Chapter 4: A Vision

Carolyn

I was short of words, all stuck in my throat and nothing could come out, my gaze frantically moved from the angry Luna Elizabeth to my mate, Peter.

It all happened so fast, his eyes searched me as though he couldn't believe I would have done such a thing and he was right, I didn't do this.

His mother however had made her claim, believing that I was capable of killing the father of my mate, whom I was to get married to.

The luna rounded up the guards that were present and ordered that they should lock me up immediately.

"Ple...please, I'm begging you, I swear, I didn't do this," I yelled out as the guards grabbed my arm harshly and began to pull me away, "Please, let me go. Peter! Peter!" Screaming at the top of my lungs just to get his attention but I was dragged further away and they had walked back into the ward where the now dead Alpha laid.

The next thing I knew, I was pushed inside a cell and the metal bars were jammed shut, the clicking sounds of the lock echoed in the empty dungeons.

My voice was barely audible as I was unable to let out a sentence without shaking, "I-I am telling... the truth. I had no part in this... you have to believe me please," the tears brimmed at the corner of my eyes as I gazed at the guard who dumped the keys in his pocket and glared at me.

His gaze was harsh, joined with the dim lights that lit the halls opposite the cells, "I pray your execution is long and painful," the guard sniffed and spat right before the bottom of the metal bars and proceeded to walk away.

I shook my head vigorously, "No please you don't understand, I didn't do it, you have to believe me, I didn't kill him," the pitch of my voice increased as I watched the guards back as he slowly disappeared into the darkness leaving me all alone.

That didn't stop me as I yelled at the top of my lungs, trying to prove my innocence and calling out to anyone if they could hear me, at the same time begging to see Peter just one last time, I knew he would believe me. He was the only one that would even listen to me.

When my voice slowly disappeared from all the shouting that I'd done, I finally broke down, my hands pressed against the metal bars as they slid downwards until my knees touched the hard cold ground, sending a chill up my spine.

What in the world just happened?

My mind was in a mess and all the events that had happened up till that moment were blurry. One minute I am celebrating my consummation with my mate and the next minute I'm thrown in a cell and awaiting execution?

I couldn't have killed him, there was no way I could have killed him.

I chanted in my head, not for a second did I believe that he died in my hands, there had to be a foul play in this, but who would even want to do such a thing.

Who the hell would want to kill the alpha knowing just how much we needed him, there was a war brewing and the alpha is the pillar that we all held onto, if he wasn't there then we might as well surrender to the enemy.

Someone was definitely trying to frame me, but who could it be? I may have a few enemies in the pack, a few of them that didn't like the fact that a nobody like me would rule them as their Luna.

While I tried to figure out this,  the doors to the dungeons were pulled open and the sounds of the hinges brought my attention to them as I shot to my feet, the guard walked into the room and I began to plead for him to let me see Peter but he walked past me and down the cell.

A few minutes later he passed by and exited the dungeons without a single glance in my direction.

A deep sigh escaped my lips and I sank to my knees, the tears couldn't be held back any longer as they dripped down like a waterfall. In one night, my life had been turned upside down.

I didn't know how long I had been imprisoned for but it had been quite some time, not a single soul had come down to visit, not even Peter. I had tried to keep myself awake but the exhaustion had finally caught up to me. My eyes slowly dropped down and I cried myself to sleep.

When I woke back up, the ground was no longer cold, there were no bars that kept me in place, rather, I was standing in front of a large crowd in the middle of the night. A large bonfire was in the middle as the crowd chanted.

"Move," a gruff masculine voice ordered with irritation before pushing me forward.

My legs moved of their own accord and that was when I saw it, almost a dozen wolves, their fangs bare and their eyes reflected the flames of the bonfire.

I shook my head as a tear drop slipped from my eyes, my gaze flickered to the man that stood at the platform.

Peter's gaze locked with mine and I held it in place for barely a few seconds before he turned away from me. Those few seconds there was sadness and distrust in his eyes, different from the loving gaze he always showered down on me.

This might as well be the most painful, I had imagined that he would be the only one to believe me. The guard behind me unbounded my hands.

Peter's reverberated in the clearing with just one word, "Kill."

Fear stilled my heart as I turned tail and fled as I knew what was coming, but I couldn't outrun the wolves as I was too weak, fumbling and stumbling over logs and bushes and it didn't take time before the ferocious wolves caught up to me.

The large wolf pushed me down and I screamed at the top of my lungs, thrashing violently. In a blink of an eye,  it let its large head snap at my throat with a mean growl.....

My screams could be heard from miles away as I launched forward, clutching my throat vehemently for any signs of injury, my breathing ragged and my heart was going double the beats per second.

It was only a dream, it was only a dream

I told myself but my heart wasn't fooled. It felt more than just a dream, it felt real, every second of it...

My death.

Chapter 5  A Nightmare Come True

Carolyn

My dream last night made me realize that there is every possibility that I might just die here. It was scary to think that none of them had stood up for me, not even Peter.

I didn't want to believe my dreams, or rather nightmares, it was just my mind's way of predicting the worst possible outcome.

