Chapter 1

NAT’S POV

"I am strong and resilient," I muttered under my breath as I sprinted through the dense forest, the sound of angry footsteps pounding behind me. I dared not look back, but I knew my pursuers were gaining on me. My heart was pounding, my lungs were burning, but I pushed on, determined to escape.

"I will find my own path and overcome any obstacle," I chanted, my legs beginning to wobble beneath me. I could feel my energy waning, but I refused to give up. 

I had to escape, to break free from the people who had used and abused me. I had to find my own path, one where I was in control of my own life.

"Today is not the day I die," I gasped, but before I could finish the sentence, I tripped over a thick branch and tumbled head over heels through the undergrowth. 

My body slammed into a large tree, and I cried out in pain as my head hit the trunk. I lay there, dazed and disoriented, wondering if today would be the day after all.

"Where did she go? I can't perceive her scent anymore," someone shouted, panic creeping into their voice. I held my breath, crouching behind the tree and praying they wouldn't find me. 

The seconds stretched on like hours, each moment agonizingly slow. I could hear their footsteps approaching, and my heart was pounding so hard I was afraid they would hear it.

"Moon goddess, please help me," I whispered, looking up at the full moon that hung low in the sky. "Please save me from the people who are hunting me." Tears fell from my eyes as I pleaded to the goddess who had never before responded to my prayers. I had always believed in her, even when others mocked me for my faith. But in this moment, my faith was being tested like never before.

The footsteps drew closer, and my heart pounded in my chest. I closed my eyes, shutting out the world around me, willing myself to be invisible. 

I tried to quell my racing thoughts, to quiet my pounding heart, to stop the scent of my fear from giving me away. But it was no use. I could feel the panic welling up inside me, threatening to overwhelm me.

"I will not die today," I whispered to myself, over and over again. "I am strong and resilient. I will find my own path and overcome any obstacle." The words had become a mantra, a lifeline I clung to in my darkest moments. 

I had been repeating them for weeks, ever since my escape from the last pack that had tried to claim me. But this time felt different. This time, I was truly afraid.

Even after the footsteps had come to a stop, I didn't dare to let my guard down. I didn't dare to breathe, or even move a muscle. The chanting of my mantra had become a continuous, barely audible murmur that helped to keep me calm and focused. 

I was afraid to look at the people who had been pursuing me, afraid of what I might see. Afraid that they might have found me at last.

"Let's go. She's not here," a familiar voice said, a voice I'd grown to dread over the past 5 days, 16 hours, and 11 seconds. The voice of the man who had held me captive and tortured me in the dark room beneath the pack house. The voice that made me keep track of every second I spent in that miserable place. The voice that made my skin crawl and my heart race.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I heard their footsteps fade away, knowing that they were finally leaving the area where I was hiding. I felt a moment of joy, knowing that I had once again evaded capture. But that joy was tempered by the knowledge that they would be looking for me again, and that I would have to keep running. I knew that I could never truly be free.

Until I found a place where no one knew about me, about my ability, I would never truly be free. I would always have to live in fear of being captured and used for someone else's gain. I had to find a place where I could be safe, a place where I could finally be at peace. But where could such a place be?

I stood up from where I had been hiding. Dusting my butt that hurt so bad; every of my body hurt like hell.

"Nowhere," I whispered, the bitter truth heavy on my tongue. I wiped the tears from my eyes with the sleeve of my tattered shirt, knowing that the only way I could survive was to keep moving. I started to walk away, but then I came face-to-face with the one person I'd been trying to avoid. The one person I'd hoped to never see again. The man who had been torturing me for days.

"Surprise!" he exclaimed with a mad laugh, his eyes wild and his smile twisted and cruel. I stumbled backward in shock, crashing into the tree behind me. I fell to my knees, pain shooting through my body as I landed on the bone that had just finished healing from the last time he'd hurt me. "I knew you were here all along," he continued, a hint of malice in his voice. "What are you doing, little girl? Playing hide-and-seek with me…with us?" He gestured to the group of men behind him, who stood like an army, ready to tear me limb for limb.

"Please," I begged, tears streaming down my face as the realization hit me. I didn't want to go back with them, back to that dark and terrifying room. "Please don't hurt me. I don't want to go back." The thought of it made my heart crack in two, the thought of what they would do to me if I let them take me. 

They would torture me, draw my blood, take my bones, peel my skin, and leave me to heal only to do it all again. I felt like I was suffocating, the walls closing in around me.

"Hurt you?" he cackled, a cruel smile playing on his lips. His shoulders were shaking with his laughter, and I felt sick at the sound. "We aren't here to hurt you, little magic girl. We're just playing hide-and-seek." He raised an eyebrow, a devilish smirk on his face. 

I could feel the panic rising in my chest, threatening to consume me. I knew he was lying, knew that they weren't there to play a game. But how could I fight them? How could I possibly win? How could I escape from them?

"Now stand up," he commanded, his voice cold and hard. "Run, like you always do. Run, and don't let me catch you." He spoke the words with such malice that I felt my heart skip a beat. My legs trembled, but I knew I had to obey. I had to run, and I had to run fast. Because if I didn't, I knew he would make me regret it.

"Go!" he roared, his voice filled with urgency. I took off at a sprint, my heart pounding in my chest as I raced through the trees. I had to get away, I had to escape. But would I be fast enough? Would they catch me and drag me back to their camp? I couldn't let that happen, I had to keep running, had to find a way out. 

I'd barely run a few feet when I heard the man behind me cry out in pain. I stopped dead in my tracks, turning around to see the leader on the ground, a man on top of him with a bloodied knife in his hand. The other men were scattered around the woods, some moaning in pain, others lying still and silent, some still standing on their two feet with look of terror in their eyes.

My heart was racing, my breathing quick and shallow. What was happening? Who was this man, and what did he want? Did he come to hunt for me as well?

"King Draven!" the men gasped in unison, their voices filled with terror and disbelief. My own hand flew to my mouth, my eyes wide with shock. I had heard of this man, the King Draven they spoke of. He was a ruthless rogue, a man feared and hated by all packs. And now, he was here, standing before me, covered in blood and carrying a weapon.

"Hello, my little lambs," his voice purred, sending a shiver down my spine. It was a deep, menacing voice, one that seemed to slice through the air like a knife. I froze in terror, unable to move.