Azara.

A deafening scream tore through my throat as I jolted awake, struggling to be free from their firm grip.

My arms flared freely in the air as I tried to wiggle my small frame beneath their invisible large ones.

That was the moment I realized…it was a dream.

I was struck by terror as a burst of fear spread through my heart like wildfire.

I was back in my room, safe from their mysterious men that held me captive, yet I couldn't stop shivering as the strange dream replayed in my head countlessly.

“Who are you?” I muttered softly, my fingers trembling as my eyes darted around my dimly lit room, scanning the area for any unusual occurrence.

While their identities paralyzed me with fear, what really terrified my existence was the fact that they knew me by my real name.

Aside from my step father and mother, no one knew my true identity.

Who were they?

What do they want from me?

The thumping of my heart doubled as my stomach knotted in fear.

The thought of dashing off to my parents’ room invaded my mind, but it was too late.

Shivering in horror as I grabbed the duvet, shielding my trembling body with it, I shut my eyes, forcing myself to sleep while I tried to erase the weird dream from my mind.

It felt weird but something about them pulled me like a magnet. Their masculine voices and energies wrapped around me like silk. It caused a sensation running freely in my veins.

I couldn't describe it, but I yearned for it.

It's weird. How can I crave the presence of my unreal captives?

A small sigh rolled off my lips as I shut my eyes, surrendering myself to the comfort of sleep.

I had barely gone 3 hours into sleep when I was jolted awake by a sharp pain that was impossible to ignore.

A rain of sweat descended on my face as the strange pain traveled throughout my body, causing great discomfort.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I got out of bed, trying to comprehend what was happening to me, but my head was blank.

I was about to dash to my parents’ bedroom when a strange powerful force took control of me, turning the direction of my legs outside, causing me to run like a wild beast.

It was no surprise that I wasn't spotted by anyone. I knew every nook and cranny of the mountain.

Catching my breath, I slowly turned my head, scanning my surroundings to know my location. Darkness loomed over me and the consistent chirping of the insect reminded me that I was in the woods.

But I didn't realize I had crossed the pack border, the boundary that separates the Opal wolf from the rest of the world.

Scared to death as my heart flipped hard, adrenaline rushed through me, fueling me with strength as I tried to run to my pack immediately to avoid being seen by Hunters. I narrowly escaped the last time as my mother almost sacrificed herself to save me.

The force dominated me once more, pushing me to the ground as if making me submit and surrender to its power.

Helpless, I lay over the wet grass, weeping profusely. Thunder claps erupted from the sky, accompanied by terrifying streaks of lightning.

The ground I lay on became suddenly hot, and my body started emitting smoke.

Before I could comprehend what was happening to me, the bones in my body broke at once, causing agonizing pain and claws replaced my fingers. Red fur sprouted from my smooth skin with force and sharp canines replaced my nice dentition. My sense of vision, hearing, and smell heightened, and my nose elongated.

I let out a deafening cry, panting hard as my body structure realigned violently until I was on all fours. A tail shot out between my legs, and the urge to run and howl at the full moon hanging in the sky overwhelmed me.

A smile formed in my mind at the realization.

I finally shifted. I have a wolf. If I can find my mate, my life will be complete.

“Azara.”

Fear gripped me, causing me to freeze.

I turned to look at the origin of the sound, but there was no one in view.

“I am right here, Azara.” The voice repeated, louder this time. “I'm in your head. My name is Aria and I am your wolf.”

“First things first, let's get out of here; it's too dangerous,” she warned, letting out soft growls, and she paced about my head. “Your mum would be so pissed.”

I cocked my head, surprised at her words. “How do you know about my mum?”

“Oh, Azara, I've been here with you all your life, in your head, silently watching you grow, protecting you. It's time to let myself known, but let's leave this place, please. You are far from home.”

Immense joy replaced the fear as Aria's gentle, yet firm voice filled my head, calming my nerves. For the first time in hours of shifting, the pain didn't matter anymore, neither was the fear of being away from the rest of the pack, standing away from the border with an Opal wolf that emitted flames.

My wolf was extremely big, rugged, and strong, yet wise. I love her already.

“It's nice to finally meet you, Ari–”

A loud Piercing gasp penetrated my ears, interrupting my speech.

Turning my head in the direction of the voice, I saw the figure of a lean man with a fire torch above his hands, his mouth wide open as he glared at me with shocked eyes.

“The legendary wolf!” He declared.

“Are my eyes deceiving me? Isn't this the Fire Opal wolf?!”

I froze on the spot, unaware of what to do when Aria's desperate screams rang in my head like a bell.

“Azara, run!”

Azara.

My existence flashed before my eyes as I caught sight of a shiny metal under the soft glow of the moon.

