She ran.
Breathing and panting through the woods, she ran as if her life depended on it, not looking back, fear rushing through her veins.
When Eli had brought her to these woods, she was blindfolded. She wasn't as strong as him and didn't know what direction she was headed, maybe even towards the enemy.
She was incapable of making decisions on her own, and she never had to. Whenever Eli asked her something, she did it. It had always been like that.
Her legs stopped moving as she heard a loud and earth-shaking growl, followed by a weak howl. This wasn't good.
"Eli." She drew her breath, stopped in her steps, and turned at the speed of light. Whatever it was, that thing she had just heard was not a werewolf. It could not be.
She had to go back.
She had to help him.
Turning her heel, she ran back deeper into the woods. "Please, Eli." She pleaded, hoping he would be just fine. He had to be. No one was supposed to beat him—one of the strongest shifters alive.
"El…" Out of shock, she stood still and didn't move an inch. The creature, with its back turned against her, had her shifted husband in its grip. That thing got ahold of Eli, and it wasn't just a thing…
It was a Lycan.
Unbelievable.
Many said they had been extinguished, erased from existence or were nothing more than a simple myth.
They were wrong.
Terrified by the creature in front of her, she stepped back and hid behind a nearby tree like a coward. Even if she wanted to do something, it was impossible.
Incapable of showing any emotions, she watched as the Lycan held Eli's wolf by the back of his neck, the wolf's gold and harmless eyes meeting hers. He knew she was watching.
A sad howl left his snout, and his gold eyes softened. It felt like a final goodbye from both of them.
No…
The Lycan ripped him into shreds, killing him in cold blood. All the while, she had to sit back and watch as several body parts of her soulmate flew in every direction.
He was dead.
A sharp pain found its way through her heart.
"Eli!" Her loud wail could be heard through the woods as she was left to grieve on her own.
Her mate was gone.
The shriek made the Lycan turn around, allowing her to see his big figure from the front. He was inches tall, and she wasn't talking about several.
No wonder the pack couldn't fight back. No one could stand a chance.
Not daring to look into those eyes, she stepped back and lost her balance, making her fall to the ground.
The Lycan let out a growl and took small steps toward her.
Run, Sophia—run!
No matter how hard she tried planting those words inside her head, she couldn't get herself to stand up, so she crawled backward, using every bit of strength left inside her as the Lycan got closer and closer.
All hope was lost when her back reached a branch, and she knew that was it.
That thing would kill her the same way it killed everyone else.
Frightened, she held her breath as the Lycan reached her and lowered himself to meet her level.
Whatever you do, don't look into his eyes, Sophia repeated in her head.
An unexpected groan of fear left her body the moment she felt a claw around her neck.
This was no way to die.
She was supposed to grow old with Eli.
They were supposed to start a family and raise pups.
They'd had it all planned out.
First, two boys, one of them her successor, and then three girls who would be protected by their brothers.
If she couldn't have that with Eli, perhaps dying would be the best choice after all.
She couldn't survive without her best friend, her soulmate, her one and only mate.
The Lycan tightened the grip around Sophia's neck, and she closed her eyes, waiting for her final moments—but nothing happened.
Small and quick breaths escaped from her lips at the Lycan's warm breath, which eventually reached her nostrils.
She could feel him smell her scent, and before she knew it—Sophia had opened her eyes, making direct eye contact with the beast in front of her.
Her body felt numb, and so did her mind as she stared into a pair of blood-thirsting purple eyes.
Sophia's insides began heating up, same as her skin. She felt an itching sensation all over and was at a loss for words over his eye-catching beauty.
The beauty of a beast who had just killed her mate.
What was wrong with her?
The Lycan's purple-colored eyes had softened, and his sharp claw moved from Sophia's throat to her jaw. The two of them stared at each other.
"W-what d-d-do y-you w-want f-from m-m-me?" The side of her lips twitched and trembled as that sentence left her mouth.
The beast tilted his head, observing Sophia closely. If he planned on killing her she'd rather have him do it now.
"Stop it!" Sophia yelled out.
Suddenly the Lycan growled and let go of her. Then he sped off in a flash, leaving her bewildered.
He didn't kill her.
Was this a dream?
Was Sophia really still alive?
What had just happened?
Facing reality, Sophia covered her mouth with her hands and sobbed loud and uncontrollably. He was gone, her Eli was gone, and he would not be coming back.
"No, Eli!" Her fist hit the soil as she cried out his name. "No, no, no!"
Sophia dug her hands into the soil and yelled. Her voice echoed through the woods as if she had just unlocked a new power from within, and looking down at her hands, she could see them glowing white.
A mixture of voices found their way through her head, and she concentrated on the whispers. Those were the voices of older women, ancient witches—no doubt about it. What was happening to her?
'The moon daughter.'
'At last, they found each other.'
'She'll doom all of us.'
'Poison! She's poison.'
Petrified, Sophia removed her hands from the soil and stared at her glowing palms. This had never happened to her before.
It was all becoming too much.
"Please, stop!" She balled her fist, peeking through her eyes. "No—please!" Her heart beat out of her chest. Sophia felt herself grow more powerful, and she couldn't take it anymore.
Her body hit the ground.
Suddenly everything went black.