3. Calla

Five years ago...

The Everglade Pack

I hummed to myself a tune I've been listening to for days now as I stared through the mirror, watching my fingers do a quick work of braiding my hair. I was so eager to listen to the whole playlist today during training. My mom brought me a new set of CDs, books, and DVDs from the human world after their last visit. She promised me that she would, and she actually did. And I honestly have no idea how she managed to hide them away from our Alpha.

Anyway, I was so happy that she did and now I couldn't wait to get to my secret spot in the woods. It didn't feel so lonely anymore, now that I had an iPod. The human world had such cool gadgets, and a vast collection of entertaining material. It honestly made me feel curious sometimes, about the place where I had come from. Don't get me wrong, I liked living in the pack, and I was really grateful for everything that the Luna and Alpha had given me. They had been more than kind to take me in all those years ago. They had raised me, giving me food and shelter, and for that, I will be forever in their debt. But there were some moments where I wondered, even for just a second what it would be like, to go out there and experience it myself—the human world. My mother said that they're...chaotic. Always in a rush. And sometimes very cruel to their own kind. I believed her. But that didn't stifle my curiosity. And sometimes I even dared to dream that maybe one day I could visit it.

"Maybe," I quietly said with a small shrug, wasting but a moment to peer at the iPod in my hand. And after a deep and encouraging breath, I grabbed the small backpack I had prepared for myself and flung it over my shoulder, going straight for the door. It was still pretty early in the morning, which meant that I still had a good amount of time to train before breakfast. The young wolves in our pack usually tended to stay up late having fun only to sleep until noon the following day, giving me plenty of free time to do my stuff before going to work in the kitchen.

I tiptoed all the way downstairs and then out of the packhouse, trying to be as silent as possible. I didn't want to bother my sister or the other young warriors from their rest. The last time I did the Alpha made me do the laundry for his warriors for an entire month. It still makes my stomach churn sometimes, whenever I remember all about those strong odours.

With that thought in mind, I rushed to get as fast as possible out of the house and soon, I was making my way straight to the treeline waiting for me at the end of our backyard. I broke into a slow jog, throwing careful glances around. I knew that most of the wolves in our pack didn't give a damn about my mere existence, let alone what I did with my spare time. But there were certain ones that didn't like me that much, and that didn't approve of me being here, in their midst. They saw me as an intruder, a constant thorn in their side. So they kept trying to remove me, reporting everything that I did to our Alpha. They sometimes even resorted to telling him things that were not true, just so that he would punish me. I wasn't exactly doing something bad here by sneaking away to train, but it hadn't been approved by our Alpha either. He didn't like me doing things that the other wolves did. He said that I was too weak for that. Unsuitable. Too humane. And it was useless, because I was never going to be allowed on the battlefield. I was to remain around the packhouse, doing chores that nobody else would take. Lowly tasks.

It didn't bother me because at the end of the day, I knew what I was. I knew my place. I had learned it a long time ago. Still, that didn't mean that I didn't want to be able to help more. I wanted to be prepared for anything. Mop the floors and protect our Luna at the same time.

Snap!

I startled like a fawn caught in a trap, my gaze snapping in the direction where the sound had come from.

Shoot.

I thickly swallowed, quickly shoving the iPod in my hand into the pocket of my jogging pants. My heart was beating faster. And my cheeks were already starting to warm as I watched the Beta's son approach me at a leisurely pace. Unbothered. Confident. And...yup. Completely naked.

I fought not to look away...or not too much either, knowing that it would be seen as a sign of disrespect.

He must've been in the forest for a quick morning run, by the looks of it. And now he was heading back to the packhouse. Sweaty, with his hard muscles glistening in the morning light. His hair damp at the ends. And those unnervingly dark eyes of his trained directly on me. I could swear that sometimes, there were moments when I was actually afraid of River Williams. He scared the crap out of me, especially with those dark brown eyes of his. They were so dark that sometimes, if not most of the time they looked black. Soulless. But at the same time, I kinda found myself feeling attracted to him. He was handsome too. One of the most handsome young wolves in our pack.

"Calla," he uttered my name so sensually, and yet firm at the same time.

"Oh...H-hi River," I forced a grin, struggling to appear as nonchalant as possible.

"Where are you going?" He stopped right in front of me, making me feel the heat radiating off his powerful body.

"F-for a walk," I blinked, innocently staring up at him.

"By yourself?" His brow rose, those dimples faintly dipping in his cheeks as if fighting back a smirk.

