SAVANNAH
Piercing screams echoed in my ears, mingling with the sound of shattering glass, an animal roar, Alpha growls, and a chaotic scuffle. Something hot splashed across my face and arms; my claws tore through flesh, and my canines shredded. Rage consumed me, leaving no room for reason, only the screaming need for release.
When I finally regained control, the first thing I saw was my bloodied hands. I was kneeling amidst a sea of red—wreckage and what remained of the once-powerful Alpha, Ragnar. What had I done? Oh, Goddess, what had I done?
I glanced at the head lying a meter away. Those honey-colored eyes still looked at me with panic, and bile rose in my throat. I couldn't help it; I vomited to the side, repulsed by the scene of death and violence. Had I caused all this? There was no one else there.
Looking around, I realized I didn't know where Silvina had gone. I only knew that someone had been thrown through the shattered window, their blood staining the jagged edges.
Trembling, I rose and saw nothing but the forest behind the house and bloodstains on the grass.
"Don't let her escape! Silvina, stop crying and tell me clearly!" voices shouted, and hurried footsteps climbed the stairs. My mother-in-law's voice cut through the chaos.
I had to leave. I had killed the Alpha, and a painful death awaited me.
Desperation gripped me as I realized I might have thrown that wretched Silvina out the window. Without thinking, I decided to jump from the second floor.
Bang!
The door burst open just as I hesitated, and I found myself face-to-face with Rania —the woman who had been my mother-in-law and the former Luna, Ragnar's mother.
Her eyes were filled with astonishment, pain, and fury as she took in the scene.
"You damn wretch! You killed my son, my Ragnar! Grab her! Catch her! I'll tear her apart with my own hands!!" she screamed. The warriors behind her lunged at me.
Without a second thought, I leaped.
"Aaaagghhh!" I groaned in pain as I hit the grass, but I forced myself to shift into wolf form and run with all my strength.
I fled into the forest, my weak legs carrying me as fast as they could. I ran like a madwoman through uncharted lands and dense forests, driven by a primal will to survive.
Days passed in this frenzy, with only brief rests on the edge of collapse, drinking from mountain streams and eating whatever prey I came across.
Yes, just another strange twist in my life. Each time I dared to close my eyes, I woke up to find a small dead animal at my snout. I devoured it, unsure if it was poisonous or where it had come from, driven only by the need to survive.
One night, I felt their presence. I thought they might have given up, but the footsteps of several wolves were still close. Desperate and exhausted, I skirted the territories of the packs, trying to avoid capture, but it wasn't enough.
"She's ahead; I can smell her. Let's go. That bitch will pay soon!" A roar cut through the air, and I knew they were closing in on me.
I could almost feel the danger breathing down my neck as I forced my legs and lungs to keep moving.
I was running out of options. They would catch me. After all my efforts, I looked up to see a flock of crows circling above. They cawed and flew over my wolf form, as if guiding me. For reasons I didn't understand, I followed them.
The crows led me into a forbidden forest, a place no one dared to enter without an invitation.
But I had nothing left to lose. If death was my end, let it come swiftly and without excessive torture.
Thus, I crossed the mist and entered the territory of the Winter Moon Pack, the pack watched over by the Guardians and ruled by King Lycan.
I felt that no one was following me anymore. I wasn't sure how deep I had ventured into the territory of Winter Moon; I only knew that suddenly, several powerful warriors had blocked my path and surrounded me.
"Who are you, and what are your intentions sneaking into our pack?" a massive gray wolf demanded coldly as he approached, his demeanor threatening.
In my she-wolf form, with my small black appearance, I was considered an Omega—the lowest rank in the pack, the weakest, usually reserved for slaves and servants.
That's why, becoming their Luna, I felt naively grateful to Ragnar.
"I'm just seeking a refuge to rest. I'm sorry for intruding on your forest. Just for a few days, please. I only need a short rest before moving on."
I pleaded, hoping my pursuers wouldn't dare to come after me here.
"Where are you from? Tell me! Why did you cross the Forbidden Forest? No one comes here without reason! Speak the truth, or I'll rip your head off right now!"
He roared and shoved me aside. I growled in pain, but resisting was futile.
Before I could react or he could carry out his threats, darkness overwhelmed my vision, and I collapsed, unconscious on the ground.
Maybe I'd never wake up this time.
***
When I opened my eyes again, I found myself in a dark, damp cell, with tattered clothes draped over my battered body.
Only the Goddess knows how I'm still alive.
It seemed he intended to torture me slowly and painfully.
Bang!
