That night when I was about to fall asleep, a searing pain shot from the tattoo on my wrist, I bit into my arm to prevent myself from crying out. Mom would be furious if she heard me. The pain spread from my wrist to the rest of my body. Exaggerating pain shot my whole body when I heard something crack, the pain intensified to almost make me pass out.
The cracking sound continued inside me as my body distorted into various weird angles, it was a hundred times more painful than I already experienced.
Dots appeared in my vision as I closed my eyes but the pain kept me awake. I wanted it to stop but it only intensified and I dared not scream out or my mom would hit me till I was half dead. After a while of intense agony, it stopped. The fast the pain appeared was also the fast before it disappeared. My wolf was smiling at me in my head before darkness completely swallowed me.
When I woke up the next morning, I recalled what had happened to me the previous night so I checked myself in a mirror, my eyes didn’t look dull gree anymore instead, the color seemed to have enhanced and a hint of silver seemed to be mixed within, my skin was soft, smooth and flawless and it all my scars new or newly healed disappeared.,
Then it dawned on me.
Was that my first shift?
Why would a shift cause my body to undergo such a huge change?
I couldn’t recall what I had seen but I was absolutely sure that I had undergone my first shift.
I’m a werewolf!
I tried to call out to my wolf in my head but there was no response. I didn’t let that discourage me and ruin my mood. Since I had woken up earlier than expected it gave me enough time to prepare breakfast for my Mom and then left to prepare food for the Alpha family. Bren and Eliza had their friends coming over so I had to prepare enough food for everyone.
When the Luna and my siblings woke up, they didn’t give a damn about me. All of them were fussing about the ball most especially Eliza who wanted to begin her skincare routine in time. As their friends showed up, it was so much worse having people around with all of them talking about the same thing.
That evening, the house was soon filled with people, chatter, and laughter. As I approached the living room, everyone seemed to be waiting for someone, at some point while I was in the kitchen my father had shown up.
“You need to go to the ball. I asked Ronan to take you a meter away from the venue. Don’t tell your Luna about this or I’ll banish you. Do you understand?” he said with a nod.
He dismissed me and I went home immediately.
As soon as I reached the house and saw my mom was sleeping, there was a smirk on my face. The chances of me meeting my mate were slim but there was still a chance and I tried.
I took a warm bath and I enjoyed it but I didn’t spend much time because I had to get to the ball venue grounds. I immediately got to work on my makeup, something I had spent years secretly learning and perfecting. I also put on a gown I found in Sabrina's bag followed by the jewelry and heels which surprisingly fit on my feet. I threw my hair into a messy bun to complete my outfit.
When I was done, I checked a full-length mirror and was surprised at what I saw. I was different, a girl but I looked very mature and beautiful. It didn’t look like I was still in my teens.
No one from the pack would recognize me if they saw me at this very moment.
For the first time in a very long time, I felt beautiful. I traced my hand over the golden embroidery designs on the gown and I genuinely smiled. I wore the fur scarf which was held in place by a brooch pin, before leaving my house.
This is the only chance that would set me free from my misery. If I can find my mate, I hope he’ll take me away. Like what the Alpha said, a car was waiting outside for me. Ronan has a weird look at me the whole drive. When we reached the dropping point, I hopped out of the car and he sped away.
I followed a path leading the road where the cars were driving past me all towards the direction of the Ball grounds. My feet were starting to hurt from walking wearing heels but I kept moving.
Suddenly a black car slowed down and was moving at the same pace as me, I ignored it and kept moving. One of the tinted windows was rolled down, a man pushed his head out
“Priestess, where have you been? You got us so worried. You haven't been home for four days!”
The car stopped in front of me and two men got out. One was red-haired and the other had green eyes.
“What do you want? Who are you?” I was confused as to why these men called me priestess.
“My lady, you thought you could fool us by changing your scent and outfit?” The red-haired man chuckled.
“But-” I didn’t have a chance to speak.
“I almost got fooled by your makeover” The green-eyed man laughed.
“You look like you’re ready for your mate, I thought you were not so enthusiastic. Come in, we should leave.”
I was confused but I let them lead me to the car as I tried to explain. “I think you have the wrong person, I’m not your priestess.”
They burst into laughter. “You are the respected and the only child of Alessa Madaraca and you are the Moon Goddess priestess,” The car started and the direction was the ball grounds. “Playtime’s over.”
Wait, what!?
These men thought I was the priestess. I felt so confused. How come I looked like her?
As soon as we entered the Ball ground, wolves were everywhere, even the king bowed down on me. The elders came rushing at me as they walked me to a seat.
I was confused as hell but I didn’t dare to say I was not the priestess.
Everyone’s eyes were on me, including my father and the envious eyes of my Luna and Eliza. For once, it felt so good that the bitch who looked down on me felt envious of me. They bowed down on me.
The first one who came close to me was the Pack Prince, Zion walked towards me
“You are so beautiful, Sabrina,” he said. “Would you mind dancing with me?”
I looked at everyone, especially the King and Queen who looked pleased.
As I was about to hold my hand when a growl emitted behind me.
“Would you mind if I ask her hand first, Prince Zion?”
“Of course, Sir. You can have her,” Zion said, politely and walked away from us.
“I thought you wouldn't come, Sabrina. What the hell are you doing here? By the way, you looked so good with the dress I chose for you,” he said as he laid his hand before me. Every inch of me screamed that this man was dangerous. “You rejected your mate’s invitation to come here and then here you are, dressed nicely to catch the attention of the Prince, perhaps?”
