Chapter 4

• Emily
• I was running.
• The forest around me was dark. The trees stretched high like shadows in the night. My breath came in quick, shaky gasps while my legs burned as I pushed myself forward.
• “Viktor!” I called out with my breaking voice. “Wait! Please, don’t leave me!”
• Ahead of me, a tall figure walked away without looking back. His jet-black hair caught the moonlight, but he didn’t stop.
• “Viktor!” I tried again as my feet pounded against the damp earth. “Please!”
• This time, he turned.
• His golden eyes were icy cold. The lack of warmth in his gaze startled me. “Get lost, Emily. I never wanted you.”
• The words struck me harder than any wound. My chest ached, and my throat tightened with emotion.
• I shook my head. “No! You don’t mean that.”
• He scoffed. His lips curled into a cruel smile. “I do,” he said with conviction. “You were never meant to be mine. You don’t deserve me. You’re nothing but trash, clinging to me in a pathetic attempt to make yourself useful and worthy. I could never love someone as filthy and low as you. I’d rather die than be with you.”
• Then, he turned and walked away.
• The ground beneath me cracked. I tried to move and reach for him, but my legs wouldn’t work. The darkness swallowed me whole, dragging me down into nothingness.
• “VIKTOOR!!!”
• I woke up with a loud gasp as my own voice echoed around me. My heart was racing, pounding so hard that it hurt. I clutched my chest and tried to calm myself. The dream felt so real, and before I knew it, tears were running down my face.
• I looked around and searched for something familiar, but nothing made sense. I wasn’t in my room. Instead, I was lying inside a tent, and the air smelled like herbs and some roots. It reminded me of a hospital. No, I was sure I was in one.
• Slowly, I touched my face. I flinched at the sharp pain on my right temple. My fingers brushed over bandages wrapped around my head. I moved my hands over my body and felt more bandages covering wounds. My whole body ached and remembered the fight I had with those rogues. Someone must have found me and brought me here to be treated.
• Suddenly, a sound broke the stillness of the room.
• A woman walked in, carrying medicine bottles in her hands. Her auburn hair bounced as she moved. She looked familiar, but I couldn’t remember how and where I saw her. She was pretty, with bright eyes that sparkled like tiny stars and a warm smile that could make anyone feel safe. Obviously, she hadn’t noticed I was awake yet. So, I decided to call her attention instead.
• “Hey..”
• Her head snapped up. The moment she saw me, her eyes widened, and her face lit up.
• “Oh my! You’re awake!” she said excitedly. “How are you feeling?”
• “Not great, but better,” I admitted as I tried to sit up. The moment I moved, sharp pain shot through my body and made me wince.
• “Don’t move too much,” she warned. She quickly set the bottles down to help me. “I just healed your wounds, and they’re still fresh inside.”
• Her words caught my attention.
• “Healed?” I repeated. I looked at her carefully. “Did you just say… you healed me?”
• She nodded eagerly. “Yeah! I am the healer here.” She glanced around, then leaned closer as if she was telling me a secret. “And it wasn’t easy, you know… because of the kind of wolf you are.”
• I frowned. “What do you mean?”
• She gave me a knowing smile. “Oh, don’t pretend,” she said. “I saw it with my own eyes when you shifted.” Her eyes twinkled. “You have a white wolf, don’t you?”
• The words hit me like a lightning bolt.
• A white wolf. She knew about my white wolf.
• Suddenly, I remembered why she looked familiar. She was the woman I saved from the rogues the night I got hurt.
• But the happiness of remembering her didn’t last.
• Because now, I also remembered what had happened to me and why I was there when it happened.
• My chest tightened. My hands curled into fists. The memories came back too fast and too strong that I felt I was being suffocated. My heart felt heavy, like it was sinking.
• Tears filled my eyes.
• Because now, I knew why I was here.
• And I wished I wasn’t.
• “What’s wrong?” the woman asked in a panic. I wiped my tears and shook my head. At this point, I wasn’t comfortable sharing my story with a stranger. So, I just found an excuse that I think she would believe.
• “I just…I just missed my family.”
• “Oh…” she said sympathetically. “Have you been living by yourself?”
• I nodded. Perhaps, she felt that I still wasn’t to share some more about it. She took a deep breath and tried to sound upbeat.
• “Don't worry! My brother leads this pack, and he's always ready to lend a hand. I'll bet he'd be thrilled to help you out. After all, it’s because of you that I got saved from being violated by those rogues. Let's go find him and see what we can do to turn that frown upside down!"
• “Really?” I exclaimed excitedly. The woman nodded again and immediately, I felt her sincerity. Perhaps I wasn’t the most unfortunate she-wolf alive as I found this place which seemed to be a haven for me.
• Just in, I remember to introduce myself properly. However, since I was planning to live a new life, I decided to use a different name for a fresh start.
• “Katarina Rinaldi. You can call me Rina.”
• “Alexie Romano. Lexie for short,” she responded back as she accepted my hand and shook it. “Welcome to the Rivermoon Pack.”
• "Rivermoon ?" My brow furrowed. "I've never heard of that pack before"
• "That's because we're not technically a pack," Lexie interjected, moving her fingers in the air to put some emphasis on her last word. "This is a rogue camp."
• "Rogues?" Panic surged through me at her words. Sensing my distress, Lexie quickly tried to soothe me.
• "Relax, Katarina. We're nothing like those criminals. Have you forgotten how we first met?" she reassured. "This place is a haven for rejects, outcasts, and pack slaves. It's more like a home for the rejected. And since rogues are a technical term for werewolves without a pack, this was considered a rogue camp, but it was nothing but a name. We are a big family here.”
• Rejected... The mention of the word suited me well. If this was indeed a rogue camp, it would be the first time I'd heard of such a thing. Imagine gathering all the unwanted and homeless wolves and forming a community out of them.
• "My brother is the leader of this community. I'll talk to him later and tell him about your situation. For now, you can focus on getting better. Don’t worry, you are safe here.”
• “Thanks, Lexie,” I uttered. Lexie smiled and left me to rest.
• Whoever thought of this place was a genius. Not only would this place become a safe haven for someone like me, but it would also prove that there is life after hardships if only you have the courage to move forward and leave all of those bad things behind.
• With that, I closed my eyes and hoped for a better day ahead.