The twig broke under my foot while I crouched down, my eyes on the target and nose twitching at the scent of the rabbit blood and wildflowers.

My stomach growled loudly. Maybe a little too loud; it must be excited at the sight of food. I have gone three damn days without real food.

Not that anyone in the small band of rogues had eaten any. We just get by with nuts and whatever we can lay our hands on until it's safe to hunt.

Rick and Knox We're already scattered in the forest, trying our luck out there. I just can't spend another day eating those cursed nuts again.

I sniffed the air and smiled; the prey was close, closer than it had ever been.

Placing both hands on the floor and one knee buried in the wet floor, I was ready to pounce on it at any given moment.

But then, something hit me: it wasn't the familiar scent that lured me into this part of the forest.

My heart jolted, the breeze shifted, and my eyes widened the moment I recognized the scent.

"Shit!" I blurted out, It wasn't the prey I was hunting all along, but a predator.

"Run!" I yelled out, spun on my heels, and made a run for it.

The scent of power and danger filled the forest, like thick fog. If I saw correctly, they were pack wolves, definitely warriors, and an alpha amongst them.

No rogue in his right senses would stand to fight them; it's suicide.

The leaves and branches slapped my face as I ran deeper into the forest, my heart pounding harder in my rib cage, threatening to escape.

I took a glimpse over my shoulders, and the sight of black furs and paws striking through the trees sent shivers down my spine.

"They are too close," I gasped as I increased my speed.

I ducked a low branch, nearly tripped but found my footing, and kept running. I just needed to get to the base; Rick and Knox would meet me there. They know the path; all rogues memorize the path by heart.

It is a haven for rogues; no pack wolves would dare wander into rogue territory, not without backup.

I ran deeper into the forest when suddenly my foot caught on something, something soft but buried in the sand.

I hit the forest's wet floor so hard that it stung. I turned to see a child's scarf; it was torn, muddy, and faded red.

I gasped and froze; forgotten memories hit me: my sister's laughter, images of the riverbank, her wet feet, and slippery rocks.

My sister laughed and jumped into the river, splashing the water.

"No, no..." I gasped, clutching the red, wet scarf. I yanked it off me, snapping out of the memory. I began running again, tears welled up in my eyes, making them sting.

"I can't get caught," I whispered, definitely not now, when the past reared up its ugly head.

Immediately I caught sight of the secret pathway; I sneaked in and collapsed on the floor.

Rick and Knox were already there, sitting on the floor while panting.

The moment I caught sight of Rick's bloody hand, I jerked off the floor.

"Are you okay?" I asked him

"Yeah, I tripped on something," he explained.

I still can't believe how things have turned out. I was once the hunter, but now I'm the hunted.

I turned back to take one last look at the forest. When I heard a faint whisper.

"Why didn't you die!" I gasped as the memories of how it all began came flooding back.

* * *

I knelt on the floor, tears streaming down my cheeks. The air around me was thick with a scent of grief and fury, a dangerous mixture that made me choke.

My knee was pressing down on the rough wooden floor until splinters bit into my skin. But I barely felt the pain; it was nothing compared to the chaos and wound in my heart, threatening to wrench my heart out of my chest.

"You should have been the one," I heard Dad yell at me. I could feel the rage behind his voice. The rage was like a blade and drove into my heart without warning.

My father was towering over me while he continued hurling curses at me; the Alpha aura flowing off him made the lanterns flicker. For a moment I thought this was the end for me.

But then I caused Karen's death; it's merely a punishment that fits the crime.

I couldn't bear to look up to see the rage lurking in those golden eyes that once held nothing but love when Karen and I played at his feet. Only right now they are pitch black, just like my life now.

"Why did Karen die, why!" Dad yelled one more time, banging his hand on the door frame, and crying inconsolably.

"Dad, please, I tried...." The words cut up in my mouth as he barked at me.

"Don't you dare call me Dad. Why are you alive? You should have been the one dead," he barked. A sob tore out from my throat as I fell into the abyss of sorrow.

"Dad, please don't..."

He bent over and grabbed my arms, shaking me vigorously.

"Why did you take her to the forbidden river? You have always wanted her dead," he spat out while shaking me.

"No, no, I..." He suddenly let me go like realization was now setting in.

"You knew no one dares go to that river once it rains; you knew the damn rules," he barked, and he tore his clothes in rage.

I had no idea what pained me more, the fact that I lost my only sister or the fact that I had been accused of her death. The vision of Karen's laughter played right before me.

Just one last time, she begged to dive in the last time before we headed home, but the current snatched her before I could get to her.

