Chapter 9 A Mistaken Identity

• When I finally slow down, the battle is far behind, the woods have grown denser with the trees taller and thicker than before, the mist is heavy in the atmosphere and clings to me like an outer coat, I am deep in unfamiliar territory.
• Staggering to a stop, I lean against a tree for support, my chest heaves in an attempt to steady my breaths.
• The battle is so far behind now that I can no longer hear it and it is already close to dawn. I live, for now...but I have no idea where I am or what part of Everdale forest this is, or if I am still within Everdale woods at all.
• Accustomed to the city, the forest offers me no clues and I glance around multiple times but cannot even figure out the path that leads out of the forest.
• The relief I feel is temporary and I know it, I am lost, alone and the woods are vast and unfamiliar, filled with unknown threats.
• Rogues will not be kinder to me than they were with Alpha Mikos's enforcers, and Alpha Mikos? His wrath will only grow stronger with each passing moment.
• I know I am safe now... but for how long?
• Dawn arrives quickly, breaking over the tree tops in a streak of golden hues but I hardly take notice of it.
• After days on the run, my limbs feel heavy, and my shoulder still ache terribly from the fall.
• My face is covered with dirt and sweat and my clothes are torn and damp from the morning dew and damp earth.
• Every part of me screams for rest and my eyes burn, begging me to close them if only for a short time but I do not feel confident. Rest is a luxury I cannot afford.
• My mind is restless and unsettled, something is different about the woods than it was just a short time ago but I cannot quite place it... I do not have the time to place it.
• The attack comes swiftly and without so much as a warning.
• I have been walking down a narrow path through the woods, seeking out the right way when the ground gives way beneath my feet.
• 'A trap.' I realize.
• It is crafted with precision, a pit in the ground concealed by leaves and twigs and I plummet right into it. The sudden jolt wrenches the air out of my lungs and I gasp, scrambling to my feet.
• Before I determine how to get back up, a figure emerges above me, peering down into the pit, his face covered with a black mask reveals only a pair of piercing, dark blue eyes.
• I sense there are more people beyond my line of sight.
• I can hear their footsteps, their movements are fluid and deliberate.
• 'Warriors... the strongest kind...' I conclude immediately.
• But these are not Alpha Mikos's enforcers and they do not appear to be rogues either, so who was this group so far out in the woods?
• Had I not picked up on the telltale scent of wolves, I would mistake them for hunters.
• "Hold still," a deep and authoritative voice commands as I retreat warily.
• Freezing in place, I do not move an inch further. I know better than to outrightly resist. The air around this group crackles with power and their scent is very distinct, though it bears the undertone of shifters, it is more rich with dominance and raw energy than I have ever encountered.
• Far beyond anything Alpha Mikos or the other Alphas at his gala had been able to achieve.
• 'These were no ordinary shifters'... I realize.
• No, this was something far more dangerous. I have heard of a species of shifters that were the direct descendants of the original werewolves,
• Unlike us, they are not called werewolves, they have a different name entirely, a distinct and imposing name that summarizes their existence.
• 'Lycans...'
• I have heard stories of them and the name sends a chill running down my spine. They are more than legendary, they are mythic and even amongst humans, they pass for a group of high profile, untouchable people.
• And there is only one Lycan Pack dominating the territories and cities around, Everdale being but one of their many subordinate packs.
• Royal Fang Pack, the pack of Lycans in these times boasts of a blend of shifters and humans, their reach extends into politics, commerce and even crime syndicates.
• Their leader is known to be a terrifying shifter, ruling with brute strength and an unmatched intellect, he is also a cutthroat, money grubbing business man...Alaric Raid, the Alpha Supreme.
• Crossing them is signing one's death warrant... trespassing their lands, well... that is also a death sentence.
• "Now what would a little wolf girl be doing, prancing about our hunting grounds?" Another voice from above asks.
• My eyes widen as the hands of the one peering down at me reaches down and I try to scramble away but I am too late as he grabs a hold of me and hauls me out of the pit.
• I struggle violently but it is as hopeless as fighting against rock, my captor is unnaturally strong, and he does not budge even when I hit him with all my strength.
• He lifts me by my neck, his height towering enough that I am dangling a good distance off the ground.
• His eyes stare right into mine, and for a moment I am awestruck by how piercing his eye color is.
• "Let me go!" I scream fiercely, regaining my senses.
• "Be quiet!" One of them snaps, "You'll speak when the supreme allows it!"
• I do not quite process that as I twist fiercely, biting down on the hand holding me with all my strength.
• His grip loosens and I drop to the ground, leaping to my feet, I attempt to make a run for it but am immediately doused in a strong splash of water, the force throws me off my feet.
• 'The water element! Like Lana!' I note.
• "How dare you hurt the supreme?!" One snarls.
• I wipe the water off my face but it just keeps dripping, my hair completely wet clings to my face and the mud and grime covering my face has been washed off.
• I lift my gaze to find the one I bit now stares down at me. I cannot conceal the tremor that runs through me as I realize this is the famed Alpha Supreme, and I bit him.
• But the look in his eyes is nothing like I expect it to be, instead of wrath, his eyes grow wide and even astonished.
• "Beloved?" He calls, his tone is tentative, almost fearful.