Chapter 3

MELISSA.

I stare in pity at the poor girl.

She is bloody, bruised, and torn in different body parts.

Who would do something like this?

"Where did you pick up her scent?" I ask Tobias, one of our patrol wolves.

"A few miles up, past the borderline."

"That's a long way to be floating in the river. Pick her up; we will head over to the pack clinic."

I watch as he lifts her gently, and we begin hurrying steadily but fast.

As we clear the woods, I break off from them.

"You guys go on ahead. I will meet you later," I tell them.

I head to the mansion and my brother's office.

I enter without knocking.

"Mel, I have told you several times to knock before entering," he says without lifting his head from the documents he is looking at.

"Don't want to," I retort.

"One of these days, you will see something you would regret."

"I doubt it," I say as I flop down on one of the chairs facing him and place my feet on his desk.

He sighs at my antics before looking up.

"What do you want now?" he demands, tired of my crap.

I brought in another wolf. She was left for dead."

"Hmm. Skylight pack?" he asks as he goes back to reading through the documents.

"Most likely. They have a nasty habit of killing their wolves after all, they must have thought she was dead."

"Fine. Do you. Just make sure you question her well enough to ensure she is not a threat to the pack," he orders.

"Yes, sir."

I get up to give him a mock salute before walking away.

CATHERINE.

I awaken to the sounds of beeping machines, the obscene lights in the room nearly blinding me.

When I get used to their glare, I look around to see I am in some clinic.

"You are awake," a voice sounds from beside me.

I look over to see two women standing at my bedside. One is the woman I saw earlier, who had saved me.

The voice that asked the question belonged to the other woman.

"I am healer Haley. I have been watching over your healing progress," she introduces herself.

"Ho...How long have I..." I break off to clear my throat. My voice is faint, either from lack of use or bruised vocal cords.

"Don't strain yourself; your vocal cords are bruised," Haley says. "Your whole body is bruised. I am amazed you manage to hold on that long," she comments.

Yeah, me too.

"This is Melissa," she gestures to the other woman. "She is the one who saved you and brought you to the clinic."

"Thank you," I rasp out.

"You are welcome," she replies with a warm smile.

"Where am I?" I ask.

"Oh, my bad," Melissa exclaims. "This is the Blackwater pack. My brother is the Alpha," she says.

Blackwater?

Alpha Damon Blackwater?

Hell no.

No, no, no. No way.

I didn't survive that beating and being thrown into a fast-moving river only to die at the hands of an unforgiving, ruthless alpha.

Damon Blackwater is the number one Alpha in the world.

He is ruthless, cold, and vicious to all those he considers his enemy.

He was the one who killed Vance's father.

And while I am not aware of the reason, his hatred for the Skylight pack and its members is well known.

Melissa must have seen something on my face as she quickly said to assure me.

"Don't worry. I have informed him of your presence, and he is okay with it."

I nod at her in acceptance.

The sooner she leaves, the sooner I can escape.

"There are still some wears and tears left to heal," Haley says. "I suggest you go out for a run to hasten the healing process."

I nod at her and watch them both leave.

"Let's go for a run."

"Are you kidding me? Now? You show up now? Where were you when I needed you?" I snarl at her.

"I am sorry. I couldn't let them see me," she says.

"We could have died!"

"And we didn't. I kept you floating, didn't I? Long enough for that she-wolf to find us."

"That she-wolf is the sister of Damon Blackwater. We are in the backwater pack, do you understand that?"

"Hmm."

"What is wrong with you?"

"Let's go for a run."

"No!"

"Please. Think of it this way: the sooner we heal, the sooner we can leave."

It is a good idea. But...

"I can't just run around in an enemy pack," I tell her.

"You have already been given permission. Don't you want to leave here?"

I sigh in exasperation.

There is no point arguing with her when she is like this.

I get up from the bed and move towards the door.

"Hi, where are you going?" Haley asks as soon as I open the door.

Was she standing guard?

"For a run, like you suggested," I say.

"Oh, that's good. I was coming to recheck your vitals, but we can do that when you return. Just go out through the side door, and you will be met with long acres of woods.

"Feel free to run there."

"Thank you."

I follow her direction into the woods and shift into my wolf. The moment my paws touch the ground, I am off running.

Well, my wolf is off running.

"Where are you going?"

She doesn't respond. She keeps tearing through the woods, weaving through the trees and cutting curves.

"Slow down, will you? This is not the skylight pack. You can't just run anywhere you like. We can get punished for this."

I am ignored once again.

Finally put off by her behavior, I prepare myself to shift forms when tackled to the ground by the biggest wolf I have ever seen.

It is more significant than Vance's wolf.

And it's Gold.

What the hell?