When we found her body, caught up in the reeds, her face was beyond recognition; it was bashed in more places than we could count. I recognized the clothes she wore that day. How could I forget? I practically saw her face everywhere I turned.

"You did this, you killed her!" I remember Dad crying out.

"Witch!" heard a handful of the pack members whisper under their breath.

"You witch, you should have drowned instead!" He hurled another curse at me. The words struck a deadly blow to my heart. I gasped, slowly retracing my steps. The looks on my father's face made me realize that he didn't say all that out of grief, but he meant it. Something inside me broke.

If my father wished me dead, then so be it.

"You are right, maybe I should have died in her place." All shaken, I took a few steps backward, spun on my heels, and ran.

The deeper I ran into the woods, the colder it became, but it wasn't enough to quench the furnace burning in my heart; it wanted nothing but to consume me whole.

All I could think of were ways to end my miserable life; that is the punishment befitting my crimes.

I came to a halt at the edge of the cliff, breathing heavily. I was becoming lightheaded, my heart racing. Tears flowed effortlessly down my cheeks.

"I'm so sorry, Karen," I said amidst tears. "Please forgive me," I said again, spreading my hands like a wing, and with my eyes closed, I let go, throwing myself to the wind.

Then I felt someone grip me from behind; it was a pair of strong arms, and it wouldn't let go no matter how hard I fought.

"No, no," I screamed. "Let me go," I ordered, but the grip only tightened.

I was still struggling when the scent hit me; it smelled of sandalwood and earth.

My vision suddenly became blurry, and I gave in to the darkness.

When I woke up the next morning, I had become something I feared the most.

An outcast, a rogue.

* * *

"I'm going to go check this out," Rick said, jerking me back to reality. He walked away with Knox trailing behind him. I heard a twig break behind me. I turned to see a black wolf with fiery red eyes staring at me.

A cold shiver ran through me. Scared that it might jump me any moment from now, I didn't hear it until a couple of seconds ago. I cursed myself internally for not going with Rick and Knox.

The wolf stared for a few seconds and snarled at me. It didn't move, nor did it flinch, but something about the wolf seemed familiar. It turned almost immediately, sprinting off into the woods.

I sighed, relieved. We have heard stories of rogues attacked in the woods by some lone wolf.

"That was close," I whispered, getting off the wet forest floor. My clothes were damp, and my hands were tainted with the wet soil. I turned, almost hurrying back to the base when something caught my attention.

It was written with red paint; it looked and smelled fresh like someone did it a few minutes ago. I got close to the tree, and my mouth fell open when I read what was written on the tree.

"Karen Lives." My blood instantly turned to ice.

The sun penetrated through the window of the small, rundown room where I slept. It was casting a golden hue on my body. I got up, sitting on the floor, stretching my body. I felt so sore from the cold cement pressing on my bones all through the night.

The ragged blue blanket offered little or no comfort, but I didn't mind; I wasn't supposed to have comfort, not after what I had done.

My name is Eliana Paw, a rogue, and I have been for the past ten years. I can't believe how quickly time flies; it felt like yesterday, the very day Karen died.

The day my life changed for the worse. The guilt and nightmares had kept me awake at night all these years. Reminding me constantly never to be happy. But last night was worse; I couldn't shake off what I saw earlier.

A familiar rustling outside my window caught my attention. The other rogues were stirring. I rubbed my eyes when I heard a coarse voice call me from outside. But pretended not to hear.

Most of the rogues don't know me. I hunt when I have to and only speak when necessary. For some crazy reason, I kind of love it this way.

"Eliana!" The voice came again. I was still pondering whether to answer or not when the voice came again.

"Shift duty, now, East perimeter," Rick ordered. I heard footsteps as he walked away.

I got up from the floor, put on my coat and a pair of boots, and tied my hair backward in a high ponytail.

I pulled open the door and straddled out. I always shudder each time I'm posted to the east border; it was one of the most dangerous borders. It was close to the old border of the most powerful pack.

I hadn't dared approach since I left home; their patrol rarely comes this deep into the woods, but we still have to stay alert.

I could hear my wolf stirring endlessly as I approached the east border; it hated this part of the woods. It was an endless reminder of our past, but it's not like we have a choice.

I was almost at the border, just a twist over the fallen oak tree when they ambushed me.

"Happy Birthday, Minx." Rick and Knox said, "Scaring the shit out of me."

"Damnit, guys," I blurted, clutching my chest. They both laughed heartily.

I can't believe I forgot today was my eighteenth birthday. How can I remember? I'm just a ghost of what I used to be.

