"He wants you"

Serena's POV

Sitting on the window sill, I watched the moon. The howling of a wolf is heard somewhere in the depth of the forest. The clouds were veiled over the jiffy stars. My small sleepy village is still awake to know about its beloved people. 

The war has changed everything. It's been a week since I had proper sleep, appetite, and peace. I am always worried for my father, brother who was fighting against the blood moon pack along with the other warrior wolves in my village. So many bad thoughts haunt me every day and I have been waiting to hear the good or perhaps the bad news that might come any time. 

When I am blankly staring at the sky, the knock on the door got my attention. My sister-in-law, Jina, came in. From the look on her face, I can understand something is wrong. 

"What is it?" in my edgy voice, I questioned her.

"I have news, a bad one," Jina’s eyes welled in tears. "We have lost the battle," 

I know it's too difficult to win this battle, that's what my father said to me but still, I had a silly hope that my village would be unharmed.

How it feels to know that your worst fear has happened for real. Too stunned to respond, I stared blankly. I have prayed to the moon goddess asking her to protect my people but she just abandoned us. My heart pounded to think about the fate of my family and this village. 

"They will be here anytime soon, so we must leave now,"

"What about my father?" I got down from the sill, "Are they alive?" She asks hoping she would say yes. Jina is a werewolf and she can mind-link with my brother but she gave me a helpless face. 

"I tried, Serena but I couldn't hear from them. I just hope they were alive," 

Jina's honest answer disappointed me. 

Ever since those blood moon wolves arrived to take over our village, I heard so many merciless crimes they had committed before. Just like their cold-blooded Alpha, their army is ferocious. They kill whoever opposing their tyranny, they take the female wolves and force them to have their children, male wolves were forced into slavery or join their brigade and humans like me were useless to them. They would kill without having a second thought.

The thought that my life is going to turn upside down made me anxious. 

Anytime my peaceful village would be swooned by those hungry wolves and how can I keep up my hope after this. Even my future doesn't matter now, all I wish to know is that my beloved father and brother were alive. I want to see them for one last time in case she's going to meet something terrible.

Jina held my hand, pulled me out of my thoughts. "We have to leave now. We don't have time to worry," 

I nodded and took my sack which contained my blade, a few clothes, and my mom's hairpin. I own nothing precious other than that golden pin my mother gave to me before dying. 

Jina and I scurried through the backdoor. That's when I heard a distant scream and realized that the troops were already there. My second elder brother Jacob and his soon-to-be wife Kate were waiting with a horse. They don't need horses to travel like me and I always envied them. The situations like this make me wonder how unfortunate I am to be born as a human when my brothers' were werewolves like my father. 

"Did you hear about father and Edward?" I ask Jacob.  

"No, after I get you all in a safe place, I will go and look for them," Jacob assured.

"They are alive, right?" I asked as the others were ready to leave. 

Jacob sighs, "Yes, don't worry about it, Serena,"

I can't help but get frustrated because of this circumstance. Two weeks ago, my life was so peaceful and I thought nothing would change that. Now I am running away to save my life.

I didn't want to run away like this. There were girls like me who were equally afraid of their fate but they didn't have a chance to save themselves. 

Being selfish made me feel guilty. If I get a chance, I would do anything to save all these people. But what can I do? I am just eighteen, not a skilled fighter like my brothers, I can fight a man or two but that depends on how skilled they are. I can't stand against a proficient fighter or a werewolf. I wasn't prepared for this and I have no hope that I will escape if I was caught. 

My eyes welled in tears as the horse hurried towards our secret hideout in the mountain.

"Oh my god! Look there," Jina growled, running along with my horse. I saw my beautiful village in flames, and I paused hearing the people's screams.

"Serena, we have to go," 

"Brother, we have to help our people,"

"We can't, Serena. There are hundreds of wolves there. I have to protect you, that's what father asked me to do," Jacob said. 

The blowing wind dried my tears and I followed Jacob's orders.

"The soldiers were coming after us," Kate panicked, sensing the footsteps. 

"You all should go,"

"What about you?" Kate asks.