The voice sent shivers through my body because of how he spoke and how dominating he was. I slowly turned to see who the owner was only to be greeted by dark red eyes that belonged to the man I had never met before. I saw the most handsome man I had ever seen in my life. Don’t get me wrong, Zion was handsome too but the man looked more good-looking, oozing with appeal and manliness. His red eyes say he was a rogue and yet a domineering aura emitted by his body which I came to conclude he was the Rogue King.
What the hell did I put myself to?
Darkness took me the moment I saw him. My legs gave out. My vision blurred. The last thing I saw before everything faded was the silver flame in his eyes, Seven, and then… nothing.And then warmth. That was the first thing I felt.Not the biting cold of the forest, or the damp chill of night, but a slow, steady warmth that wrapped around me like a cocoon. I shifted, confused by the softness beneath meth, e velvet-like bed, the silk brushing against my arm.And then the scent, it hit me. Lavender. Oak. Something faintly metallic.It was familiar, too familiar.My eyes shot open. The room was dim, the windows covered by long, heavy curtains that danced in a soft breeze. A candle flickered beside the bed. The walls are stone, regal, and carved with intricate patterns. And the ceiling…My breath caught.I knew this place. I had been here before. Lived here for weeks and months, disguised behind someone else’s name. Someone else’s face. This was the castle where I had pretended to be Sabrin
I don’t remember when Amber slowed down.Only that, when I opened my eyes again, we were no longer crashing through the endless forest. The air was calmer, the scent of rot and blood faded into earth and pine.We’d stopped.I blinked, disoriented, my body sore and stiff. We were tucked between a jagged outcropping of stone and the thick roots of an ancient tree, a natural hollow, hidden from all sides unless you were practically standing on top of it. The brush above masked the space like a cocoon.A safe zone.Amber had shifted back, crouched nearby, her chest rising and falling in uneven bursts. She was breathing hard, drenched in sweat and rain, but she was watching the trees like a soldier on her last thread of strength. She heard me stir and turned her head. Her eyes softened when she saw I was awake.“We’re stopping here. Just for a bit,” she said, voice hoarse.I tried to sit up, groaning as my body protested. “Where... are we?”“Still deep in the forest,” she replied, handing
The rain didn’t let up. It fell in heavy sheets, soaking the forest in silence and steam. We followed the trail from the map for hours, pushing through underbrush and ducking under fallen trees, our legs aching, our bodies barely holding on.But we didn’t stop.We couldn’t.Amber glanced back every now and then, her hand never straying far from the blade strapped to her thigh. I didn’t need to ask. I felt it too. That pull. That invisible thread tugging at my spine, warning me that something was wrong. Again.By midday, we stopped near a thicket to catch our breath, our clothes clinging to our skin, breaths misting in the cold air.That’s when Amber stiffened.She didn’t say a word. She just turned slowly toward the northeast, toward the path behind us. I followed her gaze.Nothing. Just trees and fog. And then I smelled it. Rot. Wet fur. Blood.My throat tightened.“No,” I whispered.“It’s them,” Amber said, her voice sharp with disbelief. “How? We’ve been running for days. We masked o
A soft hand shook my shoulder.“Kayah.” Amber’s voice was low, but urgent. “Wake up. They’re gone.”I blinked hard, my brain slow to catch up. The dampness of the soil, the cold seeping into my bones, the overwhelming stench, it all came rushing back.“Gone?” I croaked.Amber nodded. “They stayed a while. Sniffed around. I thought we were dead for sure. But they gave up. Probably confused by the rot or lost our scent.”She offered her hand. I took it, groaning as I pulled myself from the shallow grave.“We need to move,” she said. “Opposite direction. If they circle back, we can’t be here.”We didn’t waste time. We shifted, our tired bones snapping back into fur and muscle, and we ran. Slower than before, sore and sluggish, but we moved. The trees blurred past in streaks of green and brown, the world quieter now. Still dangerous. Still hunted. But quiet.After an hour or two, the forest thinned, and we found it, a river. The sound of rushing water was the sweetest thing I’d heard in
No man’s land stretched wide and endless before us, untamed forest, broken earth, and shadows that whispered of the past. It was wild, yes, but free.We moved cautiously for two days, always in silence. Always watching. No patrols. No signs of trackers. Just trees and wind and the echo of our own breath.And for a brief, foolish moment, I let myself believe we’d made it. That maybe Axel hadn’t noticed. That maybe, just maybe… he didn’t care. But that night shattered the illusion.We’d made a tiny camp, just enough to rest and eat. Amber built a small fire, careful to shield it with rocks and branches. It barely flickered, barely glowed. Still… it was too much.The growl ripped through the forest like thunder. Low. Deep. Wrong. My blood turned to ice. Amber froze mid-bite. Her eyes met mine. We knew that sound.Ferals.Not rogue. Not Alpha.Ferals.An abomination of wolf and rage and madness. Creatures so far gone even the moon goddess had turned her back on them. Axel’s personal dogs.
I didn’t take clothes. Just stuffed everything into a plain black backpack. Something I could throw over my shoulder and run with. Clothes didn’t matter. Freedom did.I hid the bag in a loose panel behind the dresser in my room, then cleaned everything. Every step. Every breath. Every fingerprint.By the time night fell, I almost let myself believe this might work.Until I heard the door. I froze.The scent hit first, his scent. Axel. No. No no no..He wasn’t supposed to be here. Not yet. Not tonight. I shoved the panel back into place, threw myself onto the bed, and forced my body to go limp just as the door opened. He stepped in slowly, the weight of exhaustion dragging at his frame. His shirt was dirty, blood-streaked. His hair matted from sweat. He looked like he’d been through hell. But all I felt was fear.He looked at me.I smiled. Soft. Tender. Practiced.“You’re back,” I said gently, rising to my feet. “I was worried.”His eyes softened just a little. “You stayed up?”“I always