1

ALINA

I jolted upright and I was out of bed before my eyes fully opened. My heart pounded against my rib cage like it was trying to escape. The air in the room felt tight, but I paid no mind to it. Pulling the worn sweater over my head and slinking my shaky arms into the sleeves.

By the time I reached the field, the camp was alive and more than half of the other displaced wolves, vampires and lycans, have flooded into the roads, trying to find shelter.

I couldn’t tell if this was just another drill. It has been happening too often these days, I feared we wouldn’t be prepared for when they actually came. I could only hope it never came to that.

There was roughly one thousand people living in the camp we all called home. It was no man’s land not long after before we settled here. Most of the people were survivors from other broken packs that have been destroyed and claimed by him. The horrible monster in children’s books.

The Wolf Slayer.

I didn’t know his real name. For the longest time he was only referred to as that. He has haunted and killed thousands of wolves in the past twenty years, and he still wasn’t done. If anything, he was gaining more power and leverage over us.

Packs that were once safe now feared the thought of him invading. He has never lost a battle since he started this raid almost a decade ago.

The murmurs and groans around me pulled me back to the present. People were returning to their tents, obviously not happy about being woken up so early thinking we were in imminent danger only to realise it was yet another drill.

One of these days, they would ring those bells for a very important reason and no one would heed to their warning.

I sighed and followed the crowd heading back to their tents. The sky was still dark out so I hoped I would be able to get more sleep before I’m forced to wake up once again for training this time.

“Hey, slinky, where do you think you’re sneaking off to?”

My heart sunk to my stomach at the sound of the voice. I hoped he wouldn’t be among the people that were unlucky enough to be awake at this time. I should have expected it, seeing as his father was like our alpha and so he had to pull his weight somehow.

A voice told me to ignore him and just keep moving, but that would mean setting myself up for inevitable torture when he catches me later.

“Should I beg you to come meet me?” His mocking voice was followed by series of laughs from his minions.

I hated Jamie and his crew. His father was helpful and our saviour, his son on the other hand tortured people for fun.

I turned around slowly, wishing I was invisible so I didn’t have to deal with this.

“Where are you sneaking off to? Your whorehouse?” He was up to me in no time. Without giving me time to brace myself, something hard connected with the side of my head which made me see stars.

The side of my head was already aching because of him. Jaime hit people, especially me, like he didn’t know they were human.

“Stop.” I cried out when he kicked me in the shin. The pain made me lose my balance. I fell to the ground with a thud. Pain seared in my shoulder which distracted me from the sand that slipped into my eyes.

Jaime then started kicking me with his feet.

There was too much rage in someone his age. But at least his big ass body is able to carry it all.

I stopped trying to block his hits or begging him to stop. He always gets bored when he sees I’m no longer fighting back. And I wish I could just sit there and take it. Knowing it’ll end sooner if I do that. But my body’s natural instinct always kicks in and I try to protect myself.

I’m heaving and clutching my stomach. Trying to stop the bile that had risen up my throat. I haven’t eaten anything since yesterday morning.

Jamie and his little minions were by the dinner table all through and I refused to risk his wrath,

I don’t know what I ever did to him but he has never liked me. For as long as I could remember, he always hated me and has been bullying me relentless for years. I once gained enough courage and reported him to his father, who punished him.

Safe to say, what he did to me made me never try that again. Now, I just let myself endure whatever he threw my way.

“Now go to your worthless boyfriend and tell him to come fight for you if he can.” He spits out. Bitterness dripped from his tone.

Satisfied with the damage he has caused. Jamie walked off with his tails, leaving me on the floor, bloody and barely breathing. I couldn’t identify where exactly the pain started or stopped because it was everywhere.

I gathered myself up and crawled to the nearest tree where i rested my back and tried to catch my breath.

Hot tears trail down my cheeks. I wince when it drops on an open wound in my cheek. The burn made everything else dim for a second.

I wish my parents and brother were here. Maybe they would be stronger and they’ll fight for me. I would at least have an older brother to protect me.

Jamie and his little minions won’t ever try to hurt me. And I would know what it felt like to be loved and protected. I closed my eyes, imagining how peaceful life would have been if the Wolf Slayer hadn’t killed them.

I had only one goal, one dream, and that is to avenge my parents. It was my only driving force for this life. The reason I wake up every morning even knowing I would have to deal with Jamie and his issues.

I didn’t know how I was going to achieve that, or what I would do after. I guess I would cross that bridge when I got to it. I just know, I’ll be at peace once its done.

I woke up much later. The sky had already gone down and the crisp night air had goosebumps erupting all over my skin. I shudder from the cold as I try to mentally counted how many hours I must have slept.

Shit. I missed dinner. Again.

If Jamie or all the other people in the pack don’t kill me first. Hunger might.

Just as I said that, my stomach growled loudly. Like I needed any reminder on how famished I am.

Picking myself up from the ground takes a whole effort. But I managed to stand on my feet two minutes later. My knees felt like they have been turned inside out. And I have a busted lip.

I wish I had healing powers to be able to heal myself. It was something all wolves had.

I’m turning twenty in a few minutes, maybe even seconds. And I still haven’t found my wolf. And sixteen was usually when people got theirs. I’ve been telling myself it was okay, I was only a late bloomer. These days I have started thinking of the possibility of me not having a wolf at all.

I closed my eyes and counted down from ten. When I got to one, I snapped my eyes open. Nothing changed.

It felt disappointing a little. But that feeling only lasted a second because the next thing I heard was a loud boom.

Even the ground beneath me shook. I got up and started looking around me wildly. Trying to figure out what that sound was.

I get the answer in the next second when I heard shouts and screaming. Shouts of people that didn’t sound familiar. People I know certainly weren’t from our camp.

Realization slams into me hard, almost sending me back to the ground.

We were getting attacked.

The Wolf Slayer has found us.