Safer Together

Chapter one

Farah POV

I’ve never run so fast in my life. Fueled by fear, anger, and confusion; I had to get away. I pushed my body as hard as I could in this very moment. I refused to die, or even worse, be caught. This was what years of training in strength and stamina were helpful for, and I would not let the pain in my legs and lungs stop me now. 

The forest around me was just a blur of greens and browns as I tore through the trees. The sun would shine through the dense treetops at times, and I'd have to squint, making it difficult to see but I was still in familiar territory. 

It was stifling hot today, making my lungs work extra hard. The air felt thick as if my body had to part it. Just simply breathing was beginning to hurt. The earth under my bare feet was hot, and the dirt and mud that splashed up my legs with every stride. 

My speed made my hair fly around, while some strands stuck to the sweat on my cheeks and forehead. I tried to push my hair aside while still blocking the branches and leaves that assaulted my face as I ran. 

My thin sundress was barely a barrier against the forest. I let out a hiss when a low branched sliced through my shin. The cuts on my arms and legs from tearing through the thick trees were now dripping with blood, but I never slowed down. I couldn’t. 

My heart pounded in my chest faster than my feet hit the ground. Panic and fear fueling my body to continue pushing forward. 

I felt that unwelcome, but familiar rush start to form inside of me. It begins in the pit of my stomach; a slight burn, and it spreads through me like an illness until it works its way down my arms. My eyes began to glow and my hands started to shine with a golden hue. This was the last thing I needed right now. It always happened at the sight of blood.

Oh goddess, not now. This was the last thing I wanted to be seen. I shook my hands trying to rid them of the glow.

I pulled on the burning feeling, not letting it out, and forced it back down deep inside of me. I had to focus. Nothing could slow me down.

The sounds of paws on the ground started to catch up to me. I could hear the branches snapping behind me, and their low growls as they made chase.

One? Two? Three? There were at least three wolves behind me and I could sense another two, maybe one on each side of me. 

They were fast to find me, but I still hadn’t shifted, knowing I could pull ahead if I called to my wolf. I tried to run as far as I could before shifting, buying myself time before tiring my wolf out.  I would need her in case I had to fight because being caught was not an option. I would rather die than be dragged back, not knowing what would await me back there. The only home I ever knew. My mind drifted back there.

I felt like an outcast in the pack, hopelessly alone. I had to hide this strange growing power for the last couple of years, giving up every last friend to keep my secret. I felt like a freak, though my mother had once referred to me as “special”. 

It was two years ago when I unknowingly healed my father after an accident at training. He came home with a broken wrist, and all it took was my touch when I had asked him to see it. My eyes took on a strange glow and heat radiated through my body like a fever. My father’s eyes widened in shock, and only got wider when he looked down to a perfectly straight and healed wrist.

 The panic on my mothers face showed what I had done was not normal. It was then my parents refused to let me around others alone, and never the injured. I was afraid to leave my room for weeks. 

I was homeschooled my last 2 years of highschool and forced to ignore my friends. My social life died out when my friends sensed me distancing them. But I understood my parents' concern; not knowing what was happening to me I willingly gave up my old life. But It still made me feel alone. Like I had some sort of illness that forced me to be quarantined.

My brother Ryan graduated from the pack highschool. He was three years older. He trained with the pack regularly, But because of me he didn't have many friends after graduation. He wasn't allowed girlfriends either and I knew he blamed me, but he made up for it with flings. He knew my secret and suffered because of it too.

And now here I was, the outcast, running from everything I ever knew. Now I truly was completely alone. 

I was past the boundaries of the pack’s territory by now. The trees denser, creating an umbrella that blocked the sun. Nothing around me was familiar but that was the point, to get the hell out of there. 

I continued running. The wolves chasing me were fast; they caught up to me with ease even with my head start. Their stamina was that of warriors so the fight ahead would most likely leave me dead. I had a feeling they were told not to kill me though, but to capture me instead. So, my only choice was to keep going. 

I called to my wolf. We have to shift. They’re too close. I can’t hold on like this much longer. I stumbled over overgrown roots. 

