Chapter 4

CHARLOTTE

I gasped in for air and the first thing I felt is the rough ground and a wet sensation from my clothes. I clenched my eyes, trying to remember what happened. The war...the kids! I stood up and I was horrified of what I've seen.

Little bodies piling up on a mountain. Most of them were burnt but I can still recognize that these bodies were the orphans. I crawled to the burnt bodies and cried. 

"NO!" I shouted out from my heavy breath. 

These poor kids were innocent, yet the war between adults cost them their future. What was the Haven Blue pack thinking!? Murdering innocent lives without batting an inch of sympathy!

"These poor kids. I don't know what came into Alpha Caleb's mind. Even the former Alpha approved of this." I heard a guard talking.

"We shouldn't be worried about that! We just killed the woman the Alpha asked us to capture. I still don't get why he wants that traitor Beta daughter back." A second voice said.

"That girl is alive! Catch her!" A third voice shouted from behind me.

I glared at the royal guards who ran after me. I shifted my feet and blasted out of there. For some reason, I don't feel pain from my wound. I touched it with my hand and found it to be fully healed. How did that happen? I'd rather worry about that later!

I ran off the trail and climbed up to the hill. Royal wolves were running towards me at a fast rate and I doubt if I can lose them. But these men don't know that I'm faster with my human feet. 

"Capture her or else the Alpha will cut our heads off!" A voice shouted to his fellow men.

I ran with all of my energy until I stopped at the edge of a cliff. On the other side is another cliff with a snowy terrain. This must be close to the North. I've heard stories of the dangers of the North. However, I don't have the time to consider that! 

I took a step back and ran with all my might then jumping to the other side. I sped up my legs and hid behind a tree. 

"Where did she go?"

"I don't know! To the other side of the cliff?" 

"Impossible! That distance is impossible for wolves to leap over!" 

"Let's go back. We'll tell the Alpha that she fell down the cliffs." 

I sighed in relief. I sat down and cried. 

Why did my life come to this? I got rejected, my father abandoned me and now the little ones who I became attached with is now taken away from me. 

"Is this what you want, moon goddess!? To see me suffer all over again?" I shouted at no one.

My stomach grumbled and I really need to survive right now. I walked deeper into the forest for hours hoping to catch a fruit tree. But every tree in this place found to be empty-handed. Darkness fell over and I could barely see anything but relying on my senses to lead me around.

Until I smelled smoke in the air I followed the scent and I stumbled upon a small village who seems to be fighting against rogues. I pushed myself to transform into my wolf and help them. A rogue was chasing after a mother and a child. I pounced on him before he could attack the kid. 

I felt a powerful sensation running through my veins and surprisingly the man died before I could bite into his neck. I realized that I kept moving around unintentionally. 

"My apologies, princess. My name is Snow. I have fully awakened from my deep slumber." My spirit wolf said. 

Snow...I cried. When I received my wolf she was inactive but her presence is there, that's why my wolf transformation was a weak one. Now, she's awake and ready to protect this village. I gasped at how beautiful my Snow is. 

My once small body became a larger breed. I have a full, white, fluffy fur and power limbs compared to the limp and puny wolf I once had. 

"Now, let me handle all of this. You've done so much, Charlotte." Snow said. I smiled and closed my eyes as my wolf took care of the rogues.

She was strong, fast and agile. Her strength is incomparable to the rogues. The rogues were now focused on Snow and she howled. Her howl caused the rogues to go stiff and cower in fear. Her size was like an Alpha's and she was bigger than them.

The rogues whimpered and scurried off to the dark forest. Snow took a step back and transformed into my human form. A woman immediately covered my naked body. The thick fur-coat warming me through this cold winter.

However, my eyes became heavy and all I could see were unfamiliar faces before I succumbed to sleep. 

--

I slowly opened my eyes and saw a blonde girl wringing a cloth from a warm bowl of water. "Oh, you're awake!" she said. 

I leaned up feeling better than before. "W-Where am I?" I croaked. My throat was dry.

"You fainted and was unconscious for two days. Currently, you are at our little and humble village of Crystalline. Thank you so much for saving us! Those damn rogues were bothering us for months!" 

I thanked her when she offered me water. 

"My name is Anaya. How about you? Your wolf was so strong even Elder Gilbert cried and started praising the goddess." 

"My name is Charlotte. I came from a pack in the East. My father abandoned me and threw me to a smaller pack. But people attacked the pack I was in and didn't hesitate to eleiminate the orphaned children I took care of." I told Anaya more details of my story and her face was horrified.

"Oh god! You've been through a lot." she said.

Anaya helped me out from the bed and took me out of the little hut I was in. People were waiting for me outside and an old man with frail body approached me.

"This is Elder Gilbert. The last Elder of Crystalline pack." Anaya introduced me to him.

The old man held my hands with tears in his eyes. "I can't believe this! The moon goddess has finally blessed us the Queen of all Wolves!" 

I was confused by the elder's words. Soon, everyone bowed to me and I was speechless. "Whoa! Wait a minute I don't get the gist of whatever is going on here." 

"We are the last living white wolves here and when we saw your huge white wolf. We knew that you'll be our queen!" Elder Gilbert explained. But I still don't understand his short explanation. 

"The white wolves are the oldest breed and shares a closer bond to the moon goddess. The real royal wolves. Soon, our kind grew extinct, our Alphas and Lunas died off one by one. We were long forgotten by our fellow wolven packs. Our last  Luna, Queen Ymeria, travelled out of the North to regain the power of our pack. But she never returned. Now, we're running as a small village and we only wish for the blessing from the moon goddess." Anaya took over the explanation.

I understood now, but a name caught my heart and voice. Queen Ymeria...that name was mom's name! Tears fell down my cheeks and my knees shook and fell on the snow-filled ground. 

"Ymeria...that is my motther's name." I said.

Everyone gasped and soon tears appeared in their eyes. Silence fell within the village and there I knew that these people need me. And in my heart, I know that Crystalline is my real home and this small village is my real family.