CHAPTER 3.

Captured by the unknown men.

As I ran back to my abode with a heavy heart, the thoughts of what surrounded me seemed to overwhelm me. It felt like there was a big eye which was watching all my movements.

"Run... Run... Run...!" My inner wolf growled from the inside, and I melted down in fear. This was just the second time that my wolf had ever spoken to me.

At some point, I had even doubted if I was really a werewolf. Just as I made to sneak back into my room, I had some malicious whispers across the woods, and I immediately tiptoed towards that direction to hear the conversation.

"She has to be eliminated. The curse that comes with her rejection is quite heavy." I heard the voice of my step mother, Lady Tati, speaking to someone I couldn't easily detect.

"Yes, she has to be erased. She is a symbol of desecration to our land." The voice spoke with an evil tone.

As the cold breeze of the night shook the branches of the surrounding trees, so did my hands shake in fear. At that instant, Akira's words returned back to my subconscious mind.

"I have prepared the leaf of death..." Lady Tati, began. "She must die by tomorrow!"

In fear of what I had just heard, I mistakenly tripped on a dried stick.

Suddenly, the entire atmosphere was overwhelmed with silence.

"I smell a scent... That of an unfamiliar wolf..." The other woman spoke, and I slowly turned my back, as I disappeared into the comfort of the night. I couldn't risk being caught by them.

As I got back to my room, I reached for the pocket journal that my mother had left for me. I picked up my marking veil, my short sword, my battle dagger, my magic chalk, my elephant trunk for drinking water, and a the ancestral map which was given to my dead mother by grandmother.

Swiftly, I packed everything into my cotton fabric bag, and walked out of the room with a determined demeanor.

It was time to rewrite my destiny.

As I slowly walked through the lonely bushes, I was careful to avoid tripping and falling, or even encountering rival wolves. The darkness of the night also made me weary of the witches that lurked around.

However, my magic chalk will serve as a shield should in case encounter one.

Soon, I got to the my best friend's abode. It was the last house before the black river, which was a bridge between my city and another neighboring village.

As I walked into their compound, I was quite careful to avoid bumping into her father. An elderly chief priest of the pack, who I was so sure would be perceiving me as a curse.

Well, I didn't blame him.

"Phew!" I sighed.

On the window of Becky, I could see her sleeping peacefully like an angel, and I immediately wiped the tears that escaped my eyes.

"Be strong, Rory... You must be strong to embark on the journey ahead." My wolf growled from the inside.

At that instant, hot beads of sweat began to stream down my face. Slowly, I reached into my cotton bag, and picked up the sheet of black paper that I had inscribed these words on;

'Till death wipe me off the surface of this planet, you shall remain my sister. Right now, I shall embark on a very long journey. Whether I return or not, I rejoice because you're a powerful wolf.'

As I read through those words the final time, hot tears ran down my spine. I suddenly realized that this journey was more creepy than death. I slowly threw that sheet of paper near her slippers, making sure that it'd be the first thing she'd see.

I turned my back to leave, and as I disappeared into the darkness, I turned my back to look at her the final time, before heading towards the black river.

"Moon goddess, be with me in this quest." I mumbled these words of prayer in tears.

My journey towards the black river was accompanied by fear and death. I've heard ancient myths about some of my kinds, who embarked on this journey, and never made it across the bridge.

While the bodies of some were brutally dismembered, the rest weren't seen till this day. There was also a myth about how the spirit that guided that river.

It could be dated back to the time of my ancestors, that spirit was rejected after the Alpha got her pregnant. Since it was a taboo for an Alpha to have sexual contact with a hybrid, and in a bid to cover his secret, he lured her to the river.

He instructed her to wear her wedding robe and a white veil, and he drowned pushed her into that river. Since then, her spirit has been lurking around that area, and claiming the lives of others.

Now, I could be the next.

But, I wasn't scared of death. It was my only option of running away from this misery I call a life.

As I walked through the dark night, the cold breeze kept sending terrible shivers down my spine.

Suddenly, I felt a strange presence around me. An otherworldly spirit was nearby.

At that instant, my heart froze in shock and trepidation. I could hear the sound of a wave rotating around me. It was very intense.

"Aurora Devine Wood!!!!" My name echoed throughout the darkness of the night, and I froze.

Who could it be?

"Who're you?" I asked with a scared voice.

"The journey ahead of you is a long one. I bid you farewell, as you depart from this city." It turned out to be Akira's voice.

I looked back and could only see the darkness of the night.

"Phew!" I breathed with a relieved voice, as I crossed the bridge of moon city.

This was the beginning of my freedom.

With the darkness of the night, I set out to wander in uncertainty. The beginning of my identity had come, and I wasn't going to be defined by a common rejection.

Suddenly, I felt the presence of some unfamiliar scents around me. Before I could say Jack, they forcefully grabbed me.

Who were they?

CHAPTER 4.

Claimed by the mortuary attendant.

The stench of decayed smell suddenly hit my nostrils. It was just so much to ignore. As I tried to open my eyes, I felt a direct sharp pain directly at the back of my head.

