Chapter One

Being an alpha’s daughter is not all that it's cracked up to be. Ask me, I know that better than anyone else.

I, Zenovia Archer, was the daughter of Alpha Drake Archer of the nightfall pack. And, technically I should receive all the love and care of my father and mother.

But, I don’t.

That is because my mother left this world long ago. Being a bastard child of an alpha is no worse than being an omega, especially if your own father detests you.

My father, Alpha Drake, had been in search of his mate for a long time after his first mate rejected him cruelly. My mother used to love him and she was his chosen mate but when he found his fated mate, he left my mother without a second thought.

Because that gave him the chance to have a legitimate heir.

My life turned upside down the day my father brought in his current wife and our pack’s Luna, Celeste.

My mother and I were thrown out of our homes and sent to the packhouse to live with the others. Technically, my father had never given her the official title of a luna so she was just a mistress to him and me, an illegitimate child.

My mother tried in vain to talk to my father, to beg him to at least return to her for the sake of his daughter, me, but it was as if he suddenly realized I was beneath him.

My mother died of heartbreak, leaving me alone and an orphan in my own home. Luna Celeste and my stepbrother, Sid, left no stone unturned to harass me.

My father blamed me for my mother’s death and everybody simply adored the new Luna because she was the fated one, the one moon goddess had sent to my dad after years of waiting.

All of my pack members believed that fated mates were far superior to chosen mates. So, naturally, my life went downhill from the day Luna Celeste set foot in our home…in my home.

“Zenovia, where the hell are you?” Luna Celeste called out to me from the alpha’s residence, a lavish bungalow nestled in the woods, a bit far from the hubbub of the packhouse.

I was not allowed to enter the residence…which used to be my home..unless it was for doing chores or if Luna Celeste needed something.

I had accepted this life long ago. I knew that the life of a bastard child was no sunshine and rainbows but the life of a rogue was even worse.

Rogues were hunted by the werewolves and would always end up as slaves or dead at the hands of alphas.

Compared to that, I was relatively safe.

“Y-yes Luna Celeste,” I dashed through the small room that was initially the broom cupboard that I called my home now. And I did not live alone, mice and cockroaches gave me company on lonely nights.

It was quite early in the morning and I had fallen asleep late while gazing out at the stars, talking to them as my mother believed we turned to stars after we left the mortal world.

I found solace in talking to her while stargazing.

“What time is it?” Luna Celeste asked angrily and I stammered, “It is s-six am, Luna Celeste”

“And where are my running shoes and the refreshments? How many times have I asked you to keep everything ready before I go on a jog?”

I nodded my head and rushed inside the large gym on the ground floor where Luna, alpha, and my stepbrother, Sid trained sometimes. Luna Celeste had convinced my father that Sid was a kid of her and her fated mate who died long back so Sid became the rightful heir to the alpha title of our pack.

And everybody believed her.

Sid was opening the door from the inside when I dashed in and the door hit him in the nose.

I placed my hand on my mouth and apologized profusely, “I am so sorry, Sid. I did not see you.”

I spoke but he only glared at me angrily. “You did that purposely, didn’t you?”

I tried to walk away from him but he blocked my way and stood smirking at me. I nervously looked at the ticking clock on the wall and tried to speak, “Lu-Luna Celeste is waiting for me, please let me get her stuff.”

But Sid only looked at me coldly and held my wrist before pulling me close.

“They say a bastard child is as good as an omega. And do you know what is the best quality of an omega?”

He held me close and looked at me with a wicked smile on his face.

“B-but you are…we are siblings…” I tried to protest as he snaked his hand above my back and tried to push it down my jeans.

“Stepsiblings.” He corrected me and added,

“Come on, you are hot and I know you play hard to get but try to find ways to bump into me,” He added, undoing the buttons of my jeans.

“What? I don’t do that! I look at you as my brother!!”

I felt horrified and I pushed him away. He stumbled backward and fell on one of the gym equipment before I hurriedly got Luna Celeste’s stuff and ran out of the gym.

“You are going to pay for this bitch,” He growled as he held a hand to his forehead. A small bump was rising on it but I did not stay around him long enough to hear more of his threats.

I had gotten used to his bullying and cheap acts by now. Wiping away the tears that leaked from my eyes, I dashed toward Luna Celeste who was glaring at me.

