CHAPTER ONE

Hey Mila..", a man tapped her by the side of her shoulders, dragging her towards him, holding her by her shoulders while she stared into his eyes.

"Father! What's happening?"She asked the man who stood before her, his eyes being Satin gray. 

She had sweat drops beaded on her face, panting for breath just as he was. The night was extremely quiet, yet the sound of her voice which she had toned down still echoed through the surrounding, just like her father's.

Her father was uneasy, having sweat drops roll down his face like a waterfall. He looked around, back and forth, to his left and his right, his eyes rattling thoughts' sockets as he tried to ensure the entire environment was safe.

His daughter's hands were shaky, and he could hear the sound of a nervous heartbeat, throbbing against her chest as though it would break out of its cage unto her hands.

They stood to be the only ones present in an environment as dull as ditchwater, the only ones who stood outside in the dead of the night, under the moon's shining light. 

It was in its fullest form, shining its rays perfectly on the earth's surface which made the entire environment clear for perfect vision.

"Listen to me, Mila..!''Her father held her arms, huffing and puffing his life depended on that moment.

"I need you to run, I need you to hide, lower yourself to the ground, do not make a single sound..!", He urged with some stutters in his words.

His voice was shaky, and up till that moment, his eyes were never steady as they kept moving randomly around the landscape. His heart was thinking seriously against his chest, and his fears were already becoming visible.

He tightened his grip on her shoulders the moment it dawned on him who stood before him. It was his daughter, the only offspring he ever had as long as he had existed.

His entire body and reaction were intrigued by the fear which sprang up within him, and he was at the venue of crushing her bones until he finally realized whom he referred to. 

He inhaled and exhaled deeply as he lightened his grip, and he was at the venue of uttering some apologetic words not until her words cut him short and caused his eyes to widen.

"No.!!", He heard her say as she shook her head vigorously in opposition to what he had instructed.

Her face was pale and wet, her eyes reflected the fear which rose inside of her. 

To him, it was perfectly normal to have fear for what was already on its way, but what didn't seem normal was her sudden stubbornness towards something as critical as the moment at hand. 

Her Satin gray eyes which she took from her father were soaked in the wetness of her tears, and her light brown hair which fell on her shoulders was being tossed by the winds was what?", He asked in a high-toned voice. 

His forehehigh-tone deemed in confusion. Taken aback by her words, he took a step backward away from her as he backward his daughter who refuted his instructions. 

"What do you mean no!?"He asked again. 

What was she doing? Was she brave or..? His mind was clouded with questions of which only she could provide the best for each of them. 

There was a being, a beast, one which devoured lives and properties for its satisfaction, and that's what came after them both.

For everyone who resided and belonged to the silver moon pack, each man and child, teybaol knew the takes of what tribals unexplainable chaos in the land.

But if she knew, why then would she turn a deaf ear towards a suggestion which was meant for her survival? What seemed to have been fueling her morale? 

"I can't leave you and mother here! I can't do that! I'm going to stay with you!", She said to herself.

He groaned loudly as he ran his hand through his hair, his face squeezed and his hands clenched into fists as he stood for seconds and stood digesting that which she had and said.

Where did she know about cases as first as what they were involved in? 

He lowered himself to the ground, his hands still placed on his head as he puzzled the entire world for answers.

He understood she was two decades old and was capable of being independent, but certainly not at that spot.

Watching her father groan in such a devastating manner and tell one thing alone; he was skeptical about what she had said. 

She couldn't find the words to describe what she had seen, and all she could do was sniffle her nostrils which had mucus running down from her nostrils, and wipe off the tears and the sweat-wiper face.

Deep within her, she understood her father's concern. As warriors in the silver moon pack, running from challenges as such was considered a weakness and cowardice, and they upheld the ethics of bravery and courage even until death.

Yet she doubted what he believed, and within her, she wished for him to run away with her, far from the silver moon pack of which they could live their best of lives without intrusion from forces such as the plant.

Losing her parents would be a nightmare that she wouldn't be able to recover from, and the thoughts of it alone sent shivers down her spine, letting the hairs on her skin stand in the air.  