"I enjoy the silence," I let out a small shrug, hoping that he hadn't picked up on that spike in my heart rate. I hadn't exactly told a lie. But then again, I wasn't telling the whole truth either.

He blew out a long breath, expressing a small smile. He then tilted his head, reaching out to twirl a rebel strand of my hair between his fingers. I fought not to react, knowing that I would be laughed at later by the whole pack if I showed a single sign that I was actually attracted to him. They were not for me, the young wolves. I was not to approach any of them. They all had mates, somewhere out there. I didn't, and I was never going to. I was just a lowly human, and I didn't deserve the touch of a shifter.

"Okay," he simply said, letting go of my hair. He stepped past me and started to walk away, finally allowing me to expel that tiny breath of relief. Shoot. That was close.

"Don't wander off too far, okay?" I peered past my shoulder as soon as I heard him say that, quickly nodding in reply.

"O-okay..."

I didn't linger after that, hurrying my pace as I started trekking through the woods. Mother said that if I was lucky enough maybe a mateless wolf would choose me eventually. I was actually afraid of that. I knew that I should be grateful if they did, but the truth was that I didn't want any of that. I didn't want an older wolf to choose me out of pity. I would've rather remained mateless for the rest of my life. I knew that I wasn't worthy of the Goddess' blessing. I was aware of that. That I would never have what fated mates had. That special and magical bond. But that didn't mean that I hadn't secretly dreamt of it sometimes. Of what it would feel like.

I held on tighter against the backpack's strap over my shoulder, mindlessly staring off into the distance as I walked. Admiring the first rays of the sun peeking in from between the thick and sturdy branches. The browning leaves. Autumn was my favorite season. I loved the smell of the crisp air in the morning, the changing palette of colours of the forest.

I soon reached my spot, so I threw my backpack somewhere in the grass before retrieving the iPod from my pocket. Finally. My moment of happiness. Serenity. I put my earphones in, hitting play on the first song before securing the iPod under my waistband. And then I commenced with my stretching routine.

Two hours later, I was sweating my butt off as I laid in the grass, trying to catch my breath. My muscles were sore, and I was tired as hell but also incredibly content. This was my "me" time. The part of the day when I could escape my duties, even for just a few moments. Enjoy a few hours of peaceful solitude.

I stared at the clear blue sky for another few fleeting moments, listening to a random song on the iPod. And then I raised my hand to have a glimpse at my wristwatch.

Shoot. Freaking holy schnitzel.

My eyes widened as I stared at the time. And then I scrambled up to my feet and took my headphones off, desperately searching for my backpack in the grass. I was so freaking late!

"Holy crap!" I swore out loud, snatching my backpack from the ground once I'd found it, and then I started to hastily shimmy out of my stinky training clothes. They were drenched with sweat, and I couldn't afford to enter the packhouse smelling so strongly. It would raise too many questions and in the end, I would surely end up punished once again.

I started to dig through my backpack for a clean pair of underwear and a sports bra, shivering as I let my completely naked body air-dry for a few seconds. It wouldn't be enough but it will definitely take some of the smell away.

Snap!

I froze.

My body wasn't even shivering from the cool air anymore. It had frozen entirely. No. This was not happening. Please, dear Goddess.

I slowly turned my head in the direction from where it had come, refusing to let go of the backpack. Holding it between my fingers like it was the last thing that I was ever going to hold.

My eyes widened, the backpack slipping from between my fingers. There, just a few metres away from me stood a wolf. A shifter whose wolf I had never met before. A stranger. A trespasser. Crap. A thousand times crap.

"Uh...H-hi, a-are...a-are you..."

His head tilted to the side. Intently staring at me. And then, he lunged.

The scream that tore through my throat echoed through the whole forest, even managing to scare a few birds from their branches. I didn't think, all those hours of training disappearing from my mind like smoke. I fled. Fast. Desperate. Terrified.

I ran as fast as I could. Not even daring to look back. Not even caring anymore that I was as bare as a newborn. I needed to get back to the packhouse. I needed help.

I let out another scream, hoping that somebody would hear me. That they would answer to my anguished call. Damn. I really wished that I could howl right now. I could hear the sounds of his paws stomping into the dirt. He was so close behind. And I was still so far away from the pack's main grounds. I didn't give up. I kept on running, no matter how tired I already was. Or how bad my legs and feet were aching.

I pushed myself as hard as I could. And soon, I could see the smaller pack houses. Scattered around the outskirts. I almost cried from the relief I felt. But sadly, it was short-lived. He caught up with me, managing to shove his powerful body into mine and send me careening off-course.

