Mellisa's POV

My weak body pushes forward in the cold rain, my clothes completely drenched. Four wolves nip at my ankles, angry scars sting like fire.

My bare feet hit the rough forest floor. They knew what they were doing. A sharp pain pierces the sole of my feet.

I fall forward, and feel a sharp nudge on my back. Another hard shove makes me crawl desperately towards the borders.

"Enough!!!" Noah materialises from nowhere. "You all know that she is weak already. No point in being ruthless."

"You can stand," Noah motions towards me.

"You're almost at the borders," He says approaching me. "Be strong, Luna. The moon goddess be with you," He whispers in my ears.

I drag my feet, giving one last look at the place I once called home. I venture into unclaimed territory, leaving all of that behind.

By now the rain had died down, I stepped into puddles since I can barely make out anything in the dark.

My throat feels dry and my tummy rumbles loud. How do I survive in the wild?

"Little rabbit, what are you doing out here, all alone?" A deep sinister voice pulls me from my thoughts.

Rogues!!! Shit how much more unlucky can I get this night.

I whip my face to the side and see a broad figure of a man.

I take a quick step backwards, but two strong arms hold me in place. "It seems our hunt is successful, the prey walked right into our claws." Another male that smells like rotten fish says behind me.

"She's kinda hot you know, maybe we can have a little fun then...."

"Don't you dare, we take captives to the camp. That's the instruction." A third male comes out of the shade in the trees.

"But...."

"No buts, Gregory we are headed straight to the camp. It's an order, you know the consequences of breaking it." The third male seems to be the leader of this little group.

Gregory gave a loud huff in frustration, but stayed silent. The one that called me 'Little rabbit' was silently watching the entire interaction.

Gregory grips my arm tightly, and pulls me deeper into the forest. The other two follow closely behind probably so that I wouldn't make a break for it.

We walk for what would seem like hours. My feet give way and I trip, barely holding up on two feet. Gregory keeps pulling me.

"Let's better camp here for the night, we'll continue in the morning." The leader gestures at a clearing ahead of us.

Gregory pushes me forward and I drop rather clumsily on the wet forest floor. 'Little rabbit' as I have nicknamed him, stumps forward, placing a torch in the middle of the clearing.

My eyes burn slightly at the sudden light, this makes me close them. I open them after some seconds, readjusting to the light.

My eyes veer towards the first guy I met in the forest. "You're asking for trouble staring at me like this, little rabbit." His stained teeth show in the now lit clearing.

I stare at the floor to avoid getting on his bad side. My stupid curiosity got the better of me.

"Viper, come on, tie the girl up, then come let's talk." The leader calls out from ahead pulling him from me.

Viper, as he's called, uses a long rope to bind my hands and feet together.

He inches close to me and says,"We'll finish this later," a sinister smile appears on his lips. His heavy footsteps went farther until they were far enough.

No need to tie me up. I know I'm fated to die, I'm not good enough for anyone, not even my mate. I'm totally worthless, I wish these rogues will just kill me and be done with it.

"This will be a hefty price for us. She walked right into our hands." The leader mutters softly.

"I know right. Main reason why we want to have some fun before handing her over." Gregory grumpily says, spilling spit from his mouth.

"I said no!!! The less damaged merchandise is, the more money it'll fetch us." The leader says with authority.

He pulls to his feet, then gives me a once over, "Don't try anything funny, or else you'll hate the outcome."

After saying this he walks to a corner of the camp and rests his head on his hands, gazing at the fire.

Viper and Gregory follow too. Soon the entire place is quiet but for the insects and birds chirping.

My eyes slowly drift to sleep, I slip into oblivion.

***

A stinging pain rouses me from my sleep. Rough hands cover my mouth and only muffled sounds come out.

"Shut up, don't make a sound." Viper says looming over me.

"You wanted this too right," he continues. His hands hover all over my body.

Tears fill my eyes and spill out. Why am I so unlucky? What have I done to deserve all this?

"We'll be done before you know it, let's just get this clothes out of the way."

A loud tear reaches my ears. How did the others not hear it?