“What in god's name are you thinking, Mila.!” He yelled at her. 

He stood from the ground, and with his hands fueled with anger, he grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her furiously as though he were knocking out the obtuse thoughts away from her head. 

Then he realized he yelled at her too much. And at the brink of his imagination, there was a large growl being heard. At first, it was from afar, yet it sounded so close to them, he needed to make sure his daughter was safe.

“You know the phantom is coming! Why are you doing this?” He heaved a sigh and released his grip from her shoulders.

His voice was steady at first, and slowly as he stared at her, and the way her eyes had shown she was determined to keep on with what she had in her mind, he sniffled his nose as his hands went over to his face to wipe off tears which were rolling down his face. 

“Please.!” she broke down in tears. She grabbed her father's hands and buried hers in his, squeezing them as she whispered to him. them“You don't have to! Let's run away together. You, me, and mother, please father. Please,!” She finally let her feelings out. 

She wept until her voice had ceased, sniffling as she struggled to breathe as the mucus had blocked her nostrils, making breathing a Herculean task for her.

“So that was what she wanted.”, he whispered to himself inwardly.

Watching the tears dropping from her eyes became his weakness, and slowly his heart was breaking down and the tears which he struggled all back were the evidence of what he felt within. 

“I can't do that Mila!” He urged with a stricken tone.

“Why.?” She asked curiously.

It was a blow to her heart, and his words were hurting her deeply, unable to control the pain she felt.

Unfortunately, her suggestion was void to him. The conviction of being a coward and unable to defend his family and his pack would hurt and sting for years to come, and such pain he wouldn't be able to endure.

He was on the brink of stating his reason for toileting when he heard another voice call out to him from the other side.

“Mark.! Mark.!!” His attention was drawn towards the feminine call, his eyes rattling as he searched for the source of the call.

He wasn't nervous. He recognized the call, yet he couldn't help the moment as the loud growling sound of the beast was heard even at a closer range.

It was his mate, Ashley! She was panting for air, struggling to run as her strength was exhausted. She fell to the ground, yet she didn't cease her movement. Her hands became her only support for easy movement.

Mark had his hands slip off Mila's shoulders as his legs moved him towards Ashley. He got her from the ground with his hands, holding her tightly to himself as his ears picked up the sound of her heavy breathing. up 

“The Phantom.!” She huffed, her chest moving inwards and outwards as she stuttered the words in the fear of the dreadful sight of the monster.

As her eyes were fixed on her daughter who had her hands on her chest, she still couldn't get over what sight he had beheld as she still stared backward despite being moved forward.! It's coming..” Her voice was gradually becoming inaudible, and her energy was fading out slowly. 

The loud growl was heard, and the vibrations on the ground proved the arrival of what was known to be the terror of the pack.

His eyes widened, and his heart throbbed the sensation of the wolf's movement had sent shivers down his spine

He placed his hands under her, lifting her above the ground as he threw her left hand over his shoulders, holding it with his left while he placed his right hand around her abdomen and began moving with her.

He walked with her, struggling as they both moved, and when he sighted a tree close by, he placed her there, letting her sit at the root of the tree while he headed over to Mila.

He rushed over to her, grabbing her by the shoulders before he uttered to her.

“Listen to me.!” He led her

This time around, his face was clenched, and his heart would never be bent by what tears she would upload from her eyes.

“You are going to run, and you will hide. Do not make a sound, and do not say a word, regardless of what your eyes would see”, he ordered her with a clenched face

She nodded. He was glad to finally see her bend to his will. At least, she could feel the vibration from the movement of the beast, and she felt the same way he felt; scared. 

Though she showed it off in the way she breathed and swallowed lumps down her throat, he didn't. 

“Now run.!” He ordered her immediately which was what she did. She ran as fast as her legs could take her, not looking backward for any reason. 

Though Backward was her concern, she was theirs. She felt the coldness of the winds, and their force blowing through her, and the sweat drops on her face drying off with ease. 

She hid behind a large tree, species unknown as her visions were already getting blurry due to the speed she had put into the race. She looked from where she had hidden and stared at her father, who seemed as though he was about to fight with the monster.