Chapter One
Hazel's POV
The last few days have been hell. After all these years, that bastard still has a price tag on my head. I've been running for the past twelve years—ever since I was ten years old. I've had to survive and fight my way through life.
It hasn't been easy. I had a few allies who later betrayed me, and mentors who succumbed to money and power if they brought me back alive. I don't even have anyone to call a friend. I don't blame them either—the amount of money they'd get was enormous, not to mention the power.
I wasn't even at fault, and yet I'm being chased to pay for the sins of my family. I know my family was innocent, but they were massacred anyway. I watched them die with my own eyes.
"Run, Hazel!" My mother's voice still echoes in my ears sometimes. The metallic scent of blood had been everywhere, staining the floor, soaking into my clothes. My father's hand had pushed me toward the woods—his last act before claws ripped into him. I was told to run, and I did—and I've been running ever since. Maybe if I hadn't, I'd be at peace by now.
'Alice, how many times have we talked about this? Stop these thoughts. You'd have been killed and it would all be over. Don't you get it?' my wolf Flora yelled in my head.
I quickly blocked her from seeing my thoughts, shoving her to the back of my mind. I just need some time alone right now.
I'm on my way to a store to buy medicine for the wounds I have. I've been fighting non-stop for five days… no resting. It's like everyone wants my head.
I haven't been healing as much as I should because I haven't let my wolf out in three years. Every time I let her out, she grows bigger—and she's a red wolf, which I know isn't normal—but I haven't had time to do any research since I'm always on the run.
I see the clinic up ahead and quicken my steps. I'm wearing all black, as it's night and easier to blend in. My face is properly covered and so is my scent, so I won't be hunted. But I know this cover won't last, which is why I want to hurry and get this over with.
I push open the clinic door. I see the medicine I need and grab it, then rush to the counter to pay.
"Good evening, ma'am. I would like to purchase this, please," I say, managing a small smile.
"Oh, alright. Here's the total amount," she says as she tells me the price.
I reach into my pocket to grab my ATM card, but my hands are shaking badly because I'm so injured. The card slips from my hand. When I bend to pick it up, my scarf slips a little and I hear a gasp from the back.
I immediately know my cover is blown. This is a human region, so nothing can be done here. I quickly hand over my ATM card, take the drugs, and turn. A guy—probably the one who gasped—is staring at me. I take my medicine and head out.
I have to keep to the road until I get to my hideout. I stay on the more crowded streets. It'll take longer to get home, but it's better than fighting again.
I feel someone trying to break through the wall in my head. I know it's Flora. I open it.
'Alice, you have to hurry and leave the human region. We can take them. I can heal you—just let me transform. Please, I promise I'll kill them all and our secret won't get out. If you keep going, you'll die, okay? We'll both die and it won't matter.'
I block her again and keep walking. I look back and notice the guy from the clinic, plus three more beside him, following me.
I know Flora has a point, but if I shift she'll just grow bigger, and one of the wolves might escape. I'd have an even bigger ransom on my head, and this time everyone would be after me. I can't risk that.
I take a deep breath and keep walking. I reach a path and choose the more crowded one—but I must have taken a wrong turn, because I end up near a forest. The guys are close now. I do the only thing I can: I run.
I keep running, hearing them behind me. Then I hear the tearing of clothes and know they've shifted.
I reach a clearing and stop. Quickly, I open one of the packets from the drugs I bought, swallow the contents, and turn to face them. Out of the four, two are in wolf form and two aren't. They surround me and come at me at the same time.
I throw a kick at the first guy, which he dodges. I punch him and hear a crack. Well, I'm still pretty strong. A wolf jumps on my back, knocking me to the ground. I turn to face it, scratching its face as my claws grow. Its head jerks to the side and I knee it, making it fall.
The remaining guys attack, hitting me from all sides. Every hit hurts. All I can do is protect my face. Scratches. Bites from the wolves. Silver knives driven into my skin.