"I know you don't like celebrating your birthday, so we got you a little something," Knox said, all smiles, his icy blue eyes staring at me.

"Here, we got you a little something." He pulled out his hand from behind to show a pair of black leather gloves.

He took my hands and helped me to wear them. "These should keep you warm," holding my hand affectionately.

It was this pair of strong arms that saved me that night that I almost fell off the cliff. Sometimes I don't know whether to be grateful to him for saving me or to curse at him.

"I should get going; I don't want to be late for my shift." I headed out.

No matter how I look at it, I have no right to celebrate my birthday. When I killed my sister, tears welled up in my eyes. I was staring at the gloves when I suddenly heard a twig break, then footsteps. I looked up frantically when the scent hit me.

"Pack patrols?" I gasped. They never patrolled this deep into the woods.

I quickly ducked behind a big tree, my heart racing, slamming against my ribcage. My wolf growled inside. For some reason, my wolf has been unsettled. The closer I get to the border, the more unsettled it becomes.

I looked around searching for a way to escape; I can't possibly stand here till they catch me.

I took a quick peep as they advanced close; I could count five men, and one of them was an alpha.

There was no mistaking that aura.

I was still thinking of a way to escape when a scent struck me. It wasn't like anything I had ever smelled, but my wolf recognized it.

The scent of sandalwood and earth, my eyes lit up in realization, while in denial.

"Mate," I heard my wolf growl the word I had feared the most.

I pressed my hand on my chest to calm my beating heart. I can't have him see me, definitely not like this.

As they wandered in the forest, I stood hidden, but I couldn't get my eyes off him; the mate bond was messing me up.

He was tall, cold, and commanding; he was everything I had heard in whispers amongst the rogues.

He was feared as the most ruthless alpha. And has always been open about his hatred for rogues.

Fate must be enjoying this cruel joke. How on earth did he pair me with someone like that?

I sighed in relief when I saw the patrol head back. I went down on all fours and crawled away. I was almost halfway back to the rogue border when I heard a cold voice that stopped me in my tracks.

"Stop!"

I froze; his voice was sharp, firm, and lethal. It was etched into my bones, sending cold shivers down my spine. Without being told, I knew who the voice belonged to; my wolf was almost leaping, fighting to take control.

"Turn around," he commanded. My wolf continued howling inside, pushing me to go to him.

"I said now," he barked at me. I slowly turned to face him.

"Go to mate," my wolf kept purring into my ears, but I dared not.

He stood a few feet away from me, flanked by two warriors. But his scent and alpha aura suffocated me.

His dark hair was tousled by the wind, his jaw was clenched, and his icy blue eyes glared at me like he was seeing my soul. A lump formed in my throat, and I swallowed hard.

The moment we locked eyes, the mate bond hit me. I could sense I wasn't the only one feeling it; his nostrils flared, and my legs instantly became weak.

I was still in disbelief that the alpha of the Blackclaw pack was my fated mate.

He stared at me for a while like he had seen a ghost, one he hadn't expected to see and didn't welcome.

I could tell without being told that, just like me, he was fighting the bond.

"You!" he snarled in disgust.

The warriors looked between us with a confused expression.

He took a step forward, and I quickly took a few steps backward, eyes still fixed on him.

"Name," he demanded.

"E...Eliana, Eliana Paw," I slowly said, scared.

His brow furrowed, but his face quickly turned cold and unreadable again.

"Paw, you must be the fallen daughter of the old alpha; you are the daughter who went rogue ten years ago, the disgrace."

"Of course, I was a disgrace to my father."

"You, my mate!" he blurted out as reality began sinking in. Not with excitement but anger.

His words stung like a bee; my heart ached.

"I didn't ask for this," I fired at him, trying to remind him that we were both slaves to fate.

"Neither did I, but here we are," he spat out. His words twisted deeper, and I groaned in pain.

He advanced towards me and was only a breath away from me, then stopped in his tracks; the warriors quickly looked away.

My wolf whimpered, pushing me to cover the distance between us and kiss him. But I held it back.

I wasn't going to do something that would get me killed.

He looked me over for a few seconds and spat out.

"You are coming with us," he commanded.

My eyes lit up in shock. "Wait.... What?"

"You're in my territory and mine, so you are coming with me." He turned almost immediately and began walking away.

I stood frozen, furious, and at a loss. The moon goddess must have wished to punish me for my past and decided to send him as my fated mate.

I spun on my heels to run, but he grabbed me by my throat and suspended me in the air.

