Chapter 1

The moon hung low in the night sky, casting a glow over the dense forest that was filled with leaves. Shadows danced among the trees, and the air was thick. Noises could be heard, the smell of furs also lingered in the air.

Freya stood at the edge of the clearing, her amber eyes scanning the gathering wolves. She was no ordinary wolf. Her fur was a mix of gold and black, a testament to her dual heritage. Half werewolf, half witch, she straddled two worlds, yet belonged to neither. As most of her werewolf companions saw her as.

"Shadow hunters!" She began.

She was speaking to the werewolves she had trained whose jobs were to track down the enemies.

"We all witnessed what happened with the moon today. We all saw that the full moon did not stand even though it was meant to. We all heard the Oracle say that it would rise in a few days to come"

" But hunters, we heard too how the guardian of the pack had said he saw Vampires in the forest"

" Why would the vampires leave their Gothic Castles and come deep into the forest where we werewolves have our lairs? Does that not tell you that they are planning a war against us? Are we not sitting back while they are busy strategizing how to access our weaknesses? Who knows if they have a spy amongst us too?!!"

Her last lines struck echoes among the werewolves gathered in front of her.

It stirred a mixture of concern and unease as the werewolves murmured if truly there was a spy. They exchanged glances amongst each other too hoping to see, with their heightened vision under the dark, whether there would be a member trembling out of fear of being caught.

"I speak the truth! Now is not a moment to distrust ourselves but the time to unite against our adversaries that might come knocking! We cannot ignore the signs when they right in front of us. We cannot ignore the signs of potential threats lurking in the shadows!"

" Vampires are cunning adversaries! Their motives are always veiled in secrecies! They always strategize when their enemies defences are down, that was why they were able to expel our ancestors from our land, our land which now serves as theirs, our land which now serves as the soil they built their Gothic Castles!"

" We have lost a lot of comrades. We lost alot of our ancestors in the past. Most of us had mates that we watched their blood get sucked in front of us! Right till they turned stone! The vampires did not consider us! The vampires did not consider that we had given them our land for peace! They still wanted more and more !!! Will we keep on giving them our lands whenever they come knocking at our doors for war? Should we keep on getting separated from our packs because we are running for our lives?!!!"

The air grew heavy with grief and anger as Freya's words down the memory lane resonated among the gathered werewolves.

A werewolf moved to hold her father as he was about to break down in tears.

He was a seasoned warrior, and his fur streaked with covers of battle scars.

The memories of his fallen and lost comrades, and the brutality of vampire attacks he had witnessed in the past hung over him.

Noticing that her words were having the desired effects, Freya continued.

" We must stay vigilant! We must be prepared!!" Her gaze hardened.

" We must strengthen our forces!! We cannot afford complacency! We must gather intelligence, and stay alert and ready for whatever our enemies are planning! If there is a spy amongst us, then we must uproot them out swiftly. If it is a fellow werewolf selling us out to the enemies forces, then we must have them punished! We cannot afford to keep on hiding! For how much longer are we going to keep on hiding?!" She asked rhetorically.

A younger wolf, his fur mixed with gray and black spoke up.

"But how do we know their intentions? What if the Vampires seek peace or an alliance with us?"

" We cannot afford to trust blindly! Freya shot.

"Vampires cannot be trusted! Our ancestors trusted them and that is why most of them are not here with us any longer! My father was amongst those who fell!"

" A Vampire is not worthy of becoming an ally of us! We have endured countless losses at their hands. It is not just about me or my father, everyone here can attest how they lost their mates or partner at the brutality of the vampires! Our sacrifices for peace in the past had been met with betrayals and bloodshed! Now, we cannot afford to appease them at the expense of our own survival!!"

Murmurs of agreement rippled through the pack, their eyes blazing with sorrow and fury. This gave Freya the morale to continue, especially with the howl's and talks that filled the air.

"Our ancestors fought to secure this land! To ensure our freedom and our safety! We will honor their legacy by standing tall! United and refusing to cower in fear! We will not yield to them anymore nor run away cowardly! We will not yield anymore of our lands to their greed! We will defend what is ours, strike back when needed. We will show them that we are not to be underestimated! Two moons do not live under the same moon! We do not need their alliance, we must expulse them for what they did to our ancestors!"

" Prepare the patrols everyone! Sharpen your claws! Practice your speed and agility! Practice your powers! Strengthen the wards!. We must stand together as one one pack, ready to defend their territory! Let we make it known to the Vampires that the forest is not theirs to claim anymore without a fight!"

A chorus of fierce howls echoed through the night. Her spirit felt uplifted. Her fighting instincts were kicking in.

She watched them as they dispersed after hearing what she had to say.

They were angered, the very emotion she had wanted to illicit in them.

The anger to burn down enemies instead of running away in fear and giving up their lands.

Unbeknownst to her, the Alpha of the pack and his heir watched her from a distance.

Even though the Alpha appreciated her actions in boosting the morale of his pack, he was skeptical on what she might become later in future.

She was fierce, she was a warrior. She had rigorously trained under hard conditions to be super strong, perfecting all her powers to their various uses. Sometimes he feared her. What if she found out the truth about what happened years ago to her mother and came after him for vengeance. She may either become an ally or a formidable enemy. Would he be able to stop her if that time came? Would his weakening powers be able to compete with hers.

The Alpha heir stared at her too, but with a unique keenness.

He admired her. His gaze lingered towards her, his admiration growing with each passing moment. There was something unique about her and her strength he thought. Something that stirred a sense of fascination and respect within him for her.

Her physical strength, her prowess as a warrior, her fierce loyalty to the pack and of course her ability to command the attention of the pack.

As he continued to watch Freya, a deeper sentiment began to stir within him. He liked her. He harboured feelings for her even though she was older than him and his teacher. He couldn't deny it within him.

Freya's eyes caught his gaze and she smiled at him.

He did not know what to do at the instant,so instead he continued watching, concealing his desires for her deep within him.

She was an omega, no matter what fighting prowess she attained, she would always fall back because of her omega blood. Falling inlove with her would do no good to his ambitions. He thought within him.