Thrice Bitten

CHAPTER1

I had been running for a while now, trying to escape my pursuers. Shifting from human to wolf and back again was taking all my energy, so running on two feet was the best option for me.

I can feel the last of my energy draining from me and I rest on a tree, trying to catch my breath.

Hearing the screams of my pack members and watching them fall to their death will forever be etched in my memory, and the thought of never seeing them again cause tears to fall from my eyes, blurring my vision.

The last thing I remember is the huge black wolf staring at me, filling me with terror.

I’m sorry dad, your sacrifice was in vain. With a tear sliding down my face, I allow myself to be enveloped by the darkness.

_____

“What do you expect us to do with her? She’s a tiny thing, I can hardly believe that she’s a werewolf.”

“Well, I couldn’t just leave her there. She looked like she was running from something, and the stench of terror coming from here was enough to knock down even the strongest of Alphas.”

"I really don't think this is a good idea. Things may be fine in the pack now, but bringing in a strange girl will raise up a lot of questions and suspicions.

"Do you want that to be on our heads?"

This came from the first voice.

A third voice drawled smoothly, “I suggest we let her decide for herself, seeing as she’s awake.

"It’s not good to eavesdrop, sweetheart. You might hear things you don’t want to.”

I opened my eyes immediately, scrambling up and moving to the wall, trying to make myself as small as possible.

“Shhhh, it’s okay. We won’t hurt you.” The second voice crooned softly.

I looked up, and despite my fear, I swallow the scream trying to escape my lips, letting it out as a tiny whimper instead.

I was surrounded by three huge, hulking men. They smelled like wolves, but there's was something familiar about their scent, and they looked like they could kill me without a second thought.

“Please don’t kill me.” I whispered softly

They looked taken aback, then the biggest one growled menacingly, his nails shifting into claws.

I shrank back, or at least I tried to, but there was no more space between me and the wall.

Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything, I thought to myself.

Good job Sophie, you’ve managed to piss them off in less than five minutes

“Calm down”, the one who talked to me earlier said without looking back.

I don’t know if he’s addressing me or his friend.

“I found you deep in the woods, you were collapsed on a tree, and you looked half dead. We won’t hurt you, I swear on my life.

“Why were you so far from your pack?”

At the mention of my pack, everything comes rushing back to me and tears fill my eyes.

“M…my pack”, I stutter tearfully. “They’re dead. We were ambushed and everyone was killed. My dad helped me escape, but they killed him and started pursuing me.”

The one trying to calm me sat on the bed, placing a hand on my knee.

Too tired to fight him off, I let him come closer and gather me in his arms.

There is no way I can defend myself against them if they decide to kill me, I reason before falling asleep almost immediately, all the heightened emotions finally taking a toll on my body.

_____

The first scream came as a surprise.

It was the morning after a full moon night, and we were all resting after a successful pack run.

It was startling enough to make everyone pause for a while.

The smell of blood quickly spurred everyone into action, but by the time we got back to the pack, it was too late.

There was blood everywhere. The smell, the sounds, it was all overwhelming.

We didn’t have time to mourn, they came pouring out the moment we were spotted, surrounding us and cutting us down before we could even react.

A hand pulls me, and I try to resist, until I recognize dad’s face.

He drags me behind the pack house, fighting off other wolves on our way.

By the time we make our way to the treeline, I can tell that dad is really injured even as he tried to hide it from me.

“Run, Sophie. Save yourself. I’ll buy you some time.”

He pushes me into the trees, turning around to fight off the wolves that came running after us.

"Dad, please come with me. We can find…"

I turn back to argue with him, to convince him to come with me, but my dad has shifted into his wolf, trying to fight off two huge wolves attacking him.

“Dad…dad!” I scream, my voice turning hoarse.

I try to take a step towards him although I know there’s nothing I can do to help, but my feet are rooted in the ground, and I’m helpless to do nothing but watch as my dad is torn to shreds by the wolves surrounding him.

_____

I wake up with a jolt, snippets of the memory/dream ringing in my mind.

There's something running down my face, and it takes me a minute to realise that it's tears. I'm crying again

I look around disoriented, then my memory comes back, hitting me in the chest with the force of a dozen wolves.

The pack under attack. Dad dying. Running in the woods.

I can still smell the blood around, and I start to panic before I realise that the smell is coming from me.

The shorts I wore after the pack run are torn and bloody, and so is my shirt.

I can't tell if it's my blood or the blood of my pack members.

I'll never see them again.

The thought stabs through my heart, making me double over with grief.

I have no idea what to do with myself.

And now, I’m in the house of unknown men. They could be murderers or criminals, or even part of the people that attacked the pack.

But I feel safe for some reason, and I don’t have anywhere else to go, so I’ll stay with them as long as I can, until I figure out my next course of action.

I sit up, wincing at the pain all over my body. Who knows how many hours I spent running before they found me? I have no idea where I am, or whose pack I’ve trespassed.

I get down from the bed, taking a tentative step towards the door to see if my legs would hold. When I don’t fall to the ground immediately, I walk a bit more confidently to the door and open it, not knowing what to expect.

The door opens into what seems like a living room, and I realise that this is a cabin. It looks homey, like one of those places a rich alpha would have just because his mate likes it.

Once I step in, three pairs of eyes land on me.

“Hi,” I say, feeling overwhelmed by all the actions of the past day. At least I think it’s a new day. I don’t know how long I spent running or how long I slept.

Taking a good look at the three men in the room, I realize that they don’t look as huge and scary as I thought. They all have dark hair and similar facial features, sharp, chiseled cheekbones, and a jawline that looks like it was sculpted by the gods.

The only way I could tell them apart was by the color of their eyes, but I wasn’t bold enough to go close to them to figure it out.

“Hey, we didn’t know you were awake.” Standing up, the one that found me in the woods walks towards me, palms up like he’s trying to calm a feral animal.

I shrink back. Despite my earlier thoughts, I’m still terrified.

“Oh, we won’t hurt you. Have a seat, we just want to know what happened.”

After a short internal debate, but mostly because I don't think I can stand for much longer with trembling legs, I fall into the seat closest to me, which happens to be close to the scary-looking wolf.

“What’s your name, sweetheart?” The same person keeps talking to me.

“Sophie”, I whisper. Knowing that he would still hear me.

“Hi, Sophie. I’m Ethan, these are my brothers, Lucien and Damien.”

He points to the one that looks slightly amused by everything, and the scary one I’m seated close to.

“Can you tell is what happened? Who were you running from?”

I debated telling them, but I decided to because I knew that before long news of a pack being wiped out would circulate. And who knows what would happen if the wolves that killed my pack members find out that I’m alive?

I tell them everything, about coming back from a run and seeing everybody dead. How they surrounded and ambushed us and how I was able to escape with the help of my dad.

By the time I was done, I was a sobbing mess again, and Damien had his hands wrapped around me, crooning softly and trying to console me.

“Oh, it’ll be fine. Everything will be alright. Don’t worry.” It’s a bit weird, but the gesture makes me feel better.

After I calm down, Damien looks up at his brothers, and they share a look that scares me and comforts me at the same time.

For some reason, I feel safe with these men, and I don’t question it, knowing that I have nowhere else to run to.