Chapter 1

Eris was stopped in her tracks by a piercing shriek that resonated throughout the forest. "Did you hear that?" She called it into question. "What the hell was that?" 

I answered back, "I did hear that, but how was I supposed to figure out what all that was? We are both on the same track here if you are simply forgetting." 

She tilted her head upwards and began to scan the surroundings with her nose. Sniffing the air to see what she might get. The shift in Eris' stance ends up giving me the distinct feeling that something may not be right right away. 

We both said, simultaneously, "Rogues are approaching the border." 

I questioned her back, gearing myself for a probable fight to break out, "Are you up to find out what it was? Can we handle this alone, or do we need to seek out some assistance?" 

"We can handle this, honey."

As soon as she said that, Eris began sprinting quickly into the forest in the area of the outland boundaries, leaving me with hardly any time to consider just what we were about to undertake. Our trek to our desired location just took a few minutes. The surroundings grew eerily silent as both of us stood guard for a potential attack.

I remarked, "I think we would need to ask for a backup just in case." 

"No. Wait," and then gestured to a figure that was lying on the ground, asking, "Is that what I simply assume it is?"

We made the decision to move quietly toward the figure, trying to take precautions to make no noise at all. I whimpered in shock when we came across a nearly lifeless man who had recently been struck out cold in the wilderness. Eris commented after taking a whiff of the air. "A human."

I gave the command, "Right away, we need to shift." Eris was reluctant, but I did not allow her time to make up her mind this time as I shifted back to human form.

She said haughtily, "Great idea, Snow. And we are now naked in the presence of a human being."

I squatted down next to the man and then said, "Shh, silence, Eris."

Why is he in this place? Who on earth could have managed to bring a human in this part of the woods and almost killed him? A lot of questions are running through my mind with the scene in front of me. It was difficult for me to accept that somehow he was brought here to be killed by my kind. But who could have done something like this? Vampires? Or witches perhaps? And what did he do to deserve this kind of death?

I once again cast my gaze towards the man who appeared to be dead. He may have had numerous bruises and been covered in blood, but that does not conceal how attractive he looked. He has a wide, boxy forehead, with a strong brow bone and thick, straight eyebrows, a mid-length, straight nose, with thin and wide lips, flat cheeks, and a square jaw. His hair is dark black, in a messy tapered hairstyle. He might appear to be tall, around 6'1 in height, and is of athletic build and muscular. He seems to be strong and rugged, so how is it possible that he was almost killed in this situation? I examined his bruises, noticing what seemed to be a wound in his chest. Is this really a rogue attack, or a possible human-to-human encounter?

"Are you thinking what I am thinking?" All I could do was nod my head in response to Eris's query. We were both at a loss in terms of how to handle the almost dying human in front of us. "Snow, we can't get involved with him. We simply can't help him. Let's go back to the pack house and leave him here. We don't need to have this type of problem in our lives." 

But I paid no heed to her. The man obviously needed to get help, and the only ones who could help him right that instant were us. And, despite the fact that he was a human, I felt obligated to assist him right away. "Snow, this is not in conformity with the rules given to you. You must not, under any circumstances, use your ability on a human."

"I am familiar with the idea, but do you actually think that means that I am particularly concerned? He needs help. And we are the only ones here to help him. I cannot simply leave the man here, can I? And besides, no one will find out if you don't tell."

Whatever Eris says, I choose not to listen to her anymore. And when she began to irritate me, I did what I always do so well: I tried to push her to the back of my mind and managed to cut off connections with her. I don’t need to get another nag from her when this was obviously a life-or-death situation. Whether Eris approves it or not, I have already decided.

As I moved nearer to the man, I began to ask him things I knew he could not even respond to, "Who are you? And what the hell happened to you?" in a whisper. With a sigh, I grabbed for my necklace and kept my eyes closed as I placed my right hand over the man's wounded chest. I'll nevertheless help him, even though I'm conscious of the fact that doing so would sap my own strength and energy.

I didn't even have to wait long before I gave up in exhaustion and a sense of weariness. While trying to regain my strength, I lay right next to the man and pondered if I really did the right thing here. The humane part of me is telling me that I did well. But I also knew that I wouldn't even hear the end of what I just did from Eris. She would surely get back at me for being this nosy again and even putting ourselves at risk.

What am I trying to prove by trying to help this almost lifeless human? I wanted to confirm to myself that no matter what my father says, I have a heart that understands and cares for people. And that someday I am also destined for my own greatness.

I'm aware that my father, Alpha Cohen Saunders, doesn't consider me capable of taking over the reins one day. He asserts that I was actually bred to be a Luna and not an Alpha. And even though he let me join our fighters, he does not believe I can hold my own in combat. He claims it is useless because, like my mother, I will only function merely as the man's support in the pack.

