Chapter 1

Ronika

20 Years Old

I hastily and clumsily wrapped my towel around myself when I heard rushing footsteps in the hallway and the smell of my mother's perfume. Then the door knob turned, the door making a creaking sound as it was pushed open.

"Mom!" I huffed, "when will you ever knock?" I glared at her when she popped her head behind the half-open door, her manicured hand on the verticle edge.

"Follow me," she sternly stated, blatantly ignoring my complaint without batting an eyelash.

"Really mom?" I shook my head.

"You just invaded my privacy, and you don't even have the decency to say sorry?" I raised my shoulders, elbows folded, and hands spread before continuing.

"You can see clearly that I was on my way to the bathroom," I added, pointing at my towel and the fresh, clean clothes on my bed.

"I don't have time for this, Ronika. This is your room, but it is practically inside my house. Now for the last time, get out." She raised her brow when I didn't move and just openly stared at her, waiting for her to get out.

"Now!" she shouted, tilting her head in the direction of the hallway. I didn't need to be told again; I hurried out, tightening my hold around the towel right above my boobs.

"What's going on, mom?" A knot began forming in my stomach, and an unsettling feeling took over almost instantly. There was something wrong somewhere, and that is what I wanted her to tell me. It was normal for her to barge into my room, but to shout and order me to follow her? That had never happened before, and it was extremely rare for her to raise her voice, even when she was extremely pissed off.

"Mom?" I called when she made no point to answer.

"Where are you taking me? I barely have anything underneath this towel." The more she paid no mind to my questions, the faster my heart beat accelerated.

"Sssh." She turned and placed her index finger on my lips, making me squint my eyes. I didn't say a word as she peered behind the corner, then pulled me downstairs, telling me to step on my toes. She was acting as if someone was after us, out to hurt us. She guided me into the guestroom, which was connected to the safe room.

"Listen to me carefully, Ronika," she instructed, her voice with an edge I couldn't quite place.

"You're scaring me, mom," I whispered, looking at her as she pressed on a switch behind a portrait. The bookshelf turned, revealing the entrance to the safe room that I had grown up playing in.

"We have been invaded by an unknown pack as of now. As if we speak, the invaders have overpowered the guards at the gate and the borders and are heading further into the pack," she explained in a low voice, her hands firmly on either side of my shoulders.

"Where's dad?" I trembled, hoping that he was okay. As the alpha, he sure was on the front line of the war, protecting the pack.

"He's fine. Now get in; remember, you cannot step out of this room until I come for you, okay?" she strictly ordered.

"Aren't you staying with me?"

"No honey. As the luna, I have to go out there; my presence will bring a calming effect to my people, but I will come back, I promise." She shook her head.

"I am going out with you. I haven't been trained all these years for nothing. This is the right time to show that I will be a capable alpha after dad retires," I argued, raising my chin high even though I could feel my entire body shaking.

"I know you are a good fighter, but I will not risk the life of my only daughter for a mere alpha position. The goal is to keep you safe, not throw you out to the hungry werewolves," she explained, her tone pleading, as were her eyes.

"Alright," I breathed, "but promise me you'll be careful."

She placed her hand on my cheek, massaged it gently, then whispered, "I promise."

"Tell dad to show them who the alpha is." I forced a light laugh, hugging myself as she nodded. I watched her walk out, leaving my chest heavy with strings tugging on it. Minutes went by while I remained in the same spot, staring at the door and deliberating on whether to go inside the safe room or go change and charge into the battle.

How will the pack respect me in the future, especially as a female alpha, if I do not fight side by side with them? 

"I'm sorry, mom, but I have to do this," I whispered to the empty room, right before screams rang out a few metres from our home and the smell of burning wood invaded my nostrils. With that, I raced back to my room and got dressed, hoping that my mom would forgive me after it was all over. As I ran to the front door, I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread in the pit of my stomach. It was as if I could tell something bad was about to happen, but I ignored it, opened the door, and ran straight towards the direction of the screams.

The land was up in smoke, and dust was up in the air as more shouts and groans of terror, pain, and anger invaded my ears. The sheer terror that my body had been subjected to compelled my feet to stay cemented to the ground.

My wild, wide eyes registered the scene before me, darting from one end to the other with no definite direction. Admittedly, the only flexible muscles were those of my eyes. The rest of the muscles became rigid due to the sudden barrage of adrenaline on my entire nervous system.

Everything seemed to be thrashing fast and out of control, except me. Fists were being thrown all around me, cluttering the faces of those that hadn't yet shifted. Massive werewolves clawed and bit each other, growls and whimpers making up a sombre tune.

Others were shifting amidst the chaos, taking defensive stances, and launching themselves at their opponents. The coppery smell of fresh blood invaded my nostrils, making me realise the intensity of the matter.

The ground on which my two feet stood seemed frozen, shielded from the actions that surrounded me. No one was attacking me, and even though I was thankful for that, I knew there must have been a plausible explanation why.

"Oh god," I whispered amidst my trance when I spotted one of my pack members at the far end of the field being dragged on the ground by his leg. 

He couldn't have been older than 18, yet he struggled with the attacker, kicking the hand that was gripping him over and over again with his free leg.

I wanted so much to run to him and save him, but a shrill scream on my right tore my eyes from the boy, landing on Carol, my father's secretary. The first thing I noticed was her pair of trousers that were torn, leaving her almost nude to my eyes.

In front of her, a bald-headed man with a dishevelled blonde beard stood tall. He must have been over 6 feet tall and a well trained soldier. He towered over her petite figure, his malicious smile revealing brown stained teeth.

He then caught her by her neck with his right hand and jerked her towards him. He began to squeeze her neck in a very tight grip, forcing her to choke. Her hands flew over his in reflex, struggling feebly to pry away his hand from her.

I stood unmoving as he drew his sword with his other hand. I registered every single movement, even as he plunged the sword deep into her stomach. My belly cramped and clenched as he pulled it out, blood spattering on him and forming impact stains on his cargo pants.

Fear and utter terror clawed and gnawed up my throat as Carol's lifeless body fell to the ground. I couldn't believe that I had just witnessed a murder before my eyes.

Then the monster of a man turned to me.

That's when I realised that a loud, earth shattering scream had passed between my lips. Then he began making long, determined strides towards me. The malevolent smirk on his fierce face depicted a promise of torture. It forced my heart to hammer and lurch in my chest, pumping nonstop energy into my rigid muscles.

"Ronika run! Go now!" I heard my father's shout over the violence, carrying with it the command of an alpha. I turned to search for him, and when our eyes met, his red eyes glowed with fury but softened when he looked at me as he stood over a lifeless body. Time seemed to freeze between us, but when another shout came from him, the trance was broken.

"Don't look back!"

The flow of the new energy awoke my leg muscles, making me break into a run as my father charged towards the man. My mind was hazy, and my legs were cramping after standing for a long time, but I was determined to save my life. At that point, I regretted disobeying my mother, thinking I could handle chaos.

I avoided the rolling bodies on the ground and the wolves that were biting and ripping their opponents apart with violence. The fierce man was gaining on me, making me accelerate further. Just then, the familiar voice of my mother sounded in my ears.

"Nooooo!" she cried, making my heart leap into my throat. My head whipped in the direction of her voice, making me lose my footing. Before my body was pulled down by the force of gravity, I caught a fleeting glimpse of my mother's teary eyes trained on me as a knife slashed her throat open.