Day 1
1299 Words
(Isla)
Day 1………I wrote it on the wall with charcoal while Mira was at the stove. One tall and angry s***h.
Mira saw it and slammed the pan down so hard the oil jumped. "Don’t," she said without turning. “Don’t you dare count down to your own execution."
"I’m counting," I said quietly. My voice sounded hollow even to me. "Three days. That’s what he gave me."
"Then count this," Mira spun around, eyes furious and red-rimmed. "You’re not doing it. You’re not carrying his kids. You’re not letting him snap you. We’re leaving. Tonight."
The bond pulled in my chest like a hook. I pressed my hand over it and didn’t answer.
The knock came before she could say anything else.
It was two taps. It could only mean one thing, an elder was here. It was a culture of ours for elders to knock only twice on the door……anything more was regarded as a disrespect.
Mira froze. "Don’t answer it."
But we both knew who it was. Elders didn’t knock thrice.
I opened the door to find Elder Rowan standing there. White hair, a cane and the same face that had patted my head when I was seven and told me "the Moon Goddess works in mysterious ways" after my parents died.
Behind him were two younger warriors who were watching. Making sure I didn’t run.
"May I come in, child?" he asked. His voice was low and disappointed like I had tracked mud into his house.
I stepped aside as he entered the cottage and looked around. At the rumpled bed. At the cold soup. At me. His eyes did a slow, assessing sweep and I hated that I knew what he was seeing.
I was too fat, too tired and my hair was a mess.
He clicked his tongue. "Oh, Isla."
Mira stepped in front of me. "What do you want, Elder Rowan?"
"To talk to the girl," he said mildly. Then his eyes flicked to Mira. "Alone."
"No," Mira said flatly.
Rowan sighed. The kind of sigh a grandfather gives when children are being difficult. "Mira, dear. This is pack business. And you’ve always had a... rebellious streak. Let the adults speak."
"I’m 22," Mira snapped. "Same as her and I’m not leaving her alone with you."
Rowan looked at me as if waiting for me to speak.
I nodded once as my throat was too tight to speak.
Mira shot me a look but moved to the corner. Her arms were crossed and her jaw tight but she still gave us space.
Rowan lowered himself into the only chair with a groan. He patted the seat beside him. "Sit, child."
I didn’t. I stayed standing.
"As you wish," he said. He steepled his fingers. "I’m here because I care about you. About the pack. About what happens next."
He paused. Like he was giving me time to agree.
"The Alpha told me of his... proposition," Rowan continued. "A difficult one, I know. But a necessary one."
"Necessary," I repeated. The word tasted bitter.
"Yes." He nodded. "You see, Isla, the bond is not a curse. It’s a blessing. From the Goddess herself. Fated mates produce the strongest heirs. The healthiest pups. The ones who will keep our pack safe for generations."
He leaned forward. "And you, my dear... you are his fated mate."
The word " dear " made me want to vomit.
"Now," he said, and his eyes dragged over me. The gaze was slow and deliberate. They didn’t stop at my face. “I won’t lie to you. You’ve always been... soft. Plump. Your mother was built the same way, God rest her. It’s not a sin. But it is... a problem."
The air left the room.
Mira made a sharp noise. "Don’t you—"
Rowan held up a hand, still looking at me. "I’m just being practical, Mira because this is hard for her. I know."
He gestured vaguely at my middle with his cane. "The Alpha needs strong heirs, Isla. Healthy pups. Carrying a pregnancy takes a toll on the body. And frankly, a woman of your size... the healers worry. About the birth. About the strain. About whether you’d even carry to term."
He said it like he was discussing crop yields.
"That’s why this arrangement is actually a mercy," he continued. "Serena is fit. Toned. She’ll run the pack, host the gatherings, stand beside him. She’s built for that."
His gaze flicked back to me. “And you... you’re built for something else. Something quieter. The Goddess gives everyone a purpose. Yours is to give him sons. That’s all. It’s simple. It’s clean and it’s far less pressure on that body of yours than trying to be Luna ever would be."
Plump. Soft. A problem. That body of yours.
My hands were shaking behind my back. I clasped them tighter so he wouldn’t see.
"Am I wrong?" Rowan asked, tilting his head. "I’m just thinking of the pups. We have to think of the pups. A birth gone wrong helps no one."
Mira took a step forward. "You’re disgusting."
Rowan finally looked at her. His nice-grandpa mask slipped for half a second. Cold. “Watch yourself, girl. Selfishness has always been your problem. The pack needs duty, not rebellion."
Then he was looking at me again, soft again.
"Three days, Isla," he said. "That’s what the Alpha is giving you. It’s generous. Public rejection... well. You know what that does. The pain. The madness. Wolves don’t come back from it. Not whole."
He paused and continued.
"And it hits harder when the body is already carrying extra weight. The healers say the shock is worse. The recovery is worse. I wouldn’t want that for you, child."
He stood up slowly using his cane.
"I know you’ll make the right choice," he said, patting my cheek. His hand was dry and papery. "For the pack. For the pups. It’s your duty, child. The only one the Goddess gave you. Don’t waste it trying to be something you’re not."
Then he left and the warriors followed.
I closed the door in silence as I couldn’t breathe.
Mira was at my side in a second. "Isla. Isla, look at me."
She grabbed my face with both hands. "Don’t listen to him. Not one word. You hear me?"
Soft. Plump. A problem. That body of yours.
I laughed, but it came out broken. "He’s right though," I whispered. "What else am I good for? I’m not Luna. I’m not fit. I’m not—"
"Stop," Mira said fiercely. Tears were in her eyes now. "You’re Isla. You’re the girl who snuck me bread when my mom was sick. You’re the girl who taught me to fight. You’re not a vessel. You’re not a ‘problem.’"
The bond pulled hard again and I doubled over with a gasp.
Zayden……..he was with Serena. He knew Rowan had been here.
"Day 1," I choked out. "Two more."
Mira pulled me to the floor with her. "Then we leave tonight," she said. "I mean it. My cousin on the border, he’ll hide us. Tonight."
"And if he tracks me?" I asked. "If the bond drives him mad and he hunts me?"
"Then we run faster," Mira said. Her grip on my hand was bruising.
There was another knock, making both of us freeze.
They were not elder taps, not patient either. They were three urgent, three quick raps.
"Isla?" A voice. It was low and male. Not Zayden.
Mira and I looked at each other.
"Who is that?" she whispered.
I didn’t know but my heart was pounding so hard I could feel it in my teeth.
"Isla? Please. We need to talk."
Day 1.
And the pack was already at my door.
- Writer
