KOOKIE MORNINGSTAR DIED

KOOKIE:

My paws pound relentlessly against the earth as I run through the forest, stretching endlessly before me. I don’t know where I’m going, but I know I am never turning back.

The thought of staying back in that pack means a lifetime of lies, of watching them pretend they never broke me. My baby deserves better than a father like Levi—or even my family. It is my duty to protect her, and I will do so even if it costs me my life.

Exhaustion soon takes over, and the setting sun begins to give way to the moon. I’ve run so far that nothing smells familiar anymore—just the leafy green trees, which remind me of the herbs we practiced with in school.

Finally, my legs give out, and my wolf shifts back against my will, causing me to collapse onto the cold forest floor, gasping for air. I lean against the rough bark of a tree, pressing my trembling hand to my chest.

A sudden crackle splits through the sky, causing me to snap my head up as lightning flashes in the distance, illuminating the forest. A storm is coming, so I force myself to my feet, pushing my sluggish body to search for shelter.

Shortly, the clouds open up, and my skin is met with droplets from the sky. A shiver cracks through my spine as the cold engulfs my body, but I refuse to give up. I keep walking until I see a hole up ahead. I rush towards it, relieved to see that it is a cave. It isn’t much—just a jagged opening in the mountainside, but it will have to do. I crawl inside, wrapping my arms around myself as the storm intensifies. My body aches, and I silently curse Levi for my misfortune. I vow to have my revenge as I grovel in tears and pain, but it doesn’t take long for sleep to take me.

**

A foul stench of rotten meat attacks my nostrils, causing my eyes to flicker open as fear grips my chest. A loud growl echoes outside.

Rogues.

I don’t move as I try to think of a plan to escape, but then the entrance of the cave lights up with three pairs of yellow eyes.

“She smells so nice. Our little meal is waiting to be devoured.” A man says, causing my heart to skip a beat.

A cackle escapes their lips, and I push myself up slowly, my heart hammering against my chest. Before I can react, they shift to human form, and one of them grabs my hand, dragging me out of the cave as my body scrapes against the rocky ground.

I want to question the Moon Goddess for my misfortune, but I am clearly at the bottom of her list of creations that she cares about.

“I want her first,” the man I assume is the leader says, and I shake my head.

“I’m pregnant,” I blurt out, hoping that will remedy my situation. But they are rogues who have lost all sense of humanity, and they let out a heart-wrenching laugh.

“You think that will stop us?” The leader chuckles, reaching for the already torn fabric of my dress.

I kick his face, trying to transform, but he lands a heavy slap on me, sending me crashing to the ground. The pain burns through my cheeks as he pins me down.

“Why take turns when we can all devour her at once?” he asks, and they all agree, hovering around me as he hurriedly unbuckles his pants. I shut my eyes, struggling against him, waiting for the agonizing moment with tears crawling down my face.

Just when I think it’s over, a deafening roar shakes the forest.

The man freezes, his grip on me loosening as a massive wolf appears from nowhere, colliding with the nearest rogue and sending him crashing into the cave wall.

The leader abandons me completely as he transforms.

They all lunge at the wolf, and before me unfolds a brutal fight. The wolf fights like a beast possessed, but the rogues are many. One sinks his teeth into the wolf’s side, another slashes his flank, and he lets out a howl that shakes the forest.

I should run while I have the chance, but guilt anchors my feet to the ground as I watch the wolf defend himself against the three rogues. As the last rogue flees into the woods, the wolf stumbles, collapsing onto the floor. His breathing is labored, blood pooling beneath him.

I rush toward him.

“Go,” he rasps. “They might come back.”

I shake my head because I know I can save him from dying.

“I’m not leaving you, because I’m a doctor, and that would be an insult to my profession.”

My hands tremble as I scan his wounds. I don’t have medical supplies, but I know there are herbs around. So, I set out to gather them. I grind them into a paste using two stones, then rush back to him, pressing the mixture to his wounds.

He winces in pain for a while before it soothes him, and his bleeding stops. I help him onto his back, resting him against the cave wall.

“What’s your name?” he asks, and I hesitate.

“Sage NightMoon,” I blurt out.

With one hand across his injured belly, he stretches out the other. “I’m Elias. Alpha of Moon Candy.”

Moon Candy? What kind of pack bears such a ridiculous name? I question myself.

“It’s like a refugee camp,” he adds, as if sensing my confusion. “For those with nowhere to go. Fugitives and lost souls. People like you and me.” He bores his eyes into mine. “You can come with me because we need a doctor. I know we’re still a growing pack, but in a few years, we will—”

“Take me there,” I cut him off.

I have nothing left, so there’s no point in contemplating a place that will offer me shelter and a new life.

And just like that, Kookie Morningstar died.