chapter 1: Nightmare

It was a full moon night and the air was thick with the scent of danger.

Marissa has always been drawn to the woods but tonight, she felt an inexplicable urge to venture deeper than she ever had before.

She didn't know why she felt this way, but she couldn't ignore the call of the wild.

As she walked deeper into the woods, Marissa raised her hand and chanted a spell. A bright light came out of her hand and illuminated her path.

She felt alive. Being outside and surrounded by nature had sharpened her senses.

Every rustle of leaves, every snap of a twig seemed amplified in the stunness of the night, and then, she heard a low growl.

Marissa froze,her heart pounding in her chest. She knew she was in danger but she couldn't move and then she saw it - a massive snarling wolf with eyes that glowed in the moonlight.

For a moment, Marissa thought she was going to die. But then, the wolf lunged at her, sinking it's teeth into her flesh. She screamed but the pain was brief and then it was gone.

Her eyes suddenly became heavy.

The last thing she saw and heard before she gave in to the darkness was the sound of bones shifting and a pair of deep blue eyes staring at her.

Marissa jolted awake. She was covered in sweat and her heart was beating erratically. She took deep breaths and tried to calm her raging heart. Getting up from the bed, she walked into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror.

She had dark cycles around her eyes and looked exhausted. She sighed as she took off her clothes and stepped under the shower. She turned the tap and let the cold water run down her body.

She first started having these dreams when she turned 15. At first, the dreams were blurred and less frequent and she couldn't see the images clearly but as she grew older, the dreams became clearer and more frequent.

In each dream, the wolf always lunged for her neck. The exact place where the mating mark is placed. She didn't know what these dreams meant.

Her kind and wolves did not miss. They were sworn enemies. She did not know who to ask as all the covens have been destroyed and the witches have all gone into hiding.

She closed her eyes as she remembered the day her coven was attacked by a group of wolves that specializes in capturing and selling witches and she lost everything.

She lost her home and her family. She was the only survivor.

She fled and hid among the humans.

For years, the Witches have been haunted for their powers. The witches were enslaved and forced to use their powers for the benefit of their masters. She stepped out of the shower and dried herself.

She checked the time. It was seven am. She was on day shift at the bar she worked and she was getting late. The bar opened at 7:30 am. She quickly got dressed and headed to work.

****

In a kingdom hidden behind a magic wall, a castle was floating in the air. The castle was surrounded by beautiful water fall which flows down.

The sun casted it's golden light on the castle and it gave it an outworldly appearance. Beautiful flowers and beautiful sculptured images surrounded the castle.

A figure sat on the golden throne with a golden crown on his head. His face was shrouded in darkness.

A female stood to his left. She was dressed in military attire.

There were three people kneeling down in front of the throne. Two males and a female.

“ We are sorry, my lord we could not find her” said one of the males. There was no no sound from the figure on the throne.

“ Please give us one more chance. We will get her this time. Please my lord” said the female.

Her voice trembled as she pleaded. The room became silent as the figure stood up and walked towards them.

They trembled as he walked past them and spoke. His voice was icy and held authority.

“ You are useless. All of you. How hard can it be to capture one witch? You have been given enough chances” said the figure as he walked towards the door.

He was followed by the female on military attire.

“No, my lord please have mercy. We promise to do better” they shouted but the king was already out of the room. Few minutes later, screams were heard in the throne room.

“ My lord, what is our next move?” asked the female.

“ Summon the oracle Kasha” said the king.

“ Yes my lord” replied the lady as she bowed and left.

This was getting hard. Time was running out and they have still not found her. He smirked evily. It doesn't matter were she is hiding in this universe, he will find her. No matter what.

****

Marissa smiled at her friend Jade as she walked into the bar she worked.They both work at the same place. Jade was on evening shift.

She was the only friend Marissa had. Jade was human and she did not know that Marissa was a witch.

“Hey girl, how are you?” asked Jade as she sat in front of Marissa.

“ I am fine. You?” asked Marissa.

“ You don't look too good to me. Are you still having trouble sleeping?” asked Jade as she looked Marissa up and down. Marissa sighed.

“The pills are not working. I don't know what to do” replied Marissa.

