11. Binding the Wounds

Bjorn collapsed onto his back, chest heaving, gasping for breath. The full moon’s spotlight upon his tattered body revealed a myriad of injuries.His chest was torn asunder from Chelsea’s claw swipe, and his left calf and ankle were streaked with angry red slashes. Blood poured forth from his wounds, made worse from the shock he was going into.He had to get his breathing under control. He bent his knees, and placed his hands at his sides. He was an avid yoga practitioner so he was no neophyte when it came to meditation. It only took a few calming moments for him to come back into himself. The bright moonlight was strangely serene, and the cemetery had gone quiet. He lay on his back, eyes closed, and made himself part of his surroundings. He heard nothing. He felt nothing as his mind settled.Then a curious thing happened. He felt a stitch in his side, a gentle tingle where Chelsea’s claws had ripped at him. He propped himself onto his elbows and sat in amazement as his side seemed to

12. Safety at Sunrise

Where had Chelsea gone? How had she gotten out? Bjorn rolled onto his back, the garden shed’s gritty shingle tiles biting into his skin. He winced out of instinct, then realized it didn’t actually hurt. What a night!, he thought as he lay staring up at the moon. It had to be close to sunrise, as the moon had travelled nearly all the way across the darkened sky. But over the last several hours, he had bound his girlfriend in chains, damn near been killed by her, realized that at least two other werewolves were prowling the cemetery, barely escaped with his life, and healed his own wounds. What else could happen?He ran both hands through his hair, closing his eyes, deep breaths to calm his tattered nerves.A subtle huffing below him brought him out of his meditation. He opened his eyes, listening intently for whatever was down there. He could hear heavy breathing, and determined sniffing like a dog investigating a rabbit hole. A warning growl sounded, but not from the sniffer. The

13. Love, Unexpected

Bjorn grabbed a gaudy table lamp in the arranged sitting room, just inside the caretaker’s cottage’s front door. The sitting room was adorned with period furniture dating to the early 1900’s, treated like a museum for those visiting the inside of the cemetery’s administrative headquarters. The lamp was sturdy bronze and carved in the likeness of a winged angel. She had on bikini material, as Victorian 19th century standards would never consider nudity acceptable, even in artwork. Bjorn held the lamp like a club, ready to bash whoever, or whatever, came through the front door.But he noticed that the light in the room was growing. It was finally sunrise, and he had survived the night! Or at least, he was close to surviving it. He stood anxiously waiting and watching the door, breathing hard but starting to ease with each second that ticked by. The sun was coming up.The pounding on the door had abruptly stopped in time with the growing dawn. He heard a scuttling of footsteps on the pa

All Chapters of The Moon Shines Darkly: Chapter 11 - Chapter 13

11. Binding the Wounds

12. Safety at Sunrise

13. Love, Unexpected