Prologue

My heart beats in a frantic rhythm, and adrenaline courses through my body with each thunderous contraction. My mind is scattered with too many scenarios that could destroy my only chance of escape.

I clench my fists as I press my ear closer to the door, listening to the chaos that quickly spread through the compound. Screams permeate the air, and a part of me is destroyed every time the echoes reach me.

Somewhere out there, the person who raised me that cared for me is on a killing spree, maddened with the loss of her mate. Somewhere out there, Natalie is ready to fight these men until her last breath. 

We orchestrated this plan years ago, already knowing that one of them would be assassinated. It was only a matter of time. Still, losing them both is agony.

I swallow my sorrow and grab the necklace around my neck, squeezing it tight. It's a simple heart-shaped pendant hanging from a rusty chain. It's also my most prized possession. This symbolizes Natalie and Adrian, their love for each other and me. I think of them now and the long days spent fantasizing about this very moment. I will not let their sacrifice be in vain.

I look around the room that used to be my haven for the last time, the space just big enough to contain two sleeping bags. There are no windows and no artificial light either. My bedroom was always in profound darkness. Next to Natalie's bag is a toilet and a little sink, nothing more. 

This cell is all that I know. Here, I created my happiest memories. I smile sadly now as I recall being squeezed between Adrian and Natalie; on those nights, I could call this prison home.

"Every torture has its end," Adrian used to say.

I summon his strength as I open the door and step outside. Anarchy reigns so much that no one notices me running from the crowd.

Usually, I'd be the one to contain the wolf and concede him or her the blessing of death. But no more, never again. Today, I'll either be free or die. Either way, I'm reborn. I refuse to be a prisoner a second longer.

The hybrids that were in the gym upstairs cluster the place; my body trembles with the anticipation of confrontation. Natalie is nothing but a distraction to diminish the number of opponents I'd have to face down, but they fly by me without a single glance. I keep marching forward at a rushed pace. 

I know these narrow corridors like the back of my hand. I recognize each crack and stain. This makeshift prison has six cells, one small kitchen, and a living room turned into an arena. This is a hellhole constructed to learn how to torture and destroy wolves, and every prisoner bears the marks to prove it. If everything goes according to plan, the compound is ruined today.

But doubt has seeped into my bones and lingers in my system. It throbs with every slight move and circles in my body with every beat of my erratic heart. So, when I see the exit door, I visibly shake.

My expression doesn't betray me. I successfully hide all the anxiety that fills my lungs and overloads me with a veil of indifference.

The entrance is wide open, and it's now or never. I don't look back and pass the threshold. I think I could cry right now from pure relief, but this battle is far from over. If I don't get to the top of these stairs, everything we sacrificed will go to waste.

When a hybrid comes down barreling towards me, I turn feral. He gets closer, and I identify him immediately. In his mid-thirties, tall and broad-shouldered, blue eyes that were cold as ice, Thomas was quite a sight. He had joined the group merely a few months ago but was climbing up the chain at a fast pace. Still, he is no match for a person that has been training for a decade.

His hands stretch to strike me. I gather all the anger in me and sidestep him with ease. The staircase- entirely too small to contain us both- is constraining our movements.

I propel the door shut, and we're engulfed in darkness, and this grants me the upper hand. Even though they have speed, eyesight isn't one of their enhanced senses. While he struggles in the dark, my movements are fluid. 

In a swift movement, I get behind him and send a powerful kick to his back. He stumbles, and he's finished. Losing balance means losing the advantage. It means you're vulnerable. 

I circle his head with my hands and twist. A sickening crack fills the air, and his frame goes limp, thumping to the ground. If they weren't so many, I would have managed to break loose a long time ago. 

I climb over his body and take the stairs two at a time. When I reach the top, I'm in an unfamiliar room. It's been years since I've been here. The older I got, the more scared they were that I'd manage to escape.

I peer around at the small division; it's an office of sorts. There are no windows here either, only a few chairs and a round table. I do one more quick sweep and exit without hesitation.

I'm immediately taken aback by how bright the light is. I have to shield my eyes as the beams hit me head-on. I need a minute to accommodate the sensation, but I push through. The basement has lights, sure, but nothing like this. I've been in the dark for so long that I forgot what the sun feels like.

All around me, humans train on a diversity of machines. They renovated the gym since the last time I was here. Still, the path continues to be the same. The violet-painted walls, and the upbeat music blasting in the room, can almost hide the hideous atrocities happening in the cave.

I break into a sweat. I'm overwhelmed by how mundane this picture is. I can almost taste my freedom, feel its warmth embrace me, and so I hurry through the motions. I feel every cell on alert, ready to strike at a second notice.

I sense a couple of eyes burn through me, and I'm terrified. Natalie spent most of last night combing my dark brown hair with her skilled hands, trying to make me presentable, and yet you can only do so much without a comb and a proper source of water. 

I try to act casual, just a girl walking down a gym, nothing else. If humans think something is wrong, they might alert someone, and the plan would go downhill.  I gaze at a few group classes through ceiling-high windows and immediately look away. The instructors would waste no time restraining me.

I see the reception to the left, and I practically run toward it. I don't falter on my steps even when my legs tremble, threatening to give out at any instant. I force my mind away from these thoughts. This is no time to become a coward.

There's a human on the front desk, and if he is here, then he's a hunter or aspiring to be one. He looks no more than twenty-five and stares uninterestedly into a computer. He's a few inches taller than me, though his poorly built body only shows that his training just started. His sharp jaw ticks as he taps something on the computer. He's too careless.

Without caring who might see me, I use my inhuman speed and get behind him. I grab his head, preparing to give him the same fate as Thomas. This is the cleanest method to murder someone. It's also my trademark.

I lean closer to his ear and whisper menacingly, "Move a single finger, and you're dead."

His whole body tenses and freezes. He's just an aspirant, he has no idea how to defend himself, and I could bet my life he was warned about me. He'd be a fool not to obey me. If he saw my brand, he'd probably scream. They all do.

"Give me your phone slowly."

With my peripheral vision, I notice nobody is paying us any attention, though they will if I overstay my welcome. The hybrids will notice my absence soon enough, and then I'm done.

The human takes his phone out carefully. He tries to hand it to me, but I reject it. I don't know how to use one. I never held one. I've only examined it from afar.

"Dial." I recite the number that I have known for years now. My heart speeds up.

He dials as a person exits the side door. I stare at the slender woman and try to apologize with my eyes for what she's about to witness. I need a motive for the police to come and shut this place up, at least see the men and women trapped downstairs. I need a diversion.

I stare straight ahead and bang his head on the table. He immediately falls.  I seize the phone as a scream emanates from the frail woman and run outside. 

I don't know where I am, and I couldn't care less. I'm outside. I'm finally free. I run left and press the little green button to start a call.

I press it to my ears and hear a low beeping sound. Please, please answer.

I take another turn and enter a busy avenue. I slow down to mingle with the crowd and continue forward. If he doesn't pick up, I won't last a day out here. I don't know where to go, and the forest would be the first place the hybrids would investigate.

"Hello?" Reaches a raspy voice from the other end of the line. I sigh in relief.

"Is this Martin Jones?" I'm shaking. My heart tries to leave my ribcage with excitement.

"Speaking."

"I'm Gabriel's daughter, the warrior of Alpha Henry's pack. I need your help."

I glance behind me, and there's no one on my trail. By now, they already found the bodies; they know I escaped. It won't be long before the streets become too dangerous for me to be in.

The man on the other end gasps. "What's your name?"

"Audrey Reed."