I hit his hands a few times and tried speaking but ended up making incoherent noises.

After a few seconds, he let me go, and I landed on the floor, coughing hard.

"Get up!" he ordered. I quickly scrambled up, glaring at him.

Running from him was useless; he would hunt me to the depths of the underworld if he had to.

So I followed him. My wolf wouldn't allow me to run, and I didn't bother trying to. He would kill me if he caught me.

Maybe this would turn out for the best. But just as I was in my thoughts, a scent hit me. It sounds crazy since right now, I should be possessed by my fated mate's scent, but I couldn't dismiss the scent no matter how hard I tried to shake it off.

It smelled strange, dark, and chilly, but what was stranger was that the scent was coming from him.

But for some crazy reason, the scent smelled familiar. I could swear I had smelled that scent a couple of times in the past but can't just place it, but why he has it on him aside from his scent beats me.

"Move!" His voice jerked me back to reality.

Chapter Three

The forest gave way to the towering shadows of Bloodclaw pack territories. My body stiffened, and my blood ran cold. The sun was already setting. The air was different here; it was warmer, charged with energy, breathing order, and discipline, unlike what we had back home.

I sighed deeply, unable to believe I now referred to the rogue base as home. You wouldn't blame me; I spent the greater part of my life there.

As we made our way closer to the pack territory, I couldn't help but think that I was an intruder, carried in under the disguise of a curse named fate.

For some reason, I knew this might be the end of me.

I trailed behind him, my fated mate, like a prisoner heading to her cells. His back was square and straight, with purpose, like he hadn't just met his other half a few minutes ago.

He hasn't spoken a word after he ordered me to come, not sparing me a glance.

The two warriors walking behind me said nothing too, but I could feel their gaze on me and the tension in their movement. Each time they looked at me, their facial expressions turned to contempt.

I recognized the look very well; it was the same look I had been used to for the past ten years.

I didn't feel bothered about it; how could I when, at the last moment, even my father looked at me with disgust?

Once we were out of the woods, the high wall of Bloodclaw Pack towered before us. It was carved with iron and stone; it looked ancient and luxurious.

Two men stood guard at the gate, their eyes narrowed the moment they saw me walking toward them, behind the Alpha.

One of them had golden hair, was wolfishly muscled in the right places, and was wearing a button-up shirt. With a scar across his nose, he frowned at me.

"How dare you, a rogue, come this far to the pack gate? You must have a death wish," he spat out, heading towards me with disgust written all over him.

"Rogue filth," the other murmured.

In the blink of an eye, he was standing right in front of me. I made a dodge, but he was too fast.

He grabbed my neck, lifting me off the ground, his eyes red with anger.

He was choking the life out of me. I hit him a couple of times on his hand while my face turned pale, my eyes popping out of their sockets.

Tears escaped my eyes as I thought this was truly the end for me, but in an instant, a strong force knocked him off, and I fell on my knee, coughing hard, clutching my neck, wide-eyed and in shock.

I heard a loud thud on the floor, and I turned to see the golden-haired guy on the floor. I turned, and I was shocked to see the angry look on his face.

"No one lays a finger on her; she is mine!" he growled.

His once icy gray eyes had turned pitch dark; a shiver ran down my spine. I knew his wolf was in control now.

But he quickly snapped out of it in a matter of minutes and glanced at me.

"Get up," he ordered, without any emotions, cold as ever. And I quickly scurried off the floor immediately.

The last thing I want is to anger this wolf; I wouldn't survive it, at least not in this state.

He turned, walking towards the gate. The guard on the floor, whimpering in pain, got off the floor, and both, shaking in fear, bowed their heads in submission.

We passed through the gates into the world I had long forsaken and had no place in.

I swallowed hard as a lump formed in my throat. The inside of the pack was breathtaking, with grand structures built from dark stones and timbers towering around a massive courtyard.

Everything was neat and orderly, and unlike the rogue base, there were houses for each family.

The warriors were sparring at what seemed to be the training ground, close to an auditorium. We walked past some elders sharing tea under a canopy.

While the woman was busy drying some herbs. They were all chatting amongst themselves until they saw me.

They stopped abruptly, heads turned, and mouths parted in silent gasps. I could hear their whispers even when I didn't want to.

"Is that...?" I heard one whisper.

"No, it can't be...." The others shunned her immediately; it felt like the mere mention of my name would bring bad luck to them.

"Eliana Paw?" I heard another call, and they all gasped, turning and staring at me in shock. I guess they are the remnants of Shadow Pack the day Damon conquered it, killing my father.

