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1346 Words
Shattering glass. Savage snarls. The guttural roar of an Alpha. The wet, tearing sounds of struggle. Something hot splattered across my face and arms.
My claws splintered. My fangs ripped.
I couldn't stop.
I couldn't stop.
Rage devoured me from within, demanding release. I didn't know what I was doing. I lost myself.
And when I finally clawed my way back to awareness, the first thing I saw were my hands—drenched in blood.
I knelt in a nightmare.
The room was drenched in gore. Furniture reduced to splinters. And scattered across the floor—the remains of what was once Alpha Dorian.
His severed head lay a meter away, those honey-gold eyes frozen in a final, icy stare. Bile surged up my throat. I retched, trembling as I took in the c*****e.
Did I do this?
There was no one else here.
My gaze darted to the shattered window, its jagged edges smeared red. Sophia—where was she? Had I—?
"DON'T LET HER ESCAPE!" A voice shrieked from upstairs. "SOPHIA, STOP CRYING AND TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED!"
Dorian's mother.
I had to run.
In a frenzy, I lunged for the window—
CRASH.
The door burst open.
And there she stood.
My former mother-in-law. The ex-Luna of the Dorian bloodline.
For one fractured second, our eyes met.
Horror. Grief. And a hatred so deep it burned.
"YOU FILTHY w***e!" Her scream tore through the room. "YOU KILLED MY SON! YOU MURDERED MY DORIAN!"
Her warriors surged forward.
I jumped.
The impact sent white-hot agony through my legs as I hit the grass, rolling violently. But I forced the shift—bones cracking, fur erupting—and ran.
I ran like the hounds of hell were at my heels.
Because they were.
Through the forest, over unfamiliar terrain, my body moving on pure instinct—survive, survive, survive—
I didn't stop until my lungs burned and my legs gave out.
And even then, I dragged myself forward.
Because death wasn't just behind me.
It was inside me now.
The days blurred together.
I ran until my legs gave out, stopping only when collapse was inevitable—gulping water from mountain streams, devouring whatever dead prey appeared before me.
Yes, another strange twist in my wretched existence.
The few times I dared close my eyes, I'd wake to find small animal carcasses at my muzzle. I ate them ravenously, too starved to question if they were poisoned or how they got there. Energy. Survival. Nothing else mattered.
Then, one night, I felt them again.
I'd thought they'd given up chasing my trail. I was wrong.
Wolf steps. Close.
Despair and exhaustion gnawed at me. I couldn't run forever. I'd been skirting pack borders, avoiding capture—but it wasn't enough.
"She's up ahead! I can smell her! That damn b***h will pay!"
A snarl, too near.
I could almost feel teeth closing around my throat. My legs and lungs were failing.
I'm done.
After all this struggle, they'd finally catch me.
Then I lifted my gaze—and saw them.
Ravens.
A murder of them, circling above my wolf form, cawing as if leading me somewhere.
And like a fool, I followed.
Deeper into unknown territory. Into the Forbidden Woods—where no one ventured uninvited.
But I had nothing left to lose.
If I was to die, let it be quick. Not tortured.
So I plunged through the mist…
And emerged in Golden Moon Pack.
Land of the Guardians. Realm of the Wolf King.
The Hunters'Silence
The pursuers'scent vanished. How far had I stumbled into Golden Moon territory before they found me?
Five massive warriors materialized, encircling me.
"Who are you?" A steel-gray wolf stepped forward. "Why trespass here?"
My black wolf form—small, fragile, the very definition of an Omega, weakest of our kind—shrank under his glare. Pathetic. It was why I'd been so pathetically grateful when Dorian made me Luna.
"I… I seek shelter. Just rest. I’m sorry for intruding. A few days—that's all I need. Then I'll leave."
My plea was a whisper. Please let them not follow me here.
"Where do you come from?" He shoved me with his shoulder, making me whimper. "Speak! Why cross the Forbidden Woods? No one comes here without reason! Lie, and I'll rip your head off now."
Darkness swarmed my vision. My body swayed.
Then—nothing.
As I crumpled, one thought flickered:
Maybe this time, I won't wake up.
When I opened my eyes again, I was in a damp, dark cell, my tattered clothes barely covering my broken body.
Only the Moon Goddess knew how I'd survived. It seemed She wanted my suffering to be slow and excruciating.
Clang!
The sound of a metal door slamming shut made me flinch.
"Ah, you're finally awake. Get her out!" A massive, bald, terrifying man—the gray wolf from before—barked at two guards who dragged me forward.
I couldn't even walk, let alone resist.
They hauled me into a small interrogation room, where the Alpha tried to dominate me with his aura.
But it didn't work.
I had no wolf to submit.
For hours, I sat tied to a hard chair, ropes biting into my wrists, enduring icy water and shouted threats. I clung to my silence, waiting for death.
At least they hadn't beaten me. Yet.
"Fine. If you refuse to talk, you know what awaits you." His dark eyes bore into mine. "I gave you a chance to confess."
He drew a dagger, yanked my hair back, and bared my throat—
Then paused.
My scars were on full display. Maybe I looked pitiful. But duty was duty.
The blade lowered.
I braced for the end.
Then—a knock.
"What in the—? Madam—I mean, Housekeeper. Why are you here?" His voice lost all its edge, turning near-submissive.
A small, golden-haired woman stood in the doorway, her posture rigid, her green eyes sharp as frost.
"What is this?" She stared at me.
"An intruder. I was about to execute her."
"Were you?" Her tone could have frozen hell. "Step outside. Now."
When they returned, black boots stopped in front of me.
"Your name, girl."
"Valeria," I whispered.
"Look at me when I speak!"
I forced my gaze up. She radiated authority—more terrifying than the hulking Alpha.
"Valeria. Do you want to live or die?"
I blinked.
"Work for me, and you'll have shelter, food, a chance. Refuse, and I'll walk away."
Work?
"W-what work?"
"For the Guardians. In the castle kitchens. Or wherever a maid is needed." Her stare didn' t waver. "A new life. But betray me, and a slit throat will be the least of your pains."
The Guardians were the Lycans, and the worst of them all was their leader, Aldric, the Specter Slayer, whom all werewolves considered their king, though he didn't seem to care about the title.
I had seconds to decide.
Live in shame, or die now?
"I'll go with you."
The Golden Moon Pack
Nestled in a mist-veiled valley, the pack's territory was dominated by a towering stone castle atop distant peaks.
The carriage ride was silent. I kept my head down, my hair hiding my scars.
The pack was vast. Powerful. Far beyond what I'd known.
When the ebony gates opened, revealing carved stone walls and grotesque statues, my stomach twisted.
The castle loomed ahead—less a sanctuary, more a nightmare.
"Come. You'll get your uniform and quarters."
The entrance hall stole my breath. A chandelier of candles illuminated a spiral staircase that seemed to climb forever.
Then—
Thud.
Something fell from above.
I stumbled back, barely stifling a scream as a headless body crashed at my feet. Blood gushed from the severed neck, splattering my legs.
A second later, the head rolled to a stop, dead eyes frozen in terror.
I looked up.
At the top of the stairs, a pair of gray, feral eyes locked onto mine—
And my blood turned to ice.
- Writer
