Chapter 02

Diana didn't stop running, at every path she took, she turned to look back for fear of being followed. The look on her sister's face when she was being stabbed kept reoccurring to her as she ran. Even breathing fast and hard, she didn't stop running because of her sister's words not to stop.

Just suddenly, she tripped, and immediately fell onto a hard stone ripping a part of her toe open. A painful wince escaped her lips as she shut her eyes to endure the pain. More tears fell out of her eyes the moment she heard some strange footsteps getting closer to her.

"Oh please! Please not now."

 Diana cried out in a mumble to herself, tightening her grip on the soil while staring at the direction the footsteps were coming from. She shut her eyes for the next second. "One, two, three ,four, five." And calculated the number of people who were heading towards her.

Her heart leaped every second when she felt their closeness to her, and she silently prayed they wouldn't be bad people.

Shutting her eyes for the second time, she tried drawing from her inner energy, but nothing worked. She was just as usual and wolfless as a lowly wolf.

She cried, and for the very first time, Diana wished she had never left her sister's side to be all alone in this cruel world and place she knew absolutely nothing about.

"Ava."

 She called silently, hoping her sister would come to her rescue like she always does, but no when she opened her eyes, she saw the shadows of the people who were coming closer to her.

"Who's there?" 

Diana heard a sharp, hoarse voice say, and her body immediately tensed.

"Bad wolves." Her entire body screamed the warning to her. She immediately used every little strength in herself to stand up to her feet.

Diana could only limp, but she was sure they had seen her already and were no doubt coming for her. In a few minutes time, she wondered what her fate might just be.

Still limping, she found a tree to hide behind, and immediately paused her breathing for a few second. She heard their movement and wondered why they were so quiet when they were all following her. What kind of wolves are they.

Diana's tensed body immediately returned back to normal when she heard one of them say

"She's gone, and isn't here either."

She let out a sigh of relief, and waited for a few minutes before stepping out from her hiding place.

Surprisingly, before she could turn back to look at the figure behind her, everywhere immediately became dark, and the last thing she saw was someone stepping out from a dark corner before passing out.

******

Diana woke up with a blurry vision. Once she rubbed her eyeballs with her tiny palm, she fluttered her brows multiple times in order to get a bright vision back.

"Who are you people?" 

She asked, pushing herself out of the mattress she laid on.

"We should be asking you that, who are you, and what were you doing out there?" A voice said.

Diana, coming back to her senses, immediately went on her knees.

"I mean no harm, I'm lost and I had no idea I was crossing your boundary."

She replied rubbing her palm together, while staring at the five men around herself. Hoping they would at least take pity on her, the door creaked and another wolf stepped in. With the look on his face, Diana could feel something good had happened to him, or he brought good news along with him.

They all left her presence and walked towards another distance. When Diana twitched her left ear, she could hear nothing but murmurs among them. Curiosity filled her mind, and she wondered if they were actually talking about her.

"Good Job." She heard one of the men's voice say, before rubbing the hair of the one who just stepped in.

As they returned back to where they were standing, she monitored the look on their faces before concluding they were never going to let go of her.

"I wonder what makes you so special. You've gotten a new buyer in no time young lady." Diana heard one of them say to her.

She remained silent, trying to process what she had just heard. A new buyer? Was she going to be sold again even after her sister had tried to avoid her being auctioned off the first time.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Diana mused to herself, asking no one but the moon goddess.

"Seeing how beautiful, frail, young and curvy you are, the old geezer would take good care of you." Another said before using his tongue to wet his lips.

Diana remained quiet, and then one of them reached for her shoulders and lifted her up. Another covered her mouth with an old piece of rag, while the third one tied her hands behind her back. 

She didn't fight back,no, she couldn't fight back because who was she kidding? Even if she wanted to, she was literally no match for any of them. Just their voice made her skin crawl in anxiety and succumb to every word that rushed out from their mouth.

When one of them seductively hit her butt, she whimpered in pain shutting her eyes to free her tears.

"I should have a good taste of you before we leave, but too bad the old geezer wants a virgin, and a frail one at that." He said

"We just had to find the right one at the right time." Diana heard another one of them say.

