chapter 1

The resplendent sight that stood before me was breathtaking. Finally, after running for what I would presume hours, sweat breaking profusely from the pores of my skin, I stopped at the sandy beaches. Where the white foams of the violent waves gather at the shore of the sea. My breathing is heavy, for a moment, I am met with that resilient feeling to go back and fight!

Fight against that ruthless Alpha and claim back our land, but how could I, when he had made such a puissant army which overthrew the leadership of Alpha Darren.

This was one of the main reasons that made me hate Alphas, they thought so highly of themselves and carried negative legacies. Alpha Darren was kind and he always cared about his people. He was not like Lucius, who was callous and ruthless. The death of the rightful Alpha stupefied everyone. Even though we tried to fight, as long as the high priestess anointed him as Alpha, we had to bow down and obey.

Standing right here, in the fresh breeze, made me recall all the beautiful memories I had as a child. When my parents always brought us here during the summer. I could still see myself running over these beaches. A bright pleasant smile on my face as I built a little house out of the sand and played ball with my step sister. Now all that stands from that flashback were the horrific sounds of the night they were all burned alive.

Even though the minule light of the moon reflects on the water horizon, my mind cannot help but register blankly where exactly I am. Could I still be in danger? Could they still be following me, perhaps getting some rest would be much easier? Now that darkness has already blanketed the atmosphere, and the sky is plainly filled with beautiful stars. The only sound that stands is the distant croaking of frogs, perhaps from the swamp I had just passed when I ran towards the beach.

As I moved forward; towards the distant collection of trees that were still visible in the light of the dark, I found my eyelids getting heavy. Maybe it wasn't the fact that I was exhausted, it could have been the tire. Something ought to be wrong, I was not one to get tired to the point of near collapse. When I reached for my bag, pulling the strands that slid fancily across my shoulders and letting them fall to the side, I removed the bottle of water I had carried just before I made my escape. My throat was mildly dry, the air I kept on gasping absorbing all moisture left on that delicate internal area. When I brought the bottle up to my mouth, I gulped the water hastily, feeling the cold liquid slide down my throat with satisfaction. It felt like the quenching of thirst I had was for years, as though I had gotten relief from never-ending torture.

When I brought the bottle down, having a few microseconds for my eyes to glance over that opening, my fingers firmly gripping the plastic, I saw it.

A minule yet overly visible particle, it couldn't be it. I knew that particle since my dad and I always made it to act as anesthesia for the pregnant she-wolves in the pack. How could it have gotten to my water, furthermore, into my bottle? Something was suddenly wrong, a lot did not make sense. As if times were systemized by the devil himself, I heard the distant shuffling of feet. As though someone was running, but it was not past me, or away from me, it was towards me, from behind me.

I became highly alert of any danger, my senses were suddenly stuck to my surroundings. As though the drug seemed to do its job at this unfortunate time, I began to feel myself lose consciousness. My upper body was suddenly weak and numb like a dangerous venom traveled the delicate veins of my body and overpowered my immune system. I tried fighting, standing on my feet, the sound began to die down, knowledge of where I was slowly disappearing into that inner part of myself that hardly understood anything. Someone who was extremely close to me had to have put that drug in my water, someone wanted to do me harm, or maybe give me up to that stupid Alpha.

I fell to the ground in a thud, unable to even feel the texture of the particles of white sand that I lay on. My bag pack followed on top of me, the only thing I could still control was my eyes. Before me, more footsteps were heard. The person, or people, finally got before me. I could not see any of them, there was still that darkness from the night.

A bright light of the torch shone on me, reflecting over my face as I slowly closed my eyes. This was it, they had found me, after running through that forest for the last six hours, it was going to amount to this, I did not want to go, I did not want to be sold. There had to be something better for me, a life away from being the concubine for one of the buyers. I wanted to keep myself for my mate, to only be intimate with the person the moon goddess had ordained for me, but would that be possible, especially with this kind of arrangement.

''Finally, send word to the captain that she's been found. This one will fetch us a good fortune!''

Were the only words that passed my ears. A rough arm came around the back of my knees, while another moved towards the back of my neck. As though I weighed nothing, I was picked up and thrown over someone's shoulder. The mild concentration of the drug finally reached my brain, forcing me into a slumber that I knew was the last peaceful one I would ever have.