Chapter 1

The new life growing within me was draining the life out of me. I laid on my bed, my right hand tucked under my pillow, and my left hand pressed against the growing bump of my belly. It still felt like a dream. No, it was not a dream. It felt like a nightmare. Every touch and thought of the child in my belly reminds me of him, whose name I have not dared speak since he left me. The soft glow of the full moon shaded light into my dark room, forcing the blue dress hanging by the mirror to come to view. She would be mad if she found me still in bed. Yet, I couldn't force myself to get up. I was sick of myself, sick of the pain, and sick of my traitorous heart that was still beating for him. Even after everything he did, after everything he said to me, after he took my heart and squeezed it between his fingers, my soul still yearned for him. I'd close my eyes and still see him standing tall right in front of me, his dark eyes glinting with joy, his long fingers brushing through the black stands of his hair, his nose pressed against the side of my neck for a snuggle...

I could remember the day he held me in his embrace and promised me the world like it was yesterday, the way his muscular arms protectively wrapped around me. If magic was possible, I would argue that he was magical in both the ways he made me love him and hate him all at the same time. I sucked in a deep breath and tried to calm myself, willing my fingers to wipe the tears off of my cheeks. Anytime now, she would be here, demanding why I was still not dressed. I glanced at the blue dress again, feeling a sudden dread fill my guts. Just as I had expected, she barged through the door without even knocking, a privilege she said she had since I kept living with them even after I've turned nineteen. "You're still not dressed?" She asked the obvious question as she turned the lights on. "Get up. We don't have all night. We need to get ready soon." She commented as she walked further into the room and took my dress off of the hanger. I didn't argue with her, but the look on my face made it obvious that I didn't want to go out. "Everything will be okay. Just go through tonight, and you will feel much better. You will get rid of all of your worries." She commented. I caught her eyes dropping to my swollen stomach for a split second before she quickly looked away, and something within me told me to refuse. But refusing my mother was impossible.

After helping me get dressed, my mother led me out of the house, making sure to hold my hand the entire way to the family, who were oddly gathered around by the woods.

As we got to the lines of the woods, I started seeing more lights, ones that didn't belong to the full moon but belonged to the dancing flames of a torch.

"We've arrived." She announces, pulling everyone's attention towards us.

I looked around at the people with wide eyes as she kept dragging me towards the center.

My father - Damien - stood ahead of everyone, my two sisters and two brothers flanking him at either side. My grandparents were also present, standing behind my siblings even though they looked like they should really be resting in a home.

What shocked me the most was not the presence of my family alone. It was the presence of the people of the entire town, all dressed in red.

"What is going on?" I whispered, feeling my body trembling at the intensity of the many eyes that were planted on me.

Just as we reached the center, my mother hesitantly let go of my hand, but it didn't leave my side.

My father looked at me with great intensity. He had a murderous look on his face, the same one he always has when he goes out to hunt. But this time, it was directed towards me.

"ROSE ALEXIS!" My father announced with a great, proud voice, looking at me as if I was a prize.

"You, my daughter, will give us the way to hunt them down once and for all." He said.

My heart thunder in my chest, fear squeezing it as hard as it could. My breath came out short, and I tried gasping for air to fill my burning lungs. The cold air forced goosebumps over my bare arms and feet, the soft baby blue fabric of the dress barely stopping me from shivering.

"Mom?" I whispered, my eyes still planted on my father, fearing losing sight of him if I looked towards her. "Here we all are..." My father announced, addressing the crowd fully dressed in red. "We have fought them for generations, and for generations, we have barely eradicated even a fraction of them. But here, my daughter has presented us with the gift to get to them, a way to track their very pack. With the blood of the bastard, we will finally end them all." Cries erupted from the crowd as they cheered for the words my father spoke.

"Who will do the honors?" My father asked. I was not going to stand by and find out what that honor was, or who would take him up on his offer. I turned around to make a run for it, but I quickly came to a stop when I realized that they have circled me. I looked around as if I was a pray caught by predators.

"Rose!" My father called out. "You have nothing to fear. That bastard of yours will be the greatest gift you could give your kind. Now come to me." He said.

My kind? What is that supposed to mean?

"Come to me, Rose." He ordered again, but my feet were glued to the earth beneath me.

"I will do the honors. She is my daughter, after all." Mother commented before she snatched my right hand up and started dragging me towards my father.

I didn't know what was happening, if it was a cruel joke to teach me a lesson. But the blood thirst on their faces is one I couldn't miss, and it instilled more fear into my heart, dragging tears from my eyes.

"Are you sure?" My father asked, looking at my mother with loving eyes as she dragged me closer and closer to him.

"Yes. I have done this before, remember dear. I know exactly what to do." She commented.

My mother took the red cloth out of my father's hand and marched past him.

"Kim, help your mother." Father ordered, and my twin brother quickly swooped in, grabbed my other arm and dragging me forward.

Kim's grip was merciless, dragging me as if I was nothing but a bag of potatoes.

The two had no problem dragging me into the thickness of the woods, the moon light and a few lit torches guiding our way.

My eyes widened when the sight of a tall tree came into view, one that was surrounded by multiple red candles and a thick rope.

I once again tried to fight. Heck, I even tried to bite my twin brother's arm, but that only earned me a slap across the face.

"Kim!" My other hissed with disapproval. "You are not to hit your sister. Not when you could risk hurting her before we could use the bastard." She added.

"A slap won't kill her." He mumbled.

My vision darkened, and they used the opportunity to quickly tie me to the tree, making sure there was no chance of me escaping.

"You can go now, return to the others." mother ordered.

"But father told me to help you." Kim protested, but my mother leveled him with a glare.

"You have helped all you could. Now go return to the others and leave the rest to me." She barked at him.

I have never heard her voice this rough in my twenty one years of life on earth. Kim nodded his head and turned to stalk back to the group.

"Mom..." I whispered in a dying voice, tears once again blurring my vision.

She stopped at the sound of my voice. She wiped to glare at me.

"Why did you have to be so reckless?" She hissed at me with a low voice. "Why did you have to go mess around with their kind?"

"I'm sorry." I breathed out even though I didn't know what exactly got me to this point, feeling a lump form in my throat. All I knew after everything I observed over the last few minutes, was that they wanted to cut my child out of me, and the mere thought made me want to throw up.

"Did he force himself on you?" She asked. "If that is the case, then getting rid of it would be the best option. It would lead us right back to him and you can get your revenge."

I shook my head.

"Then was it a one night stand?" She questioned.

"No!" I whispered back, and it seemed to have annoyed her even more.

"Then how..." She shook his head, looking disappointed at me.

"Mom..." I whispered as I watched her taking the red cloth off of whatever it was protecting. A large dagger, one that had a red hilt with carved signs on it

"Mom, please. I don't know what is happening. I don't know what is going on. but please stop. Don't hurt me. No, forget me, Don't hurt my baby..." I begged..

My mother slowly stalked towards me, and my lungs let loss. The fear in my body was not enough to muffle my voice.

I screamed as loud as I can, my throat burning with each ripple that climbed up my throat, and still, My mother didn't stop moving towards me.