chapter 003

Chapter 3

Death

Elera pov

I ran until my legs hurt like they were breaking.

The forest was thick and dark.. branches scratched my fast and my arms. My lungs burned with every breath but I couldn’t stop running , not when my life depended on it.

The howls behind me were getting closer.

They were hunting me like prey and at this moment that is what I was.

Now everyone believes I was a criminal. A thief. Someone who tried to hurt Celestia.

It was all lies.

But lies didn’t matter when teeth and claws were chasing you.

I stumbled over a root and crashed to the ground. Pain shot through my knee. I forced myself up, limping now, my bag bouncing against my back.

The howls were so close I could almost feel them.

Run. Keep running. Don’t stop… if only I had a wolf.

But my body was giving up. I wasn’t a warrior. I never trained for combat like Celestia. I was just a wolfless girl who tried to stay as invisible as possible.

And now I was going to die for it.

A massive gray wolf burst through the trees to my right.

I screamed and changed direction, Thorns tore at my skin. Blood ran down my arms but I didn’t care.

Another wolf appeared on my left…this one was brown with yellow eyes that gleamed with excitement from chasing a prey.

They were herding me. Playing with me.

I ran through the trees and froze.

Five wolves surrounded me in a circle.

All of them are bigger than me. Stronger than me. With teeth and claws I didn’t have.

The gray wolf shifted into human form…a warrior I recognized from my pack. He smiled cruelly.

“Look at you,” he said. “The precious Alpha’s daughter. Not so precious now, are you?”

“Please,” I gasped, backing away. “I didn’t do anything. Whatever they said…it’s not true…”

“Doesn’t matter if it’s true.” He stepped closer. The other wolves tightened the circle. “You’re rogue now. Which means you have no protection. No rights. And we can’t have you coming back to the park.”

The brown wolf lunged at me.

I threw myself sideways but wasn’t fast enough. Teeth sank into my shoulder and I screamed. Hot blood poured down my arm as the wolf shook me like a doll.

Another wolf bit my leg. Pain exploded through my body.

They were tearing me apart.

This is how I die, I thought distantly. Alone in the forest.

The brown wolf released my shoulder and went for my throat…

My hand found the pocket knife.

I always kept it in my trouser pocket. A small blade Father gave me years ago for cutting herbs in the garden. I’d forgotten it was even there until my fingers closed around the handle.

The wolf’s jaws opened wide, going for the killing bite.

I drove the knife upward with everything I had.

The blade sank into the soft flesh under the wolf’s jaw. Blood…hot and thick…poured over my hand. The wolf made a horrible gurgling sound and collapsed.

Dead.

I killed it.

For a moment, everything stopped.

The other wolves stared at their dead packmate. Then at me…small, wolfless, supposedly helpless me…standing there covered in blood with a tiny knife in my hand.

I pulled the knife free. More blood gushed out. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, smearing red across my face.

I looked at them.

And I smiled.

Not because I was happy. Not because I wasn’t terrified. But because something inside me had broken. Something that had been holding me back my whole life.

Fear.

“Come on then,” I said. My voice sounded strange. Too calm. Too cold. “Who’s next?”

The gray warrior shifted back to wolf form and took a step toward me.

I raised the knife. “I said, who’s next?”

For a long moment, no one moved.

Then one wolf whined. Another took a step back.

The gray wolf snarled at them, trying to rally them. But they were already backing away. Looking at the dead wolf. Looking at me covered in its blood.

A wolfless girl had just killed a warrior wolf with a pocket knife.

What else might I be capable of?

The gray wolf growled one more time, trying to look brave. But even he was uncertain now.

I took a step forward.

They ran.

All of them crashed back into the forest, leaving me alone with the dead wolf and more blood than I’d ever seen in my life.

My legs gave out.

I fell to my knees, the knife dropping from my shaking hand. Pain roared through my body…my shoulder, my leg, dozens of scratches and bites.

I was losing too much blood.

But I couldn’t stay here. More wolves would come. Stronger ones who wouldn’t be scared of a girl with a knife.

I forced myself to stand. Every movement was agony. I tore strips from my tunic and wrapped them around the worst wounds. The cloth turned red immediately but it was better than nothing.

I had to keep moving.

I had to find safety.

But where? I was declared rogue. Every pack would kill me on sight. I had no friends, no allies, nowhere to go.

Run far away, Adrian had said.

So I ran.

-----

I don’t know how long I walked.

Hours. Maybe a whole day. Time stopped meaning anything.

The sun set. The moon rose. My feet kept moving even when my mind went blank.

Blood loss made everything fuzzy. I stumbled more than walked. Trees blurred together. The forest became a nightmare that never ended.

My shoulder throbbed with every heartbeat. My leg dragged behind me. The makeshift bandages were soaked through.

Just a little further, I told myself. Just a little more.

But further to where? There was nowhere to go.

The moon was high overhead when I finally collapsed.

I hit the ground hard, too weak to catch myself. My vision went dark at the edges. Cold seeped into my bones.

This was it. This was where I died.

Not at the altar. Not in the clearing with the wolves. But here, alone in the darkness, bleeding out where no one would ever find me.

At least Mother wouldn’t be ashamed anymore. At least Father got what he wanted. At least…

Footsteps.

Heavy. Multiple people.

“What’s that?”

“Looks like a body.”

“Dead?”

“Check it.”

Hands rolled me over. I tried to fight but my arms wouldn’t work. Someone’s face appeared above me…blurry and indistinct.

“She’s alive. Barely.”

“Who is she?”

“Don’t know. Not one of ours.”

“Look at the wounds. Wolf bites. She crossed someone.”

“Should we finish her?”

“Wait.” A different voice. Deeper. Full of authority. “Bring her inside. Carefully.”

“But Alpha Kael…”

“I said bring her inside.”

Strong arms lifted me. Pain exploded through my body and I screamed…or tried to. Only a weak whimper came out.

“Easy,” the deep voice said. Close now. Right next to my ear. “You’re safe now.”

Safe. What a strange word. I hadn’t been safe in so long I’d forgotten what it meant.

Darkness pulled at me, trying to drag me under. I fought it weakly, some stubborn part of me refusing to give up.

But I was so tired.

So tired of fighting. Of hurting. Of being unwanted.

“Stay with me,” the voice commanded. “Don’t you dare die.”

Why not? What was there to live for?

But my body ignored my thoughts. My heart kept beating. My lungs kept breathing.

Stubborn. Even now.

The darkness won.