"She's still alive?"

My body stifled, my head on the ground, I continued following my executioner. They sneered and laughed at me, while some stared at me with venomous eyes.

"She is the one that killed her sister." Then came the very word I have been running away from all this while. I felt my whole world crash again, but I knew better than to make a sound.

"You mean the Alpha's daughter that ran away after drowning her sister?"

"Exactly!"

"She is nothing but rogue filth now. Why is she here? I hope she isn't back."

Every word was a dagger to my heart, the stares another reminder of who I was and who I would always be to them: a killer.

I kept walking behind him like every step didn't burn. I walked with aloofness like I wasn't affected by their words. I wasn't going to run, not this time.

I could hear my wolf snarl inside, growling and fighting to take control and gut their heart out, but I hushed her.

It was the fate thrown at me by the moon goddess, a punishment befitting the crime. How could I dare complain? I deserved everything I got.

The alpha led me to the stone steps of the main pack house, a place I had dreamed countless times would be my home, alongside my fated mate. But now it felt like a gibbet.

He paused abruptly at the top of the stairs and turned to look at me for the first time.

Our eyes met, and cold shivers ran down my spine. His eyes were still unreadable, like frozen silver.

"You will stay at the west wing." I had no say in the matter, so I didn't bother to say a thing.

"She is to be alone; no one is allowed to speak to her without my permission," he ordered the guards who had been walking with us the entire time.

"Yes, Alpha," they both bowed their heads in submission.

He took one final disdainful look at me and whispered.

"Don't get any ideas while you are here, and don't get your hopes high either; you are merely here because fate allows it. Don't mistake that for acceptance." Tears welled up in my eyes, but I held it in; I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction he craved.

He waited around to get a response and walked away, leaving me standing at the stairs with two wolves who wished me dead.

The heavy mahogany door of the packhouse creaked open, and the two guards gestured for me to enter, and I willingly followed them—no welcome, no words, just silence.

The door shut behind me with a final thud the moment I entered. Once inside, it felt warm, scented faintly of oak and something darker, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

Every single thing in here glowed, and, grand, the floor looked shiny. I looked up to see picture frames of the pack's triumphs hanging on the wall, like some trophy.

The footsteps of the guard leading me to my prison echoed in front of me, with a permanent frown etched between his brows like a tattoo.

I watched as the hallway swallowed his lean body and slowly walked behind him. His pace was too fast, and he didn't bother to check if I was catching up with him.

The deeper we ventured into the pack house, the more elaborate it became; the walls of the hallway were decorated with pictures of the past Alpha. Each stared at me like judgment. I paused the moment I saw Dad's portrait but quickly walked away.

The guard took another turn, and a chilly air hit me. The farther we walked, the more silent it became, the voices of the pack members fading behind us.

When we reached a corridor lined with cracked sconces and faded wallpaper, he stopped in front of the door.

"Here, this is where you will be staying," he announced briskly.

I swallowed hard; he pulled the door, and it creaked open; a cold shiver ran down my spine.

He stepped aside and gestured for me to enter. I walked through the door, and the state of the room made my heart race.

"It hasn't been used for years now; don't expect any comfort," he said. I sighed.

The room was dark and dusty, with a spring bed with one sagging leg in the corner. With no linen, A cracked mirror hanging above a dresser,

This wasn't a room; it was a tomb. Without saying a word, I understood perfectly what he wished for me.

"Someone will bring you food later," he said with a tone of finality before he walked away. Shutting the door behind him.

I stood at the center of the tomb, bewildered.

"This is where the alpha of the strongest pack sent his fated mate."

"Not a guest room or servants' quarters, but a place fit only for ghosts.

I could feel my wolf whimper, but I pushed it down; there was no comfort tonight.

I sat at the edge of the bed, staring at the mess of a room, when memories of that day hit me. I groaned, plunging my hands into my ears to stop Karen's screams as she drowned. I was gasping for air, then I heard it, a creak. Not from the hallway but inside the room.

I stopped and lifted my head; that was when I noticed the mirror had shifted. Just slightly, but enough to tell the difference.

I moved closer to see a crack in the wall just behind the mirror. I reached out a hand, trembling and heart throbbing, and I pulled the mirror aside.

To see a narrow opening in the wall, barely wide enough for a person. But in the darkness beyond, a door, hidden, locked, forgotten, but it was there, not like my imagination was playing tricks on me.

I gasped, my heart racing, and I backed away slowly.

"What is this place?" I whispered to myself. What secrets does this cursed tomb hold?

And why, out of all the rooms, did he send me here?