#1. Trespassed into the territory

Rachael POV

Hunger beat through my stomach so hard it felt like something alive was clawing at me from the inside. I grabbed my small bag with shaky fingers, the strap rough against my jaw. It had been too long since I’d eaten anything real, and every breath felt lighter than the one before, like my body was giving up little by little. If I didn’t find something soon, I knew I’d pass out. Maybe for hours. Maybe forever.

I shifted into my human form quickly, just enough to get what I needed. The cold rushed straight into my naked skin, raising goosebumps across my arms, but I ignored it. I dug into my bag until my fingers closed around the small clay jar buried at the bottom. My heart thumped painfully in my chest as I opened it. Shifting into a human was always dangerous out here. Even one minute like this left me too exposed, too soft and too easy to kill. But it was the only way to mask my scent properly.

The smell of crushed leaves and bitter herbs drifted up from the jar, sharp enough to make my eyes sting. Good. Strong scents hid what I really was, a female rogue, alone and unclaimed and vulnerable. I shifted back into my wolf form before fear could settle too deep into my bones, fur rippling out to cover me again. Then I dragged the mixture along my coat, rubbing it in until the earthy, harsh scent clung to me. I hated the smell, but it was better than the alternative, getting caught.

When I finished, I stretched my legs, feeling my joints pop, trying to loosen some of the tightness in my muscles. The woods around me were still. Too still today. They were always quiet but something about today’s silence felt heavier, as if the whole forest was holding its breath. My stomach cramped again, sharp and cruel, hurrying me along.

I moved forward, lowering my body closer to the ground as I sniffed the air. I needed prey. Anything. At this point, even a small field mouse would’ve been a blessing. Every step made my paws feel heavier, like the dirt was trying to pull me down and swallow me whole.

Then I saw it, a rabbit. Small, white, completely unaware of me, nibbling at a patch of grass like it had nothing in the world to fear. My mouth watered instantly. My heartbeat kicked hard. Before the thought formed fully in my head, I pounced.

The rabbit shot forward.

I chased after it without hesitation, every other instinct drowned out by hunger. My paws slammed into the earth, kicking up dirt as I sprinted. The rabbit zigzagged left, then right, darting through bushes and weaving between trees but I stayed right on its tail.

I should have noticed the scent change sooner, the heavy, sharp warning that lingered like smoke in the air. I knew this smell. Territory. Someone else’s. A forbidden border I had no business crossing. Any smart wolf would have stopped the moment the scent hit them.

But I wasn’t smart right now. I was starving.

The rabbit darted forward again, and I followed, my vision narrowing to the blur of white ahead of me. My paws crossed the invisible line before I even realized where I was. The air here felt different, thicker. The sort of place you avoided if you wanted to live another day.

But it was too late. I was already in.

I lunged one last time, and my jaws snapped shut around the rabbit’s body. Relief hit me so suddenly and so strongly I almost collapsed. Warm fur. Warm blood. Something solid to fill the empty pit in my stomach.

I dragged the rabbit toward a tree with wide roots, tucking myself beneath it as I ate. I didn’t chew slowly. I couldn’t. I devoured it in desperate bites until there was nothing left but bones too small to matter. The hunger eased a little, not gone completely but enough that I could think again without feeling like I was dying.

Thirst hit me next, hard and immediate. My tongue felt thick and my throat burned. I sniffed the air until I caught the faint, clean smell of water, then followed it deeper into the territory I shouldn’t have been in. The stream appeared between the trees, silver and moving fast. I hurried toward it, lowering my head and drinking until the cold numbed my jaw.

For the first time in days, I wasn’t shaking.

My body sagged with exhaustion. Every limb felt heavy. The adrenaline from the chase was fading too quickly, replaced by a deep, aching tiredness that sank into my bones. I spotted a tree with thick roots that curved upward like a small shelter, and the moment I saw it, my body made the decision for me.

Just a moment, I told myself. Just enough to breathe and gather strength.

I curled against the roots, letting my eyes drift shut. The ground was cold, but it didn’t matter. My entire body felt too heavy for me to move anymore.

I didn’t mean to sleep.

I really didn’t.

But the tiredness pulled me under before I realized it.

—

A distant howl snapped me awake sometime later. My eyes flew open, panic rushing straight through me. Another howl followed. Closer. Sharper. Angry. Fear shot through my chest so fast it left me breathless.

I had slept.

Here.

In someone else’s territory.

Stupid. Reckless and Deadly.

I scrambled up and bolted, paws slipping on the damp leaves as I tried to put as much distance as possible between me and those howls. My breath puffed out in white bursts. My heart hammered so loudly it drowned out the sounds of the forest.

But the other wolves were faster.

I heard them before I saw them, pounding steps, low growls, bodies cutting through the brush. Bodies formed between the trees, too many to count. Panic clawed up my throat. I turned sharply, looking for an opening, any opening, but there wasn’t one.

They surrounded me before I could get two more steps.

One wolf lunged first, slamming into my side and knocking me off my feet. I snarled and twisted, trying to claw my way free, but another wolf pinned my hind legs. A third grabbed the scruff of my neck and yanked me down hard. The ground dug into my skin as I struggled, my breaths turning frantic and ragged.

I fought with everything I had. Claws. Teeth. Desperation.

But they were bigger. Stronger. Well fed and well trained.

I didn’t stand a chance.

“Got the rogue!” a voice barked, rough with triumph.

The word rogue cut straight through me.

Another wolf’s growl rumbled close to my ear. “What’s a rogue doing here?”

A third sniffed me harshly, the sound sharp and disgusted. “No scent. But male, undoubtedly.”

Then came the last voice, cold and cruel enough to make every hair on my body rise.

“Let’s take you to the alpha and see what punishment awaits.”