No, I've lost it all but not anymore. I'd rather die than let this stranger take advantage of me.

I began to struggle more than just lay limp, this seems to have infuriated him.

"Well I tried to be nice, but I guess I'd knock you out and have fun." His hands moved from my body to my throat, my eyesight began to go blurry.

Soon I had no strength left, a loud feminine voice echoed in my head. "Wake up, I've stayed hidden long enough. This time we fight, for too long have we been taken advantage of."

Strength surged in my veins. What is happening? My muscles begin to constrict in odd angles, excruciating pain shoots through my body.

A loud scream disrupts the serenity of the night. It's from my lips, I can hardly believe it. I'm finally shifting but without anyone.

My small hands are replaced by paws and I'm lying flat on the floor, gazing at my attacker.

His lips tremble, "How is this possible? A white wolf in existence?" By now the other two had woken up alert but all had perplexing looks on their faces after giving me a glance.

"You know I always hated it when you get hurt. But, I would use these miscreants as examples." My wolf's voice resounds in my mind filled with fury.

It's like I'm staring at my actions but unable to control my body. I guess this is how others feel when their wolves take over.

I leap forward and pounce atop my attacker, Viper. My teeth tore into his neck in seconds he laid motionless.

Sharp pain shoots through my left foot, a large dusty brown wolf bites on my ankle. I used my right paw to kick him off, he landed hard against a tree.

I shift my focus to another black wolf, slightly bigger than the first. He stalks me like I'm some prey.

I patiently wait and once he leaps forward I target his neck and rip it out.

I walk to the brown old that is replaced by a human body, Gregory. Gurgles escaped his lips, it seems a branch had wound into his neck, soon he lay motionless as well.

"What's your name?" I ask my wolf, still in awe and fear of what just happened.

"I'm Selena, it's so exciting to finally meet you," my world is already spinning from exhaustion.

"I'm so tired," I mutter.

"We need to go though, this place isn't safe. I sense pack borders not too far off."

My legs buckle and I involuntarily change back to my human form.

"Are you still here?" I ask Selena. I'm scared of being left alone, at least now I have someone on my side.

"I'll always be here, Mellisa. Save your strength and run as fast as you can, it would seem we have company."

Without sparing a minute I run, exhaustion seeps into my legs. They felt so heavy, soon I heard loud paws hit the ground.

They are gaining on me. It's still dark but I can see a large oak tree ahead.

"You're almost there, Mellissa. Run! The borders are by the oak tree," I push myself hard.

I jump past the tree line and crumble on the ground.

My eyes get blurry but I am able to see a silhouette of a wolf and then a loud howl resounds next to me. I slowly drift into oblivion.

Mellisa's POV

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The annoying sound floods my ears as I gain consciousness.

Where am I?

The last thing I remember is that the rogues seem to have caught up with me.

I slowly pry my eyes open, gradually adjusting to the brightness. I have tubes attached to my chest and arms. It seems I'm at a clinic or something.

I slowly sat up in order to get a better view of where I was.

"Selena, are you okay?" I called out.

"Yes! I was so worried. But I'm glad you're okay." She answers at the back of my mind.

"Well, we have a lot to catch up on. Like why have you just appe...."

The sound of the door knob twisting open, distracts me from our conversation. A tall black haired woman sashays in, her heels clicking on the ground.

She gives me a beautiful smile and stands beside me.

I pull back slightly weary of the bulky female just by me.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Freda. How are you doing this morning?"

"Ermmm, I'm fine. Just a bit of pain. Where am I?" I asked in apprehension.

"You're at the Octavuis pack infirmary, you were brought in unconscious."

"How long have I been out for?"

"About one month. You scared us a bit."

A pull in a sharp gasp, "What? That was long."

She then checks my vitals and backs up writing something on her pad.

"Everything seems really good. You'll be out of here before you know it."

Her eyes then went unfocused for a while it would seem she is mindlinking someone.

"I just told the Alpha and Luna that you're awake. But, you need a lot of rest, I'll leave you to it."

