Chapter 39: the Lunar moon
Eleanor’s POV
2 days later
The energy at the Serpent’s Kiss was a tangible thing, a roaring, buzzing beast of anticipation and revving engines.
From my designated spot near the VIP entrance, I could see the grandstands filling with a colorful, noisy sea of people.
But a cold, leaden dread sat in the pit of my stomach, entirely separate from the crowd’s fever-pitch excitement.
Today is the full moon. The thought was a relentless, pounding drumbeat in my skull.
Would you calm down? Beatrice’s voice was a sharp reprimand in my mind. You came prepared, didn’t you? Or did you just show up hoping for the best like a brainless squirrel crossing a highway?
"I’m prepared," I muttered under my breath, my fingers nervously tracing the outline of the key in my pocket. My new position had its perks. I’d ’requisitioned’ a set of heavy silver chains from the track’s security locker—chains I knew were kept on hand for the remote possibility of a supernatural being losing control.
I’d signed them out for ’logistical review,’ a bland enough excuse that nobody questioned.
My plan was simple. As soon as the main race started and all attention was focused on the track, I would slip away to a private storage room deep in the administrative bowels of the building. I’d lock myself in with the silver chains. After the moon’s influence passed, I’d give some vague excuse about a faulty lock. It was full-proof.
I hadn’t seen the K-Trio since the day in their office.
A part of me was relieved; their presence was unnerving. Another part wondered if they’d already forgotten about their new assistant.
I took a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart. "I’ll be fine," I whispered to myself, a desperate mantra. "It’s going to be fine. What could possibly go wrong?"
A lot, Beatrice answered immediately, her tone flat and utterly devoid of optimism. Literally, a metric ton of things could go catastrophically, hilariously wrong. But do enlighten me with your positive thinking.
Before I could mentally retort, my new phone —which I sucked money out to buy—buzzed in my hand.
Mira: Where are you?! I saved you a seat in the stands, right near the front! The drivers are about to be introduced! Get over here!
I sighed.
Eleanor: Ok. On my way. I typed back.
I would go. I’d act normal. And the second the starting flag dropped, I would vanish. I just had to survive the next hour.
I found Mira waving frantically from a prime spot in the stands, her face lit up with excitement. I squeezed past a row of knees, offering apologetic smiles, and sank into the seat she’d saved.
"Isn’t this amazing?" Mira yelled over the growing roar of the crowd and the engines. "I can’t believe we get to see this!"
I forced a nod, my smile feeling brittle and tight on my face. "Yeah. Amazing."
A booming voice erupted from the speakers, the track commentator kicking things into high gear. "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WELCOME TO THE INAUGURAL RACE AT THE SERPENT’S KISS!"
The crowd roared its approval. He began introducing the drivers, his voice dripping with theatrics.
Then the commentator’s tone shifted, becoming almost conspiratorial. "And what a night for it, folks! Soon, you are going to feast your eyes on that beautiful Lunar Moon! A spectacle that only graces us a few times a year!"
My blood ran cold.
"Who knows?" the commentator continued, his voice taking on a darkly playful edge. "On a night like this, the moon might just reveal a few secrets! They say the full moon can expose the supernaturals among us!"
A nervous, excited chuckle rippled through the crowd.
"So be vigilant, everyone!" he chirped. "If you see any... creature... acting strangely, report it immediately! Our security teams are equipped to handle it. We’ve got plenty of silver chains on hand to keep any rogue elements in check! Your safety is our priority!"
A cold sweat broke out on the back of my neck. My palms felt slick. The cheerful, murderous intent behind his words was terrifying.
Just breathe, I told myself, digging my nails into my thighs. No one is looking at you. No one knows. You have a plan. You just have to wait for the race to start.
Hours bled into each other. The sun dipped below the horizon, and artificial lights blazed to life, casting long, dramatic shadows across the track.
The crowd’s cheers were a constant, roaring wave, but I couldn’t focus on the race. My entire world had narrowed to the passage of time and the creeping, feverish heat building under my skin.
The pull was getting stronger. My senses were dialing up. I could hear individual conversations from rows away. It was terrifying.
"Mira," I said, my voice sounding strained. "I... I need to use the restroom."
She barely glanced at me, her eyes glued to the track. "Hurry back! It’s getting good!"
I stumbled out of the stands, my legs unsteady.
I had to get to the storage room. Now. A part of my fogging mind noted the absence of the K-Trio. Their VIP box was empty. A flicker of concern—should I find them?—was instantly drowned out by the primal need for containment. There is no time.
