Giveaway & Flash Fiction Short by MaryLynn Bast

Do I have a treat for you MaryLynn Bast the Author of The Heart of a Wolf Series and Other Works has wrote us a Short Flash Fiction Story. She said it all started One All Hallows Eve oooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhh SPOOKY!!! Hope You ENJOY this Short and Make Sure YOU Enter The GIVEAWAY. 

It is a Special Treat an eBook of One Bite to Passion by MaryLynn. 

Our short involves werewolves our giveaway vampires can't get any better than that for a 

Halloween Treat!!!

by

MaryLynn Bast

"On a dark and rainy All Hallows Eve, all through house not a creature was stirring."

"Ah grandma!" A chorus of voices surrounded her. 

Laughing, her bright blue eyes crinkled slightly at the corners, she leaned forward and looked at each of the children seated around her. "Are you sure you are ready for the real story?"

"Yes!" Their voices blended together as one. 

Glancing over her shoulder, she pushed her long brown hair away from her face. She looked at the door before turning back around to the eager faces waiting anxiously for her to continue. She hid her grin and scooted forward a bit more in her chair. "Halloween for you is different than it was for me."

The youngest grandson opened his mouth to speak but snapped it closed quickly when her eyes flashed towards him. "When I was a younger, All Hallows Eve meant little children had to stay indoors or risk being taken by the big bad wolf."

"But wolves are not bad." Joey's spine stiffened as he got up onto his knees, glaring up at her with a bit of uncertainty lacing his thoughts. 

"Wolves are not bad...now." She reached out and patted him comfortingly on the shoulder. "Now sit down and listen."

When the small group settled once more she began her tale.

"Long, long ago Chief Rowan led his tribe of people from one mountain range to another in search of food and shelter. They came upon the perfect place to live and he decided to settle down. Ready to start a family, he was impatient when his wife didn't become pregnant so Chief Rowan decided to take another wife. In a fit of jealousy she didn't want him to have a second wife and prayed to the spirits to grant her powers." She had their complete attention and lowered her voice. "And this is Samia's Tale."

At the edge of the meadow, sitting in the tall grass Samia heard the rustling of the leaves of the wind running its cold fingers through the branches of the trees. The sun slowly fading into darkness cast long shadows. Reminding her of the dangers of seeking assistance from the magical beings hiding in woods. 

Darkness descended quickly, surrounding her completely. All was eerily dark until a twinkling of light floated through the blades of grass. Rising above her, it grew in brightness.

She could hear the words, yet no one was there to speak. 

"Be sure you want this before accepting."

Samia didn't hesitate. She could not let her husband be with another woman. "He is my love, my life. Please make other's see him as a beast."

Suddenly her body was lifted into the air and she was surrounded by a stinging sensation when tiny sparks showered across her naked. Her ancestors were granting her wish as they lowered her slowly back to the ground.

The lights slowly disappeared, yet the feeling of power filled her body. Closing her eyes, she pushed her thoughts towards her husband who lay asleep in their tent. Others will see you as a beast. Off in the distance a pack of wolves began to howl, sending a shiver down her spine. 

Standing quickly, looking around, she wrapped the deerskin blanket around her naked body, turned and hurried towards the tent. Ducking her head, she didn't see the yellow eyes staring at her from the edge of the trees. Hurrying into the tent, she quickly slid in between the blankets. Lying very still, she listened to Rowan's deep breathing. He never knew she'd left.

Samia allowed her body to relax and fell into a deep sleep only to be awaken by the sounds of howling again. This time, it sounded so close.

Rowan jerked awake and jumped out from between the blankets. Grabbing his spear, he motioned for his wife to remain inside and slipped out into the darkness. He saw one large wolf at the edge of camp. Where there was one, there had to be another. Crouching low, he glanced around and was surprised when the bright yellow eyes blinked at him before turning and loping off into the forest. 

Perplexed, Rowan stood for a moment, and then decided to follow. He didn't want the pack to come back and attack the small village while they slept. 

Moving through the trees, he tracked the black wolf deep into the woods. He knew he was not too far ahead from the sounds of the wolf's slight footsteps in the fallen leaves. If he could hear the wolf, then it could hear him. Realizing this, Rowan froze, but it was too late. The other wolves had circled.  He was surrounded.

Samia lay in between the soft blankets waiting for Rowan to return. A short time later she heard footsteps and jumped when the flap of the tent was jerked back. Rowan stood there with blood dripping down his shoulder. 

Jumping out of her bedding, she hurried towards him. "Are you okay?"

"It's nothing." He pushed her hand away.

"You are bleeding." She exclaimed, trying to get a closer look at his wounds.

"I am fine. Go back to bed." He shoved at her hands and turned away.

Samia knew from the tone in his voice that he was not going to allow her to help him. Frowning she moved away, but didn't go back to her bedding on the other side of the large tent. She sat there watching her husband wondering if the spell was going to work or not.

Rowan sat down, his body feeling cold and numb. The last thing he remembered were the wolves attacking him and then him walking through the village. Somehow he had escaped alive. For the life of him he didn't know how. Cleaning the wounds himself, he didn't want Samia seeing how deep the wounds really were. He grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around his shoulders. The pain was excruciating yet almost immediately he fell into a deep sleep.

The following day when he awoke Samia had curled up next to him. He sat frowning down at his chest and shoulders. The wounds from the night before were completely gone. Standing, he accidentally woke Samia. He didn't want her asking questions so he quickly put on his clothing and left the tent without a word. Something didn't feel right. He had to find out what happened to the wolves. 

Heading deep into the woods he spent the day looking for traces of the beasts from the night before, finding nothing. He didn't realize he'd been out all day until the sun began to set and darkness surrounded the tall trees. The moon began to rise and a strange sensation washed through his body. Suddenly pain struck him so hard he fell to the ground, writhing in agony. 

Samia sat huddled in the tent. A sense of dread filled her when she heard the sounds of heavy breathing outside. She could see the shadow moving around, but couldn't make out what it was. Gathering her wits about her, she stood and moved towards the entrance. Reaching out slowly, her hand shook she started to push the flap open when it was viciously pulled from her fingers. Gasping, she stumbled and fell backwards. The words of the wood spirits along with her own ran through her mind. It was then she realized she had made a grave mistake. 

Rowan stalked towards her. 

"And that children is how why Halloween was really created. Samia's curse had turned her beloved Rowan into a werewolf. The spirits had granted her wish of making people see him as a beast, including herself. In a blood rage Rowan killed most of his village, but not all. He spared Samia death yet she endured the curse alongside him because he bit and turned her into the beast she had made him. The significance of what she had done was evident when she gave birth. When their sons reached their thirteenth year and daughters reached their sixteenth year, they shifted during the full moon phase. The first werewolf pack was created with Rowan as the leader and Samia as his mate. Like you, when you become of age, they changed for a week into a werewolf and remained humans for the other three weeks out of the month. Over the years we had to find a way to keep the full blood humans from finding out what we were." 

"Grandma Sam, is this really true?"

Looking from face to face she nodded.

A soft light glowed through the curtains. Standing, she walked to the window and looked up at the bright full moon. She spoke without turning around. "And that is why All Hallows Eve was created." Turning back towards the children, Samia's eyes glowed yellow.

 

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