There was no way Peter was going to let me die without a fight, without even listening to me or coming to see me.

Although his eyes in my dream were clear and true, they held no secrets and held what he felt inside, which has always been his way of expressing himself especially when he was around me.

I could always read him through his eyes but I didn't want to believe it this time around, I just couldn't.

It had been such a long time since I had contact with anyone, no one had come down to see me, or to bring me something to eat. My stomach grumbled at this fact but I didn't care.

With how long I had stayed down here, I began to lose hope in Peter ever coming to see me, and I might just die for a crime I never committed

I needed to get out of here before they decided to kill me, but I didn't know if I should still seek Peter out, maybe he would still listen to me.

My voice echoed in the dungeons as I cried for help, juggling the locks to my cell violently in an attempt to break them off.

What I didn't expect after a few seconds of assaulting the lock was it to melt off, the hot sensation made me recoil my hands back into myself as I took a few steps backward in shock.

My eyes glued to the spot that now had the burnt lock and my mind raced, what in the hell just happened?

There was no answer to my question as I stared in wonder, but I couldn't stare for long as this was my chance to get the hell out of here and I wasn't going to let it pass me by.

Jamming the locks and pushing the metal bars open, my heart hammered over my rib cage. I was scared of what might happen if I didn't leave the cell, at the same time I was also afraid of what might happen if I did .

That being if I were to escape, then it would only make me appear more guilty for a crime I didn't commit. If I don't leave, I may just be looking at my own death.

If I could just get a chance with Peter maybe I could clear my name and get everything back on track, I needed to find Peter.

After my decision, I stealthily snuck out of the cell and out of the dungeons, I was surprised that there were no guards stationed in front, maybe they never really thought it was possible for anyone to escape as it had never happened before.

Whatever happened to those locks was still a mystery to me.

The pack house was silent as it was the middle of the night, or at least that was what the night sky and the crescent moon that hung in the sky could mean.

I snuck into the pack house, my heart ramming against my chest and I feared it might just be the very thing to give me away.

Voices drifted towards my ear as I closed in on an open window that was just high enough for me to see through.

The voices were recognizable, and one of them made my heart beat even faster.

"Peter," I whispered low enough. This would be my time to explain myself to him, but not when Luna Elizabeth was present.

The voices carried on, "You need to make a decision, the pack is beginning to become restless and it's already been three days, they need justice for their Alpha."

Three days? I've been locked up for three days?

"It's not that easy mother, what if..." Peter tried to explain but he was cut off by his mother, "There are no ifs, you need to uphold your duty as the new alpha of the pack, justice must be served, my mate would not be dead if it weren't for that bitch."

My teeth gnashed against each other in anger hearing her slander my name. Peter, I felt sorry for him, watching how he needed to make such a decision when he didn't have to.

Peter released a sigh, "fine, I'll set an execution date, justice must be served."

My heart stopped for a moment as I watched the look in his eyes. I was too shocked and didn't realize that I had taken a step back and stepped on a twig which snapped loudly, drawing the attention of the mother and son pair towards me.

The look in Peter's eyes when he saw me, resembled the ones I had seen last night in my dream. He really didn't believe me, he really thought I had something to do with his father's death?

I was beyond hurt, but that could wait as the both of them rushed outside. Luna Elizabeth yelled out, questioning what a murderer was doing out of her cell before calling for the guards.

My eyes were glued onto Peter's, a silent communication asking why he didn't believe me, trying to tell him that I had nothing to do with Alpha Alexander's death but I was too stunned at his decision to kill me to speak, and so I ran.

"Carolyn, wait!" Peter yelled for me to stop but I wasn't going to, sprinting as fast as my legs would carry me.

Why did this feel so familiar?

Loud howls pierced through the night sky, and thuds of paws sounded out from behind me, sending shivers down my spine, my heart drummed in fear and the tears dripping down my face as I maneuvered through the forest.

I knew why this was familiar to me, it was the dream I had last night, and the thought of it scared me even more, this was how I died.

CHAPTER 6 –Blood on the Wind

Carolyn

I don't remember when I lost my shoes. I only realised when a sharp stone pierced my foot. It must have flown off somewhere in the forest, but that was the least of my problems. As much pain as I felt at this point, I would pick it over being executed.

The forest tore at me as I ran through it, extended branches that covered the path scratching my legs and slapping against my face. Thorns and splinters bit under my bare foot and sharp edged stones scattered around the path kept poking the sole of my feet with each footfall. Every step was fucking raw pain, like the ground itself was trying to drink my blood.

My lungs screamed for air, my throat was dry and tight, my stomach twisting in on itself with a hunger pang so sharp it made my vision blur.

"Fuck!"

I had not eaten or rested. I had run for hours and yet they were still chasing after me.

I could smell them, a thick wolf smell mixed with smoke and fuel. They were loud and furious, bulldozing everything in their path as they charged after me.

My heart slammed violently against my ribs as their engines growled ruining the quiet night, their bikes tearing through the woods behind me, snapping branches and flattening underbrush in their wake.

