Chapter One

The twig broke under my foot while I crouched down, my eyes on the target and nose twitching at the scent of the rabbit blood and wildflowers. 

My stomach growled loudly. Maybe a little too loud; it must be excited at the sight of food. I have gone three damn days without real food. 

Not that anyone in the small band of rogues had eaten any. We just get by with nuts and whatever we can lay our hands on until it's safe to hunt. 

Rick and Knox We're already scattered in the forest, trying our luck out there. I just can't spend another day eating those cursed nuts again. 

I sniffed the air and smiled; the prey was close, closer than it had ever been. 

Placing both hands on the floor and one knee buried in the wet floor, I was ready to pounce on it at any given moment. 

But then, something hit me: it wasn't the familiar scent that lured me into this part of the forest. 

My heart jolted, the breeze shifted, and my eyes widened the moment I recognized the scent. 

"Shit!" I blurted out, It wasn't the prey I was hunting all along, but a predator. 

"Run!" I yelled out, spun on my heels, and made a run for it.

The scent of power and danger filled the forest, like thick fog. If I saw correctly, they were pack wolves, definitely warriors, and an alpha amongst them. 

No rogue in his right senses would stand to fight them; it's suicide. 

The leaves and branches slapped my face as I ran deeper into the forest, my heart pounding harder in my rib cage, threatening to escape. 

I took a glimpse over my shoulders, and the sight of black furs and paws striking through the trees sent shivers down my spine. 

"They are too close," I gasped as I increased my speed. 

I ducked a low branch, nearly tripped but found my footing, and kept running. I just needed to get to the base; Rick and Knox would meet me there. They know the path; all rogues memorize the path by heart. 

It is a haven for rogues; no pack wolves would dare wander into rogue territory, not without backup. 

I ran deeper into the forest when suddenly my foot caught on something, something soft but buried in the sand. 

I hit the forest's wet floor so hard that it stung. I turned to see a child's scarf; it was torn, muddy, and faded red. 

I gasped and froze; forgotten memories hit me: my sister's laughter, images of the riverbank, her wet feet, and slippery rocks. 

My sister laughed and jumped into the river, splashing the water. 

"No, no..." I gasped, clutching the red, wet scarf. I yanked it off me, snapping out of the memory. I began running again, tears welled up in my eyes, making them sting. 

"I can't get caught," I whispered, definitely not now, when the past reared up its ugly head. 

Immediately I caught sight of the secret pathway; I sneaked in and collapsed on the floor. 

Rick and Knox were already there, sitting on the floor while panting. 

The moment I caught sight of Rick's bloody hand, I jerked off the floor. 

"Are you okay?" I asked him 

"Yeah, I tripped on something," he explained.

I still can't believe how things have turned out. I was once the hunter, but now I'm the hunted. 

I turned back to take one last look at the forest. When I heard a faint whisper. 

"Why didn't you die!" I gasped as the memories of how it all began came flooding back. 

* * *

I knelt on the floor, tears streaming down my cheeks. The air around me was thick with a scent of grief and fury, a dangerous mixture that made me choke. 

My knee was pressing down on the rough wooden floor until splinters bit into my skin. But I barely felt the pain; it was nothing compared to the chaos and wound in my heart, threatening to wrench my heart out of my chest. 

"You should have been the one," I heard Dad yell at me. I could feel the rage behind his voice. The rage was like a blade and drove into my heart without warning. 

My father was towering over me while he continued hurling curses at me; the Alpha aura flowing off him made the lanterns flicker. For a moment I thought this was the end for me.

But then I caused Karen's death; it's merely a punishment that fits the crime.

I couldn't bear to look up to see the rage lurking in those golden eyes that once held nothing but love when Karen and I played at his feet. Only right now they are pitch black, just like my life now.

"Why did Karen die, why!" Dad yelled one more time, banging his hand on the door frame, and crying inconsolably.

"Dad, please, I tried...." The words cut up in my mouth as he barked at me.

"Don't you dare call me Dad. Why are you alive? You should have been the one dead," he barked. A sob tore out from my throat as I fell into the abyss of sorrow.

"Dad, please don't..."

He bent over and grabbed my arms, shaking me vigorously.

"Why did you take her to the forbidden river? You have always wanted her dead," he spat out while shaking me.

"No, no, I..." He suddenly let me go like realization was now setting in.

"You knew no one dares go to that river once it rains; you knew the damn rules," he barked, and he tore his clothes in rage.

I had no idea what pained me more, the fact that I lost my only sister or the fact that I had been accused of her death. The vision of Karen's laughter played right before me. 

Just one last time, she begged to dive in the last time before we headed home, but the current snatched her before I could get to her. 

When we found her body, caught up in the reeds, her face was beyond recognition; it was bashed in more places than we could count. I recognized the clothes she wore that day. How could I forget? I practically saw her face everywhere I turned. 

"You did this, you killed her!" I remember Dad crying out. 

"Witch!" heard a handful of the pack members whisper under their breath. 

"You witch, you should have drowned instead!" He hurled another curse at me. The words struck a deadly blow to my heart. I gasped, slowly retracing my steps. The looks on my father's face made me realize that he didn't say all that out of grief, but he meant it. Something inside me broke. 

If my father wished me dead, then so be it.

"You are right, maybe I should have died in her place." All shaken, I took a few steps backward, spun on my heels, and ran. 

The deeper I ran into the woods, the colder it became, but it wasn't enough to quench the furnace burning in my heart; it wanted nothing but to consume me whole. 

All I could think of were ways to end my miserable life; that is the punishment befitting my crimes. 

I came to a halt at the edge of the cliff, breathing heavily. I was becoming lightheaded, my heart racing. Tears flowed effortlessly down my cheeks. 

"I'm so sorry, Karen," I said amidst tears. "Please forgive me," I said again, spreading my hands like a wing, and with my eyes closed, I let go, throwing myself to the wind. 

Then I felt someone grip me from behind; it was a pair of strong arms, and it wouldn't let go no matter how hard I fought. 

"No, no," I screamed. "Let me go," I ordered, but the grip only tightened.

I was still struggling when the scent hit me; it smelled of sandalwood and earth. 

My vision suddenly became blurry, and I gave in to the darkness. 

When I woke up the next morning, I had become something I feared the most. 

An outcast, a rogue. 

* * *

"I'm going to go check this out," Rick said, jerking me back to reality. He walked away with Knox trailing behind him. I heard a twig break behind me. I turned to see a black wolf with fiery red eyes staring at me. 

A cold shiver ran through me. Scared that it might jump me any moment from now, I didn't hear it until a couple of seconds ago. I cursed myself internally for not going with Rick and Knox. 

The wolf stared for a few seconds and snarled at me. It didn't move, nor did it flinch, but something about the wolf seemed familiar. It turned almost immediately, sprinting off into the woods.

I sighed, relieved. We have heard stories of rogues attacked in the woods by some lone wolf.

"That was close," I whispered, getting off the wet forest floor. My clothes were damp, and my hands were tainted with the wet soil. I turned, almost hurrying back to the base when something caught my attention. 

It was written with red paint; it looked and smelled fresh like someone did it a few minutes ago. I got close to the tree, and my mouth fell open when I read what was written on the tree. 

"Karen Lives." My blood instantly turned to ice.