The Orphan and Her Alpha

The wind blows softly through the willows, and you can hear the laughter of the children playing in the water. “Rose! Rose, where are you? Come home this instant! You know you are not supposed to be outside!” A young girl runs out from behind the willows and into the forest. Wolves howl from nearby and the sky starts to turn black as dark clouds start to roll in. A scream sounds from in the trees. Then everything goes dark. Rose I woke up in a panic. Ugh. I hate having this freaking dream. At least it is just a dream from the past and I no longer have to deal with that pack. My name is Rose. I don’t remember my last name, but that is fine by me. I am happier not remembering much about my past. I escaped my old pack when I was ten. Escaped from the torture that they inflicted on me. And it wasn’t just my pack mates but my family. The people who were supposed to love and care for me. They honestly were the worst. Yes, I was bullied by the pack, but it was mostly words and things thrown at me. My “Family” were the ones that inflicted the physical torture. They would keep me locked away from the rest of the pack. I was beaten when I didn't clean fast enough or to their liking. I was starved for days on end and when they would finally feed me it would be a moldy piece of bread and some dirty water. Sometimes I would sneak out at night and forage for berries and other fruits in the forest. I could even hunt for small game once in a while, so I never starved too much. Let me explain why my pack and family despised me so much. I am a freak of nature according to them. I was born scentless, but they believe I have no wolf spirit. They are wrong though. So very wrong. I have been able to shift since I was six years old. My family never knew that though, my wolf told me not to tell them and that it would be safer for me that way. I don’t know why though, I mean I was treated like less than dirt because they thought I was wolfless. Basically, I was a human slave for my family and a punching bag. I had to hide the fact I could heal like a wolf too. Thankfully, I still was able to not scar, but whenever I had broken bones I had to just let them heal on their own so that they wouldn’t realize I had a wolf. Sapphire is the best friend I could ever ask for, though, and I was willing to deal with all the pain and torment for both our safety. She is the reason I was able to get away all those years ago. If it wasn’t for her, I probably would have been killed eventually. I ran that night, and if she hadn’t shifted they would have caught me. I definitely shocked the pack warriors when they were chasing me because I shifted so fast. I think her sheer size and her color is what shocked everyone the most though. And her speed. Sapphire is the size of an Alpha wolf. I have no idea why though. I was found abandoned at the pack borders according to my parents, so they knew nothing about me except that I was scentless. So I guess I am a descendant of an Alpha, and I know I have a special wolf. Her coloring is beautiful, and I have found throughout the years that I have powers. I can control the elements. I didn’t know it at the time, but Sapphire created a huge thunderstorm the night we ran so that we had a better chance to escape. She is my savior honestly. I roll out of my bed and head to the stream to bathe. I built myself a nice little tree house in the woods close to this beautiful meadow and waterfall. I have everything I need here. Fresh water for drinking, animals to hunt. I am safe up in the trees from predators and, because I am scentless, I am also safer from other rogues. I never got training back in the pack because I am a scentless wolf and just a lowly slave, so I was not allowed to be around others and train, so I would be useless in a fight and Sapphire is wary of shifting in front of the other rogues because she doesn’t want us to be found and captured. The rogue king would probably enslave us and make us his breeder since we are special. We have to stay hidden just to be safe. It is still a better life than what I had back in the pack. I get to the stream and quickly look around to make sure there is no one nearby, and then I strip down and wade into the water. It is slightly chilly today, but that's fine. I can warm the water up if I need to. As I am bathing, I hear a stick crack somewhere nearby, and I immediately tense up. I didn’t sense anyone nearby before I waded in. I can’t smell anyone. Maybe they are scentless like me. I need to move, or I will be seen, but I don't want to make any noise. ‘Sapphire, what should I do? I don’t want to be caught. What if it’s someone from our old pack?’ ‘First dear, I doubt anyone from our old pack is still looking for us. We have been gone for years. Why would they still be searching? Second, just duck under the water slowly, we can just make an air bubble so that we can breathe until they pass by.’ ‘OK, good idea. I should have thought of that. I mean that's how we fish.’ I quickly duck underwater and wave my hands to create the air bubble around my head so I can breathe as we sit here. I warm up the water as well, so I don't freeze while I wait for whoever it is to pass by. I am still stuck on how I couldn't sense them though, I really hope they pass by soon. I don’t need to get caught by someone. I do not want to be treated the same as I was. I want to be safe and free, not trapped in a cage and abused again. Please just let them pass by and not find me…