Chapter 1

Tisha’s P.O.V

“Run baby, Run!”

Mama’s words like urgent strokes urge me on as I take the path through the forest. The scent of rain and moss hangs heavy in the air, my breath hitching, my feet slipping the ground beneath me softening with every step.

 The howls of wolves echo in the distance – the screams and groans growing distant with every step. Twigs snap and the leaves rustle- Branches claw at my feet and shadows cast eerie figures like eyes watching, chasing-

“Run Tish, Run!”  Cold air burns my lungs, but I don’t stop, I can’t. Not when Mama’s words urged me on, her voice low and urgent. Her blood splattered all over the floor- I could hear them behind me snarling, gaining ground.

“Keep running,” I muttered to myself faster, faster… 

My feet slipping on wet leaves I push harder, my breaths coming in ragged gasps each one sharper than the last. I stumble, catching myself against a tree, blood mixed with sweat drips down my face, it’s not my blood but Mama’s. Shadows moved.

I can’t stop now not when Mama lay lifeless on the bedroom floor, and the night sky glows bright red with the fires. Willing my legs to move I run deeper into the forest I cannot afford to slow down now, the howls grow louder and my lungs burn sharper “I can’t stop now, not now! If I did, they would catch me- I wouldn’t survive.

Low branches whipped across my face as I ran, my breath burning in my throat. Somewhere behind me, the heavy thud of paws on wet earth grows closer.

“You can’t run forever, we will find you!”  

“Tisha wake up, baby girl you need to wake up.”

Kimberly’s voice cuts through the dense forest her hands gently probing me to wake up, eyes wild and breathes ragged, my sheets clung to my damp skin, heart hammering in my chest every thud rattling in my ears, sweat trickling down my spine, sticking to my back.

Fingers clenching to the edge of the mattress, nails digging into fabric I blink hard once, twice willing the shadows on the wall to form their twisted shapes- faces. The images cling to the corners of my vision refusing to fade.

The air feels thick, pressing down on me, choking me as if it wasn’t quite real, hands trembling uncontrollably.

 “Breathe Tish, inhale, hold exhale.”

I hear Kim’s gentle voice guiding me. My breaths come shallow, jagged at first, like I am learning to breathe again slowly. I loosen my grip on the mattress, willing my pulse to slow down. Eyes closed, I breathe in the faint scent of rain filtering through the small cracked window, mixing with the stale air of the room. “Breathe in and out.”

 I can feel Kimberly’s hands making tiny circles around my back, soothing and calming. My heart begins to slow, the rapid pounding softening into something manageable. The nightmare is still clinging to me, a weight on my chest heavy and strong: “I was here, with Kim in the tinny storeroom we called ours and not in the forest.”

I stood slightly wobbly, wiping the sweat off my brow, my fingers still shaking. The night had faded to the back of my mind with the rise of dawn.

 I was here and I was safe.

“Are you alright?” Kim asked her voice laced with worry

“Yes, I am fine” It was just a nightmare, I say shrugging off the shivers running down my spine.

Lately, they have become more frequent and vivid, and in as much as Kimberly is the closest thing to family I have since the attack, I cannot afford to get her worried at least not today.

“Come let’s go and get ready for the day before the other pack members wake up,” I say as I drag myself away from the small window facing the grounds.

Kim’s eyes are narrow as she gives me a slow and conscious once-over, her lips pressed into a thin line her eyes lingering, sharp and deliberate the unspoken words weighing heavily in the air, I know she wants to ask what the dreams are about but she knows better – she gives me a curt nod. I feel the release, the tension in my shoulders loosening, not completely, not yet.

We turn to our makeshift beds, sagging in the middle, and start straightening the blankets the fabric is rough beneath my fingers, and the old scent of laundry clings to it mixed with sweat and exhaustion.

Changing out of my night clothes is quick- clothes a size too big, hanging loosely on my frame, the fabric rubs awkwardly against my skin, but I don’t complain. We’ve gotten used to it. Kim mutters something under her breath, her voice too low for me to catch it, I don’t ask her to repeat herself and she doesn’t say a thing.

The air is stale and laced with damp stone and the lingering aroma of whatever is left in the kitchens below. We grab the small towels hanging on the pegs, stiff from being dried out in the air. The bath is cold, too cold, the water biting at my skin as we take quick turns in the omega baths. My breath hitching when the icy stream hits my back, I grit my teeth there is no time to complain. The water clings to my skin an unwelcomed shiver as I dry off fast handing the towel to Kim.

