Chapter 6
870 Words
Kira POV
"Kira, you have to help me!" Cara’s voice trembled as she burst into the laundry room, nearly knocking over the basket I was carrying on me.
I turned, startled by the way she ran to me.
"Cara? What’s wrong?" I asked with a concerned face.
Her eyes darted around like she expected someone to overhear.
"It’s Mari. She went into the Forbidden Forest, and now she’s stuck there with no one to help her. I think something’s chasing her."
My heart sank at the fee words she said to me.
The Forbidden Forest was no place for anyone, let alone an omega like Mari.
"Why would she go in there at the first time?"
Cara hesitated, chewing her bottom lip.
"She said... she said she needed something to impress the warriors. I don’t know what, but I heard her screaming for help. Please, Kira, you’re the only one who can help."
I set the laundry basket down, already feeling the weight of the decision pressing on my chest. The forest was dangerous, but I couldn’t just leave someone in there, no matter who it was.
"Where did she go?"
Cara pointed toward the dark line of trees visible from the packhouse. "Just down the main path. Please hurry!"
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The Forbidden Forest loomed ahead, its twisted trees forming a shadowy wall that blocked out the setting sun. The air grew colder with every step I took, and a shiver ran down my spine.
"Mari?" I called out, my voice trembling already with fear. "Are you there?"
The forest swallowed my voice, and for a moment, I considered turning back. But then I heard it—a faint, desperate cry.
"Help! Over here!"
I followed the sound, my heartbeat quickening. The deeper I went, the darker it became. The trees seemed to close in around me, their gnarled branches clawing at my skin.
"Mari, where are you?"
"This way!" The voice was louder now, leading me toward a small clearing up ahead.
---
When I stepped into the clearing, I froze. There was no sign of Mari—only a pile of broken branches and the faint smell of blood in the air.
"Kira," a familiar voice sneered behind me.
I spun around to see Mari, Ethan, and two other omegas stepping out from the dark shadows. Their smug grins told me everything I needed to know.
"What is this?" I demanded, my hands curling into fists, as anger crawled into myself.
Mari crossed her arms with a serious look, a cruel smile spreading across her face.
"Oh, don’t act so surprised young lady. You didn’t really think I needed your help, did you?"
Ethan laughed, his voice echoing in the eerie silence.
"We just wanted to see how far the pathetic omega would go to play hero and save who she wasn't meant to save."
"You’re sick," I said, backing away. "Do you even realize how dangerous this forest is?"
"Dangerous for you, maybe," Mari taunted. "But for us? We’re not the cursed nor slave one."
---
Before I could respond to any of those words, Ethan lunged at me, shoving me hard. I stumbled, my foot catching on a root, and fell to the ground.
"Stay down, Kira," he said, towering over me. "Where you belong."
I scrambled to my feet, my wolf growling inside of me with utmost anger.
"What’s wrong with you? I’ve done nothing to you to deserve any of this betrayal!"
"Existing is enough," Mari said coldly, stepping closer. "You don’t belong in this pack, Kira. You never have and you'd never belong to the pack. You're a curse to the entire pack."
The others laughed, their voices sharp and cruel.
"Leave me alone," I said, my voice shaking.
Ethan grabbed a stick from the ground, brandishing it like a weapon. "Or what? You’ll cry? Go ahead, omega. Show us how weak you really are."
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A sudden growl cut through the clearing, low and menacing.
We all froze.
"What was that?" Ethan asked, his bravado faltering.
Mari glanced around nervously. "It’s nothing. Probably just an animal of the forest moving around."
The growl came again, louder this time, and the shadows around us seemed to shift.
"You idiots," I hissed, pushing myself to my feet. "You’ve drawn something out."
Ethan’s cocky smirk disappeared. "We should go."
"Not without finishing this," Mari snapped, though her voice wavered.
The growl turned into a snarl, and a pair of glowing eyes appeared in the darkness.
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"Run!" Ethan shouted, bolting toward the path.
Mari hesitated, but when the creature stepped into the clearing—a massive wolf with fur as dark as the shadows around it—she screamed and took off after him.
I tried to move, but my leg gave out beneath me. I looked down to see a jagged branch embedded in my calf, blood seeping into the dirt.
"Kira, get up!" Cara’s voice echoed faintly from somewhere far away, but I couldn’t see her.
The shadow wolf’s eyes locked onto me, its growl vibrating through the air. My wolf whimpered in fear, and I could barely breathe.
The creature crouched, preparing to lunge.
"No!" I screamed, bracing myself as it leaped.
- Writer
