SAVANNAH
"Really? I thought I heard you muttering something," she approached, eyeing me with suspicion.
"No, I was just thinking out loud. Did you manage to work things out with your boyfriend?" I asked as I went down the stairs and found her sitting on the last step, suddenly breaking down in tears.
Through her sobs, she told me about the troubles with her partner and parents. Being the Alpha's daughter was no easy task.
"Don't get like this. There must be a way out. Don't you have anyone to lean on? Maybe a sister?"
"No! Why are you asking if I have a sister?" she shot back defensively, her eyes narrowing.
"I didn't mean anything by it, sorry. All this stress has me on edge. No, I don't have a sister—or anyone else." She confirmed with a nod, though her reaction to the simple question seemed off.
"Oh no, it's too late! My parents are going to kill me, and the King must be losing his mind looking for you! We need to go, now!"
Her anxiety quickly morphed into panic as she grabbed my hand, yanking me toward the forest at almost a run.
"Wait, I didn't come this way," I protested, slowing down as I noticed we were heading in the wrong direction.
"This is a shortcut. I took this path," she insisted, pushing ahead through the dark brush.
I stumbled over roots in the dim light as we sped along.
Something wasn't right. How did she know I was at the Goddess's altar?
The pieces weren't adding up. I looked up and saw a crow circling above the trees, its sharp screech cutting through the night—different from the time it led me to the temple. This was more of a warning.
"Wait, stop for a moment… I said wait!" I yanked my arm free, coming to an abrupt halt as we reached a clearing where the trees thinned out.
"What now?" she turned around, frustration lining her face.
"Where exactly are you taking me? We're not going to the pack, are we? I feel like we're going in the wrong direction," I said, alertly scanning my surroundings, ready to escape if necessary.
"Why would I lead you in another direction? Come on, we can't waste time on nonsense!"
She tried to grab my hand again, but I took a step back.
The tension in her voice, the contradictions—it was all too familiar. I'd seen betrayal before, and I knew this girl was leading me into danger.
Without a second thought, I shifted into my smaller wolf form and bolted into the darkness of the forest.
The moonlight barely filtered through the trees, giving me just enough light to navigate, but soon I realized I was lost.
"The crows... I need to find them."
I focused on them, hoping they'd guide me to Fenrir, but I heard paws behind me—I was being chased.
I pushed myself harder, leaping over roots and crashing through thorny bushes. I thought I was getting away.
But Maria's wolf, being the powerful daughter of an Alpha, was soon on top of me.
"Aagghh," I growled as sharp teeth sank into my hind leg, and she yanked me, slamming me against a tree. I groaned, feeling my spine crack ominously.
"You just had to resist, didn't you? You were supposed to follow me, not make this harder!" growled a gray she-wolf, standing a few feet away.
"Why are you doing this to me? What do you want from me?" I panted, struggling to get up.
It always seemed so strange to me. I didn't have all the abilities of werewolves; however, I could hear them when they spoke to me in my mind and responded, mimicking their pack messages.
"You need to go to a place with me. It's... it's where the relic the King is searching for is hidden. You can retrieve it and be a heroine!" she invented some nonsense.
"I don't want to be a heroine! If you know where the relic is, go get it yourself!" I finally stood and yelled, attempting to flee again, but she lunged at me.
Of course, I fought like a rabid dog. I wasn't going to let myself be captured just like that. We rolled on the grass, receiving wounds from her claws, but I bit her and sank my teeth into her fur. Still, she overpowered me once again.
I was cornered against a tree, lying on my back with her on top of my chest, roaring at me, her paw on my throat, cutting off my air. I hated this weak she-wolf form, but it was the only one I could turn into.
She pinned me against a tree, her body pressing down on my chest, roaring at me, her paw crushing my throat, cutting off my air. I despised this weak wolf form, but it was the only one I could shift into.
"They didn't tell me you had to arrive in one piece!" Her words, full of anger, echoed in my mind as she lowered her open jaws and went for my throat.
If she wanted me alive, she was certainly hiding it well. I struggled with all my might, moving my muzzle to bite her as well. I bared my fangs too, my neck hurting where her claws dug in, but at the last moment, with saliva dripping down on me, Maria stopped and lifted her head towards the tree behind me.
Her once furious red eyes were now wide with panic. I felt her paw tremble, her entire body shaking with fear. Whatever she was seeing terrified her enough to let me go and back away, growling weakly.
I began to worry too. Whatever was behind me was enough to make her flee like she'd seen a ghost.
And now, I was facing it.
When I turned, the towering black shadow of a dark specter loomed over me. I realized with a sinking feeling that I jumped from the frying pan straight into the whole volcano.
This truly might be my last day.