"An old geezer." Diana mused silently, Hoping he wouldn't be as old as the one lady Nakura wanted to sell her off to.

They exited the old stuffy room and started towards the busy road filled with people. Even when people saw her, no one said a word. Diana had no idea which pack she was in, or which other pack they were taking her to.

Whoever laid eyes on her, pinned it to the ground the next second because none had the guts to say a word or come to her rescue.

"Water, I need water." Diana weakly asked as her body bounced every step the wolf holding her took.

"This isn't the time to stop, young lady, you'll get water when you reach your buyer." He replied very harshly, and adjusted her properly on his shoulders.

"She'll die brother if we don't give her what she wants." Another said.

Diana slowly nodded her head in agreement. For a whole day, she has had neither water not food.

"Please, I need water." She repeated almost immediately she heard the second man. The one who carried her mumbled some cussing words and then roughly dropped her on the floor.

Diana winced in pain, as her fresh wound touched the soil.

"Go get water brother, and bring some treatment along. Her price is worth the time and money." Diana heard the second one say.

They were in some kind of strange path, and Diana could see there was only one straight road. To the left was a thick forest that scared the hell out of her, and to the right was an abandoned village filled with rocks. Taking a clearer look around, Diana knew her only option of an escape was to take the forest.

"I need to pee, please." Diana said, raising her eyes to look at the two wolves who were standing close to her. One of them immediately bursted out into laughter.

"What are you trying to do? Escape! It'll take more than that to deceive any of us."

She pursed her lips when her plan didn't work, but she wasn't ready to give up because she still needed to go find out if her sister was dead or not.

"I'll do it here, at least all I need is for you to take off this rope." Diana said,

The first one who carried her turned to look at the second one, and just when Diana felt they were going to disagree, she winced in pain again. 

"I'm begging you, you can watch after me if you wish." She said again, being so persistent.

The second one heaved, then gestured to the first one.

"Do it, and make sure to keep an eye on her." And said,

Deep inside, Diana heaved a sigh of relief that they finally fell for her trick. As the first man lifted her up, he made her turn around and untie the rope on her hands.

"You better make this quick young lady, we don't have all day to play." He said.

Diana had decided to take the forest path and escape. As she ventured in, he followed behind her.

Diana halted, and for a second, she turned back to look at him.

"Be quick over there." He yelled, making her flinch a little.

"Look, it's a wild beast." Diana yelled, in order to divert his attention to somewhere else. Once she succeeded she immediately took to her heels forging deeper into the forest and into somewhere she knew nothing about.

"Brother, she escaped." The man yelled so loud, and then started chasing her.

Diana didn't stop, hell no, she wasn't going to let anyone sell her off to some old geezer and make her sister's efforts futile just like that.

Being weak, when Diana saw that he was gaining closer to her, her fear increased and she halted. Diana didn't know what immediately took control over her, and made her outstretched her hands towards him. With an unknown force, he was thrown into the air like a filthy pest, making him hit his back painfully on the branch of a tree close by.

Diana stood perplexed at what just happened. Did she just do that? She thought, wondering how she was able to do it.

When the second man was just a few steps away from her, she outstretched her hands again to magically do what she did before, but nothing happened.

"She's a witch brother, go after her." Diana heard the first man say, and immediately took to her heels again.

It didn't work. Her magic didn't work and so the only option was to run. Her legs were weak and close to failing her, but Diana wasn't ready to give her either.

When she tripped and fell, she got up just immediately and on time to continue running.

An arrow shot towards her direction, and landed on a tree. It slowed her down, but also made her realise someone else was in the forest, or it meant she was getting closer to another pack.

From a far end, Diana felt the presence of someone. A man, a wolf. A strong scent hit her nostrils hard that nearly melted her being. Diana was instantly curious to find out what was making her inner self happy.

She halted the moment he came to her view. So tall, handsome and breathtaking with golden eyes. He turned back when he noticed her presence while holding his arrow.

With just a look, Diana could tell he wasn't a bad wolf like all the people she had met,and so she needed to take this chance. His shiny golden eyes were so pure and bright that she knew at one instant, he was a special kind as well as her helper.

"Help me!Please don't let them take me." She whispered weakly.