“I...I am sorry for making you wait, Luna Celeste. I tripped and fell,” I lied to her. There was no other choice. I could not tell her that her son was a total creep.

She would not believe me and instead, I would be subjected to more punishment.

“You have gotten lazy as you do nothing but sleep and eat like a pig all day,” She angrily took the shoes from me and put them on.

When I stood meekly with my head down, she added, “I am going to have a talk with Alpha Drake about cutting your expenses. There is no need to fund your college tuition fees anymore.”

“No, please don’t,” I fell to her feet and begged for mercy.

She gave a smug smile as I desperately pleaded with her to not do it. Though I had to slog and work like a full-time maid here, being a daughter of the alpha, even if I was a bastard, allowed me some perks.

I was not enrolled in prestigious colleges where all of the alpha kids went to study but my school was decent. Of course, my being a bastard child was a closely guarded secret of our pack.

My father’s reputation would be tainted if word ever got out that he had a bastard child for my mother was not his fated mate. And I did not mind it either.

School allowed me to stay away from most of my pack as nobody went to that school. In fact, most of the kids who studied there were poor kids who had nowhere else to go but wanted to study.

Though the kids in my pack laughed at me for studying in the cheapest school, I was happy that I was allowed to study and could make friends there who did not know anything about my life back home. As most of the kids were kids of omegas or orphans, it was easy to lie about my lineage.

I wore full sleeves to hide the scars and wounds I would get from the beating and would show up in school with a happy face.

That was the only good thing in my life and I did not want that to be taken away from me.

“Please Luna Celeste, I will do everything you ask. I will also never show my face again to you if you want.”

I pleaded as tears spilled out of my eyes freely. I hated to be so weak, so vulnerable but I had no choice. There was nowhere for me to go.

My words only made Luna Celeste look at me with contempt. Her gaze hardened as she muttered,

“That is the best thing you’ve spoken in a long time.”

Chapter Two

Zenovia

I looked at Luna Celeste in confusion, wondering what she meant by that.

But she only smirked and replied, “In two days, we might have some guests come over. Ensure that everything is sparkling clean and that nothing is out of place or you know the consequences.”

She warned me before setting off to jog. I let out a sigh of relief when she left and I took deep breaths to calm my heart.

I had dodged the bullet by not letting her think of cutting off my college fees. As long as I was allowed that, I was okay to work and clean the packhouse for eternity.

Now that she was gone, I decided to head back to my room and quickly change and run to my school before Sid or his gang of friends found me to bully.

Thus, I quickly showered in the ice-cold water dribbling from the shower and changed into my clean jeans and a loose T-shirt. I only had one hoodie so I wore it anyways.

Picking up my backpack, I stepped out of the territory before anyone else spotted me. That was the perk of being an early bird.

I did not mind the walk to the school as it allowed me to clear my head. The narrow path was filled with a lot of trees and I had gotten into the habit of admiring the beauty of nature as I went to school.

I reached the school gate and found a slew of cars parked outside.

There were also a lot of men, all wearing black and having huge and massive body frames. They stood in attention outside the gates as they looked around, alert for the slightest noise.

I wondered what was going on. Our school was in the most isolated place and we never had any bigshots pay us a visit.

So, it attracted quite a bit of attention from all the students and even staff, all of whom were clamoring to get a good look at something.

I heard somebody yelling angrily and amidst the crowd I saw my friend, Cole, rising in the air. A big muscular hand was gripping him tightly by the neck and Cole was flailing his hands and legs in the air wildly, trying to get out of the vice-like grip.

My eyes went wide as I ran towards the crowd and tried pushing through the onlookers. Cole was one of my good friends and I did not want to see him hurt.

When I managed to get in the front I saw a huge man holding him by the throat. The man was literally made of nothing but muscles and had a stone-cold look on his face.

“If you dare raise your voice again in front of the king I will kill you.”

I ran up to the man and yelled at him, “Leave Cole alone!!”

He ignored me as Cole tried to speak, “I…I was not talking to the king, beta Matt.”

But that did not satisfy Matt who squeezed Cole’s neck harder. I could see his veins popping out and I panicked.

So I simply took my backpack and swung it blindly, connecting it with Matt’s abdomen.

