Chapter 2

This was no longer her palace. No longer the place she had grown to love. The home she had hoped to make of it. Not anymore. They had turned it into a hunting ground. And she was the one being hunted.

Maxine pushes her body to run faster, go beyond limits she’s never tested. And with her newfound speed, her muscles scream but she doesn’t slow. She runs up the winding staircase. The forest comes into view.

A strong tug pulls at her senses. It was calling to her. Luring her to its edge and deep into its belly. Edging her on and encouraging her to pivot to it. A tempting gesture.

Thus, desperate to get away, to leave all of it behind. Maxine doesn’t listen to reason. She doesn’t have the time to. Not with the wolves hot on her trail, smashing everything on sight to get to her, but she’s fast— too fast. Faster than a normal werewolf.

The ground itself practically folds to her command as she changes course. She runs toward it. The very thing that she had been told to never set foot in. The very forest she had been warned would destroy her if she ever set foot inside. That it would drain her life force and kill her.

She runs to it like it’s the only thing left capable of saving her. The last resort in her desperate quest to flee from those who wronged her.

With trembling legs, she breathes like a ten-pound brick is glued onto her chest. Approaching its opening, she hesitates, but fear drives her forward as its canopy swallows her whole.

Just as she disappears inside it—

“GRRROOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

A blood-curdling roar splits through the sky.

The very ground Maxine stands on quakes in response. Miscalculating how close the ground is to her feet, she drops to the forest floor, the sound echoing through her bones and straight to her core.

She feels it. The rage. The anger. And the silent promise—a threat. She couldn’t deny it. She had dishonoured the Alpha King in his home, his house, his kingdom and now, he was coming for her. She would pay for disgracing him.

Inside, the forest breathes, sensing her presence in its abode. It awakens. A low hum sounds somewhere in the distance. Branches and vines move with snail-like precision, reshaping the paths and blocking openings.

Maxine doesn’t register it at first, too engrossed in the desire to survive and flee. However, it feels like the air keeps getting thicker, heavier with each breath. A gentle breeze caresses her skin, not cold but welcoming.

The scent of damp earth and something ancient fills her lungs. It’s not unpleasant, but it's overwhelming; a distinct homey scent accompanies it, tickling her nostrils. Startled, she flicks the thought of home out of her mind, swatted away by her growing fear.

The chaos behind her was already growing louder.

Howls echoed all around the palace. Furs of different shades glisten under the evening sun, wolves rush towards the forest, alarmed at the sudden flight of their future Luna and the wrath of their Primordial.

The ground shudders from the mass of them, branches snapping due to the force of their pursuit as leaves fall from high trees.

Terror pins Maxine to the floor, she had become an enemy to the pack.

“Come on!” Thraen breaks through to her. “Get up, no time to waste lying around. Let’s go!”

Maxine jumps to her feet with a fuzzy mind, and a weaker body from the fall. It protests, a wave of dizziness hits her and threatening to take her out.

She looks back to see hundreds of wolves headed her way. At the front stands the massive figure of Varkul, venomous drool dripping from his maw. His dark eyes pinned squarely on her as he closes the distance between them per second.

He is a force, a danger she wants nothing to do with. A hunter she wishes to evade. Her eyes burn from unshed tears, a result of her heart breaking once more. He’s a betrayer! A big fat ugly liar.

“RUN!” Thraen screams. “NOW!”

Maxine staggers, her leg catches on a loose vine that wasn’t there before and she trips.

Her life flashes before her eyes, her hands make contact with the damp floor and dirt fills beneath her nails as her knees hit the ground painfully.

She bites her tongue to avoid crying out in pain because it’s nothing compared to the terror clawing its way into her nervous system. They were closer. HE was closer.

Maxine’s heart thuds against her ribcage. She scrambles to get up on trembling limbs, failing miserably as she comes crashing down falling flat on her back, twisting her ankle in the process.

Groaning in pain, she turns to see Varkhul approach rapidly. Again, she tries to get up but her body gives no compliance, the fear of impending doom has her frozen in place. Eyes wide with the sinking realization that there’s nowhere to escape.

The sound of paws hitting the ground grows louder by the second. Varkhul corners her, he stretches out his clawed paw, a breath away from finally snatching her and ending this ridiculousness. He reaches for her injured foot which has Maxine scrambling backwards until her back comes into contact with a fallen log.

Varkhul flashes a wolffish smirk, reaching for her left ankle. She screams at the top of her lungs but he keeps advancing.

He begins to wrap his claws around it, tightening his grip. But something suddenly shoots from the left, wrapping itself around Varkul’s torso. Another shoots from above, constraining him in place. He swats at them, tearing into each one.

They increase, wrapping themselves in an impossibly tight grip around the primordial. He snarls, the sound shaking the trees. Completely immobilized, he thrusts violently in a poor attempt to free himself.

This only causes more to come rapidly. They drag his thrashing figure to a tree and trap him on its enormous trunk. Tightening each time he resists. His growls grow muffled with each twitch. Sinking into the growing mass of vines.

Maxine stares wide-eyed, her lungs greedy for oxygen now that the threat has been removed. Shock takes over the fear etched in her mind. She looks around, noticing many other wolves that have met the same fate trying to reach her.

“Wh—What the?” She mutters, finally registering the low hum surrounding her. The forest moves more evidently now. Vines and branches alike continue movement.

“It’s alive.” She whispers. “IT'S ALIVE!” She repeats louder—the words swallowed by the melodic hum.

A memory pops up in her mind. “If it ever comes to it, run to the forest. It will live for you.” He had said. That night, she hadn’t understood why or what they meant.

Until now.

Warmth spreads in her chest. She stands up this time, still unsteady but relaxed. Assured of her safety.

She runs, and the forest moves in sync with her movements, creating a path for her. And then, just at the opening, she finally sees him.

The High Alpha, in his mighty glory. She stills. The scathing look he gives her screams danger.