"I will fight them," saying that Jacob ran towards the opposite side. Kate compelled me to trot the horse forward. Once in a while, I look at Jacob and when he's out of my sight, I feel extremely sad.

When we got close to our hideout, I once again looked back to find a giant wolf following us, but it was not my brother. 

It was easy for that wolf to reach us and I stopped my horse knowing there was no way to escape. I thought it's better to die with my father and brothers than cowardly hiding like this. Jina and Kate came to protect me as they also saw the wolf. They growled at that beta wolf and he snarled back. He shifted back to his human form. 

 

"Don't put up a fight and come with me. It's the best for you all," he warned.

"No, you should go back to your kingdom," I yelled.

That man chuckled, he's a middle-aged soldier and he got a big scar on his face. 

"Do you think I'll listen to your sweet request, dear?"

I took the knife out of my sack and that man noticed my silly move. A week earlier I would say my village is the peaceful place in this entire world, we women aren't warriors, most of the female wolves never got their training. Just because I am a human, my father taught me to use my knife to protect myself from the danger which he would also remark that will never come. Today, he would have regretted saying that.  

He shifted back like a hungry wolf, Kate couldn't fight him, and after subduing her with mild injuries, he looked at us. Jina can't fight as she's pregnant. Knowing that we are all vulnerable, he threatened me to come with him.

"Will you leave them, if I come with you?" I ask, realizing he only wants me.

"Yes, I got orders to bring you, not these two women," he answers.

I couldn't understand the reason behind that. 

To save them, I agreed to go with him without hesitation. I believe this is a way to see my father. 

"No, Serena. You can't do this," Jina held my hand, refusing to let me go. 

"Jina, you have to be safe now," I said, looking at her baby bump. 

Still lying under his foot, Kate told what Jina said. They both consider me as their little sister and they hated my foolish decision to go with that man.

That time, two more wolves came there, and they took us all as prisoners. Accepting our situation, we all didn't fight back. It was almost dawn when we came to the soldier's den.

Hundreds of soldiers were there and several wolves were dead on the field.

I was dragged inside the tent where my father and brothers were on their knees, hands tied and beaten up. 

"Father!" I ran to him with happy tears to see them all alive. 

"Serena," he sounded disappointed.

"Stop there! No one here has permission to utter a word," 

I turned to the man who commanded us. He's around my brother's age, tall, and has sharp hazel eyes.

"You're a human?" he blurts out his surprise, after sniffing my scent. 

"How come she's your daughter?" he asks my father. 

"Her mother is a human," rather than getting irritated, my father answered politely. It seemed like he'd accepted our fate.

"I see," he nods, "Nice to meet you, Serena, I am Lieutenant Daniel,"

I frowned at his gesture wondering why they were treating me differently. 

"Untie them," I requested. 

"I will, only if you agree to come with me to my Kingdom,"

"No, I can't go anywhere without my family," I retort.

 It was so strange that others haven't spoken a word, and this man is patiently talking to me. Why?

"Well, we're taking you and the rest of your family with us, happy?"

I frowned, "We have done nothing wrong to you, why are you doing this to us? Just leave me and my people alone," 

"Fine, we can leave them here if you want, but you need to come with us,"

"Why?" I looked at my Father who hung his head in shame. 

"Because our Alpha wants to meet you. You'll know it when you come to our kingdom," 

"We will accompany her," my father finally spoke.

"Well, I will prepare the palanquin for you, we have no time left," Daniel left the tent. I went to my father, untied him and my brothers, and asked, "What's happening here, father?"

"I am sorry, dear. We couldn't save you,"

"I am safe now," I knotted my eyebrows. 

"No, you're not. If you go to the kingdom Eiden, you won't come back here or you would see us again,"

"What does that mean?"

"Father, don't say it. I won't let that happen," Edward interrupted them. They certainly had a heated conversation in their minds, I can see it in their blazing eyes.

"Stop treating me like a small child and tell me the truth," I snapped. 

"Serena, we just now heard the reason why these men destroyed our village," "The king wants you, do you know what I mean?"

This is the worst of all, I stood there like a stone, a lot of questions hanging before my eyes and I earnestly wanted this should be all a dream but it isn't.