4. A new Pack

I woke up with a dull ache somewhere in my head, and I tried to get a bearing of where I was as though the humming of the car I was seated in wasn’t enough proof that I was not at home anymore, but I was desperate for it not to be true.

I was awake, but my eyes were not open yet because I didn’t want them to know I had regained consciousness. I wished it were one of those times where I would wake up with no memory of what had just happened, or it would all be a dream, but this was reality, and reality didn’t work like fantasies.

When I finally decided to open my eyes since I couldn’t keep them closed for much longer, my vision was sleep-blurred, and I had to wait for a few minutes before my eyes finally adjusted to the space I was in. I almost jumped back in shock when I found someone already staring at me from the passenger’s seat.

I shrank into myself when I realised who was staring back at me. It was the same brunette who had handled me so roughly. But now, as I stared at him in the light, he didn’t look so bad, and he was no longer wearing that look of hatred; instead, he was looking at me with pity, and it made my skin crawl.

I gasped as I realised it was bright around me. I averted my gaze away from the man and pressed my face against the windows so I could take a look at where we were while my heart thundered against my ribs.

I had been asleep in the presence of the enemy for a long time, and the realisation of how stupid and dangerous it was made me shiver. I can’t believe I allowed myself to be in such a vulnerable position. Luca would have been so disappointed if he were here.

“But he isn’t” A bitter voice harshly reminded me.

We were in the middle of nowhere, and the car was moving fast along the highway. We were surrounded by trees and thick forests, so there was no way to tell where we were, but one thing was for certain, I was far away from the place I had grown to call home. It was obvious that there was not a hint of help around, so it would be stupid to call for any.

The only sound I could pick was the car and the birds chirping away happily in the air, without any idea of the turmoil and storm brewing in my chest.

I noticed from the corner of my eye that the car I was in was just one of many others. The cars moved in a single motion and rolled down the road in one line so smoothly as if it was an entourage.

“You came fancy for people that were on their way to murder an entire pack” I could lie to myself and say that I whispered so they wouldn’t hear me, but that would be a lie since as werewolves, they had enhanced hearing. I whispered because I was too tired to talk any louder, and I spoke out instead of in my head because I wanted them to hear.

“For someone who just lost her family, you sure are still so sharp tongued” the brunette replied mockingly and i felt like someone just punched me so hard it sucked the air out of me.

“Where are you taking me? Let me go,” I told them. I rattled the car door, but it wouldn’t budge, and he had gone back to ignoring me.

“Why isn’t this opening? Let me out now. I need to go back. They are just lying out there in the cold. I have to at least bury my pack” I leaned forward to yell at them, but I was pushed roughly, and my back collided with the chair hard.

“You better sit still. We may have been ordered not to hurt you, but it doesn’t mean you can misbehave,” The brunette told me, but I was having none of it.

“How dare you act like you are doing me a favour by keeping me alive?” I scoffed as the tears came back, “You should have killed me too. You people should have killed me too. How can your so-called revenge be complete if one person is left?” I yelled.

“Oh, trust me, right now I also want to kill you” The brunette told me while giving me a once over. He was irritated with me, but that wasn’t my problem.

“She’s so fucking loud. Why are we keeping her again?” The guy driving spoke for the first time.

“The alpha wants her alive, untouched and unscarred, and there's nothing we can do about it” The brunette grumbled.

“They are all gone. Everyone. Why do I get to live? I can’t live like this,” I whispered tiredly. I was weak, and my wolf was hiding somewhere deep inside my soul. I could feel her, but she was also hurting a lot.

My eyes were heavy once more, but I fought the urge to fall asleep again. It was so funny how little things like shouting and crying were capable of tiring me out like a pup. Without my family, I was nothing. I don’t think I would ever be able to move on from this.

I could still see the bodies of my pack members lying on the floor, the terror in their eyes as the life in them slowly seeped out. The visual was still so strong and vivid. The young pups, they must have been so terrified. They were so young, but they had their lives snatched from them so ruthlessly, just like that. How could I ever be able to live with myself knowing that they died and I survived?

I didn’t even want to bring myself to think of my brothers and parents, but it was impossible not to think about them. My breathing became difficult as I thought of how they are not here anymore and would never be. I won’t ever get to see them again.

Mom wasn’t here for me to lay my head on her chest whenever I felt lonely, Dad would never spoil me with gifts again, and my brothers would be annoyingly protective over me again.

I felt so lost and alone. It was uncomfortable, the silence in my head. No one was laughing or yelling, it was just silent, and I couldn’t feel a link anymore. Something I never saw coming, not even in my most terrifying nightmares.

I would never forgive them for this. I would kill them all with the last drop of my blood. The only way they can get out of this is if they killed me. Even if I have to pray naked under the moonlight for days, the moon goddess would have to let me have my revenge. She has to. That’s the only way now.

The car suddenly took a sharp turn, and I bumped into the car door because I wasn’t paying attention. We were now entering the thick forest we had been passing by. They were taking me to their own pack. It was the obvious answer since packs were found deep into the forest, far away from human civilisation in whatever country or region they existed.

There was no need for me to keep arguing or asking the people in the car with me any questions since it was very clear as day that I won’t be getting any answers from them. They are useless to me. I would have to look for the man who is in charge. The one with the terrifying eyes and aura so intimidating, you’ll go weak in the knees. The Alpha.

As we drove deeper into the forest, the thick forest began to give way to an open land. It was such an endless beauty. The grass was so green they almost looked artificial, like they were a painting. The roads were now tiled, unlike the rough paths we were initially on. These monsters didn’t deserve to live on a land so beautiful.

Now I could see the settlement of the pack. This pack was way larger than mine. Each house was a lot bigger than the ones we had back at home. They were wealthy and a large pack. No wonder they housed such monsters as well.

We pulled to a stop in front of the large building that would be the pack house. There were some people standing outside waiting, and I felt my stomach churn in disgust at the relief on their faces as the occupants of the cars exited.

These people were celebrating the victory against my people. They couldn’t care less that hundreds of people were dead and a pack had just been wiped out.

The brunette exited the front seat and came around to open the car door before ripping me out of the car. He dragged me as I stumbled with him past the curious gazes of the people who watched us.

I didn’t even try to run because even though I am angry, there was no way to escape, and I would only end up dead before I could take a step, and I couldn’t die now. I had to make sure they shed tears of blood before I did.

I kept my gaze on the floor as I was dragged through the house, not lifting my head once to see anything or admire the house that was a hundred times better than the one we had back at home. I didn’t want to meet the gaze of any of them.

After so many turns and climbing so many stairs, he finally came to a stop in front of a room. He pushed the door open and pushed me inside. Because I was not expecting the little push, I stumbled and fell, only missing the wooden stool by the door a little.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to push you that hard” Those were the only words I heard before the door was shut, and I heard the keys put the lock into place.