“Happy birthday, Aria!”

'Morning already?' I asked my uncle while moving lazily on top of my bed. He was holding a strawberry cake with a lighted candle on the top while grinning from ear to ear.

“It’s time to blow the candle and make a wish!” he uttered. He happily inched forward to the side of the bed. He handed the cake closer, still wearing his festive demeanor. I heaved a sigh before puffing the fire out.

Uncle Stan’s forehead formed some vertical lines in the middle. His smile disappeared from his lips. Instead, a mixture of confusion was written all over his face.

“Did you not make a wish, Aria?”

I gave him an impassive stare. “You know that I stopped making birthday wishes a long time ago.”

My uncle gaped at the notion but decided to shut his mouth. He bowed his head and got up. “I’ll be downstairs,” he whispered. Moments later, he was out of the room leaving me in my solitude.

Most people would say their happiest moments would be during their birthdays. There was no denying that the day a person was born would be the fondest memories they have during childhood. But not for me.

Because this day only brings unwanted memories that kept on haunting me until now.

Flashback to seven years ago.

It was my tenth birthday, the day I was looking forward to the whole year. But instead of a party or some gifts, I was celebrating in fear and anxiety.

“What did you do to my shirt, you bitch!”

My body shuddered in fear. As a result, the bowl I was holding fell on the floor. Beads of sweat began to form on my forehead. My heart skipped a beat hearing his thunderous voice.

“I…I-I’m so-sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

Pak!

His rough hand sent me flying down the tiled floor. A buzzing sound ringed my ears as my cheek went numb to the pain. My tiny, ten-year-old body was used to this kind of treatment yet it still hurt like hell.

“Because of your clumsiness, my shirt was ruined! What can you do to save it? Tell me? Tell me?!”

“I’m sorry, daddy. I will just—”

Smack!

Another good, sharp smack welcomed me on the side of my face. Blood began oozing from my punctured lips. He grabbed a handful of my hair and violently pulled it backward. My scalp was almost torn from my head.

“I-It hurts, da-daddy. Please…”

“How many times do I have to tell you that you are not my seed? Your real daddy was a disgusting wolf whose only job in life was to screw women and ruin a family. Do you hear that? You are a child of a fucking home wrecker! You are not my child! You are not my child!”

My little physique was in extreme pain as daddy tanned my hide without remorse.

“P-pleeasee dad..I-it h-hur-ts..”” I whispered in agony. I could no longer take the blows but what could a child like me do in that situation? What could I possibly do other than cry and beg my tormentor to stop?

Tormentor, what a strong word to use by a ten-year-old girl like me. It was funny that my life wasn’t like this before. My daddy loved me and he treated me like a princess.

I remembered having a big, pink room upstairs. My bed could fit three people in it while my cabinet was full of glittery dresses and cute little shirts. My daddy and older brother showered me with their love and affection. A lot of people were saying that I was probably the luckiest girl in the world. But that luck started to wear off.

One day, my daddy found some hidden letters from my mom’s things. The love letters detailed my mom’s infidelity and the fact that I was fathered by another man. My daddy was devastated. My mom was banished from the pack while I was spared from the punishment sighting my innocence from the sin. So, my father was forced to keep me in his household. And the constant reminder of my mom’s betrayal whenever he looked at me made everything worst.

From a princess of his house, I became his maid. I was forced to move into a shabby shack at the back of the mansion. His love for me was gone, only bitterness and disgust were left.

Every night, I looked at the moon and pray for this nightmare to end. I begged and begged for her to give me back the loving father I grew up with. My birthday wish every year was to return to the good life I had before. But the moon goddess didn’t listen to my pleas.

A few minutes later and he stopped hitting me. My vision was blurry from the strikes yet my hearing was still clear. I could hear him catch his breath and even the moment when he gulped cold water from the glass sitting on top of the table. All I could do is cry. How long should I stay in this god-forsaken life? I am beyond exhausted. I don’t know how long I could still keep up with the constant abuse I was getting from him.

“I never thought I see the day but finally, I could completely take you out of my life. I was offered a beta position in Ridgewood pack and they were expecting me to move in as soon as possible. And guess what? I would only bring my true-born son David with me. While you? I no longer care what will happen to you. You’re free to do whatever you want. You’re on your own now.”

