CHAPTER TWO

The den I am led to is basic.

Small and dark.

Fit for an omega.

I sink into the bed.

Fatigue overcomes me.

How is this my life?

I have lost everything.

I have lost my pack.

I have lost my mate.

I am too tired to cry.

I close my eyes and fall asleep.

A gentle paw shakes me awake.

"Time to get up. Time to hunt."

I open my eyes.

It is dawn.

For a moment, I think I am back in my old pack.

Then I realize where I am.

The guard from yesterday peers at me.

My stomach drops.

"What time is it?"

"Day break."

"You hunt so early?"

"You have to hunt," the guard says. "You have to prove your worth as a hunter."

I drag myself out of bed.

Then I follow the guard outside.

He makes his way towards the hunting grounds.

"What is your name?" I ask.

He shakes his head. "I don't have one yet."

"Your real name," I say. "Not your hunt name."

"My real name does not matter."

He is infuriating.

"I'm Victoria," I tell him.

"Not for long," he replies.

I notice how his blonde fur shines in the morning sun.

It is beautiful.

I have never seen a wolf of such stature.

"I heard you speak in the hall yesterday," he says. "You have been through great hardship."

"Yes."

He smiles at me.

"Did you know you've been assigned a mate?"

"I don't want a mate."

"Why not? He will be your partner for life."

I glare at him.

I am not ready to be paired.

I am still in mourning.

I am still grieving for my dead mate.

"I don't want a mate," I say again.

He shrugs. "It does not matter what you want. It is the way it is."

I say nothing.

"It's a long walk," he says. "If you need help, just ask."

I don't need help.

I growl at the ground.

I am determined to prove myself.

Perhaps if I show my strength, they will see I am a luna.

The thought gives me strength.

I just need to prove myself as a hunter.

Then I can claim my rightful position.

The walk to the hunting grounds is long.

I have never heard so much silence.

There is no sound of birds.

There is no sound of animals.

Even the trees are decaying.

This is a horrible place.

They are like a graveyard.

They are corpses of trees.

"What happened to these trees?" I ask.

The guard glances at me.

He shrugs.

"Not much grows here," he says.

"My old land was full of luscious plants."

"Maybe that's why the pack targeted you."

It is a horrible thing to say.

I fall silent.

I will not speak to this guard anymore.

Not after he has said such a thing.

He does not understand my pain.

And so we walk in silence.

We walk for what feels like an eternity.

I am still so tired from my ordeal in the forest.

Eventually, the trees begin to thin.

The forest opens up.

We arrive at the hunting grounds.

The yard is empty.

There is no prey to hunt.

We both know this.

But I know it cannot be helped.

I must hunt.

I must show them I am strong.

I have to be useful.

I can't be a burden.

The guard sits down on the ground.

I sit next to him.

Together we wait.

And wait.

And finally I see something.

I stand up and stare at it.

It is a rabbit.

Just one, pitiful rabbit.

It's a long shot.

But it has to be done.

My paws are clumsy.

I run towards the rabbit.

I leap into the air.

I catch it with my teeth.

I am victorious.

I look back at the guard.

He stands up, claps his paws, and cheers for me.

"I am not a failure after all," I whisper to myself.

We begin our journey back to the den.

Along the way, I ask. "Why won't you tell me your name?"

"Why do you want to know?" he asks.

I am surprised by his tone.

He sounds protective.

We arrive at the den.

I present the old alpha with my kill.

He smiles.

"Very nice," he comments.

Then he turns to the guard.

"And how did you get along?" he asks.

"Well," the guard says.

"The pairing is agreeable?"

"Yes, I believe it is," the guard says.

"Hold on a minute!" I cry, stepping forward. "This is my mate?"

I cannot believe it.

"You're joking," I say.

"I am serious."

"I'm supposed to be luna!"

He shakes his head. "Not here you are not."

How can he treat me like this?

I cannot believe this is happening to me.

"I'm not too bad," the guard says. "When you get to know me."

"You won't even tell me your name!" I cry. "And now you expect me to be your mate?"

I am beyond shocked.

I cannot believe what is happening.

I am stunned.

I cannot think.

This is all happening so fast.

I cannot think straight.

"This is the arrangement," the alpha says. "You must accept it or leave."

"No!" I cry.

"Do you understand?" the alpha asks. "You must accept it. You must accept him."

I stare at him.

Disbelief is written over my face.

I look at the guard.

He is watching me.

I do not want to mate with him.

But I don't have any other choice.

I can't go home.

I can't go anywhere else.

I have to accept this.

I look at him.

He is a strong wolf.

A good hunter.

He may be leagues beneath me, but he is handsome.

"Okay," I say finally. "I accept."

"Then I will give you your hunters names," the alpha says.

He looks at the guard.

"You will be called Impala."

"Impala?" he repeats. "What does it mean?"

"It is the fastest of all the animals," he says.

"What is my name?" I ask.

"I have been thinking about that," he comments. "I think…you will be called …Oryx."

"Oryx?"

"It is the largest of all the animals."

"Oryx," Impala says. "That is your name."

I am no longer Victoria.

I am Oryx.