Chapter 1
The scent of pine and dirt quickly invaded my nose. The feeling of damp grass soaked through my clothes, making my body numb. The air was bitter and frosty. Confusion washed over me.
Where was I?
A piercing howl echoed through the silence, sending an uncomfortable chill down my spine. I slowly pried my eyelids open to survey my surroundings as I sluggishly sat up. My body ached as if I had just exercised to no end. Trees of all kind surrounded me from every angle.
I was in a forest.
The sky was a dreary gray, signaling for rain. Another howl filed through the trees, making my heart quicken in pace. I scratched at my suddenly irritated wrist, only to have my fingers get caught on something. I looked down, and there on my right wrist was a thick white hospital bracelet, partially covered in dried mud. Panic came down on me like a heavy wave and confusion crashed into every corner of my body. I crawled quickly to the nearest tree and used it to help me stand. Grasping onto the large trunk, I searched through the trees, shaking with anxiety. I closed my eyes and wished to be safe.
From what, I didn't know.
"Did you decide give up so easily? I was actually starting to enjoy this whole cat-mouse chase." A bell-like female voice cooed.
My eyes shot open and my heart stopped. There in front of me was the most stunning man I had ever seen. He was tall, well over six feet. His skin looked pale and smooth, like porcelain. A mop of dark brown hair curled over his inhuman crimson eyes. The voice obviously didn't belong to him.
The sound of leaves rustling made the man and I turn our attention to a tree to the left of him. High up in the tree sat a beautiful woman, swinging her legs back and forth like a child on a swing set. She smirked down at the man.
In one graceful motion she jumped from the tree and landed next to the man, planting a swift kiss on his cheek. She was equally as stunning as the man and standing only a couple inches over five feet tall. Though she was small compared to the man, she was somewhat taller compared to me. A cloud of pale blonde hair flowed down from her head past her shoulders, framing her porcelain face. Side swept bangs hid one of her crimson eyes, but that didn't stop her from glaring at me ravenously.
"Oh come on Sophie, I thought you had more charisma than that." The woman purred.
"Who…what are you?" I stammered with terror. "What do you want with me?" I was completely disoriented. These things before me seemed vaguely familiar, but my mind was too groggy to remember anything clearly.
The woman laughed and the man gave a dark chuckle. With inhuman speed, the woman grabbed me by the throat and slammed me into the large tree trunk with a great amount of force. I let out a small, strained whimper. My breathing hitched and I held back the tears that were begging to be released. She smiled with satisfaction and dropped me. I landed harshly on my hands and knees.
"Did you forget about us so quickly?" She pouted, running into the arms of the man. "Sweetie she has forgotten about us!"
She seemed as if she was sobbing into the chest of the man, whose gaze seemed locked on me. The sobs sounded unrealistic and forced. Then, as if someone had told her the funniest joke ever, she began to laugh uncontrollably. The laugh seemed cold and malicious, making goose bumps form all over my body.
That laugh was so familiar.
"You…you're the monsters in my dreams. You…you killed them." I whispered the last statement with a shaky voice. My mind became less dazed and I realized what these people were, murderers. "You killed all of them."
The laughing stopped. The blonde turned slowly, fixing her sight on me. She cocked her head to the side and sneered. She stalked towards me slowly at human pace this time. On instinct, I crawled away till my back made contact with the tree, causing me to wince.
"Of course darling, we killed all of them just for you, but you're such an unappreciative little girl. Did you honestly think you could get rid of us that easily?" She clucked, stroking my cheek with an icy cold finger.
"I didn't want you to kill them." I murmured. "What do you want from me?"
"We want you to be okay." She hummed. "We want our baby girl to be okay."
I tried to make myself small as the woman leaned closer, taking in my scent. Her crimson eyes bore into my emerald green ones. She tucked a piece of my chocolate brown hair behind my ear, as if she were my mother. This woman was nothing like my mother. My mother was dead thanks to her and this man. In fact, my whole family was dead. Everyone I cared about was dead because of the two monsters in front of me. A rouge tear escaped and trailed down my cheek. I mentally cursed myself for not being able to stop it. The red-eyed woman let the tip of her pointer finger catch the fugitive tear.
"Do not cry little one, you'll be okay soon. You're very special baby girl, very powerful." She turned and raced towards the man. He leaned down, letting her whisper something into his ear. The man nodded slowly.
A chorus of fierce snarls ripped through the woods. The two monsters froze in their place and stared at each other. For a millisecond, I thought I could sense a rush of fear coming from them. The man looked down at the small blonde and mouthed what looked like "wolf". The blonde nodded her head hastily and plastered a fake smile on her face. She sped to my side in a matter of seconds. Grabbing a hold of my wrist, the blonde dragged me to the tall man.
"Try not to scream little one." The blonde commanded calmly. I gave her a look of confusion. She beamed down at me, before drawing her razor sharp nail across the palm of my hand. I yelped in pain as crimson liquid oozed from my palm at a quick pace. "She's all yours Ethan. You better hurry, I can smell them coming."
The man, Ethan, nodded and kneeled beside me. He stroked the side of my face gently with his icy thumb and planted a small kiss on my forehead. In one swift motion, he grabbed my bleeding hand and inhaled the scent of my blood. Pulling it to his mouth, he sunk his teeth into my palm. I screamed in pain and the man pulled away, wiping my blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Till we meet again, angel." Ethan whispered. "Come on Lacy, the wolves are close." He said, standing slowly before he ran off quickly.
Lacy kneeled down beside my now convulsing body. "We are all you have left now little one. We love you." She sighed, stroking my hair. "Don't worry, we'll be back." Lacy winked at me and used her inhuman speed to follow Ethan.
My whole body cried out in a pain like no other. I used all the energy I could muster to let out a horrific blood curdling scream. My scream reverberated through the trees, sending birds flying into the air swiftly. I stared at the bleak gray sky. Hot tears evaded from my eyes and streamed down my face. My body felt like it was on fire. It felt as if lava was coursing through my veins.
What was happening to me?
My heart raced so rapidly I thought it was going to burst. I tried to scream again, but my mouth wouldn't make the sound. I dug my hands in the ground, tearing out multiple strands of damp grass along with clumps of dirt. I began hyperventilating. My vision blurred from the new tears that had formed. Searing pain swelled in my chest, engulfing my heart.
The pain took its time moving from my heart up into my head. My head pounded furiously and my eyes were overwhelmed with a sharp stinging. I groaned heavily, waiting for death to come and take me away. As I felt my life slip away in agony, I turned my head to the side and locked eyes with a massive sandy brown wolf.
The world seemed to stop around me as I stared into the human-like chocolate brown eyes that bore into mine with affection. I felt something different swell in my chest, something incredible. I felt safe, like I no longer had to fear anything, but the pain came back as quickly as it left.
The fire reimbursed, consuming every part of my body, leaving no stone unturned, no corner untouched. The wolf whined worryingly, which broke my heart. Its melancholy whine then turned into a ferocious, determined howl. The fire didn't stop. I could no longer feel anything. My senses were slowly shutting down one by one.
This was it. I was dying, and the pain would finally stop.
I looked up at the wolf and smiled weakly. Then, with one last final cry of defeat I took a shaky breathe and succumbed to the darkness that welcomed me with open arms.