Chapter 1

Keyla's POV

"What happened to her?"

"There was an accident. The car she was in was found at the bottom of a hill."

"Okay. What's her condition?"

"Just some cuts outside, but she seems to be having internal bleeding."

"Okay. Tell them to prepare for surgery. We'll have to operate on her before it gets worse."

"Was she alone?"

"No, she was with two other people."

"Where are they?"

The conversations were disturbing. I could hear noise everywhere. Blaring, crackling, creaking and thudding. I opened my eyes but blinked them back closed as the bright white lights from the ceiling penetrated.

I seemed to be moving on something. I struggled to open my eyes once more.

"Ouch," I winced as I tried to move my head. It hurt. Every single part of me hurts.

Finally, my eyes adjusted to the brightness. Slowly, I tilted my head and took in the surroundings. Everywhere was painted white—the ceiling and the walls. The people standing beside me, moving at the same pace as me, were also dressed in white.

"She's awake," Someone said. All eyes turned to me.

"Where am I?" I muttered. My voice sounded sore and weak.

"You're at the hospital," Someone answered.

At the hospital? No wonder they were in white. They were doctors.

"What... What the hell... Am I doing here?" I struggled to say the words.

The man next to me pulled out an injection from somewhere, analyzing the tip of the needle. "You were in an accident. But you don't have to worry because everything will be fine soon."

In an accident? The words kept playing in my head.

"How was that even possi..." Just then, something came to my mind. "Mom. Dad. Where are they?"

I looked from one person to the other, expecting an answer. But no one was ready to give it to me. I was about to ask again when a needle pierced into me without warning.

I winced.

"Don't worry Miss, you'll be fine."

I felt dizziness creeping in, tugging at me slowly. "But... But I want... To know... Where they..." Before I could complete the words, everything went black.

***

"Mom, come on. I'm sure Curtin is going to be happy when he sees us!"

Mom and Dad laughed. Dad was driving, while Mom was next to him. We were on our way to the White Moon Pack to meet Curtin, my big brother.

Mom tilted her head, looking at me. "Oh, Keyla! You might not know this, but your brother isn't the very open type. He would rather stay as far away from us as possible than even have breakfast with us."

I was confused. I knew Curtin wasn't always the smiling and affectionate type, but there was no way he wouldn't like being around his family. I mean, who wouldn't?

I smiled. "Well I'm sure when he sees us he is going to—Aw"

Mom turned to me. "What's up, baby? What's going on?"

"I don't Mom, I just feel a little bit..." All of a sudden I screamed.

"Baby what's going on?!"

"Is everything okay?!"

Mom and Dad yelled. They sounded frightened.

I couldn't explain the pain I was feeling inside. I opened my mouth and touched my teeth. There was blood on my gum. I felt something pricking it. Each tooth started falling off, getting replaced by longer canines and fangs. The pain was insane.

"Skies!" Mom yelled. "It's happening, Darling. She's shifting. You have to stop the car."

My eyes widened as I heard those words. But it wasn't possible. I was turning eighteen in two days. That was why we were going to see Curtin, so we would all be together. Why was it happening now?

I winced again. This time it was my fingers. My nails were falling off. I screamed as longer claws forced themselves out.

"Honey, you have to stop the car!"

"I can't! The brakes aren't working!" Dad replied.

I tried to pay attention to them, but I couldn't. The pain was unbearable. I never thought the growing of hair would hurt until now, when longer and thicker strands of hair were growing out of my hair follicles.

"What do you mean the brakes aren't working?!" Mom panicked.

Dad kept hitting something. "I have tried, but they are not working at all."

I thought the worst had passed away, but it was just getting started.

"Aaarrrhhh!" I screamed as my bones started breaking and resetting. My spine grew longer and my femurs broke into two. I felt them changing shapes and taking different forms.

I turned to look at Mom and Dad. The looks on their faces as they stared at me were horrifying. But that was when I noticed it, the two bright lights speedily approaching us.