A loud noise at the cells startled me.
"So, you're awake. Get her out!" an enormous, bald man ordered two guards who came and dragged me out.
He was the gray wolf.
I had no strength left to walk, let alone to resist.
They led me to a small room and began interrogating me, trying to assert their dominance over me. But their hierarchy had no effect on me; I didn't have an inner wolf to intimidate.
I spent hours sitting in a hard chair, my hands bound behind me with rope, making my wrists raw.
No matter how much icy water they poured over me, how much they shouted, or how they threatened me, I stuck to my story and waited to die.
With my head hanging weakly and my eyes closed, at least they didn't beat me or do worse things.
I had heard horrors about this barbaric pack.
"Well, since you're not talking, you know what's coming. I've given you the chance to confess." His dark eyes locked onto mine, giving me the ultimatum, but I had nothing more to say.
He pulled out a dagger and grabbed my hair tightly, exposing my neck, ready to slice it open.
I saw hesitation in his eyes as my black hair was cleared from my face, revealing the horrible scars.
I must have seemed pitiful to him, but he had a job to do, and I was ready to end this.
The dagger lowered, and I resigned myself, but a knock at the door interrupted my impending death, causing my emotions to swing from one extreme to another.
"Now who the hell…? Ma… I mean, Governor, um, what brings you here?" his previously gruff voice softened to an almost submissive tone.
I looked toward the door, curious, and saw a short woman with tied-back blonde hair and an elegant, extremely serious demeanor.
"What were you doing?" Her cold green eyes fixed on mine as I lowered my head.
"She's an intruder; it's a pack matter…"
"You are going to kill her, right?" she asked intimidatingly.
"G… Governor, can we discuss this outside? It's the orders with intruders…" he tried to explain, but his words trailed off as black boots entered the room and stood in front of my lowered gaze.
"What's your name, girl?" she demanded.
"Savannah," I replied softly.
"Look at me when I speak to you!" she commanded, and I lifted my head to meet her gaze.
She exuded a superior and imposing aura, and honestly, I found her more frightening than the massive brute.
"Tell me, Savannah, do you want to live or die? You can survive if you agree to work for me; otherwise, pretend you never saw me," she offered, leaving me stunned.
"What… what kind of work would it be?"
"To work for The Guardians, in the castle's kitchen or wherever needed, as a maid. I offer you a roof and food in exchange, a new opportunity to live," she said without looking away.
I hesitated, feeling like I was selling my soul to a ruthless witch.
The Guardians are the Lycans, and their leader, Fenrir 'the Phantom Slayer,' is considered our King, though he disregards that title.
"I don't have all day. Are you coming or not?" she pressed.
"Governor, this woman is an outsider… how will she fit into the castle with The Guardians? We don't know her intentions…"
"I don't care why you came to this cursed land; your past is behind you if you accept my offer. But if you betray me or plot against me, slicing your throat will be nothing compared to my punishment," the woman threatened, and I had only a moment to decide.
Live or die, start in an unknown place, perhaps filled with more humiliation and suffering, or die now and end my miserable life.
"I'll go with you. I accept the job," I finally chose to survive.
The Winter Moon Pack was nestled in a valley, surrounded by dense forest shrouded in thick fog. In the distance, on a hill, stood an imposing ancient stone castle.
We traveled there in a carriage, the wheels clattering over cobblestone streets.
This pack was enormous and far more powerful than my old one.
I remained silent during the journey, my black hair covering the scars on my face. I kept my head bowed, not wanting to draw attention.
The massive ebony doors opened, the stone walls looming powerfully, with rare statues perched on the dark eaves.
Finally, we arrived at an inner courtyard, and I stepped down from the carriage with some pain.
I gazed up at the imposing castle, half-shrouded in mist. It looked more nightmarish than inviting.
"Let's get you your uniform and show you to your room," the woman ordered, and I followed her inside.
As soon as we passed through the door, we were greeted by a gigantic hall.
A chandelier filled with candles hung in the center, and a grand spiral staircase ascended to the heights above.
I was momentarily distracted by the gleaming black-and-white tiled floor when something unexpected happened.
Bang!
I took a step back, terrified, barely holding back a scream of panic as the body of a naked woman dropped right at my feet.
Her head was missing, and blood still gushed from her severed neck, staining the entire floor—and even splashing my legs.
The head followed soon after, rolling across the floor, its face frozen in a horrified expression.
I looked up in fear, and at the top of the staircase, wild, gray wolfish eyes locked onto mine for a few seconds, freezing the blood in my veins.