Chapter 2

Raven POV

This morning is like all the others, I wake up at 4:30am to start breakfast for my mother, Mary, and once that is done I have to clean the whole house top to bottom so that it's finished by the time she wakes up for breakfast. Once i finish everything it is around 7am, which is 30 minutes before the warrior training starts and I am never late. I run up the stairs to throw on a bright green sports bra and dark grey leggings, once dressed I take a quick look in the mirror to make sure I look ok and what I see staring back at me isn't someone i recognize anymore. I have a bruise on the side of my cheek and some bruising on my stomach that is starting to fade, but is definitely still visible for others to notice. Now you might be thinking that I'm a warrior and train everyday so of course I will have bruises, but that is not the case. Yes, I get bruises and broken bones from training, but that rarely happens now that I am one of the best in class. These bruises are from my mother when I don't clean well enough or she comes home drunk and wants to take it out on me. I can easily defend myself, but it's my mother I can't hit her back.

You may be wondering why my mother would treat me so poorly, her own child. Well that's easy enough to explain, she blames me for my fathers death. He died protecting me when I was only 11, being so young I was unable to defend myself, but does my mother care? No

Flashback 6 years**********

Mom said I have to stay inside all day, but I am soooo bored just sitting around here with nothing to do. I'm just sitting here waiting for mom to leave so I can go to my spot and enjoy ebing outside. After waiting another 20 minutes mom leaves the house saying she's running to the store to get some things for dinner, which gives me about an hour to sneak away. Once her car pulls out of the driveway I run out the front door and sprint into the woods. The woods are my favorite place to be, they are so serene and smell like the earth. Once I'm deep enough into the woods I can smell the wet dirt beneath my feet which is always kept moist and cool due to the large canopy trees. I can smell the wildflowers growing in the cleaing on my right and the birds chirping happily unaware of the events of the future. After running for 15 minutes I can finally hear the water from the small river i discovered a few months ago.

Ever since I found the river I have been coming here every day just to put my feet in the water and take a break from my over bearing father and controlling mother. I just want to be a child, but they refuse to let me have any fun or even play with other kids. I still haven't told anyone about this place because I know I wouldn't be able to come here anymore. They would say it's too close to the border and that it's unsafe for a child, but we haven't had any rogues around our borders in months so what's the harm.

After sitting by the river for 30 minutes I decide I should head back so that I get back before mom gets home, wouldn't want to get a lecture. Right as I stood up I heard a twig snap making my snap my head in the direction of the border. Pausing for a minute waiting to see if I was hearing things or if i'm in danger, I decide it's nothing and turn back around in the direction of my house unaware of the rogue that launched itself at me. It bit down on my shoulder and pinned me to the ground casuing a blood curdling scream to escape my lips due to the pain and fear I'm feeling. Before I can fully register the damage to my shoulder another rogue slices through my stomach causing another scream to escape. At this moment I realized that I am going to die here. There are 7 full grown rogue wolves and I am an 11 year old girl with no wolf and no training. I am also aware that no one knows where I am so theres slim chance someone heard me, let alone anyone is coming to save me so I just close my eyes and wait.

All of a sudden the weight on my stomach is gone and I hear snarling so I open my eyes to see my fathers large tan wolf on top of the rogue ripping his throat out. After only another second the wolf attached to my shoulder has been ripped off and is fighting my father before I hear a sickening crack and the wolf is on the ground unmoving with a broken neck. My father looks over at me with a look that says 'RUN' but I am too scared to move, I'm scared for myself and scared for my father who is only 1 wolf against the remaining 5. There is no way he will win this without help so I start screaming as loud as I can for help and hope they can get here in time.

What felt like hours, but was probably only minutes and help finally showed to help my father who was currently on the ground bleeding a lot, too much, with a rogue on top of him. Right as the rogue goes for my fathers throat one of our warriors tackles him off, but at that point my father had bled too much and wasn't able to hang on any longer. I ran to my father begging for him to wake up and hitting his wolf with all my might praying for him to come back to me. I wasn't able to beg for long as another wolf had transitioned back into his human form and grabbed me off him to take me to the pack hospital.

I was in the hospital in a coma for a few days due to the blood loss and once I woke up I had hoped I could've stayed in the coma. The images of my father dying flashed through my mind followed by a hard sob from me. I had been crying for only a minute when my mom walked in and all I wanted was her comfort or to cry on her shoulder, but instead all the said to me was "You are why he died, you irresponsible brat. You are no longer my daughter and no longer have any right to call me your mother." with a sneer and then she walked out of my hospital room leaving me alone to mourn my father.

End of flashback*****

After reminiscing on the worst day of my life I decided to head out to training and work my anger, guilt, and sadness out on my sparring partner. I am quickly progressing and hoping to one day be the Top Female Warrior of the Rising Ashes pack, that is if I don't find my mate and leave this god forsaken pack.