Chapter 2 Chapter 2

Our castle stood high on top of a mountain, looking down over the village and the thick woods below. As I fell through the cold air, I squeezed my eyes shut. The wind roared in my ears.

Crash!

I slammed straight into the sharp branches of the bushes below. My body hit the hard ground with a sickening crack. Pain exploded through my left leg. The fall was too high, and the force snapped my leg clean in two.

Up at the castle, emergency bells began to ring loudly through the night air. The heavy metal clanged again and again.

"Find the princess! Search the woods! Don't let her escape!" guards screamed from above.

I lay in the dirt, gasping for breath. Blood soaked through my clothes, pouring out from the arrow wounds in my chest and stomach. Fresh blood pooled under my broken leg.

If I leave a blood trail, they’ll track me down in minutes.

I gritted my teeth, grabbed the wooden shafts sticking out of my body, and yanked the four arrows out one by one. The pain was so intense that my vision turned completely white. A choked scream stuck in my throat. I couldn't waste a second.

Shaking violently, I pulled off my leather jacket and tore the thick fabric into three long strips. I wrapped the first strip tightly around my bleeding chest, pulling it until it bit into my skin. I bound the second strip around my torn belly. I tied the last strip firmly around my broken leg to hold the bone still.

Pain shot up my spine as I forced myself to stand. I dragged my broken leg, limping with every ounce of strength left in my body. A small, dark cave sat hidden between two giant rocks just a few feet away. I crawled inside, collapsed against the cold stone wall, and pulled my knees up to hide in the shadows. My lungs burned. My body was far too weak to move any further.

Shaking, I reached deep into my pocket. My fingers brushed against smooth metal. I pulled out a silver necklace.

It was my mother's favorite necklace. She had worn it every single day of her life. Just hours ago, I had reached down and taken it off her cold, lifeless body.

She had suffered for four long months. The sickness had locked her in bed, stealing her breath away day after day while my father ignored her.

Tears burst from my eyes, hot and painful against my bloody cheeks.

How am I supposed to live without her? She was the only person in this cruel world who truly cared about me.

When I was younger, women were strictly forbidden from joining the pack warriors. But my mother had sneaked me wooden swords. She had patched up my bruises in secret and cheered me on. While every other girl was taught to smile, cook, and wait for a mate, my mother pushed me to fight harder.

"Kitana, you are going to be the greatest Alpha this land has ever seen," she used to whisper, wiping the dirt from my face. "Never limit your life to a man. Never let this pack tell you what a woman can or cannot do. You are destined for greatness."

I had never wanted a mate. I never cared about romance or boys. I fought them in the dirt, matched them blade for blade, and proved I was their equal. My mother was the only reason I kept fighting.

Now, she was gone.

I hugged the silver necklace tightly against my chest, sobbing in silence as dark tears stained the stone floor.

Crunch. Crunch.

Footsteps echoed through the brush. Heavy boots stomped over dead leaves. A whole squad of guards was marching down the hill, moving fast, their burning torches lighting up the dark woods.

I held my breath and pressed my back hard against the cave wall. My broken leg refused to move. The poison in my veins made my limbs feel like lead. I was completely trapped.

The guards swept past the mouth of the cave. I let out a tiny sigh of relief—until one guard stopped dead in his tracks.

He turned around, pointing his torch straight into my hiding spot. "Over here! I found her!" he yelled.

The rest of the squad rushed back, crowding around the entrance. Rough hands grabbed my arms and pulled me out into the open air. One big guard hoisted my weak, bleeding body over his shoulder like a sack of grain.

I guess this is where my story ends, I thought bitterly, staring down at the dirt as they carried me up the steep trail. I tried, Mother. I swear I tried so hard. But the world is just too cruel to women. They judge us before we even get the chance to prove what we can do.

A cold sense of peace washed over me. At least the pain would end soon. At least I would see my mother again.

Suddenly, the guard carrying me froze.

"Did you hear that?" another guard whispered, his voice trembling.

The whole line of soldiers came to a complete stop. Torches flickered in the dark.

"What... what is that?" a guard stammered, his eyes wide with pure terror.

GRRRRRRRR!

A low, heavy growl vibrated through the ground beneath us. It was so loud it shook the leaves on the trees. It sounded close—dangerously close.

The guards unsheathed their swords, standing back-to-back in a tight circle.

Then, the nightmare began.

Without a sound, the guard at the very back of the line suddenly vanished into the thick dark fog. No scream. No struggle. Just gone.

Seconds later, another guard was ripped backward into the trees, leaving his burning torch behind on the grass. One by one, the soldiers disappeared into the darkness like ghosts getting snatched away.

In less than ten seconds, every single guard was gone.

Only the large soldier carrying me remained. Panic washed over his face. He dumped me unceremoniously onto the rough dirt, pulled out his broadsword, and pointed it wildly into the pitch-black woods.

"Who's there?! Show yourself!" he screamed, his voice cracking.

BOOM!

A massive shadow exploded out from the trees. Something hit the guard with impossible speed, throwing his heavy body fifty feet through the air. He smashed against a giant tree trunk and fell limp.

Fear gripped my chest. My heart hammered wildly against my ribs. I dug my elbows into the dirt, dragging my broken body backward as the deep growl drew closer and closer.

Two glowing red eyes cut through the dark fog.

The creature stepped out into the faint moonlight.

My breath caught in my throat. It was a werewolf—but it was bigger than any wolf I had ever seen in my life. It towered over the trees, twice the size of my father in his wolf form. Giant black fur covered its muscular frame. Long, deadly fangs glistened with fresh blood, and its crimson eyes glowed like burning coals.

I scrambled back in terror. My hand hit a fallen guard's sword lying in the dirt. I snatched the heavy blade up, holding it out with shaking hands to point the tip at the monster's chest.

"Who are you?!" I choked out, my voice trembling. "What do you want from me?! Why did you save me?!"

The giant wolf didn't attack. Instead, it locked its glowing red eyes on mine.

Slowly, the bones of the giant beast began to crack and shift. The black fur pulled back into smooth skin. The monster shrank down, transforming right in front of my eyes.

Where the giant wolf had stood just seconds ago, a young man now stepped out of the shadows.

He was completely naked, his tall frame covered in lean, powerful muscles. He had a razor-sharp jawline, dark wet hair falling wildly over his forehead, and deep eyes that held an intense, dangerous fire.

My eyes widened in shock as he took a step toward me.

He tilted his head, a slow, dark smirk curving his lips as his gaze swept down my face.

"How could I not save you," he purred, his deep voice sending a wil

d shiver straight down my spine, "when you summoned me..."

His smirk widened as he met my eyes.

"...Mate?"