“Leave him!”

Matt obviously did not budge but he was surprised by my act. I saw him turn to look back and my gaze followed his eyes and noticed that he was looking at the dean's office.

The windows were closed and the blinds were partially drawn but I saw a pair of eyes looking at the scene through the slit in the blinds. Even from afar, I could see that they were golden, the color of fire.

Those eyes, however, were not looking at Matt but at me. They were fierce and held a predatory gaze which made me involuntarily take a step back.

Some silent communication, maybe through a mind link seemed to pass between Matt and that mysterious guy inside the dean’s office.

He dropped Cole and looked at the crowd with furrowed eyebrows and everybody just ran away, leaving me and Cole on the ground.

Matt and the other men left too as I helped Cole get up.

“Are you okay?”

I asked Cole as he massaged his neck. He ignored my question and I looked around to find his glasses.

They were lying on the ground with his backpack so I picked all his stuff up. When I straightened my back, I saw those golden eyes looking at me again.

I felt an uneasy sensation gnawing at me but ignored it and went back to Cole while handing over his glasses.

“Girl, are you insane? You just hit Beta Mateo of the-”

I cut him off, “ I don’t care if he was the beta of some stupid pack. He was hurting you and nobody messes with my friend.”

He took his backpack from me as I muttered, “Too many people treat us like shit already. We don’t need more.”

“Huh? What do you mean? Did something happen at home?” He asked but I shook my head, “Don’t bother. Let us get you to the school medic.”

Cole placed his hands on my shoulders and replied, “I am okay Zen. Beta Matt just got confused. It was a misunderstanding, that’s it.”

I looked back at the retreating figure of the Beta who entered the dean’s office while the rest of them stood in attention outside. Just why did every alpha, and beta treat the less privileged like dirt?

The golden eyes were still on us, I could feel them on my back. They were observing us as I threw Cole’s hands over my shoulder and helped him get to the medic.

I found the stare to be unnerving, not in a creepy sort of way but I imagined that face to be cold and calculative as he looked at a small girl helping her skinny friend get up from the ground.

“Who are these people and why are they here anyway?” I asked Cole as we left the school ground and entered the building.

“Not sure, many people say many things. Some say that the lycan king came here to donate some money to the school, others said some alpha is looking for able students to work as his guards. I also heard some say the Lycan king came looking for his mate.”

I furrowed my eyebrows.

“What would make the Lycan king come to our school of all places? They would go to the top institutes for that.”

I muttered and Cole only shrugged his shoulders. I helped him get to the medic who examined him and my gaze flitted to the window again.

The eyes were still on me and I tried not to give in to the unease that settled in my heart as we walked into the medic’s office, cutting off my eye contact with the golden-eyed guy.

Little did I know he had come looking for one person specifically…me.

Chapter Three

Callahan

(Earlier the same day)

I stood looking outside the glass window of my large mansion, my hands perched on the windowsill.

“What do you see?” I asked the girl standing behind me. She was wearing an elegant white dress and her long flowy hair was tied in a loose bun.

“It does not work like that, my king,” she said again.

“Make it work,” I replied and I heard the defeated sigh that left her lips.

She slowly walked in my direction, looking out the window to stand beside me.

“How much time do I have?” I asked and she replied, “I am not sure, a few weeks, maybe just two days.”

A mirthless chuckle left my lips, “To think that the lycan king is at the mercy of fate and a seer who is not of much help.”

Drusilla pursed her lips. I could hear the pain in her voice as she replied, “I cannot help you if you won’t help yourself, my king. We all have our fates prewritten. Yours asks you to finally walk the path you have been avoiding.”

“Fate…destiny…your divine Moon Goddess…do you even believe in being in charge of your own life?”

I clenched my hands into fists and took a deep breath to control my anger. Drusilla was not the cause of my pain or misery and there was no use lashing at her.

“Fine, I will go take a look. But I won’t promise anything.”

A relieved smile appeared on Drusilla’s face as she bowed her head, “Very well, my king. I hope you do not ignore the signs.”

I shook my head and walked out of the mansion. Half an hour later, I was in a car with my beta traveling to prominent packs under our rule. Drusilla was seated beside me.

“What is it that we are looking for exactly, my king?” Mateo, my beta, asked me as he drove the car.

