Page 3 of Red's Beast

Slowly and cautiously, I step onto the porch, one foot in front of the other. The stillness of the woods envelops me as I begin my journey to the center of the village.

At first, I think to myself that it might be asleep, but then I realize I don’t know if that is true. Who knows if he ever sleeps? He has attacked at all times of day and night, so no one truly knows anything about him.

As I cross the small yard before the path between the woods, I don’t hear anything, so my nerves calm down. I am still keeping my guard up and paying close attention to any sound that emerges from the woods. Once I start in between the trees, I can hear the birds singing a sweet melody and the squirrels barking as they go about their day.

He has to be asleep.

Maybe my wolf is right, and this thing is asleep. The woods are so alive today. Once again, I scan my surroundings, but I can’t detect anything strange.

As I take a few more steps forward, the village is in view, but just as I feel I'm nearing the end of the journey, something snaps off to the right of the path.

It's just thirty feet from start to finish. We can make it.

I take one step in front of the other, never allowing my eyes to stray away from the village. The animals that were just recently filled with energy and life have become quiet, and I know that the beast is now near.

The sound of heavy breathing momentarily distracts me, and I stumble in my steps.No, no, no, we are so close.

As I increase my pace, it feels as if the basket gets heavier and more difficult to manage while I am jogging. With every step I take, I can hear branches being snapped off one after the other, leading me to believe the monster is right on my heels.

Ten feet to go. Come on.

Terror fills my body as I bolt through the trees, with the creature chasing after me with every step.

As I come into the clearing where the village is, the footfalls stop, and I suck in a breath. I swiftly turn around to see if I can make out the shape of the monster this time, yet all I can see is the lush greenery of the woods.

There's nothing there.

"Lillian! Get yourself over here. You're almost late and this won't do.” Corbin's voice echoes from the front porch of the alpha's house.

As I stand here with my shoulders slumping, I raise my hand to my forehead and stroke the sweat beading on my skin. "Great, just great."

With a composed voice, I call to Corbin, hoping he won't become too worked up, and let him know that I just need to leave my basket at my house.

“You must come over here immediately and there is no excuse for delaying it any further. The state of these floors is extremely unpleasant and disgusting.” Corbin attempts to intimidate me by crossing his arms tightly across his chest. However, it does not have the desired effect.

Despite my wolf being more dominant than his, I refuse to make that known to him. To keep the peace, I bow my head as I usually do to avoid any potential conflict. I press the basket more firmly against my arm and make my way towards him. There is no point in saying or doing anything else.

"That's right, Lillian. Who do you work for?” He asks as I walk up the steps to his home. His piercing gaze is on me, which irritates me.

"Your father,” I murmur quietly as I pass by.

He huffs out a breath and balls his hands into fists, his knuckles turning white, but says nothing more.

Lillian

I open the door to their home and enter with a grimace. The pungent smell is already reaching my nose, causing me to press my hand against my mouth and nose as I desperately try to block out the smell.

Corbin walks in behind me, his boots thumping heavily against the pine flooring.

“Does someone have a weak stomach today?” He asks with a hint of teasing in his voice.

His hands push against my back as he shoves me into the living room fully. A mere touch is all it takes for my stomach to roll with nausea.

“No, there is just an unpleasant smell coming from the floors and it caught me off guard.” My stomach churns again as hot water boils at the back of my throat. If I keep smelling this for too long, I’m going to be sick.

Corbin leans in close, his horrible breath blowing right in my face. Sadly, it is almost as unbearable as the smells coming from the room. “You will start in this room today. There’s a bucket and a mop in the usual spot by the door, so get to work. I expect it to sparkle when you finish.”

I look to the left out of the corner of my eye to where he points one long finger at. When I toss a glance over my shoulder to look at him, he grins. My gaze moves to the bucket, only to realize I don’t have a mop to use. It’s a scrub brush, which will require me to get on all fours to use.

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