The fear of isolation crept over me. The threat of living by yourself was the worst nightmare for every child. With that, I slowly crawled toward him. I moved my little body forward until I reached his foot. With extreme pain, I wrapped my arms around his legs and looked up at him.

“Please, dad. Take me with you. I can’t live alone.” My face was damped with a mixture of blood, tears, and snot. My eyes were half-shut as they swelled from the beating earlier. “Please…I’m begging you…”

But instead of receiving a hug or words of affirmation, I was given a series of kicks. I could feel that strength was slowly taken out of my system. I tried to scream but my voice seemed to slowly disappear. My eyelids became heavy. I was devastated, with lacked strength and courage.

Perhaps, this was the end I was desperately waiting for.

“Brother! What the hell are you doing to the poor child!”

A glimmer of hope hit my senses as I heard the familiar voice of a man. It belonged to my Uncle Stan, daddy’s younger brother. I saw him rush to the scene and took me in his lap. I was cold and trembling in his sight but his arms and body gave me a reassuring warmth.

“Why are you hitting her?” he asked while looking at his brother. Daddy scoffed.

“This filth spilled soup on my shirt. I am just punishing her for it.”

“Punishment?” The veins on Uncle Stan’s neck bulged. “You called this a punishment? You almost beat your daughter to death!”

“She is not my fucking daughter!” my dad yelled. Hearing him disowning me straight to my face was adding pain to my already shattered heart. “And from now on, she was none of my fucking business. I and my real son David will move to Ridgewood soon while that girl could do whatever she wants to do in her life.”

“Are you kidding me? You are leaving her alone to fend for herself? She was just a kid for crying out loud!”

“I don’t give a damn and I don’t fucking care! Sell her, send her into the woods or leave her here, she was no longer my concern. I want her out of my life and that is what I will do!”

“You…You’re a monster!” my uncle whispered while tears are streaming in his eyes. He looked at me with compassion before turning his gaze to my dad once again.

“If that’s what you want, fine! Do whatever you please.” He got up, carrying me in his arms, “I will take Aria with me. From now on, I would be the dad you deprived her of.”

And that was the last time I saw my father. My uncle took me in and raised me as his own.

I immediately got up from my bed and fix myself. Afterward, I headed downstairs. I saw Uncle Stan looking at the picture of my cousin Maggie who went missing last year. I hugged him from behind and kiss his cheeks.

“Your birthday would have been great if only Maggie was here. I am pretty sure that she would decorate the whole house and throw you a party.”

My heart ached a little seeing how much Uncle Stan longed for Maggie. I sat in front of him while holding his hand offering him comfort. “Don’t lose hope, uncle. One day, we will find her and our family will be complete again.”

Uncle Stan nodded and caressed the side of my face. I smiled at him lovingly.

“Now, where’s that strawberry cake that you got for me? I’m starving!” I said while going to the kitchen countertop and preparing breakfast for the most important man in my life.

“Don’t come any closer!”

The alpha of our pack inched himself closer. He took off his shirt and began to howl like a rabid animal. Lust could be seen in his eyes as he stuck out his tongue and licked his lips in a circular and provocative motion.

I grimaced at the scene, utterly disgusted with his behavior. For a middle-aged man, the gesture was far from being hot. My mouth twitched as I took another step backward. It was a no-brainer to know what he was intending to do.

He wanted my body, that’s for sure. But I wouldn’t let his filthy hands touch my body. Not now, not ever.

“I am warning you! Don’t come any closer or else…”

“Or else what?” the alpha scoffed. “You will shout for help? Huh! As if somebody would come to rescue you. Have you forgotten? I am an alpha and my words are the truth in this place.

Terror crept into my system. The reality of how helpless my situation is was adding another layer of fear into my system. Do I really deserve this kind of treatment?

After my seventeenth birthday, I noticed that our alpha was constantly visiting Uncle Stan’s house. He began throwing me dirty stares and sometimes, I could sense that he was attempting to flirt with me. But instead of stepping into his boundaries, I found myself ignoring and avoiding him as much as I can. I couldn’t imagine being her lover for crying out loud!

Like every she-wolf who came of age, I longed to meet the man whom the goddess bestowed to be the other half of my soul. I am waiting for my mate to claim me as his. Never in my wildest dreams that I imagined being mated to a man that wasn’t destined for me. It was only my mate that I would offer my heart and body to.