I could sense her fear, the same as mine. 

She was hesitant to shift just yet, willing me to push ahead and stay in my human form. My hunters would assume I wanted a fight if I shifted now.

My body was starting to work against me. I was desperately trying to power on.  My cuts were burning, my legs screaming. I could feel the tears starting to pool in my eyes, stinging and causing my sight to blur. I wasn’t going to get away from them. I wasn’t going to make it.  

The trees became more scarce as I continued on, running with everything I had left in me. I would decide my next move once through the clearing up ahead.

But as I pushed through the last of the trees I realized it wasn’t a clearing at all. There was nothing but wide open sky in front of me. My stomach sunk as I came to a sliding stop only inches away from a giant drop off, and watched small rocks tumble over the side. They bounced off the jagged sides of the cliff and disappeared below.

The wind picked up around me causing me to take in a harsh breath. There was nowhere else to go. I was completely trapped. 

The reality of my situation was like a weight in my chest. 

I turned quickly to try and double back, but there were the five wolves who had been chasing me. They fell into place blocking me in.They were enormous; I knew instantly that they were in fact pack warriors. They stood strong, paws planted in the ground and sharp teeth on display. Four were all different shades of brown from honey to mahogany, one held an army green bag in his teeth. The largest,a gray wolf in the center, met my eyes. I could see him silently pleading with me to cooperate. And I immediately knew who it was. My stomach sunk.

This is it. This is as far as we go I told myself and my wolf.

She didn’t like the sound of that. I felt her immediately start to come forward. But I realized something. We were not going back there. They would have to kill us first and we had no chance against five warriors. There was no point in fighting, no point in putting my wolf through that.  

The wolves surrounding me slowly started to close in following the largest Gray wolf in command. I took a step back, keeping my eyes on the wolves around me. They stood only 15 feet away at this point. They were quiet now and trying not to intimidate me. They just wanted my cooperation, which I was not going to give them. I took another small step back. My foot was now touching the edge of the cliff and I had to steady myself on the loose rocks. I peeked back over my shoulder and my heart rate picked up. It must be an 80 ft drop.

The large gray wolf shifted back into human form without hesitation, as the honey colored wolf tossed the bag at his feet. He ripped it open pulling out a pair of black shorts and slipped them on quickly. His slim yet muscular frame slowly stood up straight, holding his arms out to stop the other wolves from advancing any further. 

Beta Jake.  

He was once a friend, though slightly older, but seemed to change after taking over as the Alpha’s second in command. Our families had been friends since our childhood, around twelve years now, and he was here to drag me back to hell.

I hadn't spoken to him in over a year, forced to spend the majority of my time at home, but saw him from afar. My brother always looked up to him, especially this year when he became Beta. I could see the sadness and empathy in his big brown eyes when he spoke.

“I’m sorry, Farah. I’m under the Alpha’s orders.” Was all he said as he shook his head. 

I understood that. No one could defy their Alpha’s command. It was physically impossible to fight the command of your Alpha once it was placed on you; they were that powerful. But, it still hurt that it was Jake to be the one to catch me. He protected me when we were children. My brother wanted to be just like him.

I couldn’t hurt my wolf, and couldn’t let Jake feel responsible for these warriors killing me, so there was no way we would fight. 

I could feel the tears starting to really fall now as realization set in and I felt my body shake with every sob. I knew what I was going to do. I was completely hopeless and alone. Not an unfamiliar feeling but not how I wanted my last moment to be. 

I gave Jake a small smile. One that said thanks for being a friend all those years ago, and even more importantly ‘I’m sorry’.

And with that I threw my arms up and pushed off the balls of my feet, jumping up and backwards off the cliff. 

For a split second before I began to fall, I heard Jake yell and rush forward. The four wolves rushed to the edge of the cliff, but it was too late. I could see them all standing on the edge as I fell back in almost slow motion. 

My limbs flailed and my hands clawed at the air on instinct, trying to find something to grab onto. But there was nothing around me as I fell.