The Last Keeper

Chapter 4: Shift

Nina

I didn’t know how long I stood frozen, my body pressed against the cold stone wall outside Lisa’s quarters. Their laughter still echoed in my ears, sharp and mocking.

“She killed it for good,” Lisa’s voice rang out in my mind. She had meant the voice—the one I silenced with that cursed vial.

Silent tears slipped down my cheeks, their warmth almost foreign against my frozen skin. I thought I’d run out of tears days ago, but this betrayal—this realization—cut deeper than anything else.

Lisa. The woman I’d trusted, who had taken me under her wing. Who whispered comforts and promises when I was at my weakest.

And I had silenced the only part of me that might have saved me.

My legs trembled, hardly capable of supporting me, yet I was unable to move. I was unable to breathe.

Then the deep toll of the pack bell echoed through the air, once, then twice. The sound snapped me back to reality like a slap.

They knew.

I was no longer a prisoner. I was a fugitive.

The heavy thud of boots on the stairs sent panic crashing through me. My body moved on instinct, ducking into a nearby storage room. I pressed my back against the wall, my breath shallow as the footsteps drew closer.

Two guards stormed past the room, their faces grim, heading straight for Lisa’s door.

I peered through the narrow crack as the door opened, and Lisa stepped out. Even in the chaos, she looked perfect—unruffled, composed, and dangerous.

“What is it now?” she snapped, her tone annoyed.

“Nina’s escaped,” one of the guards said, his voice tight.

Lisa rolled her eyes. “Kill her on sight if you find her.”

“Alpha Liam wants her alive,” the other guard said cautiously.

Lisa’s laugh was cold. “Of course he does. Spineless as always. He’ll forgive her like the fool he is.” She waved them off dismissively. "Act as you like, but don’t think I’ll spend my time pursuing a girl who’s gone."

The guards acknowledged and departed, their boots reverberating as they walked down the corridor.

My chest felt constricted, and for an instant, I wished to quit. I wished to leave the room and allow them to discover me.

It was hopeless.

But the hatred in Lisa’s voice, the cruel way she dismissed my life—it lit a fire in me.

I wouldn’t let her win.

---

The halls were a labyrinth of shadows and distant voices, and I had to fight every instinct to stay calm. Twice, I nearly stumbled into patrols. Once, I slipped behind a tapestry just as two guards rounded the corner, their torches casting long shadows that brushed the tips of my toes.

Another time, I hid beneath a stairwell, my breath held as their heavy boots thudded above me.

Each movement was torment, with every moment elongated into forever. My brain urged me to flee, but my body refused to comply.

By a stroke of luck, I escaped from the main hall and reached the orphanage attic.

The area was cluttered and musty, packed with neglected artifacts from the pack's past. I fell onto the chilly wooden floor, drawing my knees up to my chest.

The regret hit me hard.

I thought of my father’s necklace, the small wolf’s head pendant that had been my most prized possession. He told me it could grant me sanctuary in times of need, that no Alpha could refuse it.

But I’d given it to Liam.

The weight of that mistake pressed down on me like a boulder, but there was no time to dwell.

The sun dipped lower in the sky, and I waited, listening as the voices and footsteps outside gradually faded.

---

When night fell, the silence gave me courage.

I slipped out of the attic, moving like a shadow through the empty corridors. The pack house was eerily quiet, most of the warriors likely still out searching for me.

The dense forest stood ominously in front of me with its depths stretching endlessly into the distance. I paused briefly as my heartbeat quickened with anticipation.Knowing that once I ventured beyond its boundaries I would be committed with no possibility of retreat.

Bracing myself for what was, to come，I sprinted forward。

The chilly evening breeze bit, into my skin as I pressed on without stopping my pace amidst the trees zipping past me while navigating the underbrush with my breath coming out.

For a brief instant, I believed I had accomplished it. However, I stumbled over a tree root, my ankle twisting agonizingly when I landed.

A shadow loomed over me, and I glanced up to spot Sam, one of Lisa's faithful guards.

"Ah, well," he remarked, a wicked grin twisting his mouth. “Did you honestly believe you could get away?”

I hurried to my feet, my heart racing as I retreated.

"Keep your distance," I cautioned, my voice shaking.

He laughed. "Luna Lisa desires your demise, and I’m more than willing to assist."

I pivoted and sprinted, the ache in my ankle ignored as adrenaline surged within me. Sam's footsteps boomed behind me, increasing in volume with each stride.

The cliff came into view, the moonlight reflecting off the dark, churning river below.

I had no choice.

I turned to face Sam, who slowed to a stop, his expression smug.

“Nowhere to run, princess,” he taunted.

Without speaking a word I retreated as gravity tugged me downward into the depths below.

The freezing cold was much to bear; the icy water felt like a swarm of needles piercing my skin relentlessly as I struggled for breath and fought against the merciless pull of the current that dragged me beneath the surface.

Swimming was never my forte.

I was engulfed in fear as I fought to breathe underwater; my chest throbbed from the strain. The world faded away, shadows encroaching at the corners of my sight.

Then, pain.

My heart pounded as the sensation surged from my chest to my arms and legs, like a blazing inferno engulfed me in its embrace. I screamed, the sound muffled by the water.

"That didn't sound like me."

It was a roar, deep and guttural, echoing through the river.

The water that had seemed endless suddenly felt shallow. I found my footing and stumbled toward the bank, my legs shaky and unsteady.

The moonlight revealed the changes.

My hands didn't feel like mine anymore; they now had claws protruding from the tips and my skin was adorned with patches of fur.I struggled to catch my breath as I gazed at my reflection, in the water.

Feeling dizzy and disoriented​ I sank down on the riverbank​.

The final image etched in my mind as darkness enveloped me was the outline of the trees stretching their branches towards the sky like bony fingers reaching out for something.

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