Chapter 1

When They Killed Me

Brid

I was standing on a cliff, staring at the horizon. In the distance, I could see the valley where I was born. Dark clouds covered everything. A terrible storm was coming towards me. But I couldn't move, I was immersed in the beauty that was in front of me. The drops began to fall one by one. Until the torrent blinded my sight. The mud that covered me completely was sliding down my face, torso, and legs. My stiff hair had a shape now. The rain was cleaning me up. Not just my body, but my soul.

In the distance, I also heard Wind's cracking howl. His pain was tearing my soul apart. I could feel how he was struggling with despair, trying to get out of the confines of Kael's mind, my beloved Kael. Wind is eager to go find his mate. However, I'm afraid he won't find her. Leaf does not respond. I can't feel her any more. She has abandoned me. I am vulnerable, my wolf is gone. And I don't know how to bring her back.

From my eyes, a torrent of tears was unleashed. Not only was I crying, but the sky was also doing it too. Accompanying my pain. Despair and anguish were eating my guts. The betrayal of Fatima and Toni is something that I will never forgive. It left me empty and with a painful hole in my chest. This is so deep, that it's hard for me to breathe. These gray clouds resemble my thoughts. What is Kael thinking right now? "Did you believe their lies, my love?" The rain kept coming down hard, and fast. I closed my eyes, remembering.

"Toni, what is that so urgent you wanted to tell me? And why on this side of the forest?" I immediately noticed that something was wrong. Toni was very nervous. "Something happened? Tell me!” I walked over to where he was standing. As their Luna, I had to help all the members of my pack. That was my role, to help them in everything, and to see for their well-being. Already a few steps from him. I noticed that his expression was filled with pain. What would have happened for him to be like this? And why didn't he come to Kael first?

Toni looked me in the eye and I could see his unshed tears. But, his expression suddenly changed. He regained his composure and his face was the same as ever. He smiled at me, closed the distance between us, to the point where our noses were almost touching. He took my shoulders with a strong grip and suddenly brought his lips to mine. My eyes widened in surprise, and my brain didn't process what was happening for a few seconds. Toni is my childhood friend. We, along with Fatima, have always been inseparable.

I abruptly pulled away from him, taking several steps away and wiping my mouth with the sleeve of my sweater. Leaf was furious. She couldn't understand how that low wolf dared to cross the line. She was demanding to go out and put him in his place. If I allowed that, she could kill him. The hierarchy was undeniable, my Wolf was very powerful, that's why I am Luna. Without taking my eyes off him, not for a second, I yelled at him. “What are you doing? Why did you do that, Toni? Answer me. How dare you?”

He was looking with intensity at me, like he was waiting for something. After a few seconds, his eyes filled with something malevolent, but the smile he gave me next was one of cruelty. I couldn't recognize him at the time. “Brid, we've been friends forever, and it pains me to know that you never saw past me. I always loved you as a woman. Yet, you never looked back that way. And then Kael appeared. Your mate. At that moment I knew there was no opportunity to be with you. That destroyed me and broke my hopes for a happy future. Your actions completely darkened my soul. But Fatima did see it. She noticed my suffering because of you."

"What? What you say doesn't make sense. Kael is my mate. The only wolf destined for me. You know that a connection with your fated mate is impossible to break. " As much as I saw and heard Toni, I didn't believe it. He is Tony, my dear friend. And what does Fatima have to do with all this?

Toni smiled again, however, this time it gave me the impression that it was from pity and shame. "But my pain will be over soon, Brid." He was crying now, but he kept approaching me, threatening me with his attitude, and with a face full of madness. He took me by the neck and began to squeeze, while he kept declaring. "If you're not mine, you won't be anyone's."

My wolf could not contain herself any more and began to reach the surface. My clothes tore apart and fur began to cover my skin. Leaf’s sharp canines lowered, and now my muzzle was lethal. Toni's eyes began to panic. Nobody messes with a Luna. He, taking a few steps back, looked over my shoulder. That made me turn around. But at that moment, I felt a sting on my neck. With my hands half transformed, I touched the place where I felt the picket. It was a dart. My transformation stopped, and my vision blurred. I turned to see Toni, and he was just watching me. A new grin formed on his face, triumph.

From the bushes behind me, I heard a noise. I turned to see, and from among them, Fatima came out. My heart raced, and I felt hope. "Fatima help me." I looked at her pleading with my eyes. However, she did not do anything, nor did she say anything. She just walked towards me, holding a gun in her hands. Something clicked in my brain. And I understood, at that moment, that she was the one who shot me. “No, no, no." I shook my head, denying my thoughts. It couldn't be true. My best friends were in this together. Their betrayal cut me deep.

I took a few steps backwards, awkwardly. The substance that had been given to me was making me lose my senses fast. Toni was there, to hold me. With what little strength I had left, I tried to fight to escape him. It was in vain, his strength was greater, and I was losing consciousness. But Toni hugged me tightly from behind. Placing his head between my neck and shoulder. "Don't fight my love, it's useless." I felt his tongue travel the entire side of my face. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw lights flashing. I managed to angle my head in that direction, and it was Fatima. She was taking pictures of Toni and me in this position. Why?