Suddenly they stop.
"Hey, she's supposed to be brought alive, right?" I hear one ask.
"Yeah," another says, shifting back to human form—totally naked. I've seen this before, so I'm not fazed. I try to gather strength as every part of me aches. I can't move at all. My vision is blurry. I'm losing consciousness.
"Well, they said to bring her back alive, but they didn't say we couldn't have a little fun, right?" one of them says. The others nod.
"I didn't notice she was this pretty. Hi, beautiful. How about we have a taste of your little pussy, huh?"
They all laugh. I feel sick as they argue about who will have a 'taste' of me first.
I need to get out of here, but I don't have any strength left.
Flora tries communicating again and I let her in. I need to stay conscious. I can gradually feel my body again, but I know I won't be able to stand—let alone run or fight.
'Sweetheart, please let me take over. I'll give you strength. You're too weak. At this rate, we'll be unconscious and they'll rape us and take us to the Alpha. Please. I promise I won't transform—I'll just take over and fight them, okay?'
I'm about to disagree when I feel one of the men's hands on my breast, squeezing. Another kisses my neck, leaving little bite marks. It's disgusting. One's hand is on my ass, groping. Another on my pussy. That does it.
I scream "yes" in my head and feel Flora taking over. I watch through my own eyes as she takes control of my body. I feel immense strength. She immediately grabs the two who had their hands on me and breaks their wrists. She then rises and knees the man closest to her in the face.
I'm not healing, but her strength is incredible. She turns and kicks one of the guys again, breaking his hand a second time as it had already healed. She headbutts him, then twists his neck before turning to the other three.
Two transform back to wolf form and rush her. She fights—kicking, scratching, punching—but she's injured and against three wolves there isn't much she can do. She manages to kill one more before the last two wolves pounce on her, bringing me down again.
They close in, too angry to remember they need me alive. I feel a sharp pain in my stomach as one bites me there. I gasp, tears welling. They're really going to kill me.
One digs his claws into the other side of my stomach. The pain is blinding. I might die before the finishing bite. Their claws are laced with wolfsbane. I know I can't change to my wolf form. I'd rather be discovered than dead.
'I'm sorry I couldn't protect you, Alice. I'm a horrible wolf. I'm sorry—we're going to die now. It was good having you as my human, but we don't have all our powers now, so we can't do anything. I'm sorry I failed you,' Flora says in my head.
Tears stream down my face as I reply, 'No, I'm the stupid one. I should've listened to you and just let you take over and transform. You had such a stupid human. I hope you get another chance at a human partner.' I block her out of my mind.
I suck in a breath as I finally feel teeth graze my neck. I know death is coming now. I breathe deeply and keep my eyes on the moon.
"Run, Hazel!" my mother's scream echoes again in my head, mixing with the laughter of my killers. The memory burns, breaking me even more.
I blame the goddess. She made my life so useless. It's been one awful encounter after another. I hate you, I think, still staring at the moon.
The wolf bites me but doesn't kill me. It stings, making the pain worse.
Then I hear footsteps in the distance. Loud. Fast—really fast. That's when I smell a delicious scent of chocolate and honey. It's so mouthwatering I forget my predicament for a moment.
The wall in my mind shatters as Flora howls so loudly inside me it feels like my bones vibrate. MATE!
For the first time in twelve years, her voice isn't desperate or angry—it's full of wild joy.
I'm so happy. He'll save us. Finally.
I pull every ounce of strength left in me to push the wolf off me and kick the one at my side. My vision fades as I see a polished black shoe step into the moonlight, splattered with blood.
Then I hear it—a deep, guttural growl that shakes the clearing. Not human. Not wolf. Something more.
He's here. My mate. Finally, the goddess did something right.
I hear roars and fighting, then feel myself being lifted off the ground. I hear a male voice curse under his breath, low and furious, before everything goes black.