“ It's okay. We will go to the doctor later. Maybe he will give you something stronger” said Jade.

“ He has changed the pills so many times already. I don't think there is anything he can do anymore” said Marissa.

“ Oh come on. Don't be pessimistic. Let's check again” said Jade.

“ Okay. I will be on my way” said Marissa as she took her bag.

“ Okay. Bye bitch” said Jade as Marissa walked out.

****

Damian sat and listened to his beta Trevor giving his report about the pack’s security. He was in a security meeting with his top warriors.

There were a total of four persons in the room. There have been recent attacks along their boarder.

They have found three bodies so far.Although, they were not pack members, there was still cause for concern and the appearance of the dead bodies left everyone in fear.

“Alpha, another body was discovered this morning along the eastern boarder” said Trevor.

“ Where is the body?” asked Damian.

“ In the hospital . The doctors are doing an autopsy” replied Trevor.

“ We will go to check it out once the meeting is over” said Damian.

“ Yes alpha. The body looked as if it was melted in acid. We could not determine the gender” said Trevor.

Damian sighed. He did not know if it was the same person or people that was responsible for the deaths because the pattern was different.

The first body they saw looked like it was tortured. There were large holes drilled into the body.

The second body looked as if it was drowned and the third body was burnt with fire and now the recent one looked like it was melted by acid.

There was nothing common in the manner of death.

“ Alpha, the people are afraid. They want to know if they are safe” said Klara. She is the gamma of the pack and the head warrior.

“ The people think it is the work of witches. I mean there is no better explanation for it” said Trevor.

“ Why would the witches do all these things? The last I checked, they were hiding” said Klara.

“What do we do alpha? It is just a matter of time before they attack the pack” said Mack a warrior.

Damian cleared his throat before speaking.

“ Tighten the security around the boarders. Nothing goes in or out with out the notice of the warriors. Increase the numbers of people in the control room and call for a pack meeting. We do not know if the witches are behind this whole charade. We need to investigate before concluding” said Damian as he gave them instructions. There was a chorus of yes alpha. He stood up.

“ Beta Trevor, come with me to see the doctor” said Damian as he walked out of the office with the rest following behind.

****

Kasha went on her knees in front of the demon king. She was training when she was summoned by the king.

“ My lord” she said as she kept her head down.

“ You may rise” said the demon king. Kasha stood up and went to stand by the king's side.

The heavy oak doors opened and a woman with white hair entered. She was wearing a white dress that flowed down her body elegantly. She walked with an air of authority

. She was young and beautiful. One would think she was in her mid twenties but she was actually in her fifties.

Her white hair flowed down to her waist and was decorated with flowers.

“Ayan, you finally decided to honour my invitation” said king Zedikiah sacarstically.

He had summoned her days ago but there was no reply from her. He was beginning to loose his patience.

He was not an impatient man but the situation on ground demanded urgency.

The woman bowed deeply immediately she was in front of him then she straightened herself up.

“ My king, I am sorry for not honouring your invitation on time. I had to commune with the spirits before coming to see you” said Ayan.

“ So what did the spirits say?” asked king Zedikiah.

Ayan took a step back from the king and sat crossed legged on the floor with her hands on each side of her body then she began to chant.

There was a breeze and all the lights in the room went off. The temperature of the room dropped to freezing.

Her eyes were white when she opened them. There was another voice within her voice when she spoke.

“ The one you seek is close by but you have to hurry because as each day passes she gets closer to her destiny. You have to get her before she finds her mate. You will recognise her by her hair. It is red in colour and glows when she uses her powers” said Ayan. She opened her hands, she was holding a white pearl.

“ This will help you to identify her quickly. It will glow in her presence” said Ayan as Kasha came forward to collect it.

The lights came back on and the chilling atmosphere dissipated. Her eyes were back to their hazel colour. She stood up and bowed then walked out without saying a word.

“ Round up all the unmated witches with red hair within the ages of eighteen and twenty five years of age. Take as many men as you need. I don't care where they are. Find them and bring them here” said king Zedikiah as he commanded Kasha.

She bowed and walked out of the room. King Zedikiah stood up and started pacing.