Just then, the dawn of realization hit me.

"Where am I?" I mumbled in weakness.

As I opened my eyes, I saw masked men with swords, standing in front of me. With the sense of urgency bubbling up inside of me, I realized that I was bounded in chains.

"She's awake..." One of the guards whispered to the other, and they immediately walked out of the room, leaving me all to my own ocean of thoughts.

How did I get here?

Who were they?

Where was I?

Looking through the entire room, I realized that it was more like a warehouse, which was built with similar patterns. The room was painted all black, with ancient inscriptions drawn on the walls.

Thanks to the light from the hallway, if not, I'd have been in total darkness.

Just then, I heard some thick footsteps walking towards my direction, and without giving me any time to process what was happening, they lifted me up, and placed me on their shoulders like a piece of luggage.

They were about eight masked men.

"Let me go!" I cried in sheer horror, as I watched these strange men carry me to an unknown destination. Just as we got to the hallway, I was immediately blindfolded with a black sack, and I passed out.

*****

"Is she werewolf?" A female voice asked.

"A hybrid, I think..." The man with the thick baritone voice responded. "However, we need to run a test on the lab to confirm."

They paused for a while.

Subconsciously, I could hear their conversations. As I opened my eyes, I noticed that I was in a well lit up room, which screamed absolute luxury. Immediately, I closed back my eyes in pretence.

"Do you think she shall bring the boss great profit?" The man asked.

"I perceive an unfamiliar scent from her. I doubt she's a full wolf."

With that, the entire room fell silent, and just as I opened my eyes in inquisitiveness to know what might've happened, I met their evil gazes staring deeply into my soul.

"Take her away... Now!" The female commanded him, and just as he walked towards my direction, I fell back asleep.

As he dragged me into the room, I could hear the weak growls of exhausted wolves, tired witches, vampires, dragons and other supernatural beings, which had been caged and subdued by this evil entity.

"No... No... Don't push me into this place..." I cried out in confusion.

Alas, he pushed me inside, and locked the gates.

Now, I had to deal with the violent radiation from the witch standing at my left hand side.

Suddenly, the gates to our prison was forcefully opened, and the soldiers began to troop in in numbers, dragging each of us out.

THE AUCTION CENTER.

The journey to the auction center was brief and quite short. I got to know about where we were heading to from the conversations of the soldiers.

As we got to the center, I realized that even though it was luxurious, its walls had similar inscriptions to the first underground prison that I had been kidnapped at.

Like prisoners, we were all pushed out of the van, as the dragged us into the auction center. As we walked into the venue, the deep feeling of tension and uncertainty hit me like an iceberg.

I realized that I was about to be sold in a strange land.

Maybe, it was the destiny which the moon goddess had designed for me.

The hall was filled to the brim with alphas and pack leaders of the highest caliber. I felt disgusted with the way they stared at us like perverts.

"The one on cotton linen!" The voice of an alpha sitting at the middle row echoed through the hall, as he pointed at me.

"You can't have me. I'm not a merchandise." I yelled back at him, but I was silenced with a grave punch to my mouth.

I fell on my stomach, as the smell of blood hit my nostrils. I remained that way in tears, as I wondered what I had done wrong to deserve this kind of life.

"We all know why we are here..." The voice of the MC, began. "These goods are the best you've ever seen. As part of our diversity campaign, we brought diverse beings for you to choose from. Lupines, hybrids, werewolves, witches, vampires... Just name it..."

The energy in the hall disgusted me. I felt sad that I had to go through all of this. If not for Shane's ruthless rejection, I wouldn't have been paraded here, as an incomplete wolf.

"Officially, I declare this auction open!" The MC announced, and those shameless men cheered in excitement. "So, we'd start from this one." He pointed at me, and some guards proceeded to drag me to the front.

Even as I hesitated, it was all in vain, as they were just too powerful for me to contend with.

"Leave me alone..." I fought in weakness, as I spat on the face of the guard.

In anger, he raised his right hand to strike me with a punch.

"Don't!" The MC commanded him.

"She..." He pointed towards my direction. "She's a virgin hybrid, who holds the key to the sacred. She is also the last remaining lupine of her kind. Claiming her as yours guarantees beautiful offsprings, accessing the magical, and a free showcase of endless magic..."

Before he could even finish speaking, the men were already bidding.

"Twenty million dollars!"

"Thirty million dollars!"

"Forty two million dollars!"

More and more kept coming, until something strange happened.

A mysterious Alpha who was dressed in complete mortuary attendant with white bloodstained gloves on his hands, walked into the venue.

Immediately he stepped in, the atmosphere changed. The room was engulfed with silence, and I felt an instant connection.

"Five virgin werewolf souls, a hybrid witch's extracted human heart, and two caged vampire souls!"

I gasped in shock.

Who was he?

"Yes... Yes... Alright, master..." The MC stuttered in fear. "You can have her..." He bowed his head towards this strange man.

With my blurry vision, I couldn't help but stare in shock.

"Sold to Alpha Kieran Candle Funeral." He announced, and I gasped.