I practically ran, the world sharpening into hyper-focused detail. I found the door, fumbled with the key, and fell inside, slamming it shut behind me. The relative silence was a relief. I grabbed the heavy silver chains from the shelf, my hands trembling.
Then a scream ripped through the air. Then another. And another. A chorus of pure terror from the direction of the grandstand.
My blood went cold. I cracked the door open. People were stampeding, their faces masks of fear. I grabbed the arm of a woman scrambling past. "What’s happening?!"
"A man!" she shrieked, her eyes wide with panic. "He just—he jumped so high! He’s not human! He’s tearing through the barriers! It’s a werewolf! A real one!"
As if on cue, the strange, reddish light of the full lunar moon flooded the area, casting everything in an eerie, bloody glow.
Alarms began blaring, and the commentator’s voice, now stripped of all its earlier playfulness, boomed with urgent authority. "REMAIN CALM. DO NOT PANIC. REPORT ANY SUPER-NATURAL SIGHTINGS AND THEIR LOCATION TO THE SECURITY HOTLINE IMMEDIATELY."
My body was on fire. The heat was unbearable. A low, vicious growl echoed down the corridor, so deep I felt it in my bones. It was close.
Then I felt it—a hot, heavy breath on the back of my neck.
I spun around.
And I had to look up. And up.
The creature looming over me was nothing like the pictures in my research. It was massive, a mountain of muscle and dark fur, its shoulders nearly brushing the ceiling of the corridor.
Its chest heaved with ragged, predatory breaths. But its eyes... they were a piercing, vicious blue, burning with a feral intelligence.
It would kill me. It had to.
But something else rose in me, an answering snarl that tore from my own throat. My mind was slipping, logic drowning in a rising tide of primal instinct. Fight. Run. Hide.
The huge werewolf reached out a clawed hand, not to strike, but almost... to touch.
I jerked back, my survival instinct screaming, and dove back into the storage room, slamming the door shut.
I leaned against it, heaving, the silver chains clutched to my chest like a talisman. I had to get them on. Now.
What about that creature? Beatrice’s voice was sharp, clear amidst the chaos in my head.
There’s nothing I can do! I thought back, frantic. I have to save myself!
So you’ll just let it out there to kill innocent people? she shot back.
Beatrice’s words echoed as a stark, horrifying truth. You know what happens if those humans lay their hands on that creature?
I did know. I’d seen the forums. I’d heard the commentator’s cheerful promise of silver chains. They wouldn’t restrain it; they’d torture it, then dissect it. The creature needed help. And I had the means to give it.
But I was just me. What could I possibly do?
The chains, Beatrice insisted. You can use it on the creature.
A surge of something—not quite courage, but a desperate, protective fury—shot through me. I threw the storage room door open again.
The massive werewolf was still there, its head swinging toward the sounds of screaming and panic and slamming its hands on whatever it could see. It was a predator, confused and cornered.
"Hey!" I shouted, my voice cracking. "Over here!"
Its head snapped toward me. Those vicious blue eyes locked onto mine. A deep, ground-shaking growl erupted from its chest, and it began to advance, its powerful muscles coiling.
Every cell in my body screamed to run, to hide. But I held my ground, the heavy silver chain hidden behind my back. And it stings.
My own primal instincts were roaring now, a mix of terror and a strange, fierce need to dominate this situation.
I swung the chain with all my might.
It whistled through the air, wrapping around the creature’s thick torso with a loud clank. The effect was instantaneous.
A roar of pure, agonizing pain tore from its throat, a sound so raw it made my own soul ache.
Thick, sizzling steam erupted where the silver links touched its fur and skin, the smell of burning hair filling the corridor.
The creature thrashed, its immense strength making the chain groan in protest.
"Stop! Stop fighting it!" I yelled, my voice barely audible against its roars. "I’m trying to help you!"
Miraculously, it stilled for a fraction of a second, its pain-glazed eyes meeting mine.
There was a flicker of understanding beneath the animalistic agony.
Seeing my chance, I began to pull, using all my weight. "This way! Come on!"
To my utter astonishment, it took a stumbling step forward, then another, driven more by the searing pain of the silver than by my feeble strength.
I backed toward the open door of a larger equipment storage room, one with a garage door. "In here! Get in!"
With a final, shuddering groan, the massive creature collapsed as it got in.
I slammed the garage door shut, my heart hammering against my ribs.
I had done it. And I had no idea what to do next.