They weren't even trying to be quiet. How would they when they didn't need to. They saw themselves as guardians of justice bringing a killer to the law and I couldn't blame them because all odds were against me and all evidence pointed at me.

I glanced over my shoulder, my silver hair whipping across my face, and saw flashes of headlights piercing the dark, two, maybe three bikes weaving through the trees, their riders in dark leathers, eyes glowing with the reflection of their own lights.

Fear flooded my veins so fast it made me dizzy. My legs felt heavy, uncoordinated, like they might give out at any second. I stumbled, nearly face-planting into the dirt, my palms scraping painfully against the ground.

Get up. Get up or you die.

I pushed myself forward with a sob tearing from my chest, my breath coming in ragged gasps. Tears blurred my vision, but I wiped them away roughly. Crying wouldn't save me. Begging wouldn't save me.

Peter, my only hope, my only chance at survival didn't believe me. Who could save me at this point if my own mate wanted me dead.

At this point even the heavens and everything in it could not stop my execution.

Running was all I had left.

The forest was unfamiliar, some felt wrong... different. The trees were taller, their trunks gnarled and twisted like they had grown around old wounds. Moonlight filtered down in fractured beams, silver and pale, casting long shadows that seemed to move when I wasn't looking directly at them. The air smelled damp and old, like moss and rot and something faintly metallic underneath.

As the bikes roared closer, panic slammed into me so hard I cried out. And then the wind changed. It wasn't gradual or natural.

One moment, the air was still and heavy, pressing down on me like a suffocating blanket. The next, a sharp gust whipped past my face, tearing through my hair and clothes, cold and forceful enough to steal my breath.

Branches cracked loudly to my left. A tree groaned, bending unnaturally as its limbs swung down, blocking one of the narrow paths behind me.

I heard one of the riders behind me scream "what the hell!" He was angry, startled... followed by the screech of brakes and the crash of metal against bark. Thud

I skidded to a halt, my chest was heaving vigorously. My eyes darted around wildly, filled with confusion, curiosity and fear.

"What is ha...?" I whispered, my voice trembling.

The wind didn't stop. It circled me, tugging at my skin, brushing against my arms and neck like unseen fingers. Leaves lifted off the ground, spinning slowly before scattering ahead of me, clearing a path through the undergrowth.

I didn't think, I ran.

My body moved differently, I felt different...lighter, faster.

My legs no longer dragged. I leapt over fallen logs without thinking, twisted sharply between trees that should have caught my shoulders but didn't. My reflexes were razor-sharp, every sound amplified, every scent painfully clear.

I could hear the warriors shouting behind me, frustration edging into their voices.

"How is she...?" One warrior barked. "She's too fast..." Their frustration was obvious  and it gave me the faintest spark of hope deep down.

I didn't know. I myself didn't even understand what was happening to me or how I was doing it.

All I knew was that when fear clawed up my spine, my heart raced harder and my thoughts screamed, the forest answered.

The ground beneath my feet softened suddenly, no longer hard and punishing. Where roots should have tripped me, they shifted, lifting just enough for my foot to clear them. Where rocks should have sent me sprawling, the earth dipped, cushioning my steps like damp clay.

I laughed... a broken, hysterical sound that startled even me.

"What exactly is happening?" I gasped between breaths, my voice shaking. "Is something wrong with the earth... or has the Moon Goddess finally shown mercy on the innocent?"

The question felt foolish the moment it left my lips. Because mercy didn't feel like this. This felt wild. I couldn't control whatever was happening. I didn't even know if it was me, all I knew was that it was weird and dangerous.

Another gust of wind tore through the trees, stronger this time, howling like a living thing. It shoved against my back, propelling me forward, while branches ahead snapped and fell away, opening a narrow corridor through the forest.

The bikes struggled to follow. I heard engines stall, tires spinning uselessly in softened ground, metal scraping against roots that had risen like grasping hands, wrapping the warriors.

A chill crept down my spine. This wasn't luck and there was no way in hell this was a coincidence, something strange was indeed happening.

I glanced down at my hands as I ran, half-expecting to see them glowing, burning, changing or something at least. But they looked the same, they were still scraped, dirty and trembling.

But something thrummed beneath my skin, a deep vibration that felt scary, a stinging sensation on my neck, as though an insect had bitten me.

Fear twisted in my chest, and it was not of the warriors anymore, but I was scared of myself or whatever was happening to me.

What if this wasn't the kind of help I was hoping for? What if this power didn't belong to me? For all I know it could be some witch in the forest manipulating me or worse the moon goddess leading me to my own doom.

The forest loomed thicker ahead, darker, its shadows swallowing the moonlight whole. I could feel it watching me now, the air heavy with tension, the ground warm and vibrating beneath my feet like a living pulse.

I ran straight into it anyway.

Because stopping meant death. And somewhere deep inside me, beneath the terror and exhaustion, a terrible realization struck me, the forest wasn't just sheltering me.

It was responding to me. And I didn't know whether that meant I was being saved... Or claimed.

The sounds of the engines finally seized. My heartbeat reverberated loudly in my ear and then I heard something different, footfalls drawing nearer loud and raging towards me.