She spins and walks towards the door, then takes a pause. "If you need anyone just press on the red button by your bed." With this she twists the door knob and walks out.

I take a deep breath and put my head against my pillow. The Octavuis pack are known for their ruthlessness towards rogues, why then are they being kind to me?

"Not all things are as they seem, Mellisa," Selena mutters in my head.

"What do you mean?"

"Sometimes we judge books by their covers. You of all people should know how wrong that turns out most of the time."

I nod in acknowledgement. "I was about to ask why you never showed up until now."

She sighs and says, "This is why."

"What do you mean?"

"Your body couldn't take it if I had appeared, you might have died. That's why you were unconscious for so long."

"Oh, now I understand. I know young wolves at the pack were exhausted after their first shift but I was shocked at the length of time I was out."

"You are special, Mellisa. It's sad that the members of our pack and even our mate didn't realize that fact."

A sharp pain shoots through my chest at the thought. So much has happened, what I need to do now is to get past it. I don't know how though.

"You are not alone anymore, Mel. Can I call you that?"

It feels so good to have someone by me. I don't really care what she calls me.

"I don't mind. In fact, no one has called me that since Mom died."

"You are much more than you can ever imagine. Don't let anyone make you feel any different."

"Thank you, Selena. I'm so happy you came into my life."

"You know there's one more reason why I made my presence known."

"What would that be?"

"You know you don't have to speak out loud right? I can hear your thoughts even. And to answer your question, it's a surprise."

"Come on, I don't like surprises. Tell me." I say with anticipation.

My eyes droop slightly, my body suddenly feels so heavy.

"Sleep well, Mel. We'll talk later, when you're well rested."

***

Low voices fill my ears as my eyes slip open. The voices sound clear now that I'm awake.

"Hello, there. How are you feeling?" A sweet feminine voice resounds beside me.

I turn my face to the right side of my bed. A beautiful curly brown haired with hazel eyes had a soft smile on her face. She seems to be in her 40's.

I shoot upright, pressing my back against the wall away from her.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Mona the Luna of this pack." She gestures towards a large middle-aged man built like a tree.

"That is my mate, Dave the Alpha of the Octavuis pack." He gives me a simple nod. His aura is so strong, I've hardly felt anything like this before.

"How are you feeling, my dear. You gave us quite the scare." She says soothingly.

"I...I'm fine, thank you." I stutter.

"I'm glad to hear that. You're safe, Fred here was the first to see you at the border and brought you to safety." She nods towards a man by the door.

He throws me a goofy smile. "Lucky for you, my handsome self was at the borders. You gave those rogues a run for their money."

I chuckle softly at his playful demeanour, it seems this isn't so bad.

"Well, what's your name?"

"I'm Mellisa. Mellisa Wright." I answered after a short while.

"Where are you from, Mellisa? A young shewolf as yourself shouldn't be on unclaimed territory especially at that time of the day."

Fear grips me. I don't know whether to tell the truth or not. If I tell them I'm banished they'd definitely think I'm some trouble maker.

"Mellisa, did you hear me?" She asks, staring at me intently.

"Yes. Ermmmmm, my mate rejected me and errrrmmmm yeah that's it."

"Are you sure that's all?"

"Selena, what do I do?" I ask my wolf.

"Tell them the truth, if they don't want us we can likewise leave." She answers with conviction.

"I was also banished." I say, closing my eyes, waiting to see their reaction.

"What crime did you commit?" Alpha Dave gently nudges his mate away from me. I would have also done that.

"I was accused of betraying the pack. But I didn't do it, I promise. It was all a mistake. My mate wouldn't believe me so he rejected me and banished me."

"What pack are you from?" Alpha Dave asks.

"The Red Crescent."

"That's not too far from here, your mate should be the Alpha then since he had the right to banish you." He then turns towards Fred. "Do the needful."

"On it, Alpha." Fred then walks out of the room shutting the door behind him.

I nod briefly at his assertion. The Luna is staring at me with an expression I can't discern.

"How did you run into the rogues, last night?" The Alpha continues. This is more like an interrogation.