So climbing to my alpha’s bed was never an option.

I stepped one of my feet backward, slightly bending my knees in the process. I balled my fists and held them up to cheek level. I know that I am no match for him when it comes to hand-to-hand combat but I got to try my luck. I’d rather die than allow him to taint me.

Before he could inch closer, I changed into my wolf form and sprinted. Yes, that was my plan. Running from him was the only chance I know in escaping his evil plans.

And so, I ran. I bolted toward the woods. I sprinted like my life depends on it. I dashed through the night wanting to get out of that place as soon as possible.

I felt that alpha, in his wolf form, had followed me. My heart beats louder. I got to run faster if I wanted to get out of this place unscathed.

I heard his terrifying howl, the one he was using whenever he was hunting for rogues. Right now, I was his prey. I was so stupid to let him bring me to the middle of the forest to check out something. My wolf Bella was already hinting to me that something was not right yet in the end, I let myself go with him still. If not for the fear that Uncle Stan would become the subject of his power-tripping, I wouldn’t give a damn. Whether I like it or not, he was our alpha and we should treat him with reverence no matter what.

I dashed into the woods as fast as I can in hope that the alpha would not be able to keep up. I jumped through the big boulders and hidden mazes. I needed him to lose my trail. I was desperate.

A few minutes had passed and his smell diminished until finally, it disappeared. It looked like I lost him. With that, I transformed back to my human form. I slowed my movement but remained vigilant of the surroundings. Big Mistake.

Out of nowhere, I felt a being jump at me making me roll violently on the ground. I saw the bald alpha laughing like a maniac as his skin brushed into mine. We were both naked, as the result of our previous shifting. When we stopped rolling, he was on top of me. His demonic desire to claim me intensified as I saw his eyes burn with lust. I am sure of it, this alpha was ready to claim my virginity by force.

He pinned both of my hands above my head using his right hand while the other was touching my face. I turned to my side, avoiding his filthy breath. He was literally drooling on top of me. I also felt his member was ready to penetrate me.

I looked up and silently uttered a prayer as I felt him kiss and sucked my neck. From there, I caught the sight of a familiar plant. I knew this type of plant, as Uncle Stan taught me, and Maggie about some herbs and medicines we could use in the wild.

It was a Nightcrawler, a leaf that could make you blind if it was put in the eyes. A plan brewed inside my mind.

With the last ounce of strength, I stretched my fingers and grabbed a handful of leaves. I squeezed it discreetly until both of my hands were covered by its juice. This plan has to work. If not, I should kiss my innocence goodbye.

“A-alpha, I surrender. Clearly, I am no match for your power and speed so I know that there was no way out of this situation. I don’t want my first to be rough so can we start over? I…I want to make the most out of this situation.”

The alpha suddenly stopped nibbling at my neck and looked at me. I tried meeting his gaze with a submissive stare. He smirked at my declaration.

“You should have done that a while ago so we no longer wasted time chasing each other. I told you, didn’t I? I will make sure you’ll enjoy every fucking second of me grinding on top of you.”

“I am a fool, alpha. So…will you allow me to touch you now?” I tried putting a bit of seduction into my words and judging by how he grinned, it looks like it worked.

I felt that his grasp was loosened, indicating that he was freeing my hands. When it finally did, he got up from my top and looked at me with anticipation. I took a deep breath and began to move my hands.

But instead of grabbing his manhood, I dug my Nightcrawler-stained thumb into his eyes, making sure that the sap would penetrate into his orbs.

“Waaahhh!!! My eyes!!! My eyes!!!!! You bitch! What did you fucking do to my eyes?!”

The alpha screamed in pain. He was swinging his head like crazy while covering his eyes like a creep. I saw blood streaming down his face. Looks like the Nightcrawler had taken its effect.

This was the chance I am waiting for.

I jumped, preparing myself to shift. When I landed on the ground, I already changed into my wolf form. I dashed into the forest, only this time, far from the place I used to call home. I guided my legs to the end of our border, intentionally wanting to step out of our territory.

What I did to the alpha was considered treason. As twisted as it sounds, any pain you inflict to the leader of the pack would mean death regardless of what your reason is. I felt that something blocked my throat remembering my Uncle Stan. I don’t want to leave him alone but the situation led me to this.

I don’t have a choice, do I?

