Chapter 2: Run

"Loved Until Death" was no mere love drama, but an actual documentary of a woman who was infatuated with her high school crush. As the years passed, so did her obsession with him grow, but the man of her desire rejected her countless times. Eventually, she snapped and devised a plan to kidnap and torture him up to the point where he fell victim to Stockholm syndrome.

She held him captive for three years until, fortunately, she became the main suspect in his disappearance and was ultimately caught. During the raid, as the police barged into her cellar, they found the woman sitting on her captive's lap, willingly holding her by the waist. She threatened that if the police came any closer, she would take both their lives. During the negotiations, the kidnapper was about to fulfil her promise when she was shot, and the man was saved. Unfortunately, the woman had psychologically ruined him to the point of no return. Two months after the incident, he took his own life, claiming he wanted to be with his love.

"Something tells me you have read that book," Bellinor said as he became aware of Alinta's uneasy gaze.

The woman snapped out of her thoughts and then replied uneasily, "Y...yes I have."

"A very interesting documentary, don't you think my darling?" asked Bellinor, grinning extensively the moment Alinta looked into his eyes.

"I for one think it's very tragic, no creature should be forced to love someone, no matter how the other feels about him or her," Alinta replied in her cold voice, trying very hard to conceal her uneasiness.

"But the question remains. In the end, did he learn to love her? Did she truly manage to capture his heart? Was it pure love from his side? A mere human woman, able to make a man love her so much he could not live without her. The mind and heart are fascinating things!" Bellinor responded too enthusiastically for Alinta's taste.

"Here you go Mr. Crassus, enjoy your Sunday," Alinta said and quickly turned her back and shot off.

"I think we must head back home via the back door and ASAP," Angela snorted in Alinta's mind.

"Ahead of ya, before anything else happens," Alinta hyperventilated anxiously. She started to run straight for the exit. Once at a distance, Alinta was able to relax once more but continued to walk at a rapid pace.

"What the fuck just happened back there?"

"I couldn't agree with you more Ange, that was just too creepy, it is the first in a long time he casually spoke to me like that, and where was Jenny? She never leaves the desk without leaving a note!"

"Don't ponder too much on it, let's just get home," Angela advised, Alinta mentally agreed and continued walking on.

Alinta is a twenty-nine-year-old werewolf with striking red hair and almond-shaped forest-green eyes. She has a medium build; while she isn't particularly athletic, her curves are in all the right places. Like humans, shifters come in various shapes and sizes, some beautiful and others not, though beauty is, as the saying goes, in the eye of the beholder.

Werewolves are somewhat stronger than the average human and possess a second spirit in the form of a wolf. This wolf can communicate with other wolves when they are nearby, or, if befriended, can establish communication over long distances. The wolves also reside in a spirit realm that resembles a beautiful forest designed according to their character. Werewolves have the ability to swap bodies or minds with their wolves and can exist in the spirit forest in either their wolf form or human form.

Unlike humans, shifters have destined partners. When such a partner exists, werewolves instinctively know how to find each other, regardless of the distance separating them. Upon reaching maturity, a fated mark in the shape of a crescent moon appears on their chest, which is visible only to other shifters. When the fated couple accepts each other and becomes one, this crescent moon transforms into a full moon. If they mark each other, their partner's name will become visible in the centre of the full moon. These beings have a lifespan of 450 to 500 years, which means that werewolves take longer to produce offspring to maintain balance in the world.

The government is aware of their existence, as well as the existence of all mythical creatures. They have agreed to keep this knowledge a secret on the condition that these beings cooperate in maintaining order and peace among all living creatures. This agreement stems from a tumultuous history; when humans discovered the existence of shifters in the past, chaos erupted, leading to war—a chapter of history best forgotten.

Some werewolves prefer to live in their wolf form, roaming the forests, while their human counterparts may reside more in their subconscious or take turns assuming wolf form. Werewolves are free to travel wherever they wish, provided they respect human laws when entering human territories and do not shift into their wolf forms. Each magical race has their own land and territory, allocated to parts of the world which are not documented or written on contemporary human maps.

Alinta lived in a small werewolf town called Umbre Vally, a friendly and close-knit community consisting of various families, both large and small, exactly like how humans reside in their distinct communities or culturally influenced groups. However, Alinta was not part of any specific group. She had lived in the same town her entire life, growing up in a cottage with her mother on the rural outskirts of the forest.

Alinta preferred to be a lone wolf, keeping her distance from other civilians. The only time she ventured into town was for work or to visit her friends. Alinta held the position of the town's librarian, a job she enjoyed immensely. It allowed her to remain somewhat isolated from others while having access to all the books she loved to read as she waited for the day to pass. Her income was sufficient to cover her necessities, and she was content. A responsible werewolf, Alinta had opened a savings account at the local bank where she would deposit money for any emergencies.

Living alone meant she only had to take care of herself and her mother's memory. After her mother passed away from organ failure nine years ago, Alinta inherited a substantial amount of money, but she used it solely to maintain the cottage and her mother's grave. Alinta was the type of werewolf who mostly kept to herself and had only a small circle of close friends.

"Ange, do you mind if we shift and you take over? I'm not feeling too strong," requested Alinta, out of breath.

"You sound terrible, Als, sure go rest," Angela responded concerned.

"Thanks," Alinta replied. With those words, she immediately teleported into her spirit realm. She made her way to a beautiful silver river, her favourite spot, and decided to rest there. Lying on the cool, lush grass with her eyes closed, listening to the sound of the flowing water.

"How are you feeling Als?" Angela's voice sounded.

"Strangely, as soon as I got here, my headache disappeared. Are you feeling anything?"

"Yeah, as soon as I took over, I started to get your headache. It's weird; it should have disappeared once I shifted, but it's not getting any better. I can manage, though; my pain threshold is much higher than yours," she said with a playful smirk as she quickened her pace.

"I hope our body isn’t getting sick! I've been so careful!" Alinta complained dramatically, throwing her hands over her eyes. After a few seconds of silence, she added, "Oi, are you okay? Do you need to switch places?"

"I need... to... focus. Just about half a kilometre... left," Angela breathed heavily. Alinta closed her eyes to connect with her wolf, sensing Angela's discomfort. She tried to channel some of her energy to help ease the pain. She could see Angela's vision beginning to blur, and fear started to set in—something was not right.

"Almost there..." Angela panted, and Alinta saw a familiar wooden structure approaching. Just as she recognized it was her porch, darkness overtook them. Normally, Alinta would have been able to switch back as her wolf body reverted to her human form; it was a safety mechanism, a perk of having two bodies and souls. But strangely, darkness engulfed both of them.