Chapter 5

At the end of the tunnel was a large and peaceful green meadow in the coldness of the night. To enter a woodland that I believed went to Zauks Pack, we had to pass by it. We were essentially like sheep in an open, empty field waiting for the wolves to attack, which is why it took the she-wolf so long to reach the border. It wasn't comfortable to think that we were easy targets.

“One.” I turned to look at the woman with golden hair who was counting. The luna must be her.

“Two.” The women all got ready for the run and adjusted themselves accordingly. I gave my wolf the go to advance. My stance changed from slouched to ready and assured. My wolf elevated our bodies so we could run by standing on the points of our toes. As we breathed slowly and my body experienced alarmingly rapid adrenaline pumping, our abdomen muscles were tightening.

“Three.” Everyone started sprinting into the clearing at once.

We fled in fear for our lives like a bullet. Although wolves are naturally agile, the realization that our lives were in jeopardy made us move twice as quickly. As we neared the edge of the woodland, I grinned, feeling victorious, but I was mistaken.

Suddenly, a huge wall of wolves of all sizes and shapes raced into the clearing, growling and snapping as they did so. I almost fell over when there was a violent shock, so I dug my heels into the ground and slid to a stop. My eyes widened in response to what I saw.

When they saw the troops in front of us, they started to whimper and scream. 25 of these might have been possible. Behind me, I could hear a loud click. I hastily looked over my shoulder to make sure the door was shut.

The tunnel door had been shut by the luna.

My wolf howled aloud in anger at the betrayal and predicament we found ourselves in. I turned my head back to confront the danger in front of us. I was utterly consumed with rage, which drove my fear of the unknown away. Before they could take me, I would prefer to die in battle. The coward who referred to himself as "a deity" yet was unable to reveal his face infuriated me.

Together, the she-wolves started to flee as their whining puppies were huddled close to them. All of our focus was on the wolves who were blocking our path to freedom. Although it was clear that we were outnumbered, we had no intention of giving up. Four sizable wolves moved to breach the wall they had in front of us, and we growled as they did so.

The wolves in front of us, including the warriors, were larger than typical werewolves. They had blood all on them. While some people had a few pieces of meat pulled off of them, they didn't appear to bother. They all had the same color eyes, so that was a given. No matter what the tales claimed, the color of a changed wolf's eyes wouldn't change. The wolves' eyes were all the same color, albeit they continued to be the same shade as human eyes.

Silver. It was unsettling to see the same chilly tone of silver in every pair of eyes that were focused on us. My inner wolf was demanding to be let out, pleading with me to move—anything—but still. The grassland was deathly silent. I couldn't stop having questions in my brain. A tall, strong man's silhouette suddenly appeared, and as he emerged from the trees' shadows, I was startled out of my reverie. His brown hair was frizzy and matted. His oval face was supported by distinct features. He had naturally black lips that gave off a grin, and he had bushy eyebrows that were furrowed over cat-like green eyes. If not for his menacing expression, the man was quite attractive.

The man was allowed to pass by the wolves in front of us. His hands were behind his back, and he walked with a swift, long stride. He took a little pause, which caused us to uncomfortably shuffle from foot to foot.

His inquisitive emerald eyes surveyed each of us. I could tell he appeared to be strong. Was he in charge? He couldn't be the wolf god because I didn't experience the immense strength that was described. Most of you won't remember this, but I'll amuse you, he boomed, raising his head a little higher and thrusting his chest forward. No, we won't murder your kids. They serve no purpose for us. The she-wolves exhaled in satisfaction.

"If you will kindly do this quici for us," He signaled for us to approach.

Does this crazy man truly believe we will follow their orders?

The she-wolves made their own decision. Some people moved backward. Some of our captives pursued those who fled after them. Only a few of us remained in the same location. Before Lily could flee, I caught her. Who knows what those monsters would do to us if they caught us? Wolves liked to chase. I searched the area for guidance. Fight or flee? I crossed my feet back and forth while clenching my hands. The man's eyes were fixed on me as I turned to face him, and my body froze in response to the inspection of those piercing, green slits.