I let out a frustrated sigh.

“An anchor.”

Mateo’s hands almost slipped from the steering wheel and the car swiveled a bit before he regained his control of the car.

“Matt, I don’t want to get killed.”

“Sorry, my king. But what made you finally change your mind?”

I looked outside the car window as we traveled through a less-traveled path. I did not want everybody to just clamor around us so I asked him to drive through the fairly secluded roads.

I wanted to use that time to think and clear my head. As much as I hated Drusilla’s words, I knew she was right.

She had proved herself time and again. I had to trust her if I did not want everything to turn to dust. Even if it meant doing the things I despised and loathed.

And while we were traveling through the roads I felt an uneasy sensation crawl up my spine. It made me restless and I suddenly felt claustrophobic despite the AC being on full blast and the air being chilly around us.

I felt as if my heart was being squeezed so I immediately yelled,

“Stop the car!”

“Here? Why what happened?” Matt asked but I ignored him and threw the car door open.

I almost fell down from the car as I stumbled outside and leaned against the stone wall, gasping for breath.

Drusilla and Matt came running after me as I took in deep breaths to calm my nerves.

What was happening to me? I had never felt such a thing before.

“We are outside a school, perhaps resting a bit should do fine. We have been traveling for five hours.”

I raised my hand, “No, I should be fine,” as I got up. But Matt and Drusilla insisted that we take a break.

Thus, Matt stationed everybody outside the gate and a few manned us as I and Drusilla went to the dean’s office.

The dean almost toppled his chair when he saw me. He immediately bent his head low and greeted me.

“K-King Callahan, to what do I owe the pleasure of having your company? Had you given an advanced intimation, we would have arranged a welcome party.”

I waved off my hand as Drusilla pulled a chair for me to sit.

“We were just traveling and the king thought of taking a break. We would leave in some time.”

The dean immediately called some people to tend to us but I ignored him. Drusilla could look at them and keep them off me.

Not wanting to hear their rambling, I walked near the window and saw Matt holding some lanky kid by the throat.

I shook my head. Matt had always been a hothead and was fiercely loyal to me. So I believed that the kid must have done or said something against me.

Not that I cared. Everybody knew I was cursed so calling me a cursed king was not actually a far cry from the truth. I was cursed to not have a mate on that fateful night which still haunted me to this day.

I had almost turned around but then I saw a girl come out of the crowd and yell angrily at Matt. She had a strange aura, one I could not quite decipher.

She was wearing ordinary clothes and was too skinny and two heads shorter than Matt. But, she put her hands on her hips and glared at him, asking him to put her friend down.

It was amusing to see her try to stand against a beta of a lycan king. Not many would do that. While Matt ignored her, she took her backpack and swung it straight at Matt.

“Ouch, that must have hurt,” I spoke to my beta through the mind link, teasing him a little.

He turned to look in my direction and I could feel him roll his eyes, “I should just put this kid and the little girl six feet under the ground.”

I snorted as my eyes traveled to her. She was a feisty little one but I could not see her properly.

Her hood covered most of her face. But when she saw that Matt was relentless, she bent down and picked up her backpack again.

It was then that I saw her face.

And the moment I saw her there was this odd pain in my chest again, the same feeling of unease I had felt earlier. But it was not just pain that I felt upon seeing her.

There was some relief and an odd sense of familiarity.

What was wrong? I could not understand. I was seeing this girl for the first time yet why did I feel the intense need to keep her close?

But before Matt would cause any further scene, I ordered, “Let the kid go and come here.”

Matt reluctantly let go of the kid who fell down. The girl scampered to gather his belongings and our eyes met again.

The unease returned with a fierce intensity that made me gasp again. Every nerve in my body told me to grab her and never let go of her, to hold her in my embrace, to kiss her sweet lips, and to-

I staggered back and Drusilla came rushing to me, her voice filled with concern.

“Are you alright?”

But my eyes were still on the girl as she walked away with her friend. She looked back in my direction once again and my lycan growled in my head, not happy that she was walking away.

Weird. What was going on?

Chapter Four

Zenovia

For some reason, the dean announced that the lessons were over early and we were all sent to our homes.

I groaned, not wanting to return to the packhouse so soon. It was still 5 hours before school lessons ended and I did not want to show up early and be thrown more work or get bullied.