Under the moonlight, I raced through the dark. I decided to dash south, as I know the trees would be denser in this part of our territory. Also, this was the part where the least of the trackers were assigned. This would be my best shot to get out of the pack’s territory completely.

I felt a cold brush of wind on my cheeks as I went deeper into the forest. I galloped as long as there was land to brush my feet into. I didn’t know how long I had to run so I kept going.

I already passed the boundary of our southern reach, making me aware that I had already reached a hostile territory. I remained vigilant of my surroundings. One mistake and I might lose my life.

I suddenly felt the dryness of my throat. It was only then that I realized that I needed to drink. I stopped running and tried to listen to the sounds surrounding me. My mouth grinned when I heard ripples of water from a nearby stream.

I rushed in the direction of the sound. It didn’t take long before I reached the stream. I leaned down and scooped water in my hand. The water was sweet and refreshing. My mind was celebrating this little comfort when suddenly, I felt another presence at my back.

Running in my wolf form was the only thing that reminded me of my former self.

Just like when I was still in our pack, running had been my source of release. If there was one thing that I think would never pass on me, that would be my love of sprinting. I feel connected with my wolf every time I allow her to run freely in the woods. This was my way of bonding with her. This was my way of connecting to the wolf spirit within me named Bella.

But now, running was more than just a hobby. It would become my constant companion from now on.

We were in the middle of scampering through the forest when suddenly, I felt weird. My wolf recognized the feeling and decided to stop for a while.

Moments later an earthy aroma filled the air. The spicy, aromatic wood-like smell has a warm, exotic profile to it. It was Sandalwood, the most intoxicating I had ever smelled!

The scent created a warm feeling inside. It increased the awareness of my well-being bursting with inner desires. It was until my wolf Bella emerged from my thoughts jumping up and down that I finally understood what was going on.

"Mate!" she shouted at the back of my head.

"You must be mistaken, Bella. You know very well that what you're saying is highly unlikely because we haven't come off our age yet. This isn't our mate! I'm only sixteen," I uttered, trying to make a logical explanation about the mysterious scent that had overtaken us.

“We can't be wrong, Aria. You smelled him too. He was heavenly! I can't wait to meet him and let him mark us in bed.”

“You and your filthy mouth!” I shouted inside my head. “This wasn't the time to be joking like this. We just got away from that promiscuous alpha and almost got violated by him. How could you even say this?”

Bella disagreed with me. She was hellbent on making us feel fine. “No, let's find him, or I'll take over this body and find him myself.”

“This must be a trap, Bella! We're out of the pack. This could be witchcraft or have something to do with rouges? Let's not….”

Bella was not kidding when she said she would take over my body without my consent. And so, we shifted back to my wolf form. Only this time, she was the one n charge. Using her black and delicate paws, she ran after a shadow that she quickly noticed from one of the large old trees. Her shining grey fur danced with the wind and the possible danger awaiting before our eyes.

She doubled our speed and followed the intoxicating scent.

“This moron… why does he have to make his mate chase after him? Isn't he excited to meet and pound the hell out of us?!” Bella exclaimed.

Bella let out loud growls, calling our alleged mate. However, the shadow didn't stop. He fastened his movement, and I felt more exhausted than Bella as she tripled her speed to follow him.

I didn't know how far we had run away from our pack with our speed. There was no turning back now. Remembering it again, I felt the pain kick in. However, I couldn't fully feel sad when Bella was excited to know who that shadow was. We shared the same emotions and felt what others exactly felt like we were twins.

Bella was restless. She kept running when I heard her loud howl of joy.

“Aria! Our mate has stopped! That's him! That's him, right, Aria?” She excitedly chirped. I was silent, but deep inside, I was excited to know if the shadow was really our mate.

The shadow stopped just in front of a big old tree.

Bella sprinted forward and jumped up in the air to excitedly lunge at the shadow. However, the shadow moved from the side without us seeing his face. He lunged an attack again and knocked us out close to a deep hole in the mountain ground.

“What the hell! That's rude! We are mates! Why did you do that?!” Bella growled. The shadow had become a wolf and took a step forward to us before he quickly changed into his human form.

The figure sported a proud and serious face, but that wasn't why we were surprised.

