Chapter 1

A loud, deep growl followed by a couple of earth shattering howls brought the couple out of their slumber. Soon the soft thuds of paws hitting the ground could be heard. The wind carried their scents in, giving away their location. It wasn't hard for the habitants to precisely tell how far the miscreants were given their special abilities. They weren't anywhere near the boundaries around the hut, and still far away from triggering the alarm. Some might find the advanced technology a tad bit over the top given how it surrounded nothing but a lone hut standing amongst tall and dense trees. But it was required given the precious cargo they had to protect. 

"N-no, no, no…" A woman's frantic voice resonated within the confines of the small cottage. "This can not be happening already." Her vision got blurry with tears as she stared into the wilderness which surrounded their new home through a partially opened window. 

"It's gonna be alright." Her husband hugged her from behind, pulling her into the warmth of his body as he gently rocked her from side to side. "We need to leave.… Now!" He added before pressing a kiss on the top of her head. 

The woman only nodded her head in agreement before she began to pack their things up. They were not meant to carry anything except for a pair of change of clothes, both for themselves and their little one. 

It was only minutes later that they broke into a run. The woman was carrying a duffle bag over her shoulders, whilst the man had the baby strapped to his chest with his arms securely wrapped around its tiny figure. She was only two months old. 

"Do you think it's going to work?" 

The woman questioned her husband as they swiftly ran through the thick forest, their feet moving in sync.

"We don't have any other choice, Grace." He replied, not liking the situation any better. 

"We can contact the council. They might be able to help us." The woman tried to make him understand her point once again, only to have him shrug it off. 

"They will take her away from us, and you know it."

"But-"

"I am not going to risk my baby girl's life. Even if it means that I have to run from them for the rest of my life." He huffed out. 

"I love her the same, Ralph. She's my own flesh and blood." The woman shook her head, her feet closely following that of her husband's. "But have you ever thought about the kind of life she will be raised into if all we do is keep running?" 

"Don't you think I have? That's all I think of every single second." He shook his head as his feet slowed down only a little. The forest was starting to thin out. "I was to give her the world, but here we are, keeping her safe from the very world she opened her eyes into." 

"We have been running around since the day we found out about the prophecy. People will keep coming after her." The woman whispered, her words getting lost in the air as the two of them came to a stop by the edge of the forest. 

"Then we will keep running." He mumbled, more to himself. 

"What about our pack then? Our family? They can not go on without us for longer." She frowned as she stared ahead into the human town. They were already far from their own pack grounds in order to avoid suspicion. Though now it was starting to seem useless. At least they would have some sort of protection if they were within their own grounds. 

"They will do just fine under our beta until we find a permanent solution to this." The man grumbled as his narrowed eyes scanned the grounds. 

"Are-"

The woman was about to continue when she was interrupted. 

"Something is wrong." He muttered under his breath, his jaw clenching. 

"What?" The woman turned her focus to their surroundings but failed to see anything out of the ordinary. "Nothing seems wrong to me." 

"It's too quiet." He looked over his shoulder, into the depths of the forest. 

"It's night time. The humans must have resigned to their beds." She shrugged it off only to see him shaking his head. 

"Something is definitely wrong here. They were after us. Even if we had a headstart they shouldn't be too far away. They might be unranked, but they are wolves too." 

"They must have given up after finding the hut empty." The woman proposed. 

"Or they already expected us to come here." His frown only deepened before his eyebrows shot up to his forehead, eyes opening wide. The sudden realisation of being trapped hit him like a speeding truck. 

"They have us surrounded. Run!" He whispered-yelled at the woman who was still taking her sweet time in observing her surroundings. But all it took for her to snap into action were the words of her man. Her steps fell into sync with the man's as soon as he started making way into the town. 

Minutes later, the soft thuds of paws hitting the cobbled pavements could be heard echoing through the otherwise still town. 

"What do we do now? They are gaining on us." The woman huffed out in between her breaths.

"I have an idea, but you are not going to like it." The man replied as his feet brought him to a stop outside of a fairly simple two story house. His eyes focused on one of the windows on the side. He didn't have to strain his ears to listen to the movements of its habitants inside. Faint, but clear, sounds of laughter could be heard coming from the inside through the partially opened window as the smell of freshly cooked food wafted up their noses.

'What's going through your mind?' She spoke into their link this time. 

'She needs another family, Grace. One which will keep her away from our world while making sure that she grows happily.' 

'How can you trust these humans with her life, Ralph?' 

'What other choice do we have? They are after us, our scents. You know it! They can not smell her, not yet at least.' He snapped at her. 'I love her just the same if not more, and I need her to live.' 

'What do you suggest then?' She let out a tired sigh. 

'Take out that envelope I handed you before leaving the hut and give me one of her blankets.' He instructed her as he shifted the baby out of the cloth binds holding her to his chest. 

"My precious Seraphine." He mumbled under his breath as he gently rocked the baby who was still sleeping like the peaceful little angel she was. 

He asked her to fold the blanket a couple of times so that it wouldn't let her feel the cold of the concrete underneath. With steady but soft steps he made his way to the brown oak door and gently laid the baby down on the front porch with the folded blanket underneath her. Placing the sealed envelope next to her, he leaned down to press his lips against her forehead. 

'Do you think this will keep her safe?' 

Her voice echoed inside his mind, bringing him back to the present. 

'It will.' 

"Grow into the beautiful woman you are meant to be, my little one." She whispered under her breath as she went down on her knees next to the baby. "We'll come see you when we can." She added, pressing a kiss to her forehead. 

"We shall go now before they catch up on us." He spoke through the lump in his throat, only to earn a low hum in response from the woman. "Knock at the door." 

She did as she was asked with a heavy heart and tears filled eyes. She had to keep reminding herself that it was only for the safety of their daughter that they were doing this. As soon as the couple heard footsteps coming towards the door, they were on their feet, walking away. 

"We'll see you, princess." The man muttered under his breath, his eyes gleaming under the faint porch light. The second the door was pulled open from the inside, the two of them ran in the other direction without glancing back for once.