Chapter 1: Take your hands off my mate!

Astrid tore through the forest in blind fear, her arms pumping beside her, her feet carrying her farther away from Iron Claw Pack.

Night had come, and the forest was bathed in the gentle glow of a full moon hanging low in the sky.

Her breath came out in harsh pants, her chest burning with exhaustion. Her lungs protested, struggling to draw in air.

She could feel her heart thumping hard within her. Her hair flayed wildly behind her, a few strands sticking to her sweaty face.

She cast a quick look behind her, her emerald eyes darting frantically, searching for her pursuers.

She saw no one, but her ears caught the heavy pounding of paws on dirt and leaves, sending a thrill of alarm through her veins.

The Alpha must have sent his lycans after her, to capture and bring her back.

Whimpering softly, she increased her pace. If she could just get to the borders of the pack, she would be able to disappear without a trace.

Thinking about her predicament now, she regretted not escaping years ago. She had been so scared to leave. Fear of the outside world which she knew nothing about had prevented her from leaving the life of abuse she was subjected to.

Astrid was an orphan, found as a new born outside the entrance of Iron Claw Pack. The Alpha of the pack, Alpha Kael, had taken her in and raised her not as his child, but a servant.

Astrid was raised by the omegas in the pack, the lowest rank of shifters. Hence she was regarded as an omega too, especially when everyone discovered she had no wolf.

Alpha Kael didn't take her in out of pity. The night he found her, there was a strange mark on her palm, the mark of a silver crescent moon.

When Astrid turned eight, he burned off the mark and made her swear never to tell anyone about it. So Astrid grew up without any knowledge of what that mark meant.

Being an omega in a pack was a fate similar to death. The omegas were treated like trash, abused and punished at the slightest provocation, starved for days and even weeks.

This was the kind of life Astrid had growing up. She had no parent, and the omegas who raised her told her the story of how the Alpha found her as a baby.

Though Astrid never spoke about the mark Kael burned off, she never stopped thinking about it. A part of her knew the crescent moon mark was important, and it had something to do with her. She knew she was destined for something more, and not the life she was subjected to.

This fateful night she decided to escape was the night of her eighteenth birthday, the age she was to find her mate. And strangely enough she found him, despite being wolf-less.

It was Gerald, Alpha Kael's son. The only boy she ever had a crush on.

Tears brimmed in her eyes as she remembered how Gerald cruelly rejected her. His harsh words still echoed in her ears...

'I can't be mated to a scumbag like you. An omega mated to the future Alpha? Forget it, Astrid. I reject you...'

Astrid let out a sob as she ran, her heart breaking all over again. Gerald's hurtful words and the pain of his rejection struck a hole in her heart, one that would never be healed.

She remembered running away from Gerald, as the other shifters laughed at her mockingly. She remembered running into the forest, wanting to be alone.

Only for her to find Alpha Kael and a group of other shifters talking about her in hushed, secretive tones.

"You should have come to us immediately you discovered the mark on her, Alpha Kael." One of the shifters complained angrily. "We can't let anyone find out she has the Keeper's mark. If we're going to kill her, it has to be now."

"The moment you saw the mark on her, you should have killed her as a child." Another shifter added in an agitated tone.

"I had no idea what the mark meant. That's why I didn't tell anyone about it." Alpha Kael growled. "But it's not too late. We will kill her tonight. She's an omega, no one will care about her death."

It was at that moment Astrid realized that Alpha Kael meant to kill her. In her shock, she took a step back and stepped on a twig which snapped loudly.

Alpha Kael was the first to spot her. His dark gaze whipped through the brushes, connecting with hers.

"Get her!" He roared, and Astrid fled.

And here she was, running like her life depended on it, because it did. Her pursuers were relentless as they increased their speed, gaining on her.

Astrid knew it was only a matter of time before she got caught. She could feel her legs getting weak, buckling occasionally beneath her. Her vision blurred, and her throat burned.

Suddenly she tripped over a thick tree root and crashed heavily to the ground. Pain shot through her body, but the fear of getting caught was greater.

She struggled to her feet, limping through the thick shrubs. When she saw the borders of the pack ahead of her, she felt a burst of hope. She just had to reach it. Once she crossed the borders, it would be difficult for her pursuers to trace her.

But as she hurriedly limped forward, a body crashed into hers.

She screamed as they both fell to the ground, rolling and growling.

A sharp pain slammed into Astrid's waist and she let out another scream. Despite the pain, she tried to crawl away and escape.

But it was too late. Alpha Kael's lycans had caught up with her, surrounding her, giving her no chance to escape.

The man who slammed into her lifted her and threw her roughly over his shoulder.

"LET ME GO!" Astrid screamed as they began to run back to the pack. "HELP! HELP ME!"

Her voice echoed all through the forest, but got no response.

Astrid's hope slowly vanished as realization dawned on her. She was going to be killed.

"Moon Goddess, help me please." She whispered weakly, tears streaming down her face as she fell unconscious.

Suddenly a vicious roar shook the entire forest.

Alpha Kael's lycans froze on the spot, their hackles raised as the ear-splitting roar sent shivers down their spines.

[What was that?]The one holding Astrid asked through the mind link.

Before the others could decipher the sound, another roar sounded, this time closer, much louder than the first. Paws pounded on the earth, heading towards their direction.

Their instincts screamed at them to run, but something in that roar made them paralyzed with fear.

Out of the blue, a massive wolf burst out of the forest. It was a terrifying beast, towering over them, almost eight feet, fur as dark as midnight.

Its eyes glowed eeriely, a dark ruby hue, and those eyes quickly turned furious when it settled on an unconscious Astrid.

As Alpha Kael's lycans looked on in terror, the towering beast transformed. Its massive shape contorted, dark fur receding and a strikingly handsome man emerged.

His dark hair framed a perfectly chiselled face and piercing ruby gaze. Broad shoulders and powerful build radiated an aura of command.

The lycans knew immediately that they were in the presence of a very powerful and dominant Alpha.

The dark haired stranger took a step forward and spoke in a bone chilling voice.

"Take your hands off my mate."