"Mom! Dad!" I jerked up, gasping for breath.

"Call the Doctor! Tell him she's awake!" A woman in white said to another.

I glanced around the room. It was a hospital ward. I tried to straighten up, but that was when I realized that I was connected to some machines.

I winced as I tried to pull the needles out, but the woman, who I presumed was a nurse, held my hand. "You can't do that, Miss. Those machines are helping you to stay alive."

I ignored her and pulled them out. She tried to hold me back, but I growled, which surprised me. She took a step backward. I got down from the bed but staggered and fell.

"Don't just stand there, help her up!" A man in a white coat yelled. He and another nurse rushed towards me and helped me up.

"I need to see my parents," I muttered as they tried to put me back in bed. But I fought them back. "Mom! Dad! Where are you?!"

"You can't go around looking for them, Ms. Scott. You have to rest and get better. That's the only way you'll be able to see them."

"No, I want to see them now," I argued. "I have to know how they are. I have to see if they are okay and—"

"—I assure you. I'll take you to them myself when you fully recover, okay?" The doctor said, cutting me off.

I still wasn't okay with it. I wanted to see them immediately.

"No, I have to."

"Ms. Scott, please stop fighting. You just woke up from a week-long coma. You still need time to—"

"—Why are you stalling? Why not just tell her where they are," Someone said, interrupting the doctor. It was someone I was well familiar with. It was Curtin. He was standing in the doorway, hands crossed beneath his chest.

"Curtin!" I cried out. Tears rolled down my eyes as I saw him. I felt relief wash over me. If he was here, that means Mom and Dad were here too. We made it to White Moon Pack. At least that was what I thought until Curtin said his next words.

"Why don't you just tell her that they are dead?"

My heart sank. "What... What did you just say?"

That was when I noticed it, the look of disdain on his face. Without saying anything else, he walked away.

"Curtin!" I felt a surge of energy flow inside of me. I broke free from the hold of the doctor and the nurses and bolted out of the ward. I grabbed Curtin's shirt.

"Please tell me it's a lie. Tell me you are lying to me. Please tell me the truth!" I couldn't stop the tears that left the corners of my eyes. I couldn't stop the pain inside of me, neither could I believe what was going on. How could I? One minute, I was with them; and the next, they were gone. I couldn't let myself accept it.

Curtin turned around, his grey eyes staring into mine. "It's true. It happened the night you guys were coming to the White Moon Pack. There was an accident. The car was found at the bottom of a hill. Don't you remember?"

My eyes widened in shock. So it wasn't just a dream I was having earlier. It was real. Those were my memories. That was when I recalled the bright light that was approaching us. I held Curtin's shirt. " It wasn't an accident, Curtin. Someone was coming towards us—a truck." My grip tightened. "We had to find the person, Curtin. They killed Mom and Dad."

Curtin laughed. He pushed my arm away. "Oh, is that what you think?" He asked. He ran his fingers through his hair. "Guess where you were when Mom and Dad were found?"

I was confused. "Wasn't I.. In the car?"

"No Keyla!" His eyes darkened. "You were outside the car with just a few cuts, while Mom and Dad were injured, broken, and burned beyond recognition!"

I was shocked. I took a few steps back. "But... I saw the light... I saw it coming towards—Ouch," I gasped as something was injected into me from behind.

I felt a sensation overwhelm me. My legs went numb. Curtin caught me as I staggered.

"I saw it, Curtin," I muttered with my last strength. This got him upset.

I felt hands grab me from behind, gently placing me in a wheelchair. As I was about to be wheeled away, Curtin held the chair back. He crouched down, glaring at me.

"You just had to. You just had to have your first shift when you were with them. You and your wolf killed Mom and Dad, Keyla," He growled. "And I'll never forgive you for that."

I felt a tear roll down my cheek as I lost consciousness.