CHAPTER 1 -  About To Shift

I

“Hiyaahhh, go, go my Scarlet, run fast, we need to go away from here,” Gerthel, pulled the rein of her horse she named, Scarlet while her one foot kicked the saddle to trigger the horse to run fast. At thirteen years old, Gerthel has been trained well to ride a horse by her mother.

She needs to escape as told by her mother while her mother, a powerful witch, and sorceress was trying her best to fight against the Red Hill Pack. The Red Hill Pack as headed by their Alpha, Alpha Thor attacked and set on fire their five hectares of rice farm and banana plantation, burning their house and the houses of the families of their farmers. Since last month, her mother refused to give the usual fifty percent of their harvest to the Alpha of the Red Hill Pack. It has been several years that they are suffering from the abuses of the Red Hill Pack’s Alpha and his warriors. 

Just a week ago, the Luna of this Red Hill Pack tried to kill her mother by shooting her with her gun upon her mother’s refusal to deliver fifty sacks of rice to their packhouse. However, powerful as she is, her mother just uttered a certain chant and the Luna immediately lost all the air in her lungs making her fall to the ground, lifeless. 

This might be the reason why they are now being attacked by the Alpha of the Red Hill pack and his warriors.

A few meters away, Gerthel stopped and looked back. In her microscopic type of sight, she then saw when her mother gathered in her hands the fire around their farm and formed it into a magical ball. As her mother threw the ball of fire against the group of the Red Hill Pack, she saw the werewolves including their Alpha fly away while being gobbled by fire.  With that, the remaining werewolves retreated and ran away from their land. 

Gerthel let her horse run back to their house and there she saw her mother lying on the ground gasping for her breath.

“Momma, are you hurt?” she asked worriedly. She gathered her mother’s body into her arms with tears trickling down her cheeks. 

With difficulty in breathing, Gerthel’s mother tried to speak to her in her stammering and whispering-like voice. “Gerthel, I was able to use all my powers and energies, I am getting weak, but even if I die now, I will be happy. I killed the Luna before and now the Alpha of the Red Hill Pack. They deserved their death for making us live like hell.”

Gerthel’s tears keeps flowing as she held her mother in her arms. “Momma, you need to be alive. We still have so many dreams to fulfill. Remember, we will still travel to other places when our harvest is good this year?” she uttered with grief while looking at her mother whose eyes are now closed and with her heart heaving for breath.

“I will not live long my daughter. Take care of our farmers and their families. They are just pure humans, weak and vulnerable. In due time, you will discover the innate power that I passed on to you the moment you were born. Your wolf breed will also come to exhibit when the day of your eighteenth birthday comes. Let the moon’s light shines upon you when that time comes. My spirit will always be with you, Gerthel. Farewell my daughter, until the time that we will meet again,” stammering and in a low voice, Gerthel’s mother forced herself to speak.

A few seconds after, the sorceress mother of Gerthel held her last breath. Her head fell down and her eyes closed with remnants of tears in her eyes.

Gerthel wept so hard as she held her mother’s lifeless body in her arms. “Momma!!!”

II

Five years after, Gerthel grew up to be a full-blown lady of extraordinary beauty. However, no male either human or werewolf tried to come near her for fear or disgust. Since birth, she has never been close to any male or female species, except her human friend, Karla, who is the daughter of the spouses Tony and Laura, the only ones she trusted when it comes to their farm and plantation operations. 

Gerthel was called NBSB or has had no boyfriend since birth.

After the death of the Alpha of the Red Hill Pack, their small farm and plantation became peaceful and abundant. They felt safe and thought that such peacefulness will be all throughout their lives. 

Tonight, when the full moon illumines her body, she will start to shift into her wolf form. She will finally meet her wolf and will get the strength and speed innate to her as the daughter of an Alpha, even if her father is a rogue Alpha and had rejected her as his daughter from the day her mother conceived her. 

And most probably, as a wolf of adult age, she will finally meet her mate. 

Gerthel smiled at the thought that finally, she will be meeting her mate. She walked toward the dining area and saw the cake she bought at the bakery in the city. Laura and Karla prepared the table with food for them to feast on, in celebration of her eighteenth birthday. She also bought loaves of bread, drinks, and pasta, which she distributed to all the families of the farmers inside her farm and plantation.

“Gerthel, my BFF, happy eighteenth birthday. You just came on time. We have prepared everything already. Look,” Karla said happily as she hugged her tenderly. Gerthel hugged her back.

“Thank you, Karla and Aunt Laura. Where is Uncle Tony? Let us eat now. In a while, the full moon will start to show and you know what is going to happen to me. I want you to witness it. You are like my family now,” she said smilingly.

“Tony is just changing his clothes. He will be here in a while, Gerthel. Happy birthday to you. I am sure your Momma is happily watching you now.” It was Laura who spoke with utmost sincerity in her voice. Her family could not thank enough for the abundant life they are having now because of Gerthel and her mother when the latter was still alive.

When Tony showed up in the dining area, they started to eat happily after the family of Karla sang their happy birthday to her and gave their gifts to Gerthel.

“It is nine o’clock in the evening already, Gerthel, the moon is in its full circle now,” Karla said when they were at the balcony already, drinking Laura’s homemade rice coffee.

Gerthel made a deep breath while Karla got a small paper bag containing a set of clothes for Gerthel.

“Let us go now into the woods,” Gerthel said smiling. Karla, Laura, and Tony joined Gerthel as she walked toward the deepness of the forest near their plantation.

When they reached the middle part where the full moon was shining so bright, Gerthel stopped. “This is now the spot, where I am going to shift into my wolf form. I can feel it now,” she said softly yet with excitement. She could feel the humming of a soft, sweet voice inside her head and she guessed it to be from her wolf inside, who finally came to life.

Gerthel knelled and waited until her shifting takes place. 

They were in that exciting moment when they heard loud growls from different directions. Gerthel’s eyes grew wide as she thought of the impending threat to their lives.

“Karla, Laura, and Tony run! Run fast or climb a tree for your safety!” she shouted as she saw werewolves coming from different directions, running fast toward them.