But I don't blame them at all, this is kind compared to how the Red Crescent treats rogues.

"I ran into three rogues not long after being chased off my pack lands. I was able to escape but it seems they called back up. Thank you for saving my life."

"It's okay. In fact I feel we'll get along quite well." Luna Mona reaches out and holds my hands in hers.

For the first time since I got here, I broke down and my loud sobs filled the room. Everything was so overwhelming and this is the first time someone showed me care in a long time.

The Luna pulls me in and holds me to her chest. "Let it out, sweetie. You'll be alright."

My sobs die down to little whimpers. Her hands gradually move up and down.

A knock on the door makes me pull away from her.

"Come in, Freda."

The door knob twists and she walks in. Her steps inch closer to my bed. She stands right by me.

"Good evening Alpha," She bows slightly in respect. "Luna," she bows again towards the Luna.

"Well the test results are out and it would seem you're right, Luna." Dr. Freda says giving the Alpha couple a look.

"Can I go ahead and tell her?"

"Go ahead, Freda."

She then drops the bomb on me.

"Mellisa, you're pregnant."

Four years later

Mellisa's POV

So much has changed since after the rejection.

A knock resounds outside my door, pulling me from my reverie. I can make out the sweet voice of my son and my good friend, Fred.

"Why, we can't gwo in?" My baby, Gift questions, Fred with a cute voice. His little grammatical mistakes make him so adorable.

A sweet smile lingers on my lips at his cuteness. My feet hit the wooden floor lightly as I walked towards them to open the door.

"Because Mom might be busy in her office." Fred answers him, just as the door swings open.

My son's face lit up and his arms opened wide. "Momy!!! I've missed you sooooo much."

I chuckle lightly, picking him up from Fred's arms. I wrap my arms around him. "I've missed you much more my sweet love."

"How was your day with your Uncle Daddy?" I ask, my son insists on calling Fred "Uncle Daddy."

"It was beautiful, Ma. I play shoccer with him and ate lots and lots of ice-cream, too."

I give Fred a look, he stares everywhere but at me. He clears his throat at my son.

Gift's eyes widen in realization. "Ooops, Mom I didn't have any ice-cream, just a little."

"Fred, we'll talk about this later." Then I give my son a stern look, "No lying to Mama, and it's soccer baby not shoccer."

His eyes sparkled with mischief. "Yes, Mom. Never again." He is my little 'carbon copy', looks just like me in every way. Even if he didn't I wouldn't love him any less.

"You little devil, your Uncle Daddy has made you so full of mischief." I say tickling him silly.

"Fred, can you call Aiden over? I need to discuss with him what was discussed in the Alpha's Council today."

"You can't mindlink him?"

"Nope it would seem that he is blocking me out. Since he found his mate two weeks ago. He's been a fool for love."

We laugh out loud. "Who would have thought," he said and walked towards the door.

"Please take him with you, I have so much work left on my desk." I say passing my son over to him.

"Sure thing, Alpha." Fred carried my son and walked out.

I settle on my desk and begin to work on my stack of papers.

"Can I come in, Alpha?" My Beta, Aiden asks me using the mindlink.

I drop my pen on my desk and lean back against my chair.

"Ofcourse, lover boy."

My door knob twists open and he steps in. His chocolate eyes meet mine with a soft smile playing on his lips.

"Alpha, you wouldn't let me hear the last of this, would you?"

"Not at all, 'Mr. I can never do this for love', is all over his mate."

He shakes his head at me. "You wanted updates before we have a meeting with the Council of Elders in our pack and neighbouring Alpha, right?"

"Yeah, yeah. You're no fun at all. Go ahead and give me the updates."

"Well as you know our world is in complete chaos, the rogues are more powerful than ever."

"Yes I know that, go ahead."

"Well the Council of Alphas saw a need for us all to coorporate so as to reduce the severity of the aftermath of the attacks."

"What exactly did they propose, Aiden?" I ask, getting impatient.

"They would like us larger packs to help those attacked."

"And? How would we do that? We are already giving materials and lending some of our warriors to packs that were attacked."

