Wolves Run

She looked perfect in that red and gold ball gown that simply stood out among the crowd. It complemented her natural pale white skin, rosy cheeks, fully grown lips and that forget-me-not pair of innocent olive brown eyes. Her auburn locks that completed her goddess image were still in the embrace of her gold and ruby barrette.

But what made her an exception to all of those ladies in the ballroom was that she was dancing with Monsieur Natsume Hyuuga. He was one of those bachelors in town with a mysterious past. It was said that his parents left him all alone in his raw age of twelve with their shipping company for him to manage. He was never seen with a woman before—not until now. Not until that fair maiden walked into their town three months ago.

Well, she was no ordinary woman after all, she was known as Mademoiselle Mikan. That's all. No family name for her to be proud of, or maybe, she was just hiding her true identity to all of those gentlemen who were simply mesmerized by her beauty.

Well, when you looked at them that night, you can see love in between them—perfection too. He was a handsome man of twenty one; he was also tall and can easily be spotted in the mob. He had raven combed hair that looked smoother than black silk. Plus the burning crimson orbs that was said he inherited from his mother.

"Ah, it's already midnight, Monsieur. I have to go." Mikan said before she removed herself from the gentleman's embrace. "Can I walk you home tonight, Madame? You know that it's my wish to see whom you really belonged. I want to see whose family I should ask your hand to." Natsume said with grace and charm. His words brought a smile to her lips. "I'm sorry my darling, but you're going to receive the same answer tonight." The woman said with such challenge. "Alright then, may I see you tomorrow?" He asked her before holding her hand. "Tomorrow it is." Mikan said as Natsume kissed her hand.

He watched her turn her back from him and continued walking until she entered the forest. 'It's time.' He told himself before he walked to the same direction she took. The forest was plain dark—probably filled with the silhouettes of the trees and creatures of the night that was beyond his imagination.

Tonight, it was just him and Queen Luna.

He stopped his tracks when he saw Mikan stopped in front of a lake. The lake and the moon had been the inseparable pair that he ever saw. The water looked as if it had diamonds underneath when the moon casted its light to the lakes' surface. Especially with that young woman standing in the center of the picture held the most captivating view; Natsume had never been dumbstruck before. That was the first time he really thought that perhaps he really had fell under her charm.

Mikan looked at Queen Luna before she had loosened her corset. And her actions gave Natsume the full view of what made her woman. Her clothes were nothing compared to now. She looked a lot better with nothing on than having all of those accessories and lace. Even in the age of nineteen she has the wonderful curves that any man might want to caress their hands with.

But when Queen Luna lowered her scepter unto her, perfection might have been the last thing that entered Natsume's mind.

Mikan began to whimper—as if her pain was excruciating. Natsume saw her tremble to the ground and he was so sure he felt her bones creaking and breaking and stretching. An amount of muscles went out of her once delicate body that made her look that she was not Mademoiselle Mikan.

She hugged her shoulders tightly, tight enough that her newly grown nails tore her skin and a brand new surface of snow white fur replaced her human cover. Mikan's ears grew like those of a wolf; it grew along with her jaws and those inhuman canine fangs. Her tail grew like a peacocks' feather—delicate and beautiful. She hated to admit every time that happened but she was on four legs now, and anyone who will see her that night might call her as a bloodthirsty monster.

A werewolf—a shape shifter.

A cursed lycanthrope.

Natsume looked at her and saw what she really was behind the persona she was always up to. He saw Mikan, or the wolf slowly approach him. At that time, his feet won't leave the ground he was standing on. He knew more than that, he knew that if he won't run, the wolf in front of him will ravage him, feed on his flesh.

When the wolf was in front of him, he dared to look at it on its eyes. If it wasn't his imagination, he did saw Mikan on the olive eyes of the wolf. It was as if Mikan was begging him to accept her. To let her rest on his strong arms and lull her back to sleep; but he has to do it, or he won't have another chance.