“Azara, run!” Aria cried desperately as soon as she recognized the legendary dagger that was lethal to Opal wolves.

The Lunaris fang.

The mystical dagger, forged with celestial materials, spelled and activated by a witch, is designed for an Opal wolf hunter. It was rare. There were only 2 in the world; one was passed down to my father and the last was in the possession of Darius, the Rogue King.

The indestructible dagger had lived for 500 years. Because of our ability to self-destruct before our powers could be snatched and used to cause great havoc, Opal wolf hunters found another means that made us unable to activate our self-destruction. Once the dagger found its way into our hearts, we would be unconscious, thus providing our hunters the luxury of time to steal our powers.

The mark on the strange man's forehead made me realize that he was a member of Darius’ crusade. Swinging the dagger between his palms, I caught sight of the ancient foreign writing engraved on the sharp blade and the shimmering silvery-blue ball that resembled the moon lodged a bit above the hilt of the dagger.

My legs raced in the direction of the pack and the man followed in a hot pursuit.

I ran because my life depended on it. After making sure I had given him a reasonable gap as I could no longer hear the heavy thuds of his feet against the ground, I shifted into my human form, dragging my exhausted body home.

I escaped death narrowly for the second time.

The thought of narrating my ordeal to my parents struck my mind, but it was 3am, and I didn't want to wake them up.

Disappointment rushed through my veins, it was as if I could hear my mum's worried voice for crossing the border once again and risking my life.

A small huff escaped my throat as a thought rang in my mind.

Happy 18th birthday to me.

Sitting under the shower as I sobbed quietly, trying to forget all that happened, I couldn't help the paranoia that consumed me.

What if he followed me home?

What if I don't survive the next attack?

I was a fool. Aria had already sensed his presence as she urged me to run, but I chose to ignore her.

“It's not your fault, Azara,” she spoke softly, trying to comfort me.

“No, it is. We just spent minutes barely getting to know each other and I messed up. I didn't listen to you, I don't deserve you. I risked our lives today, I'm sorry, Aria,” I replied, wiping the tears off my face as I made my way to the bed, slumping down heavily on it before drifting to sleep.

*****

My sleep was cut short by loud screams. But what caught my attention was the horn blaring.

It didn't make sense. The horn was never used since the creation of this pack 700 years ago. Its use was to alarm the pack members if there was an invasion.

My heart almost gave out as I froze on the bed.

Was our pack invaded?

Peeking through the window, I saw bursts of flames everywhere. I could recognize my pack members self-destructing in the blink of an eye.

“What is happening?” I asked, almost paralyzed by fear as my head began to spin rapidly and I couldn't comprehend what was going on.

My door flung open and my parents dragged me out of my room, hiding me in an underground basement without saying anything.

“What is happening? Please talk to me!” I screamed, but the fear in their eyes and their fingers against my lips hushed me.

“We've been spotted by one of Darius’ crusade members…”

The rest of her words flew past her ears as I almost collapsed.

We were spotted because of me.

Everything is ruined because of me.

700 hundred years of peace ended because of me.

Hundreds of my pack members would give up their lives because of me.

My gift was a curse. My first shift was a curse.

I was a curse to this pack. I was a curse to my parents.

“Azalea!” My stepfather's voice jerked me out of my long train of thought.

“This is not a time to be afraid. You must survive.”

My brows furrowed in confusion as I glared at them. From the expression on their faces, it seemed their minds had been made up about a decision that I was not aware of.

“What do you mean?” I asked when I found my voice, glancing at them as my heart pounded hard against my ribs.

“You must survive, Azalea. You must survive for us,” my mum responded, bursting into tears before trying to put on a brave face.

“What is happening?!”

The suspense was killing me. I was terrified because my mother was a strong woman. Seeing her break down in tears while my stepfather held her close meant their decision was a hard pill to swallow.

“We can't survive with you.” They finally broke the news. I felt empty that instant; my head was light, and I wanted to collapse.

“Remember how your mum and I vowed to protect you, even if it meant sacrificing our lives because we love you so much? That vow begins now.” Alpha Hunter sobbed, cupping my small face in his large palms.

It broke my heart to see him weep like a child. But it broke my spirit knowing that I would lose them because of my stupid decision.

“No!” I shouted. “I can't let you do that. I caused this mess. They can have me if they want.”

“Azalea…”

“It was me who ran into the woods when my shift started. I couldn't control myself. I didn't know when I crossed the border and was spotted by that man. I thought I escaped, I thought it was over. I'm sorry…” I broke down in tears, falling over them as I awaited their bashing.

“It doesn't matter. We don't blame you. Now is not the time to cry over the spilled milk, now is the time for solution–”

“It doesn't count as a solution if I would lose you. Please, don't leave me. My life wouldn't be empty without you.”