Moon Born

Chapter 15

"Do you have any theories? Did he describe the attacker?" Alastair asked.

"It's definitely the same thing I saw," I answered. "The bite is so weird looking."

"It is?"

"It's circular with puncture wounds."

"Hmm," he mumbled.

"Did he tell you what it was?" Ashley asked.

I shook my head. "He doesn't know what they are either."

"Could it be an entirely new species?" she pondered out loud.

"Living in the drainage system?" I asked. "I would think they would have been seen by someone else before now."

"How often are people working down there?"

"I'm not sure, but I have to think that at some point there's always someone down there between all of the packs."

"Then how did they get into our territory?" Alastair asked.

"That is the million-dollar question."

"Could the Goddess be punishing us for something?"

I looked at him like had two heads. "No, she wouldn't do that. Never."

"How do you know? Maybe she is upset with us?"

"Artemis wouldn't do that to us."

"Maybe?" he repeated.

Ashley and I looked at each other briefly.

"Maybe," I said. That was a conversation I was not ready to have with a guy I met an hour ago.

I took the medallion back and stared at the strange etching on it.

Is it the seal for another pack? A rogue pack?

I stared out the front doors for what felt like an eternity until I saw the black SUV's and coroner van from Moon Mist pull up in front of the doors.

Thank Goddess he's here.

I left the building, everyone gasping behind me, and met my dad at the first SUV.

"Dad!"

He wrapped his arms around me and hugged tight. "Ellie."

"Dad, I saw it. I saw the thing. One of the water department guys was attacked. He's inside."

"He's alive?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"He needs to be quarantined immediately."

"What? Why?"

"We have no idea what those things are and Harry had a really bad reaction."

"What? What happened?" I asked quietly.

"He became extremely violent and began attacking everyone. He wouldn't respond to any commands and we eventually had to restrain him."

"Do you know why?"

Dad shook his head. "We're not sure if it's just a reaction to medication, if there's something wrong after the bite or something else."

"That's something," I said.

"It is. So for now we're keeping him restrained and quarantined."

"Right. That's smart."

"Where's the body?"

I pointed down the alleyway.

"Dad?"

"What, honey?"