Chapter Forty-Four: A Dangerous Encounter

Leah’s eyes opened slowly, the weak moonlight casting shadows across her gaunt, pale face. When she focused on Charlie, her expression twisted into something between disgust and disappointment. A heavy sigh escaped her lips, filled with bitterness and loathing.

“Of course it’s you that comes,” Leah rasped, her voice weak but still dripping with disdain.

Charlie felt a sharp pang of unease as Leah turned her head away, her thin body shaking slightly as she tried to steady herself. Even in this frail, emaciated state, Leah’s hatred burned brightly. It was almost shocking, seeing her like this, yet still managing to cling to her animosity.

“What happened to you?” Charlie asked, her voice soft and full of genuine concern. She reached out instinctively, wanting to help, but the moment her fingers moved toward Leah, the woman recoiled violently.

“Do not touch me, you pathetic Omega!” Leah spat, hissing through clenched teeth as she jerked her body away. The speed of her movement surprised Charlie, considering how weak Leah appeared to be, but the venom in her words hit even harder.

Charlie’s hand froze in midair, and she slowly pulled it back, her heart pounding. Leah’s body trembled as she sat up, pain etched across her face with every movement. It was clear she was suffering, but even in her weakened state, the hatred in her eyes was unmistakable.

“This is all your fault,” Leah snarled, her words sharp and cutting. “Everything. Everything that has happened to me… is because of you.”

Charlie flinched, her heart sinking at the accusation. She didn’t know what had happened to Leah since her banishment, but the guilt that had been lingering in the back of her mind since that night began to surface. Part of her knew Leah’s fate had been sealed by her own actions, but seeing her like this—broken, alone, and desperate—made Charlie question whether she could have done more to prevent it.

“I didn’t want this for you, Leah,” Charlie said quietly, her voice shaking. “I didn’t want any of this. I just—”

Leah cut her off with a sharp, bitter laugh. “Spare me your pathetic sympathy, Luna,” she spat, her words filled with mockery as she twisted the title in her mouth. “You think I care about what you wanted? I don’t need your pity.”

Charlie swallowed hard, her throat tightening as Leah’s words struck her deep. She wanted to help, wanted to offer some kind of comfort, but Leah’s anger was like a wall, impenetrable and fierce. Still, she couldn’t just leave her here, not like this.

Raven’s voice echoed loudly in Charlie’s mind, her tone urgent and filled with warning. Back away, Charlie. Now. Something is wrong.’

But Charlie couldn’t move. She was frozen in place, torn between the urge to help and the sense of dread that was slowly creeping up her spine.

Leah’s eyes narrowed, her face contorting with fury as she glared at Charlie. “You took everything from me,” she hissed, her voice low and venomous. “My life, my pack, my power. And for what? Because you were too weak to stay in your place.”

Charlie opened her mouth to respond, but before she could say a word, Leah’s tirade abruptly stopped. The silence that followed was eerie, heavy with tension. Alarm bells rang in Charlie’s head, and Raven’s voice grew louder, her panic palpable.

‘Get out of here! Now!’

Charlie instinctively took a step back, her body finally responding to the danger she could feel pressing down on her. But it was too late.

Leah’s lips twisted into an evil grin, her sunken cheeks and hollow eyes giving her a terrifying, almost grotesque appearance. Her once vibrant eyes had turned a blood-red hue, and her skeletal frame made the expression all the more horrifying. The sight of her, with her sharp grin and gaunt face, sent a shiver down Charlie’s spine.

Before Charlie could react, Leah moved with a speed that defied her weakened state. Her hand shot out, grabbing Charlie’s wrist in a vice-like grip. Charlie gasped in shock as she felt Leah’s bony fingers clamp down on her, the strength behind the grip far more powerful than she had expected. It was as if Leah had drawn on some dark, unnatural force to hold her in place.

"Leah—" Charlie stammered, panic rising in her throat as she tried to pull away. But Leah’s grip tightened, locking her in place.

Leah’s face was even more terrifying up close. Her lips curled back, revealing a mouth full of missing teeth and bleeding gums, her breath rancid as it brushed against Charlie’s skin. Her gums, dark and swollen, were beginning to rot—blackened patches spreading like a plague through her mouth. The stench of decay clung to her, filling the air with a sickening odor that made Charlie’s stomach churn.

“It is only befitting,” Leah said, her voice dark and low, “that I pass along the werewolf disease to you.” Her lips spread into a grotesque smile, her blood-red eyes gleaming with malice as she held Charlie in place.

Charlie’s heart slammed in her chest, her breath coming in shallow gasps as the full weight of Leah’s words hit her. The werewolf disease? The one that had been spreading through the neighboring packs, the one that had killed so many already—it had reached Leah. And now, she was planning to infect Charlie with it.

Panic surged through her, every instinct in her body screaming at her to break free. But Leah’s grip was unyielding, her skeletal fingers digging into Charlie’s wrist with terrifying strength. Charlie glanced down at the hand that held her, her stomach flipping as she saw torn flesh hanging loosely from Leah’s arm, the raw muscle underneath glaring menacingly in the moonlight.

Something was seriously wrong with Leah. This wasn’t just the result of being banished. This was something far darker—something twisted and vile.

Raven was howling in Charlie’s mind, her voice frantic with fear and rage. ‘Get out! Run! She’s dangerous!’

Charlie’s breath hitched as she tried again to pull her arm free, but Leah’s grip only tightened. Her nails dug into Charlie’s skin, drawing blood, and the sick grin on Leah’s face widened as she watched Charlie struggle.

“Seeing as you are the reason I was banished and sent off to begin with,” Leah snarled, her voice thick with malice. Her blood-red eyes bore into Charlie’s, her expression one of pure hatred.

Charlie’s mind raced, her heart pounding in her chest as she struggled to think of a way out. The weight of Leah’s words pressed down on her, the guilt, the fear, the overwhelming dread of what might happen next. She had wanted to help, wanted to make things right, but now she was trapped—caught in the clutches of a woman who had been consumed by rage and disease.

Leah leaned in closer, her breath foul as it brushed against Charlie’s face. “You took everything from me,” she whispered, her voice a cold, hollow echo of the woman she once was. “Now, it’s time for you to pay.”

Charlie’s heart pounded in her chest, her vision swimming as panic threatened to overtake her. She had to get away. She had to escape. But Leah’s grip was unrelenting, and the darkness of the woods seemed to close in around them, suffocating her.

‘Raven, help me!’ Charlie pleaded silently, her voice trembling with fear.

Raven growled in response, her presence flaring to life in Charlie’s mind. ‘We’re getting out of here, Charlie. Now.’

But before Charlie could make another move, Leah’s grip tightened once more, her nails digging deeper into Charlie’s flesh as her blood-red eyes gleamed with sinister intent.

‘This isn’t over’, Charlie thought, her heart pounding as Leah’s last words echoed in her mind.