Chapter 1
- Wren's POV
- “ATTACK!!!” The emergency bell rang. My father turned to my mother.
- “Take Wren and go, remember the plan.” His voice was hurried, panic lacing every word, fear etched into his face. My mother's eyes filled with tears.
- " But Atticus–"
- “We both knew this day would come, my love. We both planned for it.” My father cut in, his hands gently cradling my mother's face, his eyes roaming all over her face like he was memorizing it for the last time.
- “Daddy, what's going on?” I cried, clutching my mother's clothes in fear. My father bent to my eye level.
- “My little Wren, it's not safe here right now. Mommy's going to take you somewhere safe.” His hands cleaned my tear-stained face.
- "What about you?” I whispered. The sound of fighting and clashing of bodies could be heard from outside.
- “I would be fine, my little Wren. I promise." His voice cracked but his face was one of silent resolution. The emergency bell rang again.
- " Be quick, go through the back. Take care of our kids." He placed a hand on my mother's swollen stomach. They kissed, one of goodbye.
- The sound of footsteps got closer, my mother grabbed my hands, and we fled, through the back door like my father said.
- Just in time to see two huge brown wolves break into the house.
- “Don't look back Wren, keep moving forward.” My mother's voice forced my focus forward as we ran together. My mother couldn't shift because of her delicate condition.
- We heard footsteps behind us as we saw three wolves, two brown, one black, rapidly gaining on us.
- “No, no, no. I need more time." My mother murmured, fear etched into her face.
- We tried to run faster but a very huge white wolf barrelled into our path forcing us to stop. Soon we were surrounded on all sides.
- The white wolf shifted to reveal a huge, bulky man with arms that were like trunks of trees. He had black hair and glacier blue eyes.
- Those eyes contained a cold fury that left me shaking. They promised death. I held on to my mother, trembling in fear.
- “Reverse what you did, Lyla.” His deep baritone voice was like a dagger, sharp and dangerous.
- My mother laughed and I held on tighter, it wasn't her normal laugh “Why would I? You deserve it.” her voice was hard.
- He took a step closer." I wouldn't ask again.” he growled.
- My mother remained silent, lips curled upwards.
- His hand shot out faster than anyone could comprehend. One moment I was with my mother, the next I was dangling from his hand. His fingers curled around my neck.
- “Wren!!!” My mother screamed. His hands curled tighter, cutting off my air supply. I clawed at his hands, slowly I started getting dizzy.
- “She's just a child!!!” My mother pleaded desperately.
- “You don't have long now.” The man calmly said. His face blank and void of all emotions.
- " It can't be reversed!!!! There's nothing I can do!!!" My mother screamed hysterically. My vision was filled with black spots.
- He tilted his head as if tuning into a voice only he could hear. He was using a mind-link, an ability wolves had to communicate with their pack members through their minds.
- The fingers around my neck loosened and I dropped to the ground. My vision slowly darkening. The man walked up to my mother who was sobbing.
- “In that case, your life means nothing to me.” There was a sharp glint of the sun reflecting on something then my mother's head rolled on the ground.
- “Mom……” I weakly whispered before my eyes closed. The last thing I saw was claws dripping with blood.
- The sound of metal hitting metal jolted me awake from my nightmare. I sighed, not a nightmare, more like a memory.
- The memory of the day my parents were killed by the Alpha of the Black Moon pack. My father was the Alpha of the Solaris pack.
- The two pack had been more than allies, a relationship that dated seventy years, since our great-grandparents.
- I was best friends with the heir of the Black Moon pack. Images of violet eyes filled my mind. I shook my head to clear it.
- What happened to shatter that bond? How could they turn on us like that?
- I don't know what happened to cause the war and the death of my parents. From what I had picked up over the years, it seemed like the Black Moon pack had gone rogue.
- That was 13 years ago, 13 years spent alone, forgotten, trapped.
- Everyone was holding their breath, wondering what would happen next.
- Well, everyone but me. I was just trying to survive in this shithole. I looked around the poorly lit, grimy and smelly square hole I was in.
- After the death of my parents, I was sold into a trafficking ring by the Alpha of the Black Moon. The ring sold werewolves as sex slaves, basically to Alphas that could afford it.
- It was also like a punishment for offenders, I was just 8 years old when I was placed here.
- I had tried to escape so many times, only to be brought back beaten and bloodied. But it wasn't the failed attempts that broke me.
- It was the fact that 13 years has passed, yet not a single person has come for me. My whereabouts wasn't hidden, everyone knew about it.
- But still, nobody came. I was alone in the world, the only people that cared about me dead.
- Nothing eats at a soul faster than loneliness. I'm tired of being alone, but it's for the best.
- Who would want someone like me anyway. I had scars on the outside and on the inside, broken beyond mending. It was the wounds on the inside that bled the most.
- The sound of metal against metal brought me out of my thoughts.
- The sound came from the cell besides me. June, a wolf here, smiled menacingly at me, dragging a finger across her neck. I shuddered and whimpered.
- June was also trafficked, but she seemed to have a special hunger for my death ever since she learnt who I was. It was just my luck that my cell was placed besides hers.
- I stayed away from her side though, knowing what happens when she comes in contact with me. My arm still throbbed from when she snapped it.
- We heard voices outside the door. I tried peering out of my cage, my hands clutching the bars, wanting to see what was going on.
- “There's another buyer!” Jess, another caged wolf, exclaimed, her voice happy with a tinge of fear. There were different reactions, some happy, some afraid.
- I fell into the latter category. You can never know if you would end up in the hands of a serial killer.
- I was struck with dread, something was going to go wrong, I just knew it. I curled my arms around my body, trying to stop myself from trembling.
- The door opened and two men came in. The first man was Alric, he was the owner of the wolf trafficking ring. Greedy and corrupted, Alric was no stranger to dealing with blood.
- The trafficking ring wasn't illegal, but it wasn't legal either, everyone just turned a blind eye to it.
- Just like the death of my parents.
- It was the second man that caught my attention. He had white hair with violet eyes that glittered like gems. He had a lithe and graceful body that screamed “predator”. Undeniably dangerous.
- I knew those eyes.
- The power in his stride didn't go unnoticed as they walked towards my cage. I shrunk back, fear filling me to the brim. The man's nose twitched and his lips curled sadistically.
- He could smell my fear.
- “This is what you requested. The daughter of the fallen Alpha of the Black Moon pack.” Alric grinned greedily.
- Violet eyes met mine and my wolf howled frantically. My wolf had been mute for 13 years. But that wasn't what had me going into shock.
- It was the word that fell out of his seductive lips that did, the same word my wolf howled.
- “Mate.”