I didn't even get to scream. Or get up, for that matter. He was right above me as soon as I stopped rolling, holding me trapped between his massive paws. Snarling viciously, his eyes red and his fangs dripping with saliva as he glowered down at me. Readying himself to bite into me. Deliver the killing blow. I could only whimper with fear, letting those tears trail over the sides of my face. Wetting my temples.

Until the most terrifying roar that I had ever heard in my entire life suddenly resounded from all around us, shocking me to my core. And then, the wolf disappeared from my line of sight. Thrown away by a black blur.

I quickly sat up on my hip, lips parted and with my eyes widened as I watched the whole scene. Breathless. Shook. Dazed.

At first, I thought that the Alpha had come to my rescue. But then I took a better glimpse at him. It. Not a wolf. But not human either. A...creature, stuck somewhere in between. Tall. Huge. Caked with sinewy muscles, all over its half-shifted body. It had the upper body of a male. Pecs. Abs. Beefy arms. Everything. Except that it had claws instead of fingers. Large, scary, and sharp claws. And fur. It was completely covered in midnight-black fur. It had a snout. And lupine ears. A tail, and canine hind legs.

It roared again, the sound so horribly loud and scary. It made the tiny hairs on my body stand on end. My lips escape a weak whimper. And then it lunged at the wolf.

I simply stared, frozen with nothing but horror, watching as it bit into the wolf's neck...and then tore his head off clean from his body. I peed myself. Right then and there.

I watched the lifeless and blood-spurting head of the wolf fall to the ground with a dull thud, followed by his body. I couldn't even blink anymore. I was too numbed by the shock.

"Calla!"

I blinked away the tears pooling in my eyes.

"Calla!"

It was my mother's voice. She was calling me, and she sounded so scared.

I slowly turned my head to the side, watching her cry in the arms of her mate. My father. The Alpha. They had all gathered around. My parents. My sister. My pack. Staring at the gruesome scene that was unfolding right before their very eyes.

"Mother!" I whimpered, shakily turning in her direction. I wanted to run to her. Reach the safety of her arms.

"Calla!" She screamed again, her face streaked with tears as she thrashed in her mate's arms. Struggling to escape and run to me. But he wouldn't let her. And I couldn't understand why.

Why weren't they coming to help me? Why had they stopped? Why hadn't they shifted to fight the creature off?

I placed my hands into the dirt, intending to get up and run. Failing to hear the thudding sounds of those slow and menacing steps approaching me from behind.

I heard those gasps instead, noticing the shocked looks on my packmates' faces right before that single droplet of something warm and wet fell on my bare shoulder. My hand automatically flew to touch it, smearing it on my fingers. Blood.

My gaze rose to peer at my packmates again, watching them all stare somewhere above me. I blinked a tear, remaining still for just a few seconds longer. Listening to the sounds of my ragged breaths and the pump of my heart ringing in my ears.

Something touched my skin again. A gust of air, that caressed the entirety of my back.

"Mate. Mine..."

The sound of that snarling and monstrous voice forced a whimper out of me, followed by another set of tears. It was behind me. It was right behind me. A row of gasps resounded from my pack once again, drawing my attention. I peered at their expressions, noticing those shocked and outraged looks on their faces.

"Impossible!" It was my father, the one who spoke. The Alpha of our pack. But the beast snarled again from above me, making me cry out with fear.

"My mate! Mine! My female!" It roared and suddenly, I was snatched by one arm, one of its claws digging into my skin as it hauled me up to my feet.

I screamed from the pain combined with terror, ripping myself free from its claws as that flight instinct immediately took over. I didn't get to take more than two steps as it was on top of me in less than a second. I started to scream again, thrashing underneath it until it grabbed my arm again and forced me onto my back, lying in the dirt as it held my arms trapped by my sides with its claws.

I started to weep and sob uncontrollably, peering up at the monster above me with nothing but horror.

"No...Please...What do you want from me?" It had golden glowing eyes, its muzzle still dripping with the trespasser's blood as it gazed down upon me. It licked its snout, leaning over to touch me with its tongue.

I let out a desperate and anguished cry, struggling underneath it with everything that I had.

"No! Alpha Leonidas! I beg of you! Stop!" I could hear my mother shout in a shaky voice. "She is but a child!"

That had its head snapping up to peer in my mother's direction. And before I could even take another breath it suddenly disappeared from above me, leaving me to lay there in the dirt. Sobbing, naked and scarred. Forever.