001.

Stella's POV.

I jogged down the gravel pathway, not paying attention to where I was going. Instead, I was invested in the conversation I was sharing with Cooper.

“So?” I panted. “How’s Kormak holding up?”

He sighed. “Not so well. But with Aria by his side, things are being handled better.”

My older step brother, Kormak, was the alpha of the Grandiose Apex pack and head of the Northern region. Recently, he was betrayed by his childhood companion and advisor, Vorus, who wanted to kill him for power. It had hit him hard because of how much he invested in their relationship. However, with Aria, his mate, being there with him, he'd the chance of moving on fast.

Cooper cleared his throat. “What about you? How's the mate search going?” 

That was why I left. Because Aria was there and because I was on a personal quest to find my mate. I'd traveled up Southern, I still hadn't found him. But I hope I do in the West.

I shrugged, slowing down my pace. “No luck. Yet.”

“Hmm…you do know you can always come back, right?”

“And what? Watch you go on lovey-dovey with Benny?” I sassed.

“What? No.” I could imagine him cursing. “No, Stella, I didn't mean it that way. I just—”

I cut him off, “then don't suggest such to me.”

Cooper and I had a history together. No, we never dated but we were so close to that. After all I went through, he was the first man I opened my heart to, although he rejected my advances, I always knew he reciprocated the same feelings. But everything we shared tumbled down the hill when he found his mate and hid it from me. 

You knew how embarrassing it was to hear that my best friend and the man I was interested in were in someone's arms from a stranger? I didn't mind that he found his mate. I just hated how he didn't tell me.

He breathed out, “you're right. I'm sorry.”

“Better be,” I rolled my eyes. “Ask Aria to reach out. I'm hanging up now, bye.” Without waiting to hear another word from him, I hung up.

The song playing before his call replayed and I increased my pace, jogging faster. 

I should have taken my surroundings into account because now, it was safe to say that I was lost. In the woods. And far away from the pack who was kind enough to accommodate me for my stay.

“Damnit!” I cussed, raising up my phone for signals but I was on the end meet. Stuck.

Suddenly, I heard a scream which distracted me and I tripped on a rock, falling flat on the floor. What the— I heard the scream again, much louder this time.

When I tried to stand up, I fell again. I realized that I sprained my ankle. Sighing, I began to massage it softly. I no longer heard the screams, the forest became silent. Not even the birds are chirping. 

It was eerie and disturbing.

I ignored the pain and stood up, groaning. Gulping, I scanned the forest for anything out of the ordinary. But I caught nothing. Still, I felt uncomfortable. So I decided to try tracing where I came from.

I better get out of here.

I limped forward, heading to the first direction I saw. Which led me to a clearing. And I wished I never left where I was. Because then, I wouldn't have just stumbled on what was before me.

An ogre eating from a lady's abdomen.

My stomach churned and I resisted the urge to retch. It wasn't aware of me yet as it ate the woman's intestines. I looked around for anything I could use to take him down, but I found nothing.

Gosh, maybe I should just leave it to eat? The lady was dead anyway.

Just as I turned, I saw a little boy no more than 12 years laid not too far away from them. Was he dead? I narrowed my eyes to his chest and strained my ears. I could hear a heart beating, but the pulse was weak. Meaning he was close to death.

Him, I could save.

My eyes caught on a piece of rusted iron not too far from me. That would do. With my eyes on the ogre, I feather footed towards it and grabbed it. The leaves rustled and the ogre growled, its red eyes on me.

Without thinking, I raced towards it. Jumping, I stabbed the rusted iron into its stupid heart. The iron broke inside which left me stranded. Crap. While it grunted and deepened its hand into its heart -which I found disturbing- its other hand swiped my abdomen, leaving a deep cut.

I swallowed back my pain and gave it a round head kick, sending it to its knees. Then, I sat on its neck and tore out its head with much struggle. All in the span of 13 seconds.

It must have fed on a lot of people for it to be this strong.

And why on earth was I not healing? I untied my cardigan from my waist and tied it on the wound. It wouldn't be nice to pass out here from blood loss.

I winced when I put pressure on my ankle. The adrenaline was starting to wear off. I managed to limp to the little boy. “Hey?” I shook him. “Kiddo?”

I leaned in and realized he had stopped breathing. Crap. I folded my hands and began to perform CPR. C'mon, child. Don't die on me. After two minutes, he gasped, his eyes tearing open.

Great. “Hey, hey. You're alright.” I soothed when he crawled away from me. “I'm not going to harm you. Now, calm down?” I urged. It was getting late and the last thing I wanted was to remain in an unknown land with a boy.

“Maid Ana?” He asked, looking around. Then he saw the lady with her inside spilled outside and began to cry. Something no kid should see. 

I covered his eyes and tried to shush him. Who knew how many of them were here? “Uh, kid, do you know where you and your maid Ana came from?”

He nodded with tears in his eyes and pointed towards the right. Wonderful. “Good, kiddo. Can you walk?” He shook his head, looking down. I trailed it to his left leg that was bleeding profusely and his bones were almost poking out. 

How had I not noticed that? “Does it hurt?” He shook his head again. Oh, God. He needed surgery and needed to get his brain checked. 

Sighing, I removed my cardigan from my abdomen and placed two planks I found on the floor on either side of his leg before tying it together. The boy didn't scream.

“I'm going to carry you, okay? Scream if it hurts.” After a nod of approval from him, I lifted him into my arms. Now, he wailed and began to sob. Which was a good thing away.

The sounds of rustling leaves and heavy footsteps met my ears and it was coming from the left. A sniff was all I needed to know that it was an ogre. 

Crap.

I ran towards the right with the crying kid, not bothering to soothe his pain. That could be arranged later. I think I ran for over 30 minutes before I saw a sign board that read ‘Welcome to the Almond Pack.’

Almond pack?! You've got to be kidding me. Of course, he'd come from the highest pack in the West.

I saw a gate and ran into it. There was no one around. Were these people so complacent with their greatness that they ignored common security??

It was no wonder I wasn't ambushed when I accidentally crossed their border. What was a kid looking for out there anyway?

What shocked me, however, was the second gate after their first gate, but this one was closed.

Maybe they were not so stupid after all.