CHAPTER 3 - "Run!"

LISA'S POV

I remembered my aunt, Evelyn shouting at me. "Run and don't look back. Take your sister and protect her with your life. And whatever you do, don't let them know you're the daughters of the Alpha. If you do, they would kill you without hesitation. Now, go!"

I had just completed my sixth decade on earth, and it had been a wonderful day of celebrating my mother's birthday. The party had been spectacular, it was only befitting for someone of her status as everyone in their pack had come to honor their Luna. There were several other guests from other packs who were allies. The crowd was massive and they partied late into the evening. It was late into the night and the party was beginning to dwindle down as most of their guests had already taken their leave. I decided to help my aunt, Evelyn clean the kitchen which was in a messy state. Evelyn was my favorite aunt and she was an Omega who worked for her parents, helping them to look after me and my sister, Tiffany anytime they were preoccupied with pack duties. Omegas were basic-level wolves, with no specific rank. They made up for a large percentage of the wolf population. Evelyn and I had managed to scrub the kitchen clean and we were exhausted. Just as we dragged our feet to the bed, the Rogues attacked.

Rogues werewolves without a pack or an Alpha, and more times than not, they were usually insane. When a wolf leaves their pack or gets banished and no longer has an Alpha to answer to, the effects are often devastating on the health and mental stability of the wolf. Oftentimes, the rogue wolves would assemble in order to raid and wreak havoc, they were usually violent and they killed for the pleasure of it. Without the guidance of a true Alpha, Rogues were considered dangerous outcasts and they were on the fringe of the wolf society. Attacks from Rogues weren't uncommon, many packs had experienced their raid before. Most times, it was just one or two, and they solely ventured into a pack's territory intending to kill or hunt but it was rare for a pack of Rogues to venture into the residential area and packhouse. It was why I refused to believe that the attack had been a random Rogue pack attack. There was more to it than met the eye, I firmly stood on this fact throughout the year.

When the Rogues arrived at the packhouse, they killed dozens leaving carnage in their wake as they plundered through the house. Their killings were methodical, I believed they had come with the intent to destroy the entire pack leaving no survivor, and not just to hunt or kill a few wolves as they were known to do. In order for them to have gained access, they would have gotten help from someone within the pack. Someone would have provided them with the necessary information of getting into the territory and to the packhouse without being noticed and also with information on where the Alpha and Luna resided. My parents were their primary target as they had been targeted quickly and killed before they even knew about the ambush. The way thru carried out their task was too precise for a pack of Rogue wolves. This was the primary reason I believed someone from within had betrayed the whole pack.

When this attack was going on, I ran to get my sister who was sleeping soundly oblivious to the commotion that was ongoing. I had just left the kitchen with Tina when we both heard the wolves howling and smelt the Rogue wolves enter into the packhouse with blinding speed. When Evelyn had urged me to take Tiffany and run, I didn't hesitate for fear of being killed. I shifted immediately with Tiffany and we both ran as fast as our legs could carry us without stopping to look back. I had always regretted running, it was a decision that made me hate myself up until now. I had always wished that I stayed back and helped, I was the daughter of an Alpha, I was supposed to stay back and protect my family, and more times than not, I had always regretted not staying back to die with them.

I tossed around in the motel room, unable to sleep as memories from that day came flooding in. I had continued running until my legs gave out. I tried to continue but I couldn't, my sister whimpered in pain, as she lay in the dirt drained from the hours of running, it wasn't as if we were being chased but I didn't want to take any chances, I had to continue running. I tried to stand but the exhaustion forced me to collapse and close my eyes, and as I did darkness consumed me.

I remember waking up in a cold, damp cell. The bars of the cell was made from silver, so as a werewolf, I couldn't touch them without them burning my skin. The cell was dark, smelly, and quiet except for the sound of dripping water somewhere far off in the distance. My sister was huddled in one corner, asleep. I couldn't blame her, my bones were weary but I forced my eyes to stay open. The last time I fell asleep, I got captured. I couldn't risk it happening again. A few hours passed before someone came into the cell.

"What do we have here," Said a man, as he slowly came down the stairs, his voice reverberated around the cell.

"I'm glad you're finally awake, I could have sworn you were dead," He smiled at her as he came into view, standing in front of her cell. I could tell that he was a high-ranking wolf from the way he carried himself. He wasn't an Alpha, I would have been able to sense that if he had been, but I knew he was most likely a Beta or a Delta, one of the Alpha's second or third in command. The Alphas were the strongest of any wolf pack, they were also the highest and purest of any bloodline, a position which they were born it. The Betas and Deltas were often chosen by the Alphas from the strongest in their packs, usually, they were children of Alphas or Betas.

"Where am I?" I asked fearfully, shrinking away from the man who was standing in front of me.

"You were caught trespassing past your pack territory. I hope you know that is an offense punishable by death and I intended to do so." The man smirked, taunting me with his words.

"I beg you to spare me," I pleaded. "I was only trying to save myself and my sister from death. I'm from the Lycan pack." I continued, as tears filled my eyes. "We were attacked by a rogue pack, and we both ran for our lives."

"I see," He said, stroking his chin and thinking about what I had just said.

"So you're a coward who jumped ship instead of staying back to help your pack?" He smirked at me again, a devilish glint in his eyes.

"Yes," I sobbed. "I accept the fact that my actions were what a coward would do. I know it was bad to run and I'm sorry. Please, can you let us go? I need to go back," I pleaded, raising my tear-stained eyes to look him.

"Home?" The man laughed heartily. "There is nothing to go back home to." He continued.

"Every pack for a couple of hundred miles has heard about the devastating attack on your pack by Rogue wolves and according to my intel, they didn't spare anyone."

He suddenly stopped talking and stared at me intently. "How do I know you're not a rogue wolf yourself?" He asked.

"I have every reason to believe that you were part of the attack and your pack was about to invade my territory next."

I could see he was only mocking me because the question sounded stupid to me. Every wolf could smell a rogue wolf if they ever came across one. Rogues had their smell. Something was missing when you smelt the scent of a rogue. The absence of a pack and a true Alpha resulted in Rogues being easily identified. A rogue couldn't mask their scent and pretend not to be one.

"You can smell that I'm not a rogue. You would have killed me since if I were one." I bit out, I was beginning to fear that he might know what my true identity was. He would have known by my scent that I wasn't a rogue but having found me and my sister on his territory and locking us up. I began to fear for the worst. I glanced over to where my sister lay, her eyes were wide with fear. It was becoming clear that we might not be allowed to leave.

"You are correct. However, I don't think going back to Lycan territory would be best for you," He said.

"Why not?" I asked, refusing to believe the worst had happened.

"The wolves who survived are going to have a really hard time to restructure the pack, seeing as the Alpha and Luna were killed, and they had no son to take over the title of an Alpha. They would probably be in a messy situation for a long while. I don't see why you need to go back, it would do you no good."

At the mention of the death of my parents, I burst into tears. If my parents were dead, Evelyn was also dead too. And since the Alpha was dead, it was impossible to communicate with anyone in the pack.

 I was completely alone in a foreign territory with my sister, miles away from home.

"Rest well, little girl," He continued.

"I need to take care of the remaining members of your pack, I have strict orders not to let anyone live. When I'm back, I'll feed you and your sister to my rogue wolves." With that, he walked up the stairs and out of the door.