Chapter Two

Chapter 2

Samara’s POV

For hours, I stared at the ceiling, replaying the conversation with Alpha Darius. I didn't even notice when I absent-mindedly removed my moonstone pendant. I only realize it when my wolf, Nyla, brought me out of my reverie.

“Sam please stand up.”

“Is that you Nyla?” I asked nervously.

I met my wolf, Nyla, when I turned eight and accidentally made my first shift in my grandmother's garden. She was almost the size of my grandfather’s wolf at the time. We didn’t know what to do after the sudden change, so we just started playing and chasing butterflies around the garden. When my grandmother finally came, she was shocked to see a huge wolf with heterochromia eyes in her garden chasing butterflies ( One of Nyla’s eyes is red, and the other is blue ). My grandma realized that Nyla had my scent, so she called out. I answered by running toward her and nudging her with our silver fur.

She helped me shift back and told me how dangerous and complicated my life already is because of the kind of supernatural creature my father is. Now, adding my wolf to it would make things even worse. So she gave me her moonstone pendant and made me promise never to take it off—because if I do, the people looking for me will be able to track me down. Up until now, I still don’t fully understand what she meant. I just wish she hadn’t died a few months later.

“I guess you can't remember my voice because of how long you've left me locked up with that pendant.”

“I'm sorry, Nyla, but you know I made a promise to Grandma. Besides, she said you could start communicating with me once I turned seventeen or eighteen. You never reached out to me, so I thought I'd wait until tomorrow when I turn eighteen," I said, before putting the pendant around my neck.

“Yeah, yeah.” She replied. “How about we go out?”

“It's late Nyla, what are your plans?” I asked curiously, slowly getting out of bed.

“Let's just go, Sam. I have a surprise for you.”

I got out of the maid's quarters, sneaked past the guards, and headed to the forest side of the pack borderlands, where pack members usually go to run in their wolf form. The midnight air was colder against my skin than I expected, making me shiver slightly. Everything was also unnervingly quiet and it felt suffocating. I walked over to a wooden log and sat down in silence.

After what felt like forever Nyla said “Let's go for a run Sam. Or better still let's run away from this place.”

“What! Are you crazy Nyla?” I asked surprise by her suggestion. “Or better still, do you have a death wish?”

“What Sam?” She hissed. “Aren't you tired of your life being dictated by someone else? Don't you want to live life on your own terms? See Sam I want to get to meet our mate and I'm not going to let anyone stop me. Not you, not your grandfather, not anyone else.”

I sighed before replying “ You're right Nyla. But the last time I tried to escape it didn't turn out well and I was severely punished. Besides we can't go for a run without me taking off the moonstone pendant.”

“I know Sam, you don’t have to worry about taking the pendant off. Also, back then you did it alone, this time I’ll be with you to lead the way. All I need is your consent,” she replied, her tone confident.

“Okay, Nyla. I trust you,” I replied hesitantly.

“Okay, Sam. But note this is going to be painful, it's going to drain all our energy. But it will be worth it,” she pointed out.

I took in a deep breath and was about to reply when suddenly I started to feel my bones breaking. I let out a little scream and fell on my knees. The pain was unbearable. Slowly, fur began sprouting from my skin, giving me a burning sensation as though my entire body was on fire. Then my palms turned rough and furry, then claws jutted out from my skin painfully.

After a few minutes of what felt like a life-and-death situation, I was standing on all fours, our silver fur shimmering under the bright moonlight. I was now reduced to a thought in Nyla’s consciousness. It felt weird. Nyla stretched her legs and dug her claws into the grass and dirt.

She shook her fur loose—a sign that she hadn't seen the outside world in ages—and trotted along the trees to get the blood flowing in her legs. Gradually, she began to gain speed, and her trot turned into a full-on sprint within seconds. We kept going at full speed, with no destination in mind and no break all through the night. We eventually stopped around noon due to exhaustion. I immediately shifted back to my human form, but I began feeling dizzy—everything became blurry, and slowly, darkness took over.

++**

I woke up strangely comfortable, I was warm, like I was lying on a hundred fluffy clouds. I was about to go back to sleep when I heard a male voice whisper close to me, “She heals faster than anyone I have seen. A few minutes ago she looked like life had been drained out of her and all her energy sapped.”

“Yeah, I saw her,” another male voice replied.

“I thought you said she was a human? Her healing speed superseded that of a low-ranking werewolf.”

Who are these people? Where am I? Then I recalled yesterday’s events. Oh, shit. What if I'm still in Blood Moon? Unable to hold my curiosity at bay, my eyes fluttered open as I looked around the dark, gloomy room. There were two men. One was bald and wore a white coat, while the other had short blond hair and was dressed in a blue shirt and jeans.

The smell of urine, faeces, and unwashed bodies hit me, and I quickly wrinkled my nose at the stench. They both noticed my reaction and turned to me. “You're awake,” the bald man said. “How are you feeling?”

I looked around and noticed I was in a cell.

“Whe…Where am…” Stammering nervously, I managed to ask, but my voice broke off before I could complete the sentence.

“Just stay still, okay? I don’t know what you did that drained..." The man with blonde hair was saying, but he was interrupted by the sound of the corridor door opening. A male figure walked in, followed closely by a female figure. In that instant, a scent reached my nose, it smelled refreshing and tingly but I ignored it since it was probably just the scent of the man approaching us.

He stopped in front of the blonde-haired man. Then I heard the huskiest and sexiest voice I’d ever heard ask, “Since when did you start defying my orders, Edgar?” From his aura and commanding tone I could tell he was the Alpha of this pack.

Edgar appeared shocked but kept silent.

“I gave you an instruction to lock her up but I didn't remember giving you the permission to call the pack doctor to examine or treat her. Or is there something about this girl that I don't know? Is she your mate?” He thundered, walking up to me. I avoided his gaze, not letting him mistake my eye contact for defiance.

“Who are you and what are you doing in my territory?”

I didn't respond.

“Look at me when I'm talking to you,” his cold dark, husky voice sent vibrations through my body. “Don't make me repeat myself.”

I looked up, and my breath caught in my throat. His dark-blue eyes were cold and calculating, yet they held a magnetic intensity that drew me in. It felt like he was staring right into the depths of my soul. His face was the most handsome and dreamy face I’d ever laid eyes on. He stood taller than most men I had met.

His short brown hair was swept back, and his skin was tanned, complementing his well-shaped face and perfectly arched brows. His nose was sharp, and his lips were well-defined, tinged with a pale shade of pink. I couldn't help but wonder what he'd look like if he were smiling. But then Nyla said the least word I was expecting “Mate!”