But there was no choice.

I let out a sigh and gloomily bid Cole goodbye for the day as we all left for our respective homes. The trees and flowers did not cheer me up as I dreaded going back early and finding Sid waiting for me with his gang to punish me for my mistake.

I sneaked up in my cabin through the side, making my way through the bushes instead of walking in through the main entrance.

The wooden floor usually creaked a bit as the cabin was never covered under maintenance so mostly I had to beg someone to fix anything broken or try to somehow get it fixed myself.

I did not want anybody to know I had arrived home early and wanted to just snuggle up in my bed and catch some sleep.

With that in mind, I tiptoed around the bushes, carefully not to step on any wooden planks when I heard my name.

I froze in my tracks, fearing somebody had seen me and would now be dragged to wash clothes or do the dishes but it was my so-called family talking about me.

They were unaware of my presence so I decided to lay low and eavesdrop on their conversation. The voice came from my father’s office which was just near the gym.

I strained my ears wondering what made them talk about me. So, I went on my knees and literally crawled through the shrubs to reach the backside of the office.

I could not see the entire office because the wall and the shrubs blocked half of my view.

“This cannot be happening. We are not ready,” I heard Luna Celeste’s voice.

My father looked worried as he replied, “I know, he was going to show up after two days but I just got the news that he is on the way to our territory.”

The voice of my stepbrother reached me, “What does he want from us?”

“I have no idea, son. I wish I knew so that I could have offered him something. Having him on our side is crucial to our pack.”

“The rogues are getting pretty loud and violent. They attacked a few neighboring packs last week.”

“Maybe it is that he wants to come here and see how things are going? We are one of the strongest packs in this area so naturally, he would want to have a word with you.”

Sid tried to bootlick my father who gave him a warm smile…something that he had stopped giving me.

No matter how hard I worked or did anything for him, I was always ignored and given the cold shoulder.

“I’ve heard that the Lycan king is getting restless about the rogue attacks and he has decided to set foot in our territory after ages, he wants to take a look at things up close…or so I heard.”

Luna Celeste grew worried and she neared my father, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

“We need to pacify him before he subjects us to his ire. We already have the threat of the rogues looming over us.”

My father held her hand and kissed her knuckles, making her blush. I could only try to not gag at the show of affection.

Sid walked up to my father and said, “How about we give him some gift or tribute? That will bring us in his good books.”

My father got up from the chair and turned in the direction of the window. I ducked as he walked near the window but thankfully the bushes hid me.

“But he is the Lycan King, he already has money, fame, servants everything. What can we possibly give him?”

I peered through the leaves and I saw a knowing look pass between my half-brother and stepmother.

My heart began beating wildly as I had seen that look too many times. It always meant something bad.

“The Lycan King has a keen eye for beauty. And Zenovia can pass off as beautiful if we dress her appropriately.”

My heart dropped to my stomach. I knew Sid disliked me but did not know that he hated me so much.

Before my father could reply, Luna Celeste hurriedly added, “What a brilliant idea, son! You are going to make a great alpha, one day.”

She then walked up to my father and spoke, “Sid is right. Zenoviah is good for nothing and brings nothing but shame to the pack. Get rid of her. That way your secret is safe.”

I almost did not want to hear what my father would say but I still held on to a small ray of hope in my heart that maybe my father would not agree to it…that maybe he did not hate me that much.

But the words that left his mouth left me speechless.

“She is worthless, Celeste. The lycan king will not be pleased with the offer.”

Tears stung in the back of my eyes. I dreaded what else my father would say and wanted to run away from this place.

All my hopes of him having a change of heart had been crushed already.

“Come on, Drake. She is beautiful, I have seen young men look at her. We throw her at the Lycan King’s feet and he walks away from here without asking too many questions. That way we get rid of her, your secret is safe and we also have a good standing in his eyes.”

“Are you sure that this will work, Celeste? I don’t want him to look too deeply into our administrative decisions or finances. We already owe him a lot.”

Celeste batted her eyelashes and took my father’s face in her hand. She kissed him and I again tried not to puke as she continued,

“I want the best for our pack…for you. Think of this as a deal, darling. The lycan king comes to us and we offer him a beautiful slave for free. Would he not be pleased to be offered an alpha’s daughter? Nobody knows she is a bastard. You could just say your first fated mate died and then you found me. So he will be more than happy to receive her as an offering.”

