Chapter 1

A forest of lush trees and berry bushes, running and panting; trying to outrun the beast that had just bitten him. He stops by a tree; trying to catch his breath, the burning sensation in his chest as he tries to calm his breathing; lifting up his bloodied blue shirt, he tried to get a look at the bite that was now starting to burn, he ran his fingers tenderly over the mark, wincing at the pain; the bushes behind him rustled; there was no breeze, the night was calm and still, he looked up at the sky, the moon was full and the sky clear, not a star nor cloud in sight. Slowly looking over his shoulder, he saw two glowing red eyes and heard a low growl, backing away and keeping his eyes fixed on the glowing eyes that peered at him, the beast, before the boy could turn and run the beast leaped forward and then it ended, waking up horrified and sweating, his breath deep and heavy, Hugo had been having the same nightmare for the past two years, he had tried everything, light reading before bed, a late night jog along the shoreline after dinner, changing his diet; lighting incense sticks, meditation; but all had been failed attempts. Hugo sat up in his bed frustrated, leaning against the headboard, another night of insomnia.

Damien the Alpha of Ocean Crest Pack was the werewolf that that bit him, and about a year after that he died from wolfsbane poisoning, Hugo thought back to that night, the most traumatic and emotionally draining year of his life, after he was bitten Hugo viewed the bite and his werewolf abilities as a curse rather than a gift. Now his mindset had changed, Hugo was now the Alpha of the Ocean Crest pack. Hardly having time to himself, he had the responsibility of an entire pack, a full-time job and family responsibilities. Hugo got out of bed at the first sight of the burning orange sun rising, his head pounding because of the lack of sleep, a busy night at work, at least his Beta and best friend Zeke held down the fort while he kept his dead-end human job. Hugo lived a double life, stressed out human man, but powerful Alpha werewolf… although sometimes he wanted to show his family the beast that resides within him so they would just get of his back and stop piling the financial stress on him so he could at least breath and live a life. Hugo brewed a fresh cup of coffee, as he watched the black water fill his cup, he wondered if his cup would ever be full or even over flow with abundance, he remembered hearing the born werewolves talk about finding their mates or having found their mates; Hugo had just gotten out of an emotionally draining human relationship just a few days before he was bitten, two years prior to that he had to face the painful passing of his father, the man he looked up to as a hero, best friend and sole confidant. Life had been completely unfair these past few years, the only good thing is that Hugo now had abilities and could transform into a giant wolf, but his heart yearned for a love that was honest, true, and pure. The buzzer on the coffee machine went off brining Hugo back to reality, he poured milk and added sugar to his coffee; what was he thinking, his life was just too chaotic and would not allow for him to love or be loved; maybe he was destined to be alone for the rest of his life.

Hugo heard his mother get out of bed, he hastily moved to his room; already had enough on his mind and physically he was quite exhausted from work and recurring nightmares, he just did not have it in him to deal with the daily drama of his human household; he shut the door behind him and plugged in his earplugs, switching to his N*****x and started watching the latest season of The Flash, just as he got comfortable and was about to take the first sip of his perfect cup of coffee, his older sister Rowyn banged the door opened and causing the windows to rattle, Hugo looked up only because from the corner of his eye he saw the door swing open violently, he pulled the earplugs out and raised an eyebrow at his sister, his voice groggy but filled with annoyance,

“Yes Rowyn?”

“You have some things to sort out, I sent you a list last night on your phone”.

“Well, as you know I got in early this morning and I have not been able to sleep, so can’t Paige sort it out?”

Paige his younger, yet older sister screamed from the room next to his,

“Because I have my own things to do”.

Hugo rolled his eyes and scoffed,

“Going for brunch with your girlfriends does not count as your own things to do”.

There was no response, Rowyn started shouting,

“Hugo, just get it done, you cannot live life between work and home”.

“You people give me no other option”.

“Listen you have only night shifts at the hotel, you won’t sleep the entire day either, so you have enough time to run the errands and sleep”.

“You guys know I have difficulty in sleeping”.

“Coffee won’t help you fall asleep”.

“Doesn’t help me stay awake either”.

“Do it, or we will have issues”.

“We do, everyday…”

She slammed the door shut and Hugo growled lowly, same shit different day, by now the coffee was gone cold and Hugo was in a foul mood; He set the coffee cup aside and pulled the duvet over his head to try and get some sleep in, but then came the banging on the door, followed by his mothers voice,

“Hugo dear, are you going to be able to do those things Rowyn asked you to do?”

“A little later mom, I want to just get try and get some sleep in today and its only six in the morning”.

Before Hugo could answer, Rowyn spoke over, drowning out his mother’s voice,

“Stop nagging him Mom, he will do it and if he does not then I guess we will have to sort it out on our own.”

Hugo kicked off the duvet, and there goes the guilt trip, he looked at the time on his phone it was already six forty-five in the morning and his sister and mother had left while his younger sister was in the bathroom and by nine thirty, so he might as well get out his clothes and start his day. Hugo let out a long sigh and rubbed his hands over his face… he looked up at his bedroom ceiling wondering when will his life actually get better.