He was not a male. He wasn't our mate because she was a woman. What was more surprising was it was Maggie! Maggie Whittaker! She was my long-lost cousin who disappeared from our pack one year ago. Rumors said she abandoned our pack because she yearned for more life adventure since Maggie was one of the strongest, she-wolf warriors in our pack. Others said she turned crazy chasing after her mate and abandoned her own family.

Regardless, me and Uncle Stan believed that she would still come back. But now, I finally knew where she was. She was my closest cousin and friend, my partner in crime. I was so lost when she went missing.

I shifted back to my human form in hope of getting sense out of her. “Wait, Maggie! It's me, Aria! Your cousin! Can you still remember me?” A look of shock and recognition flashed on Maggie's face. It was more like an affirmation.

“Damn! Is that really you, Aria?! I was right! Oh, my dear cousin!” She extended her hands and offered me a hug. A tearful reunion indeed!

“I’m sorry, Aria. I didn’t mean to knock you. I am just saving you from the trap I made for some rogues by disguising my smell. Good thing that I recognized your wolf form before I lured you further to my trap.”

My eyes widened. So that was why we smelled a divine scent and thought it was our mate. It was just a trap. I ignored most of Maggie's queries and closed our distance to tightly hug her. I really missed her.

“I'm really sorry, Aria. Let's get back to business. Answer me, please. What are you doing here? It's too dangerous in the wild,” Maggie asked again.

It took me seconds to reply, so she spoke again. “Come on, I'll help you go back to the pack. You shouldn't be here.”

“Thank you for the offer, Maggie. But I can’t go back to the pack. The alpha attempted to rape me and in order to escape, I blinded him using the sap of the Nightcrawler plant. At this very moment, his men might have started to hunt me already.”

We both fell silent, thinking of the reasons why we were pushed to abandon our pack. As if on cue, my eyes began to water again, and Maggie quickly noticed it.

She swiftly went to one of the large trees and put on clothes before she handed me another piece of clothing. But I struggled to put it on. She helped me wear it and silently guided me to a hidden cave.

When we entered the cave, I saw a small hut looking like her home; she said she had lived here for a year. The things inside seemed to be all made of materials from the mountain. At the side

of the hut were spears and bows that perhaps she used for hunting. However, I could not fathom why she would use it if we had our claws and sharp canines to hunt our prey.

Despite crying for what seemed like an eternity, I managed to swallow my cries and asked her, “What's this for, Maggie?”

“I used those for hunting and training, Aria. Not at all times, you can rely on Bella to fight for you. You must learn to protect yourself even with your human form,” Maggie explained.

She handed me some water placed on a leaf-made cup before she walked to one of the spears and threw me one.

“I don't know how to use this, Maggie,” I complained.

“If you want to learn how to use it and some of my other ways here in the mountain, I will let you live with me. And remember, if you are going to choose to stay with me… from now on, you have to train until your body is sore and cry in pain. Besides, you don't know how dangerous it is to live without the protection of our pack. There were lots of cunning creatures you hadn't met yet. In case we have to go through the worst, you have to protect yourself.”

“Thank you, Maggie!”

“Don't thank me yet. Didn't you hear what I said? My favorite cousin isn't exempted from receiving a good beating. I meant, ammm... as my good training partner. It's been a long time since I had somebody to spar with. I remember how most of our pack she-wolves fear training with me.”

My smile turned to a grimace when Maggie said it. It looked like I was wrong to sign up with this. Maggie noticed it and said, “You need to be stronger Aria. In case you see that mutt again, let's make sure he'll regret doing that to you.”

A newfound determination and strength surged in my veins with Maggie's words. I wanted to be stronger, psychologically and physically.

From then, I trained with Maggie. Every day, I felt my body was going to tear because of the hellish training I had been doing with her. Maggie became stronger than the last time she was in the pack. She could be a female beta with her strength. Moreover, I could immediately use our training because sometimes we were left with no choice but to fight some rouges who wandered onto the mountain. Not a week passed that our life wasn't put in danger. Some creatures always came for our heads.

A year had passed.

With the help of Maggie, I was now adapted to our life as a rogue. And as part of our daily routine, we went out to hunt for food.

We were marching toward the traps we made when we noticed something odd. Some of the bushes were bowed down as if someone had run over them.

We move stealthily, holding our spears and bows. We followed the trail until we reach a large sycamore tree. We are almost positive that the mysterious creature was hiding behind the tree’s massive trunk.

And we weren’t mistaken.