So why then can I heal a human, some might wonder. Who am I even to have this ability? Aside from me being a daughter of Black Knight Pack’s Alpha, my mother is a half-breed she-wolf and a witch named Sierra. 

My father initially struggled to accept that he would be matched with a half-breed, but after realizing that there were numerous advantages and benefits for him, he came around to accepting my mother as his Luna. And although it has not always been easy for my mother to fit in with the pack, she has gradually come to be regarded as a vital member thanks to her abilities. This makes it clear why I also possess the ability to heal others, but just like what Eris mentioned, it comes with restrictions and rules. 

The man lying next to me makes a faint wheezing sound. He appears to have regained a bit of consciousness as a result of what I did to him. And that makes me relieved, knowing that at least he still has a chance to survive. But if that was the case, I would have to take immediate action because he can't see us. 

I called to my wolf, "Eris! Wake up." But all I could hear was the sound of silence. My obstinate wolf, unfortunately, is actually wanting me to go about this the hard way. I know what I did to her earlier was annoying and irritating, but at this moment, we need to bring the man back closer to the road in order that somebody might be able to see him and help him from there. Eris and I can deal with our issues later.

"Eris, wake up. We must shift right away and bring him back to the area closer to the road."

"Now you need my assistance. You even blocked me from trying to talk to you earlier, but now that you are unable to handle him yourself, you just changed your mind and now want to talk to me."

"Would you, Eris, not make things more difficult for me than they already are? Rapid action is crucial for both of us at this point. He cannot see us, Eris; he can't know that we helped him."

Eris would not really allow this to pass easily. "And who is to blame? This is completely your fault. I clearly told you not to do anything and just go back," she remarked.

I replied, "Let's talk about our issues later, but we really need to shift now." I didn't care what Eris had to say again, shifting back into my wolf form. "Now carry him and walk towards the open road," I urged her.

"Seriously, Snow, do you prefer that we suffer and die? We are both going to die before we even have the chance to meet our mate if any other human sees us." She kept complaining, but when she was left with no other option, she scooped up the man and carried him according to what I instructed. "Snow, I wanted to meet my mate, but both you and your obstinacy will actually prevent us from doing so. And I really hate you doing this."

"Calm down, Eris, we've got this." As we drew farther away from the border, we began arguing and bantering. "I repeatedly told you earlier that we needed to get some help, but you didn't think that my idea was actually right, and now you are blaming me that we are in this situation."

"Goodness, Snow! I really don't know what I'll do with you most of the time. You're always trying to prove yourself." She hissed at me. We both feel vulnerable since we are aware of the dangers present in this part of the forest, so we are employing our argument as a defense.

But this time, I chose to remain silent and not answer her back. This is not just about me proving myself, but I am actually really trying to help someone. We were trekking in silence, minding our own business, when we spotted the open route leading to the road.

"This is it for us. We cannot be seen in wolf form beyond this point; otherwise, hunters might see us and kill us." As she carefully placed the man down, she sniffed him and said to me, "He seems to be breathing now. We can leave him here all by himself."

I nodded instantly, "Yes, we do. I just hope that someone will come and find him here.” I fervently hope that someone will discover him and bring him to a hospital. We gave the guy one quick glance, with me feeling suddenly emotional about all of this, then Eris sprinted back deeper into the forest.

Eris continued to run back to our pack, and both of us kept our silence again, hoping that we would not get caught this time around. She came to a halt a few meters from the back gates as we shifted back. I stumbled into the big tree, where I found my clothing, which I had left off earlier. This is my usual spot whenever I want to go out undetected. As quickly and quietly as I could, I changed back into my clothes and was heading back toward the gate when I bumped into someone.

I turned around to discover another good-looking man standing in front of me, glaring at me, to which he said, "Hey, look where you're going. Who are you?"

I was left speechless, and my heart began to beat rapidly in my chest. That voice, though demanding, is very soothing to my ears. We both continue to stare at each other while taking a whiff of the air. He smells enticing. "Who the hell are you?" he sharply demanded.

"I—I am—"

In my head, Eris shrieked, "Mate. Snow, I'm absolutely sure he's our mate."

I whispered back to Eris, "M-mate? Really? How can you even be sure of that?" Even though I also wanted him to be our mate, we wouldn't know for certain until the full moon, of course.

The man repeated, unmistakably not finding it interesting to be around me, "I asked you a question. Who the hell are you? What are you doing out here?"

"Well, I am—"

"Snow, where have you been? I've been looking for you." Ryder approaches me and exclaims, "Come on, they're waiting for you," giving the man a curt nod as he almost drags me back into the pack house.

"Mate." I thought to myself, hoping that Eris was correct that he was our mate as I cast one more glance at the man, who was still glaring at me.