Chapter 2

The forest became a prison.

She didn't know how she had made it out, only that she had. They caught her once, and the only defenses left to her had been the fight in her kicks, scratch of her nails, and sinking of teeth. In the tumult of confusion, a gap appeared, and with those legs that carried her away, running as if her life depended upon it because indeed it had.

But the forest offered little solace. Her triumph was short-lived, replaced by the crushing reality of her situation. Days blurred into the night as she wandered, a shadow of herself.

The once proud Alpha heiress was no more than a rogue, a creature of the wild.

Her world shrunk to the bare essentials: food, water, shelter. She chewed on bitter fruits that made her stomach churn, and drank rainwater collected in leaves or puddles. At night, she curled up on the damp ground as the cold seeped into her bones.

Hollow, she felt; her soul being wrenched off her, so fast, alongside her pack. It was painful with every gasping for breath at the gnawing necessity of survival. The wood became her companion incessant trees, the concealing shadows pressing about her, but giving her screen and secrecy.

“Why am I still alive?" she asked one night, staring upwards into the canopy above. The stars above seemed so cruel, shining bright as if they had not seen the world go to bits.

It pained her heart, the remembrance of her parents, pack mates, and life lost. She felt feeble, helpless. The body, now gaunt without nutrition, was carrying with it an even weightier burden inside her spirit. But deep, in there, burned a minute glowing of defiance.

"I can’t die," she told herself, "just yet."

***

Days blended into weeks, but time had lost all relevance. She avoided people rather, they avoided her. The endless tracts of forest offered no route toward safety or civilization.

Now and then, the distance would be rented with a howl, and instantly her body tensed to hide. She learned how to be silent, move just when necessary, and stay deep inside the shadows.

Her once beautiful strawberry-blonde hair was now matted, and her clothes were torn and stained. She has become a ghost, struggling for survival, living from one agonizing moment to another.

Day after day, she grew weaker, the poor woman yearned for a correct meal, a bed with warmth, a house full of laughter. And yet all she had was this cold and unforgiving forest.

One morning, she saw herself drinking from a muddy puddle, in her eyes was a dazed woman with hollowed cheeks, sunken eyes, and a dimmed spirit.

"I cannot continue like this," she fumed, clenching her fists. "I must find a way out."

It was late one afternoon, the sun hanging low in the sky when she heard it.

Voices.

Her heart leaped, and her hope sprang to life. She had not seen any human in what felt like an eternity. The sound was faint, carried by the wind, but it was indeed the voices of men, low and murmuring.

She followed the sound, her movements cautious but eager. The forest seemed to shift as she drew closer, the voices growing clearer.

“…told you this would happen," one voice grumbled.

"Well, if you'd kept quiet, we wouldn't be in this mess!" another shot back.

She edged closer, her heart racing. The prospect of human contact was at once exhilarating and terrifying. What if they helped her? What if they hurt her?

Finally, she pushed through the dense undergrowth and saw a group of three men standing in a clearing.

They were rough-looking, their clothes dirty and their faces shadowed by stubble. Two of them seemed to be arguing; their voices rose and fell, while the third stood silent, regarding them with an annoyed expression.

"I told you to wait," the silent one finally said, his voice low, but level. "Now we're out here, exposed, because of your stupidity."

The other two muttered, but quieted.

She stood there watching them, not quite knowing what to do. Her body ached for rest, for safety, for someone to tell her that everything would be OK.

A small twig snapped under her foot, and their heads whipped around. “These twigs are always against me!” 

"Who's there?" one of them barked.

Her breath caught. For a moment, she considered running, but her legs refused to move. She was too tired, too weak.

Then she stepped forward, into the clearing.

They stared and stared. She should have appeared savage to them, her hair wind-blown all across the place, her rags blown back, and smudge of earth upon her face.

"Is that a woman?" he said then, astonished.

"What's a woman doing out here?" said a second in an undertone of suspicion.

She had no word, her voice struggled faintly in her choked throat. She swayed slightly there, as though that old ache had struck, threatening to overpower.

The man who seemed to be the leader stepped closer, eyes sharp. "What are you doing here?" he asked again, cautious yet curious in his tone.

"I. I. " Her voice cracked, and she swallowed hard. "Need help."

The men looked at each other, their faces unreadable.

"She's kinda cute," one of them said, his voice lecherous.

"Shut up," the leader growled, though his gaze stayed a little too long on her.

"Maybe we take her back," another jeered, his lips pulled in a smile. "The Alpha will love to see this."

She swallowed hard and her stomach dropped. She knew the word's meaning. These weren't ordinary men--these are werewolves.

He continued to stare at her, then nodded. "She is not anyone. She. is different, and the Alpha might surely want her too.”

Her legs began to shake as their words sank in. No, no, not again.

She took a step back as instincts yelled at her to run. But before she even could do that, one of them sprang forward and grabbed her arm.

"Let go!" she screamed, yanking on his grip.

“Easy now," said the leader in a low, firm voice. "We will not harm you, as long as you cooperate."

She struggled with all her strength, but it was useless. Another man grabbed her other arm and together they pinned her down.

"Stop!" she cried shamefully.

But they didn't.

The last thing she saw before blindfolding her was a smirk on the face of their leader.