He needed to find her. Time was running out. If she finds her mate all his effort would have been in vain. No. He will not allow that. She will only belong to him and no one else.

****

Damian sat in his office deep in thought. He had just finished receiving a phone call from alpha Israel, alpha of the neighbouring pack, black wood pack.

There have been series of attacks at his pack boarders. Two persons have been reported dead.The description of the dead bodies given marched that of the bodies found close to Damian’s pack boarders. There was no doubt these killings were related. A meeting has been scheduled by the alphas in four days time.

They needed to meet and discuss the recent events. There was a knock at the door.

“Come in” said Damian. The door opened and Trevor walked in.

“ Alpha, we are ready” he said to Damian.

Damian stood up and walked out of the room with Trevor following behind. He was addressing the pack today.

As the alpha, it was up to him to assure them that they were safe and put there minds at ease.

The large hall was filled with murmurs which died down immediately he entered.

Damian walked to the raised platform and faced them with Trevor standing at his right side while Klara stood by his left.

“ I know everyone has a lot of questions about the recent happenings around the pack so I will try to answer all of them” he said to the crowd.

“ Alpha, are we in danger?”asked a middle aged man.

“ Not yet. The bodies were found outside the pack boarders” replied Damian.

“ If the bodies were found outside the pack boarders, then it is just a matter of time before the pack is attacked” said a woman.

“ We won't let it happen. I promise that you and your families will be safe” said Damian.

“ Alpha, do you know who is responsible for these attacks?” asked another pack member.

“ Not yet but we are working on finding out, so until then, please stay in your houses once it is passed seven in the evening. Do not venture close to the pack boarders at night and report any suspicious activities” said Damian.

“ Some of us work in the human towns, how do we go to our work places when we are not safe?” asked another person.

“ You will all be escorted to your various work places by the warriors. There will be buses to convey you to and from work. We are deeply sorry for the inconveniences.

Thank you for your understanding and your cooperation” said Damian.

He waited for sometime to know if there were anymore questions when there was non, he brought the meeting to an end.

His phone vibrated in his pocket. When he brought it out, it was his mother.

“ Hello mom. How are you?” he asked immediately he picked the call.

“ I am fine son. How are you?” asked his mother.

“ I am doing fine ma. Where is dad?” he asked her.

“ I am here son. How is the pack?” asked his father.

“ We are doing great dad” replied Damian.

His parents were on vacation and he did not want them to worry. He wanted them to enjoy their vacation.

“ Let us know if you need anything” said his father.

“ Yes dad. Hope you are enjoying yourselves?” he asked his dad.

“ Yes we are son. We will be back before the next ball” said his father.

“ Okay dad. I gotta go. I love you guys” he said.

“ We love you too son. Take care” said his mother before the call was disconnected.

He sighed as he thought of the ball. It was an annual ball held for the alpha to find his mate. Wolves find their mates immediately they come of age to scent them.

That is usually from age nineteen. He is thirty and yet to scent his. His parents brought the idea of the ball in order for him to meet unmated wolves from different packs.

Damian hated these balls but he did not have any choice but to attend. This year's ball will be held in seven days time.

With everything that is happening, he thought of holding off on the ball but the preparations were already done.

He needed to find whoever is responsible for the killings quick.

****

It was late in the evening, Marissa and Jade had just left the hospital where Marissa went to get new pills.

“Do you want to grab something to eat before we go home?” asked Jade.

“ No. I am good. I just want to go home and sleep. I am exhausted” replied Marissa.

“Okay” said Jade. Marissa stopped abruptly as she felt the hairs on her neck rise.

They were about to enter the street where her house was located.

“ What is it?” asked Jade. Marissa looked around.

“ Nothing. It just felt like we are being watched” she replied. Jade rolled her eyes playfully.

“ I swear you watch too much crime dramas” said Jade.

“ Hey, don't tease me. At least it is better than those boring romantic movies” answered Marissa.

“They are not boring. Love is everything” said Jade defensively.

“ You are a hopeless romantic” said Marissa as she shook her head at her friend. There was a sudden explosion. Marissa screamed as the explosion threw Jade into the air.

“ No. Jade!....” screamed Marissa in horror as she watched her friend’s body land with a thud on the ground.