Chapter 2

The man quickly pounced on her and offered a fatal punch to her stomach, making her gasp for air as she fell on the cold hard ground.

"Arghhh!" she screamed in pain as he quickly dragged her hair 

"I'm going to have fun watching you die, little Alpha," the man whispered into her ear.

She felt as though her heart was about to come out through her mouth. They had caught her, and the only thing she could do was to fight back or die.

The man's grip on her hair tightened as he forcefully jerked her up, and at that moment his face came into view. 

She scratched his face hard with her nails, making his grip on her hair loosen, then she sunk her teeth in his arm and he pulled back in pain.

"You little bi...." 

The moment he let go of her hair, she took advantage and ran without looking back. She ran like the wind deeper into the forest, as fast as her legs could carry.

After hours of endless running and panting she sat under an undergrowth gasping for breath, she had managed to get away. 

"What do I do now?" She cried out to no one in particular

The night blurred into the morning as she continued to wander aimlessly in the forest.

The once proud Alpha heiress was no more than a homeless washed up rogue, a creature of the wild.

Her world had been shrunk to the bare savage essentials: food, water, shelter. She needed to survive at all costs.

The birds became her companion, as the concealing shadows of trees pressed around her, giving her screen and secrecy.

“Why am I still alive?" she asked herself, staring aimlessly upwards into the canopy and night sky. 

It pained her heart, as she remembered all that she had lost. Deep down in her heart burned a light glowing with rage and revenge.

She clenched her fists, her jaw tightening. "I can't die." 

"Not yet." 

"Not without finding out the bastard who did this to my family. My pack."

***

Time had lost all relevance in her sight. 

She had learned to move without making sounds, and yet moving only when it is necessary, to stay low in hiding so that no one gets to notice her. 

Her once beautiful strawberry-blonde hair had now been tinted with dirt and mud, making her look like a shadow of what she once was. 

With each passing day, Hazel felt weaker, and her body yearned for a nice meal, anything different from the bitter fruits she was used to, a warm bed in place of the cold hard floor, and a home filled with laughter. 

"I can't live this way," she fumed, clenching her fists tight. "I must find a way out."

As she moved deeper into the forest, she heard it.

Voices.

Her heart leaped with joy, as a flicker of hope sparked into her eyes again. She hadn't seen another human in days.

The sound was faint, but it was not a mistake, the voices belonged to a group of humans.

She slowly walked towards the sound with cautious steps, yet eager as the voices grew clearer.

“…told you this would happen," one voice grumbled.

"Well, if you had kept quiet, we wouldn't be in this mess!" another shot back.

She edged closer, her heart racing. The thought of seeing humans made her feel very excited and terrified at the same time.

She quietly pushed through the dense undergrowth and saw a group of three men standing in a clearing.

They were rough-looking, and two of them seemed to be arguing; while the third stood silent, staring at them with an annoyed and frustrated expression on his face.

"I told you morons to wait," the silent one finally said, his voice low but level. "Now we're out here exposed, all because of your stupidity."

The other two immediately kept quiet.

She stood there watching them. Her body ached for rest, for safety. 

A small twig snapped under her foot. She froze.

Damn it!

These damn twigs are certainly after my life!

The men quickly stopped arguing as they turned toward her direction.

"Who's there?" One of them barked.

"Show yourself."

Her breath hitched, her eyes widened and for a moment she considered running.

But her tired legs refused to move.

After a brief hesitation, she weighed her options and finally decided to step forward into the clearing.

"Is that a woman?" One of the men asked.

"What's a woman doing out here?"

She wanted to cry out and explain the ordeals she had been through, but her voice struggled faintly in her dry throat. 

The brunette man who seemed to be the leader stepped closer, eyes sharp. "What are you doing here?" he asked. 

"I…I" Her voice cracked and she swallowed hard. "Need help."

The men stared at each other, their faces void of any expressions.

"She is kinda cute," one of them said.

"Be quiet!" the leader growled, though his gaze remained on her for a while.

"Maybe we take her back," the other man jeered, his lips pulled up in a mocking smile. "The Alpha will love to see this."

She swallowed hard, her stomach dropped and her face paled.

These weren't ordinary men. These... These were...

Werewolves!

The alarm in her head rang.

Oh no.

The leader continued to stare at her, then nodded. "She is not anyone. She is different, and the Alpha might surely want her.”

Her legs began to shake as their words sank in. No, no, not again.

She took a step back as instincts yelled at her to run. But before she even could do that, one of them sprang forward and grabbed her arm.

"Let me go! Please!!!" she screamed, yanking on his grip.

“Easy now," said the leader in a low, firm voice. "We are sure not going to harm you."

She made efforts to free herself, but the second man took hold of her other arm and together they pinned her down.

"Stop! please!!" She cried out in pain as she stared wearily at the leader who flashed her a smirk.

 And everything went black.