Celeste continued to convince my father and those words felt like hot iron was being poured into my ears. She was talking about me as if I was some lifeless object to offer to a beast.

The lycan king was known to be fierce, ruthless, and very cunning. And that he was cursed to not have a mate. I did not want to be stuck with someone who did not love me but would just use me for his needs.

I had been living with her for so many years. How could she not have even an ounce of sympathy for me?

Had she already not gotten her revenge after my mom’s death and throwing me out of my own house?

While I tried to calm my raging heart, she pressed on. “Can you think of a better solution, Drake?”

Before my father could say a word, Sid chimed in.

“I thought I should keep this hidden but I don’t think I can hide it anymore. Zenovia…she…she has been trying hard to get into my pants.”

“What?” My father turned to look at him with an aghast face. I pretty much had the same reaction and I could not believe my ears.

Celeste ran towards Sid and held him close as he continued,

“Just today morning when mom asked her to get her shoes, Zenovia purposely ran into me and kissed me forcibly. When I pushed her away saying that I think of her as a sister, she said that we are step-siblings so there is nothing wrong. When I still said no, she hurled a dumbbell at me.”

Celeste looked at him with horrified eyes and caressed his forehead, “Oh my God, I cannot believe this, Sid. Why didn’t you tell us this before?”

Sid hung his head low, “I…I did not want Father to think I was painting her in a bad light. I wanted to give her another chance but every time she finds me alone…she pushes herself upon me and says that she would tell everybody how I r*ped her if I don't agree.”

What???

Chapter Five

Zenovia

My eyes were only on my father, waiting to hear him slap Sid but he only had a disgusted look on his face.

Celeste added more fuel to the fire, “He is right. See this, Drake. Do you see that welt on his forehead? Your bastard daughter is a bitch in heat. She has no decency or honor.”

I wanted to go to my father and explain how Sid was the one who was lying but the words he said next made me freeze in my tracks.

“To think that my blood runs in her veins…I cannot believe I birthed something so foul and petty. I should have never chosen a mate but waited for you, Celeste. I feel so ashamed of myself.”

Luna Celeste and Sid exchanged a meaningful look but she embraced my father and patted his back, “It is okay, you have us now. Your real family.”

To say that I was stunned was an understatement. My life had just hit a new low.

I heard my father utter those words and it was as if my heart had stopped beating. My world was slowly beginning to crumble and my mind went blank.

I should have run away, I should have shut my ears for the words that would fall on my ears were no less than blades cutting into my heart, twisting it until every last drop of blood had been wrung out.

But somehow my feet were frozen.

My father turned his back to me and was facing Celeste and Sid. I put a hand on my mouth to stop my whimpering from reaching their ears.

The man who was supposed to love me, the father who should have protected me at all costs added with contempt, “Celeste. Get rid of her, what the lycan king does with her is none of my business. She is dead to me.”

And just like that my world finally came crashing down, leaving me shocked and breathless.

I sat frozen on the ground, holding my knees close as I digested the words my ears had heard. They kept playing in my head over and over until I could not take it anymore.

I wanted to cry, and I wanted to howl in pain but that was a luxury I could not afford. Not right now.

So, I held back my tears and slowly crawled toward my cabin.

I lost my father today. I lost my family or whatever was left of it today.

There was no point in living in this pack anymore. I would cry and break down when I was away from them. Now, I only wanted to get away from these people.

I paid attention that no one was around and suddenly I felt glad that the dean had asked us to leave early. I would not have heard the conversation earlier and I would have just wasted my days here, trying to please my father and harbor a false hope that one day he would love me back just like before.

That was never going to happen. He had made it pretty clear.

Thus, I scanned the perimeter and saw that there was nobody around in the vicinity.

So I sneaked up to my cabin and quickly threw my clothes in the backpack which were not many, to begin with.

Next, I looked around and found a small iron rod and pushed the loose floorboard up where I had stashed all the money I could save over the years.

It was not much but it would allow me to afford a few days of food or rent. I recalled Sid talking about the human settlement not far from our territory and how human girls would be at the nightclub he frequented to.