He alternated between looking at Lily and me with a sly and cunning expression on his face that scared me.

He said, "You two, come here." We both stiffened up and exchanged glances.

We both said at the same time, "Fuck you." Despite my want to add more bitch, I refrained from stoking the flames. He maintained his expression, but the wolves behind him growled at us. Lily and I were left in front after the remaining she-wolves clearly didn't like our tone either since they backed up.

"You two courageous little pups, eh?" Before adjusting his stance, he added in a bland tone, "It seemed like something was going to happen."

“Run!” Lily yelled.

Suddenly, the large green-eyed man sprinted at me with great speed, closing in on me with every step. I quickly glanced behind me to see her being tackled by a large reddish-looking wolf, but then he suddenly turned and charged at me. His black boots appeared to be floating above the surface. I forced myself to run more quickly, but every stride I took stumbled. Why do you always manage to mess something up when you need it? Where was the alleged elegance of the werewolf?

Before I could make it to the edge of the forest, I was tackled from behind. As soon as he had his hands around my torso, I experienced an electric shock. Prior to our mid-fall flip and landing on the ground with me on top, he grumbled.

I scrambled to free myself from his grip, putting one foot down, and straddling him. My wrists were pressed like chains by his big hands, but not hard enough to hurt me. I was terrified that this guy would kidnap me.

" leave me! leav me!" I yelled while attempting to claw at his hands, but it was ineffective. I tried to grab his expressionless face, but he stopped me.

I puffed even though my body was beginning to weaken and my muscles were exhausted.

I leaned forward and used my teeth to nip at his face. My mental wolf was howling, but I felt a familiar sensation in my chest that I couldn't place. I was abruptly standing up, still being held like a prisoner by the dark-haired man's hands in front of him. He attempted to defend himself by crossing his arms in front of him, but I was still able to kick him. When I attempted to kick his "buddy" down there, he disregarded it and blocked me.

With one hand, he clasped both of mine while his other hand reached for my chin. I leaned back and pulled on my arms. He was about to slit my throat! I panicked and increased my efforts.

He gripped me hard by the chin as I attempted to move my head violently, and I tilted my head to meet his joyful expression before it vanished. He must have been mind-linking with whoever the bastard was behind this since his glazed eyes were fixed on mine. I used all of my effort to escape, but just as I had a chance, his eyes flickered from green to black, then to silver, and finally to a hypnotic shade of blue that rendered me motionless.

Everything vanished at that exact time, save for those striking, mesmerizing blue eyes. In that second, something appeared to shift, tugging me from deep within—a force stronger than will or life, looking for the weak spot. Then he eased his grip and his hold turned gentle. His pointer finger lingered, moved to the edge of my lips where it hovered, then slid to the other side while I watched from the corner of my eye.

My entire body was scorched by the trail, which burned its way to my center. At his touch, my wolf purred and became frightened. Even though it drew me in and made me feel alive, I was aware that something was wrong but I was unable to identify what it was. Every time I closed my eyes to try to regain control, it only vanished into oblivion, and my thoughts kept wandering back to those beautiful blue eyes.

He gave me a quick nod after his blue eyes briefly blinked at me as if taking me in. As though the enchantment had been broken, his blue eyes briefly turned back to black before changing to a cat-like green.

The man still had his grip on me, but it appeared as though he was regaining some measure of control over himself. I was able to break free of his grip and turned to flee for my life.

"Set free all further she-wolves! Task accomplished. He shouted, "A1-2 has been located!

As I sprinted towards the edge of the forest, I considered helping Lily, but just as I was about to reach freedom, someone grabbed my shoulders and gave me a forceful push down. I thought I was going to pass out. As I began to see dots, my body suddenly felt incredibly heavy, leading me to slump back into the person in front of me. I heard my captor say one more thing before falling asleep:

"We found A1-2, everyone. We found our little luna.”