Everything happens like clockwork once clean, we make our way down the narrow halls footsteps echoing softly on the stone floors. The dim light barely touches the walls, casting long shadows ahead of us. The scent of cooking – onions, grease, something slightly burnt- hits my nose before we push open the heavy wooden door to the kitchen my stomach rumbles a little.

“So…, what are your plans for tonight?”  Kim asks her cheeks flushed red I know she wants to say something about the ceremony but she also wants me to ask so I play along

“Well… Kim, I do not have any plans for tonight. Do you have something planned for us tonight aside from waiting tables and cleaning up?” I ask letting my smile slip in for a bit.   

“Well…I might have a few plans in motion if you would be so gracious enough to bless me with your presence.”

Tonight is the naming and mate-finding ceremony and like every mate-finding ceremony the moon goddess is always gracious to bless each of us with a mate and since you just turned eighteen you, my darling can find your mate tonight and begin your happily ever after.” Kim says, a radiant smile spreading across her face lighting her beautiful brown eyes. Kim has always been the optimist, the golden retriever between the both of us honestly; I don’t know how she still keeps her smile on despite everything she has been through in this horrible pack.  

I know I should be grateful they found me when they did but most times, I can’t help but wish they left me to die in the shadows among the trees.

“Tonight, we wear our finest dresses, dance, and act like we don’t have a care in the world and if the moon goddess finds us worthy; we’ll find our mate got it?” Kim’s sweet voice takes that bossy edge she loves to use.

“Yes, boss.”

“Now, if you don’t mind can we start breakfast before Luna wakes up? You know how she gets when food’s late.”

Kim smirks, “Deal, the sooner we start, the sooner we finish,”

I head to the fridge, grabbing what’s left of the bacon and eggs. Kim moves to the drinks. The kitchen smells faintly of grease, and the cold air from the fridge sends a shiver through me. I crack the eggs into a bowl, watching the yolk spill like tiny suns. The sizzle of the bacon fills the silence, a temporary distraction.

Today’s breakfast is basic- bacon, eggs, sausages, bread, tea, coffee, juice, nothing complicated, but feeding the pack is always a marathon. Werewolves eat like they’re hollow inside, the hunger gnawing at them from the inside out.

An hour later, breakfast is ready. We load the trays, the weight of plates feeling familiar and almost comforting. Kim and I make our way to the dining hall, the vast space glowing under the sunlight pouring through the towering windows, the soft light hits the flowers lining the corners, their petals wilting, delicate – a reminder that everything fades here. I make a mental note to pick fresh flowers later and let myself fall into the chaos of the day.

Later comes sooner than expected. The morning dew dampens my fingertips as I pluck a cluster of wildflowers. Lavender and earth fill the air, calming, and grounding me as I fall into the rhythm of gathering. The nervous energy I woke with faded with the soft breeze brushing against my skin.

“Collecting flowers, are we?” a voice cuts through the peace and quiet, smooth but with an edge.

I freeze, my heart stuttering as my eyes flick towards the tree line beside me. A figure stands just at the edge, clocked in shadows, arms crossed, posture relaxing yet so unsettling. His eyes locked onto mine, sharp and unreadable, a smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth.

“What’s it to you? I shoot back, straightening my spine and refusing to be rattled I don’t recognize him an indication he isn’t from this pack his clothes dark and expensive stand out against the simple surroundings. He takes a step forward, his boots crunching softly on the gravel, but he doesn’t come any closer I stiffen, gripping the flowers a little tighter.

“Fiery, I like that.” He says, clearly amused at my reaction   

 The frustration inside me flares, burning away caution. “I don’t care what you like.”

His chuckle is dark and low “No, I suppose you don’t,” he says with a tilt to his head; eyes roaming my face like he was searching for something, “interesting.”

“Tisha!”

 Kim’s voice cuts through the tension I turn to see her rushing over face tight with urgency, “Alpha Damien wants you in his office now!”

Turning back to the stranger in the shadows, my pulse quickens at the sight of him gone the encounter slipping into something mysterious the lingering question of “Who is he?” and “What just happened?” playing in my mind.