CHAPTER 01 – VISION

POV: CALLIE

The scent of blood was so strong it felt almost tangible in the air, mingling with the piercing screams that echoed throughout the pack. Growls followed by roars intensified the chaos:

“We’re under attack!” someone shouted in the distance.

I looked at my hands, then touched my face in shock. Pulling a few strands of hair forward, I saw purple tips—a sight that left me stunned.

“My Goddess, am I seeing?” I glanced around, taking in the carnage. Wolves lay scattered on the ground, lifeless. Not far away, I saw my father approaching in his werewolf form. He removed his hand from the wound where his heart should have been—there was a gaping hole. He dragged himself until he was just inches from my face, collapsing onto my neck.

“This is all your fault, because of the curse you carry!” Hunter growled weakly, his gaze filled with hatred. “I’ll take you down with me.”

As his grip tightened, I looked at his abdomen and saw a hand piercing through it, close to my body. Something on his back caught my attention. I trembled, my eyes widening in shock as I saw a massive black werewolf with yellow eyes grinning in delight at his victory.

“Who are you?” I whispered, stunned by the scene before me.

Pulling its arm from Hunter's entrails, the beast yanked my father backward, tearing more of his flesh and decapitating him. It tossed the head over its broad, fur-covered shoulders, where crimson streaks blended with the dark tones of its fur.

“Your new destiny!” The empowered voice carried immense pressure, shaking the surrounding ground.

A noise drew my attention. As I moved, I groaned in pain, realizing I had awakened from one vision straight into my nightmare.

“Who’s there?” I asked, fearful of another attack.

“Shhh, keep your voice down, Callie… It’s me,” a male voice whispered.

I sniffed the air, recognizing who was with me. It was my friend, perhaps the only one who truly cared for me amidst the cruelty of our pack.

“Orion, is that you?” I asked and needed confirmation. I was too weak from my internal injuries. Even in my lupine form, I couldn’t heal quickly due to the short intervals between bouts of torture.

“It’s me, little one…” A sob escaped him, the salty scent of his tears lingering in the air as he sighed. “Damn it, what did they do to you?”

“Hey, are you crying?” I struggled to get up, but it was in vain—the pain was too much.

“Don’t push yourself. I’ll apply some herbal ointment and iodine to your wounds,” Orion explained.

“Don’t do that! They’ll find out someone helped me… They might figure out you were here. Do you know what they’d do to you?” I growled, suppressing the scream stuck in my throat as something cold touched one of my wounds. “Please, just let me die and get out of this place!”

“Do you really think an Omega like me would survive as a rogue wolf?” Orion growled back, his voice heavy with sadness. “This place is hell, but at least I have you to make my days bearable.”

“How can you be so foolish?” I lowered my snout, lying back down. “How can you feel empathy for a cursed wolf like me?”

“I didn’t choose to be born an Omega, just as you didn’t choose to be born blind… We aren’t cursed; we’re just… wronged!” he said as he continued gently applying herbs to my wounds and cleaning parts of my fur. “I’m sorry I don’t have the strength to save you from this monster.”

“Ahh…” I groaned in pain before speaking again. “You’re a good friend, Orion, but I need you to promise me that you’ll never risk coming here to take care of me again. Do you understand?”

I reached out, sensing his faint presence, and sighed as I felt a soft touch on my fur.

“I can’t promise that,” he said. “I can’t stand knowing you’re not okay. You know that I…”

“Well, well, what do we have here? A pair of lovebirds?” Dante growled with disgust. “What a pathetic scene. What are you doing here, insignificant Omega?”

“Sir…” I felt Orion’s body tremble, his warmth lowering as he bowed. “I came…”

“To clean up my waist, Dante,” I interrupted, sniffing in his direction. “Even though he’s nothing but trash, you know Alphas hate the stench of filth. Unless, of course, my illustrious fiancé wishes to take care of it himself.”

“Disgusting!” he roared, growling. “It’s offensive enough to be forced to unite with a creature like you, who makes me nauseous, just to rid our king of his burden and claim the throne!”

“Dante, what are you doing here?” The thunderous roar of my father made my lupine fur stand on end, and the scent of the surrounding wolves shifted to fear and dread.

“My king…” Dante said, his voice accompanied by the sound of a subtle bow. “I came only to check if my future boyfriend needed to be taken to the hospital.”

“And who gave you permission for that?” the Lycan king bellowed. “As if I’d waste technological resources on this unwanted creature.”

“Forgive me, my Alpha. It won’t happen again,” Dante said, his voice trembling.

Orion pretended to clean the corners of the cell where I was kept chained like a true animal. I slept in my own filth, deprived of food and basic hygiene. I was only bathed when it was time for another training session, where I would be hunted by my pack. They insisted on masking my scent to make it harder for them to locate me.

“Omega, she reeks of impure blood… Throw water on this stray before my wrath falls on you!” the Alpha growled, leaving the area.

“You’re lucky this time.” Dante threatened, his footsteps retreating from the cell.

“Damn, that was close,” Orion muttered, his voice shaking.

“You’re playing with fire. Do what my father ordered before his patience runs out, and he comes back to punish us both!” I swallowed the lump in my throat, fearing I would be hurt even more.

“I just finished applying the herbal ointments on you; pouring water won’t do much,” my friend explained.

“That doesn’t matter. I’m a wolf, whether this pack accepts it or not. I’ll recover soon enough,” I sighed, knowing that even for the strongest wolf, recovery was impossible without proper medical treatment. “Go ahead, pour the water.”

“But it’s cold.” Orion muttered sadly.

“Orion, now!” I growled, furious, not wanting my only friend to be tortured because of me.

Orion washed me, trying to be as gentle as possible, but even the slightest touch made me writhe in pain, growling through the agony. He apologized constantly, and when he finished, I called his attention.

“I need you to promise me something. It’s important,” I said firmly, feeling his hands softly brushing through my lupine fur, combing it with his fingers.

“I’m not going to stop taking care of you,” he replied sadly. “I don’t care about the tortures.”

“You should. You have no idea how much it hurts… Dying is a blessing,” I said, lowering my head. “I need you to leave the pack and run as far away as you can.”