Who was this strange man?

CHAPTER 5.

He killed her.

My body froze in shock, as I was suddenly being pulled away by some mighty hands. Swiftly, I was picked up like a piece of trash, and thrown into a large black van, which resembled an ambulance.

Then, the journey began.

As I sat behind that van in darkness, the wave of uncertainty suddenly hit me. I slowly realized that I was long lost in a far away land that no one even knew my whereabouts.

Aside from the exhaust sound of the van, I couldn't hear any other sound... Not even that of the guards, nor the supposed Alpha Kieran.

The journey continued until after about three long hours when the car came to a sudden halt. I was then pulled out of the car.

Standing in front of me was a black gigantic castle, which had a very bizarre sculpture at the front yard. Its surroundings looked scanty, like it was a ghost town.

It was surrounded by long fences which stood above ten feet long, and had a pool which was bloodstained. The stench from the left hand side of the castle hit my heavily, that I turned and saw what resembled an abattoir.

At the other end of the gigantic castle, just beneath the abattoir, I could see maids who were dressed in black clothes like funeral undertakers. They each scampered around with a firm and fearful gaze.

"Untie her, and take her in!" I jolted back to reality, as Alpha Kieran's voice echoed throughout the secluded castle.

Immediately, two young hybrids, who I supposed where in their early twenties, came running out. Coincidentally, they also wore black clothes.

They helped me rise up to my feet, as they both led me towards into the castle. Just as I stepped into the castle, I was mesmerized by the exquisite luxury and beauty which engulfed me.

The chairs were designed with gold, while the walls were painted with expensive natural crude.

"Who is she?" An evil looking elderly woman of about seventy five years, asked Alpha Kieran, as she looked at me with pure disgust and disdain.

However, he didn't respond immediately, as he first walked over to the golden couch, and sat down.

"I claimed her..." He mumbled.

"Nope...!" The woman screamed in fury. "You'd do no such thing."

"Well, I already did!"

Sitting on the ground while watching them yell at each other, was confusing to me.

Who was the woman to him?

Maybe, his mother, I think.

Why was she yelling at him.

"Kieran... You dare not talk to me in that way!" She kept yelling.

"I claimed her, she's mine, and there's nothing no one can do about it... Not even you..." He responded to her in a nonchalant tone.

Suddenly, the woman stood up from where she sat just opposite him, and immediately charged towards him in fury. In anger, she raised her hand to strike his face, but Alpha Kieran, caught her mid air.

"Don't!" He said to her sinisterly, but she didn't flinch. She ran back and picked up a knife to stab him, but Alpha Kieran, did the unthinkable.

He brought out a dagger from the back of his pocket, and instantly began to stab her neck, until he completely mashed it.

I think I lost count after the seventh one.

My body in sheer horror, as it was my first time of encountering such gruesome evil. I felt pale, like my stomach was about to rumple.

"I warned you..." He kept yelling at her dead body, which was down on the pool of her own blood. "I warned you..."

Alpha Kieran, continued to yell over and over again, like one who had been possessed by a strange spirit.

"Clean this mess up..." He said to none of the guards or maidens in particular. "Arrange her parts in the abattoir, while you refrigerate the rest."

With that, he proceeded to walk upstairs, but he turned back evilly, while piercing through my soul with his evil gaze.

"Take her to the virgin's room, and clean her." He mumbled, and turned his back.

I heaved a temporary sigh of relief. If this was the man who had purchased me, then, he'd not think twice before ending me.

*****

The new room which was assigned to me, was just an embodiment of perfection.

It was painted all white, and had all the designs that I had ever dreamed of. However, I was just there with a maiden, who had refused to say any word to me.

She was dressing my wounds, and oiling my body. After we were done with that, I went into the bathroom, where she massaged my body with ancient drugs, and ointments.

"My name is Rory." I gulped down a huge lump which had formed in my throat. "I was kidnapped, and sold in an auction to Alpha Kieran. What about you?"

The maiden paused for a slight second, like she was studying me, and still kept mute. She looked like she had something to say, but I could also see fear in her eyes.

"Ma'am... Urghs!" She breathed a long sigh of fear. "We're not allowed to speak here. My life is at great risk. If I'm caught, I'll be punished with death." She explained, and I froze.

At that instant, I could feel cold shivers running down my spine.

"Who is he? Why are you here? Why am I here?" I asked in sheer panic and uncertainty.

She paused for a slight second, and looked around the room like she was checking to see someone.

"My name is Akira, and I was sold to this man by my wicked stepmother. I've been dealing with living here with absolute carefulness, because I know that my next second isn't certain." She narrated.

"So, what does he do? Why does people fear him?" I asked.

Her mood suddenly changed.

"Alpha Kieran, is the most evil and richest mortuary attendant. He kills, extract souls, imprisons spirits, and sells the bodies of his victims." She explained, and I gasped in shock.

If that be the case, I was doomed.

"Then, why am I here?" I asked in fear.

"Sad to say that you might be the next victim." She announced, and I gasped in fear.

Just then, the wall ripped open, and the worst happened.