Chapter 2: Kidnapped 

Gwen's POV.

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My eyes fluttered open, but I was met only by darkness. A sense of alarm rose within me as I realized a cloth was secured over my face.

I attempted to scream, but the fabric moved in unison with my lips. Panic settled in as my muffled cries were silenced by an unseen force.

Straining to pick up any clues, the sound of approaching footsteps came into my ears. My chest tightened; I had been kidnapped.

I mulled into my head, trying to connect with my wolf, but she wasn't responding, and it only meant one thing: I was tied with a silver chain.

“Hey, Gwen! What do you think about your new home?” I heard a familiar voice.

My blindfold was removed, and I wasn't shocked to see who was in front of me; it was Nicole.

“You betrayed me; now you've got me kidnapped, wow! You're the best friend ever.” I gave a bittersweet smile.

I really wanted to believe that I had misunderstood her, but with the men around her, she seemed like the boss.

“It looks like you are not totally clueless; you catch up on things fast, huh?" She beamed. 

“Are you insane? How dare you kidnap me?” I shouted, but a stinging slap silenced me, leaving my cheek throbbing in pain.

Memories of our past rushed into my mind; she would act weird around me at times, leaving me with a conclusion: my friend never liked me.

The sign had always been there. Nicole was a young shewolf from an average family, but I have never judged her background as a friend.

Nicole always wanted whatever I had, even though she never had the means to get them, but I chose to ignore that, and it all led me to the moment of my kidnapping.

“Don't you dare berate me with that mouth, you good-for-nothing spoiled princess!” Nicole bellowed, her eyes blazing with fury that made my skin crawl. “You've ruined everything, and now you'll pay the price!” She snarled, her hand grasping for a knife from one of the men.

“What do you want? You f**ked my mate, and now you also kidnapped me?” I asked.

“Ryker is my mate, not yours; you stole him from me.” She snorted.

“I am going to need your blood,” Nicole said, her voice dripping with malevolence as she revealed a sinister-looking syringe that was connected to a big water can. “And once I have it, you'll be nothing but a shell of your former self. No one will even recognize you, not like you'd leave here alive.”

“You once told me to just drain your blood, and your powers would be mine, so I'd just do that.” Nicole laughed.

I wish it was a joke.

The prophecy about me being the moon wolf wasn't known by many, but since Nicole was my friend, she knew who I was or who I was destined to be because I couldn't see how being the moon goddess reincarnation helped me.

“No, you can't do this, Nicole!”

“Don't be foolish, Nicole! You can't be the prophesied child just... She slapped me, the sound echoing through the room.

“I'll take what's mine, and you'll pay the price,” she sneered, her eyes gleaming with malice.

I trembled, fear gripping my heart. “You're pregnant,” she spat, her voice rising. “You shouldn't be carrying my mate's pup. I'm the only one with that, right?" She paced back and forth, her voice dripping with hate. “I wonder how you managed to get pregnant despite the pills I gave you; thankfully I saw the report before someone else did.”

“I would always run around you while you took glory in everything! You knew how much I longed to be known, but you always left me behind you while you shined.”

What was she saying?

“What do you mean? What glory are you talking about? We have always been seen as equals.” I muttered.

Her laughter sent chills down my spine. “Please, no,” I begged, tears streaming down my face. She gestured to her man, and he started draining my blood. 

I watched helpless as they inserted injections connected to wires into my body. I felt weak, and she knew it. They had never taught me to use my powers, and now I felt like being a moon goddess reincarnated was a curse.

Tears fell as I closed my eyes. “You resent me, best friend, but trust me, this is for the best,” she said, her voice loud enough. “Don't worry, your man is in good hands, and I'll make sure you're not missed,” she whispered, her breath cold against my ear.

“Goodbye bestie.”

Nicole waved at me and walked out, leaving me drained and hopeless. Time passed, and I felt my body grow lighter as they kept draining my blood. I was tired of my life, and I had lost all hope. “She won't last an hour,” one of the men mocked, and a tear escaped my eye.

Why was life so unfair? People thought I had everything, but I knew I had nothing. Life had taken more than it had ever given me.

The men set the place on fire, leaving me weak and almost lifeless on the floor.

“Let me rewrite my fate,” I begged, my energy betraying me. There was no saving me, and I knew it. I laughed at my fate with a bitter sound.