The Alpha's Healer

The Blood Moon

Ari's POINT OF VIEW

A day later and I was strong again. I hadn't heard from my wolf, Lumi, and it kept me on the edge. I was outside the cabin when I felt a faint voice trying to reach out to me.

Mom?

" Mom?" I asked through the mind-link.

"Ari, where are you? You had your father and I worried!" She flared up.

"I don't…"

" Also, what was the meaning of that letter you dropped on your bed? What do you mean by leaving the Nightshade Pack?"

I paced back and forth, looking for a perfect way to respond to all her questions.

"Mom, trust me, I'll be back again. Maybe not in a while, but I'll try my best to stay alive for you and dad."

This was getting harder than I thought.

"But where are you going? You've never been anywhere outside the pack, Ari!!" In as much as she yelled at me with every question she asked, I knew that she was just worried about me. "You'll be a rogue if you leave the pack without the Alpha's permission!"

" Then so be it, mom. I'd rather be anywhere else than in the pack." I rebuffed. She didn't understand me. Maybe I was just being selfish, but I couldn't go back to the pack anymore. "I'll find my way back to the back when the time is right.

Cutting the mind-link off, I took in a breath of fresh air. I knew what I had to do. The mind-link I had to the pack was already faint, all I had to do was break the bond I had with the pack as well.

Under the starry night, I looked at the moon and said the words of denouncement.

"I, Ari Lumina Parker, from this day, denounce the Nightshade Pack as my pack. I break every bond that binds us together, and I shall no longer be beholden to the pack and anyone with authority in the pack."

I wasn't even done with the words of denouncement, and I was already feeling the bond break. A little groan left my lips, but I had to get it done anyway.

"From this day forward, I break this bond under the Moon Goddess, and so be it."

A gust of wind hit me after saying those last words, followed by a mild ache in my heart. This was it. I was done with the Nightshade Pack. I was now a rogue and stepping into unknown territory would get me killed in an instant.

I had a long day ahead of me the next day, so I went back into the cabin and slept off.

The next day, I was already on my way to wherever after thanking Lilith for rescuing me. I wondered why she lived all alone in the woods. But then again, if she didn't live so close to the woods, I would be dead.

Taking a few grapes and the bunch she put in the backpack she gave to me, I began eating them. If I shifted, my journey could have been shorter, but now that I probably no longer had a wolf, my journey was longer.

"Lumi, I'm so sorry I let you down." I uttered as I popped some more grapes into my mouth.

Listening to the birds chirping away made me want to hum a song. Doing this would put me at risk, but who cares?

Humming a song my mother sang to me when I was a child, I became jolly again, marching further into unknown territory.

My excitement was cut off when I heard the shuffling of dried leaves. Scanning everywhere in haste, I knew I was in danger.

I broke into a run, but I didn't get anywhere when two huge wolves jumped out in front of me, pulling me to a halt.

I didn't know if these were fellow rogues or patrol guards of another pack, but in all, I was in danger.

Stepping backwards, I looked around for a tree branch and when I found one, I waved it in their faces. It was a stupid thing to do, but then again, I didn't want to die twice!

My stick waving came to a complete halt when the wolves shifted back to their human forms.

"What is a rogue doing in the Blood Moon pack?" One of them questioned, his voice ferocious, without any hint of pity.

"Blood Moon pack?"

A scoff brought me out of my daze. "Yes, the Blood Moon pack, rogue."

"This can't be happening…" How did I manage to stumble upon the territory of the most feared pack in the Western Hemisphere?

These people were ruthless… and from rumors, they didn't show rogues any mercy.

The other wolf walked closer to me, and with each step he took, I took steps backwards until I had nowhere else to go.

"Well, rogue… it is happening," he said. Looking at his other partner, he nudged his head in a particular direction. "Let's take her to the pack. She looks utterly clueless, and I'm pretty sure the Alpha would want to deal with her personally."

"Sure thing."

And just like that, I was captured and taken to the most feared pack.

Upon our return to the Blood Moon pack, I was amazed by how beautiful the place was. It looked like a whole city with people going about their daily activities.

"Wow."

It was too late to stop the words from coming out. I guess I had verbally spoken my inner thoughts.

A mild shove brought me out of my thoughts. "Move on, rogue, or I might pluck your eyes out before the Alpha gets here."

Their mocking laughter hurt my ears. If they wanted to kill me, they should have done so already without making a jest of me.

"Inform the Alpha that we have a rogue to deal with," one of the wolves taking me hostage said.

It didn't take long before I was thrown into the pack's prison, and boy, did it reek!

They must have tortured a lot of rogues here, which meant that the rumors of their ruthlessness were true.

'Alpha Dom and his jerk of a son couldn't be compared to the people in authority here.' I thought.

But what did that matter? I was in prison, awaiting my fate.