He sighs and says, "I know but it would seem like we have more packs in our world, Meldova, that are attacked than those that are still standing strong."

I heave a sigh and bite my bottom lip in deep thought. This little habit is one of the few things I've found hard to beat.

"So what are they saying?"

"They wrote down names of packs and made us pick them randomly. So whichever you pick, must be helped by you."

"I just hope this will soon be over. We need to think of something fast to overrun the rogues. Because if we continue at this rate we may never be able to salvage the situation."

"Wouldn't you like to know the pack I picked, Alpha?"

I kiss my teeth. "That's not important for now. What we need is to think of strategic ways of preventing the rogues from penetrating."

"Truly, last night they got too close."

"Yes, they did. Truly, I'm so scared, old friend. I don't know if I'm worthy of this position, but my father passed it to me."

Aiden stares at me thoughtfully. He was always a good listener in our clique of friends.

"Never let those thoughts get in your head. You've done a lot, so much. You have been able to successfully keep the rogues out no matter how they try penetrating."

"I just...."

A knock pulls us from our conversation.

"Come in." I answer.

My father, the former Alpha Dave is the first to step in with several Elders of the pack in tow.

An attack happened yesterday, one of our warriors was severely injured. The rogues had somehow pulled him away from his team and attacked.

"Take your seats, Elders." My voice booms round the room.

They all take their seats in my spacious office space. My father gives me a sweet smile and an encouraging nod. It means so much to me.

"Gentlemen and ladies, I called for an emergency meeting so we can discuss two things."

"First the attack yesterday and the fact that we have another pack to tend to." I finish staring round the room.

"Does anyone have anything to say?"

Elder Monica clears her throat and says, "We need to add warriors by the borders and also we need to change the formation of our warriors."

"You're right. It would seem that the rogues had it all figured out."

I then lean forward slightly. "Which makes me wonder how they got to find out." I barely spare a glance.

"Are you implying something, Alpha?" The ever annoying Elder Thomas says in his strangled voice.

"Ofcourse not Elder, I wouldn't dare."

"I feel like we should also be unpredictable and have a backup plan. They will be back and we all know it. In fact much more reinforced." My Father, Dave intercepts knowing about how I and Elder Thomas never got along.

"We'll be ready."

Aiden then clears his throat and says. "We should place all wolves from age twelve to at least learn basic defense, so even our young can protect themselves."

"Also training will be more rigorous. We need it to survive. We would also build walls around our territory for extra precaution" I say to back his opinion up.

"Now let's tackle the issue of helping the pack." I then turn towards Aiden. "How large is this pack and what is the number of those strong enough to fight and work?"

He takes out a piece of paper from his jeans, his eyes skim through it then he places it down.

"Well the thing is we have a pack of a hundred and fifty. About a hundred can still work and fight."

My head tilts in confusion. "They are much more than I thought. Why couldn't they ward off the attack."

"From what I heard the rogues were so much and outnumbered them, it seems like they were hell bent on destroying the pack house and other structures."

"I see. What about the Alpha?"

"The rogues thought they had killed him but he was just severely injured. He is fine now though scarred."

"That's rather sad. Well hope he is still coming over today so we can make final arrangements. Our pack house has more than enough space."

Aiden's eyes glaze over for some moments. He was definitely mindlinking someone.

He then gives me a long stare. "Fred just informed me that the Alpha is on pack grounds. Should I give them the order to bring him in?"

"Yes, that will be just perfect since the Elders are even here."

His eyes glazed over for a bit then he refocused on me.

"You're staring at me, should I be worried?" I ask Aiden through the mindlink.

"No, Alpha. Just keep your mind open okay?"

"O..okay." I stress, why is my Beta suddenly acting strange?

"Elders, we will just wait for a minute so our guest will join us in no time."

A faint familiar scent reaches my nostrils, I shake my head so it'll fade off. It kept getting close and strong though.

A faint knock distracts me for a moment. "Alpha can we come on?" Fred asks from out the door.

"Come in."

Fred walks in and I freeze completely, eyes bulge out in shock at the sight of who is behind him.