|| Chapter One ||

1425 Words
The trail was quiet save for the chirping of the early birds and soft rustling of leaves caught by the cool morning breeze. Sunlight trickled through the canopy illuminating, casting shadows on the path below yet providing just enough for the morning dew to twinkle in the light. The trickle of a small stream was the final touch in packaging this idyllic scene. But of course, one can never seem to leave Mother Nature in peace with herself. A splash broke the peace followed by heavy breathing and heavy steps as a lone figure slipped on a stepping-stone and stumbled into the stream before righting herself and jogging across the trail. She was never one for pre-laid paths, always preferred the challenge of undiscovered territory. As she broke through the tree line she slowed to a stop, finally taking the moment to breathe deeply and remove her earbuds. While not tall, she cast an imposing figure with strong shoulders and an expression one can only describe as a “resting b***h face”. She had dark wavy hair tied high on her head, strong eyebrows, and dark lashes framing hazel eyes. The sweat on her olive skin glistened under the sun as she strode across the field to the large house. From her vantage point, she could see the hustle and bustle of the house as Omegas rushed around to prepare breakfast for the pack. Beyond the house, small cottages were peppered around, leading down the valley. This village was home to the Crescent Moon pack. While the ranked members and their families lived in the packhouse, most other packs lived in their own cottages or in the nearby city. They were an average pack numbering just 600 but they were a close-knit pack with a strong reputation. She fantasized about what breakfast would await at the table when a shout broke her reverie. “Bea!” A feminine voice called to her. A couple sat a few meters away with plates on the grass. Bea smiled and approached, plopping down unceremoniously in front of them and helping herself to some bacon. “HEY! Get your own!” Gabby yelped, swatting Bea’s hand away. Bea grinned and popped the bacon in her mouth “What are you going to do about it?” Gabby pouted and was ready to lunge across the grass at her when she was pulled back by her laughing partner. “Bennett let me go! She stole my bacon!” Bennett only laughed harder, pulling Gabby into his lap and stilling her with a kiss, warranting an eye roll from Bea. “Guys, really? I do not want to see my best friend and my brother swap DNA while I’m trying to have breakfast.” While she teased them about their relationship, she was secretly glad that they had found each other. To find a mate is one thing, but to find out that you’ve grown up with your mate was a whole other miracle altogether. Some spend their lives never finding their mates, holding onto that almost unbearable yearning from the day they turned 18. Gabby did not have to wait long but Bennett had waited 3 years for her to come of age and feel the primal urges surface. They have been inseparable for the past 3 months. It had been 2 years since Bea’s 18th birthday and unfortunately, no mate in sight. But nevertheless, she pushed on. At 18, members of the pack received their assignments from the Alpha, a confirmation of their roles within the pack. Each member would attend consultations with the ranked members of the pack and the pack seer to determine their strengths before a final confirmation on the morning of their birthday. Bennett’s role was clear, he would one day take over as Alpha once their father retired. Gabby was a natural healer and with her recent acceptance to medical school, she was assigned to apprentice with the pack doctor, Dr. Simmons. Given Bea’s athletic prowess, she was assigned to the warriors and was expected to someday lead the group made up of the strongest members of Crescent Moon. She threw herself into daily training and patrols. Gabby stuck her tongue out at Bea at the same time Bennett got to his feet and gestured towards her. “Come on, dad wants to see us.” He assisted Gabby to her feet and was about to offer a hand to Bea when shrill sirens and howls cut through the air. Crescent Moon was under attack! ----- The 3 had just made it to the verandah when a blast shook the ground beneath them. A flaming boulder the size of a car had landed next to them, just missing them by a whisper. Bennett pushed Gabby behind him, yelling at her to get to the medical bay before shifting and landing on all fours next to Bea. He bared his teeth and growled deep in his chest. Shadowy figures shimmered in the tree line and begin advancing towards them as they began conjuring smaller flaming projectiles in their hands. Their red eyes never seemed to break contact with the pair. With a growl, Bea shifted, standing almost as tall her brother. While their appearance in human form cast no doubts about their relation to each other, their wolves could not be more different. Where Bennett was large and imposing with brown fur and what looked like a black halo encircling his head, Bea’s fur was grey with a black diamond marking on her forehead and she cut a much svelter figure than her brother. More wolves arrived, flanking the group of warlocks. With teeth bared they began moving as one towards the enemy. More projectiles rained down on the group before Johnathan, the current leader of the warriors, pounced on a warlock. More shadows emerged from the tree line as the group fought. Angry growls were only punctuated by pained whimpers and the ripping of flesh when suddenly an unmistakable roar emanated from the woods. Large bears began emerging running at speed towards them, using their massive heads to bowl over any wolves unlucky enough to stand in their way. Wolves may be large, but bears towered over them with little to no effort. From the corner of her eye, Bea caught sight of Bennett dodging a warlock’s projectile, oblivious to the enraged bear racing towards him. She dispatched the warlock she was fighting and lunged towards the bear, jumping over her brother to tackle the bear. They rolled on the ground eventually landing upright. We found her She could have sworn she saw the recognition in his eyes followed quickly by a look of triumph. Who are you? What do you want? She sent the thought out to the bear as they circled each other. We found you. It doesn’t matter now. You are ours. Almost immediately she realized she was surrounded by 4 other bears. Her brother was lying on the ground with a bear’s paw on his chest, wildly gnashing his teeth, Johnathan was squaring off against 2 bears. The dozen more or so warriors that had arrived to assist were on the ground either dead or dying. But where were the other warriors? There should be at least 200 of us! At that thought, she felt a sharp pain on her back as one of the bears took a swipe across her back. As she howled in pain and buckled, another swiped her underbelly. She collapsed then, exhausted, an unfamiliar stinging creeping over her body. Through her muffled senses she heard a gunshot and saw one of the bears fly backward from the force of the shotgun. Silver! Reinforcements had arrived in both wolf and human form, armed with silver-loaded shotguns. The warlocks shimmered away, and the bears beat a hasty retreat. As Bea’s sight blurred and she began losing consciousness she heard her father’s voice call to her. The darkness embraced her. --- With a start, Alexander awoke from his slumber. He sat up and buried his head in his hands, he was covered in sweat and his heart was racing. What was that dream? He closed his eyes and replayed the dream as best he could. A grey wolf with a diamond on her head was surrounded by Werebears. They attacked brutally and she had gone down hard. He could see smoke rising from where they had swiped at her; he could feel her pain; he could hear her whimpering as the strength slowly left her body. With a groan, he felt the pain once more course through his body. Who is she? What is this? As if hearing his thoughts, a hand traced a line down his back. “Alex? What’s wrong?” She cooed softly. Snapping his blue eyes open again, he glared at the blonde in his bed. “Get out” he growled through gritted teeth. “B – but Alex you…” she whimpered. “OUT!” The blonde jumped out of the large bed, collected her clothes, and backed out of his room. Alone finally, Alexander fell back onto his pillow and sighed. He rubbed his temples and willed himself back to sleep.
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