Chapter 1

Aurelia's POV

Patches of grey and pink floated across the afternoon sky, and birds chirped happily in the trees nearby. The smell of green grass and rotting leaves filled my nostrils as a small gust of wind tossed the hems of the turquoise dress that adorned my body.

"Will be back soon, mother." I called out to my mother, and without waiting for her usual ambiguous reply, I stepped out of our home.

I stretched my lithe body, my gaze landing on the mountains which surrounded our pack, and a smile spread across my face. Our pack was sure beautiful.

I took calm strides, towards the woods. My wolf leapt yet again, and I rolled my eyes. I had suddenly felt the strong urge to shift, and knowing my wolf fully well, I wasn't getting a moment's rest, if I didn't grant her wish.

The woods was silent, as I walked deeper into it. I avoided the thorny shrubs, clasping my hands behind my back, and humming a tune to myself. So relaxed, was I, like I had nothing to do that morning. Like I didn't promise my mother to help her clean up the house.

The woods was dark, the only source of light, was the sun rays, which cut down through the leaves on their branches above.

I soon got to my favorite spot, and began stripping, when I suddenly heard a sound. My ears perked up, and a frown crept up my face. I whirled around towards the direction where the sound had come from, however, I didn't move an inch.

I listened yet again, and heard it. It sounded low, than the former. Cracked, like someone in pain. With my heart thudding against my chest, I inched closer to the thicket.

I gulped down nervously, but strangely enough, I wasn't afraid.

"Any one there?" I called out, boldly. I soon got to a huge tree, and a glance made me gasp.

Crouched at the side of a tree and wearing a dirty brown cloak, was a man. His hands were pressed to his side, and blood dripped from between the lines of his fingers.

"Hey," I mumbled, but just then, he fell to the floor, with a thud. I crouched down, and tore a side of my dress. I moved him to a more comfortable position, and took a quick glance at his face.

His eyes were tightly shut, beads of sweat framing his forehead. However, his facial features was.... otherworldly. I turned my face away, and wrapped the torn piece around his gaping wound, hoping it'd stop the bleeding. It didn't.

I took a last glance at him, dashed out of the woods, and headed towards our home. My father could help.

....

“Will he be okay?” I asked, my tone nonchalant. Deep down however, I was worried than I’d usually be over someone I didn’t know. The stranger was now lying on the bed, and tended to, by my Father.

“Yes, I'm sure he will." My father nodded, throwing me a brief glance. I shook my head, and nodded.

"In that case, I'd like to go back to the woods. I didn't get to shift." I said.

"Get me some Algereiz, on your way back. We need it." He requested, just as I was about to turn the doorknob.

I nodded, in response. I knew the medicinal herb too well for its healing properties.

My walk back to the woods, wasn't as serene as it was at first. The image of the stranger, flashed through my mind once again. Just like it had been doing, since we brought him back home.

It wasn't rare to find injured strangers, whom we usually helped. However, the stranger, had an aura he emanated. An aura I couldn't fathom. Was he from our pack?

If he was, I hadn't seen him before. Or, was he from another pack, and had been attacked by... My thoughts trailed off, once I stepped into the woods, once again.

I was greeted by its beautiful, dense greenery. It was darker inside the forest than it was outside, and so fireflies sprung from every corner, like they were welcoming me into their home.

I walked along the path that had been paved by the numerous feet that had walked into this forest before me, most of them in search of the infamous plant.

Twigs broke underneath my feet and the rich scent of the forest filled my nostrils as I plunged deeper. Algreiz was hard to find during the day, but at night, its glow made it incredibly easier to spot.

After what felt like an hour of walking, I was finally able to come across the plant. The beauty of bioluminescence was evident in the Algreiz plant, as it emitted a light blue haze of color.

Crouching lowly, I picked as many as I could, filling the small basket that I cradled with my fingers. As soon as I was done, I turned around and made my way out of the forest.

It was funny how we didn’t know the stranger’s name and had never bothered to ask. Perhaps by the time my father was done tending to his wounds, I would build the courage to ask him what his name was, where he’d come from, and what he planned to do after his recovery.

It wasn't like I cared anyway.

I could feel the excitement building in me as I walked home, but nothing on earth could have possibly prepared me for the scenery I met the moment I caught sight of my house.

There was fire everywhere, and I immediately dropped my basket and ran towards my home, terror filling me to my bones. A series of questions filled my mind as I panicked.

“Mother, Father," My voice sounded strangled, as stared unblinkingly at our hitherto beautiful home.

I screamed at the top of my lungs as I beckoned on my loved ones, the only family I had. No, they had to be safe.

Father was the strongest man I knew, and mother, mother was definitely by his side. They must have escaped, and the stranger with them. They were okay. They were probably just standing somewhere outside my line of vision, waiting for me to come home.

I called out to my parents once more before I got to my house, but I wasn’t able to make it to the front door. There was no need, not with the mangled bodies of my parents and the servants sprawled all over the place. I watched our house as it burned down, along with all of the memories we’d made over the years.

With a trembling body, I walked over to where my parents lay and I held their hands, hoping, praying that I’d get some sort of response. Their fingers were ice cold, and I realized they were both long gone. I squeezed their hands in mine, hoping to offer some of my warmth as I lay quietly beside them.

“Mother, father. It’s me, Aurelia.” I whispered, quietly wrapping their lifeless arms around my trembling body as tears streamed down my cheeks.

“I’m home.”

I suddenly heard the rustling of leaves behind me, and turned to see the stranger. He was leaning against a tree, and the bleeding seemed worse than ever.

With my mind in shambles, my vision blurry, courtesy of my tears, I stumbled over to where he was.

I grabbed his cloak, with a tenacity I didn't know I possessed.

"What happened to my parents?"