We're Surrounded

Bella’s POV

A few months had passed, and winter had settled in, painting the forest with frost and snow. That morning, Ronald came to wake me for training and hunting. I opened my eyes to see him standing there, tall and calm, his presence still somehow grounding me even after everything. Our relationship had changed so much since that day in the cabin. I was stronger, faster, and smarter, all because of him. He had trained me relentlessly, teaching me not just to fight, but to survive, to anticipate, to trust my instincts and my wolf.

“Ready?” he asked, his voice steady, and I nodded, already feeling the energy in my veins. He had told me that tonight we would face some of the biggest threats in the region, and he wanted me prepared.

So I got ready quickly and went in search of Ronald.

“Bella,” Ronald said, his voice calm but tense, “we are not alone. Vampires and werewolves are surrounding the cabin. Something big is coming.”

I froze for a second before rushing outside with Ronald. What we found waiting for us made my blood run cold. Rogues. Dozens of them. Before I could even think about shifting, two men stepped forward and raised their hands.

“We’re not here to fight,” one of them said.

I didn’t believe it. My whole body was tense, ready to spring. Before Ronald or I could move two vampires joined them from the other side of the clearing. My hands curled into fists and my wolf pushed forward, but one of the vampires, a woman with a swollen belly, stepped in front of the others.

“Please,” she said, “we’ve been watching you. We mean no harm.”

I narrowed my eyes. “You expect me to believe that?”

She nodded calmly. “You and him live together when you’re supposed to be enemies. We want the same. We want to join you.”

The words made me snap. “Join what? There is no pack here.” I turned away, furious. “Ronald, deal with this yourself. I’m not listening to them.”

I stormed back into the cabin and dropped onto the couch. I grabbed the remote and turned on the TV just to drown out the thoughts spinning in my head. Nyra kept whispering that maybe I should listen, but I refused. This had to be some trick.

After a while Ronald came in. “Bella,” he said quietly, “come outside and hear them out.”

“No,” I told him without looking up. “They’re lying.”

He sat beside me. “They mean it. I can feel it. And Nyra feels it too.”

I glared at him, but he didn’t back down. Even Nyra agreed in the back of my mind, and that annoyed me more than anything. Finally I stood up. “Fine. But if they try anything I’ll kill them myself.”

When I stepped outside again all eyes were on me. “How many of you are there?” I asked.

“Thirteen vampires,” the pregnant woman answered. “Ten werewolves.”

I folded my arms. “And what do you want?”

“A pack,” she said without hesitation. “A place where we’re not hunted. We want you to lead us.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Me? An Alpha? My whole body was shaking but I didn’t let it show. I looked at Ronald. He didn’t say a word. He only gave me that calm look of his that told me he believed it.

I swallowed hard before nodding. “Fine. But if any of you betray me, you’ll regret it.”

They lowered their heads in unison. And just like that, I had a pack.

And we called it the Forsaken Pack.

*****

It had been a year since I first came into these lands and two months since the Forsaken Pack was formed. At first it was difficult. Vampires and werewolves had never worked side by side, and the mistrust was heavy. They were used to being alone, used to looking over their shoulders. Their past encounters with each other had not been good. But with time, patience, and training, things began to change. They started to see that we weren’t so different after all.

I stood outside, watching the frame of another cabin rise higher into the air. The sound of hammers echoed through the clearing. I turned to Noah, who had been overseeing the work.

“How long until this cabin is done, Noah? We’re growing fast. The news of this pack has spread through the territory. More people want to join. We need housing.”

He wiped the sweat from his brow before answering. “We’re doing our best, Alpha. We’ll need a few more days until this one is ready. But you know the problems we’ve been having. Vampires and rogue werewolves who don’t want this pack to exist. They attacked this cabin last night. You can see the hole in the ceiling. But don’t worry, one of our guys caught the vampire. He dealt with it.”

I sighed. This was the balance of our existence. Some wanted to join us, others wanted to see us destroyed. Many couldn’t stand the sight of vampires and werewolves living as one. Fear was powerful.

Before I could reply, I heard quick footsteps behind me. Amelia, one of the girls on patrol, came running. Her face was pale.

“Alpha!” she called.

I turned sharply. “What’s wrong, Amelia?”

She rushed to my side, trying to catch her breath. “I know we’re not allowed near the edge of the pack’s borders, but I was distracted and didn’t realize how close I was. Only a few meters away. I overheard two patrol members from another pack.”

“Then talk, for fuck’s sake,” I snapped, my patience fraying.

She swallowed hard. “I heard them talking about a man named Fred Potter. I remembered Potter is your last name.”

My heart stopped. “Fred Potter is my grandfather,” I whispered to myself. I grabbed her shoulders. “What did they say about him?”

Amelia’s eyes flicked nervously. “They said he’s sick. Dying. He doesn’t have long left.”

The ground shifted beneath me. My grandfather. Was he dying? I felt like breaking right there, but I forced myself to stay standing.

“How would they even know about his health?” I asked.

“That’s what I wanted to tell you, Alpha,” Amelia said quickly. “From what I heard, there was a war between the Silver Crest Pack and the Dark Fang Pack a year ago. The Silver Crest Pack no longer exists. What used to be Silver Crest is now part of Dark Fang.”

“What?” I breathed.

Everything inside me went cold. My grandfather. My old pack. Silver Crest… gone.