He gripped the pistol tightly and without a chance gave it a shot on the wolfs' body. The wolf whimpered, as it fell into Natsume's feet. Its once flawless snow white fur was stained with the red liquid that was coming out of its wound.

Then, slowly, the wolf evolved back to its original form. Back to the Mikan it used to be.

She was naked, sweaty and the wound was fresh on her right shoulder. Natsume was never been proud of himself, not until he saw that wolf on his feet bathing on its own blood. "Natsume." He looked at her as Mikan spoke his name with her pale lips. She was weak. "Silver, you came well prepared. You know my weakness." Mikan whispered. "Of course, I already knew that you were a wolf. I saw you the night before you came to town." Natsume said while glaring at her. "You knew? But—why did you let me come close?" Mikan asked. "Simple. I realized that you were so magnificent that I have to kill you. But, I have to come close to you first. So that it would be easier for me—bring your enemies closer, remember?"

After he said those words, silence came to reign. It took him a minute to notice that from the very start, she was sobbing. "Well, for a record, you have lots of knowledge about me. But for a change, let me tell you something." She said before she gave him a weak smile.

"I knew that you were watching." Mikan said. Those words made Natsume look at her. "Why then? Why did you let me?" Natsume asked, Mikan tried her best to sit. Her slender hand reached to at least caress her wound that was now badly infected. "They say, love is nothing without letting your partner seeing the real you." Then she looked him in his eyes.

Then again, olive met crimson. It wasn't the first time that they stared into each others eyes, but whenever their glances met, it simply made it the first time.

"I can't do anything but to let you see me turn into what I really am. I just want to see the princes' reaction when he sees Cinderella turn into a beast. I wonder—will he still accept her?" She asked him. "I undergo metamorphosis every full moon, Natsume. I can't stop it, it's me. I am a beast but I'm human as well." She said before she let her tears linger on her pale cheeks.

"How dare you speak of love in front of me?" He asked her after hearing her confession. "My parents didn't just left me."

Mikan looked at him, as if sharing his pain. "My mother fell in love with a man who never loved her from the start. My father, loving my mother so much, was persistent of knowing the man, and it led him into the discovery that that man was a werewolf. He went out of the woods to rescue her, but both of them failed to return home after that."

He sighed and looked at her, "Mikan, it's not you, it's just this craving to kill the race of the monster who took everything away from me. It's throbbing, it's suffocating, and it's swallowing me up."

Again, Mikan whimpered. It was her limit, but she gathered her strength and said to Natsume. "I ask you, will my death bring at least a small peace in you heart?" Natsume couldn't help but nod. "Then, I'd rather die tonight with you and Queen Luna watching than live a hundred years persuading myself that you actually have loved me." He watched her closed her eyes and smiled. But before her last breath she whispered, "I just wish that you won't turn into the monster that killed your parents."

With that, she left him.

The next day, two bodies beside the lake were found cold. One was Mademoiselle Mikan's body which was dressed back to her perfect ball gown the night before. She was found dead because of the wound in her right shoulder. And the other was no mistake, Monsieur Natsume Hyuugas' body. He was shot in the head.

The theory of the guards was that they were ambushed. The theory of the people was that the lovers had a problem with Mademoiselle's parents since she was discovered to be Mikan Sakura. The Sakura's were said to be Natsume's main enemy.

But the real story was that, Natsume wasn't fully swallowed by his anger to the race that brought Mikan alive into this world. He was more aware that he was turning into the monster that killed his parents. He was turning into the man that used charm to seduce its prey. He never did realize it not until he installed into his mind that Mikan was dead in front him because he killed her.

Mikan wasn't the monster, he was.

He was depressed, he felt that he betrayed himself. He felt so dirty after realizing that he killed the only woman that he ever loved. And he had no choice but to kill himself just to avenge Mikan. And perhaps, if God would allow them, they will reunite, wherever the wolves run.

ERASED and Edited ! - It's back, I hope there are no more unedited names/typos anymore :(

This is originally a story submitted for The Scribe (Our schools' literary folio) and my Screening Portfolio—so all in all, this is an original work.

But some changes were made though.