem to fit the bill; she's somewhat odd."

"Yes, she's the Alpha's Luna. We've been tracking her for a long time; the beta and his wife raised her."

"And you say she's about to turn sixteen?"

"Yes, her daughter saw when her eyes changed colour, from grey to gold. She sends word that if it's confirmed it's her, they should perform the ceremony tonight as she will arrive in time."

"Very well, I believe it is indeed her," replied the one who had received them. "We shall conduct the ritual tonight. But first, let me ascertain if it's truly her."

He enters the room where they had thrown her. He takes a strand of her hair, sniffs it, utters some spells, and stands up excitedly.

"It's her, I'm certain! That scent is of royal and pure blood of their race. Prepare the altar; I shall perform the ritual tonight. I will make my daughter the chosen one of the Cursed Alpha. At last, all my desires will be fulfilled! At last, we shall succeed!"