I knew the name of the club and the rough direction to reach it so I hoped to enter the human city and blend in with the crowd.

Maybe, I could find a job as a babysitter or waitress and start a new life. After stashing all my essentials in the bag, I tightly tied my shoelaces, pulled the cap of my hoodie up my head, and then slowly sneaked outside.

I had not even made it to the outer fence of our backyard when I heard Sid call out my name.

“Rat, where are you going?”

I did not turn around and did not wait for him to curse me more. I knew if I walked back he would have me locked up in the cabin.

So, I ran outside and headed straight into the woods. I heard him angrily yelling my name and soon he had gathered everybody.

“Don’t let her escape!!” Sid yelled and most men ran in the direction of the forest he had pointed at.

Terror coursed through me and I staggered back but there was no use stopping. So, I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, ignoring the thorny vines, bushes, and branches that kept scratching at my skin.

I could hear some of the men transform into their wolves and their angry howls roaring through the air, making me feel as if I was going to die today.

My heart was racing as I sprinted through the dense forest. The sound of my pursuers' howls and growls was getting closer and closer, causing me to panic as I tried to dodge the trees and bushes in my path.

"Zenovia, we just want to talk!" Sid's voice echoed through the trees. "We won't hurt you!"

But I knew better. I had heard enough.

I stumbled over a thick root and fell to the ground, scraping my knees and hands on the rough forest floor. I scrambled to my feet, the pain giving me an extra burst of adrenaline as I continued to run.

Seeing that I was not stopping, Sid taunted, "Come on, little rat." His voice was dripping with sarcasm. "You can't outrun us forever."

I ignored the taunt, focusing on the trees and rocks in my path as I tried to put as much distance between myself and my pursuers as possible.

Suddenly, I heard a growl behind me and spun around to see one of the werewolves lunging toward me. I screamed, ducking to the side as the wolf's jaws snapped shut inches from my face.

"Zenovia!" Sid's voice boomed through the forest. "Don't make this harder than it needs to be!"

I knew that I couldn't keep running forever. I needed to find a way to outsmart the wolves, or else they would catch me.

I spotted a small cave opening up ahead and darted towards it, hoping to lose the wolves in its twisting passages.

As I entered the cave, I heard the wolves’ growls echoing behind me. I could feel their hot breath on the back of my neck, causing me to shudder with fear.

"Where are you, little rat?" Sid cackled, "We can smell your fear."

I pressed myself against the wall of the cave, trying to make myself as small and inconspicuous as possible. I could hear the wolves getting closer and closer, their claws scraping against the stone floor.

Just as I thought that all was lost, I saw a glint of light up ahead. I sprinted towards it, hoping that it was the way out of the cave.

I blindly threw myself outside, hoping to find a way toward the city but I slammed into something and fell backward, landing on my butt before my head almost crashed upon the tarmac.

Suddenly my eyesight grew dizzy and I saw stars in front of my eyes.

My brain was telling me to get up, to run away, and that Sid and the others were still after me. But my head swam and I could not see straight.

I suddenly felt lightheaded and I held my head as a bolt of pain shot up my abdomen and traveled through my chest. My shoulder had collided with something hard and I felt that I had dislocated it. Blood was trickling down my head and nose.

I tried to look up and could only faintly make out the appearance of some car that I had slammed into.

I groaned in pain as I heard the hurried footsteps of somebody stepping out of the car and running towards me.

A tall man rushed towards me and bent on his knees as he looked at me with concern. He was wearing shades and was dressed in an immaculate suit.

“Hey, can you hear me?” He asked as he reached for my face and gently slapped it.

I wanted to talk to him, wanted to convey that I was being pursued and people were after my life but words refused to come out.

“Ok, I will lift you up now, don’t worry, you are going to be fine.” He said and picked me up gingerly from the ground.

When he bent to pick me up, his shades slid off his nose and I saw a pair of bright golden eyes looking at me. The same eyes that had stared at me back at school.

The Lycan King, Callahan Skalbeck, was holding me in his arms.

What was he doing here? Had he come looking for me and Cole to punish us for talking back and hitting his beta?

But then why did his face look worried about me?

The last thing I remembered was being carried by an unknown stranger before my vision tunneled and I passed out from the panic and exhaustion.