Chapter One

Chapter One

"Go to your room," my mother yells at me. She keeps treating me as a child, hiding things from me. "I'm not going anywhere until you give me some answers," I retort. She looks at me furiously. I'm used to that look. I've gotten to see it for the past seventeen years. I'm no longer scared of her. "Why do you keep me here like a prisoner? What's wrong with me?" She hisses and scoffs. "How dare you speak such words to me?" The wooden door creaks open as my father returns home from work. He works as a blacksmith in the forge. "What's happening?" he asks, placing his bag on the table. "Good, you're here. I know both of you are hiding something," I say, staring sternly at him. "Alice has gotten crazy," my mother retorts. My father looks at me confused. "The people in the village always look at me with disgust. I hear whispers of people calling me a witch." My father pinches his forehead, creating tiny wrinkles. His brown eyes are sad and full of worry. "Alice, can you go to your room for a minute? I want to have a word with your mother." I'm determined to get them to answer me for once. I'll be eighteen tomorrow, they should start treating me like an adult. "I'm not going anywhere," I reply confidently. My parents have always played on my vulnerability. Not any longer. So much is going on in this house and I have no idea what it is. Like why I see wolven hair around the house. Or how mother and father aren't in the house some nights. They don't know I have sneaked into their room on some occasions and didn't find them there. And ever since my eighteen birthday has gotten closer, my mother has been extra cautious with me, monitoring everywhere I go and the things I do. 

"Alice," my father calls firmly. I can sense the anger in his tone. My father rarely gets angry at me. Unlike my mother. He treats me more like an egg. Maybe because I'm his only daughter and child. "Father," I breathe. I shut my eyes and exhale. "Please," I whisper. I feel a hand on my shoulder. "I'll tell you everything, darling." It's my father's voice. It's calm and soothing. "Just not now," he adds, placing a kiss on my forehead. I bite the inside of my mouth, fighting my tears back. I turn to walk to my room without looking back at them. I shut the door and lean close to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"She's going to be eighteen tomorrow. We should let her know," my father says, whispering the last part. It's not low enough for me not to hear. My mother forces a burst of laughter. "You can't be serious. She's not ready yet." Ready for what?

 "How long do you expect us to keep it from her? What if....," my father pauses. I press my ear further to the door and it makes my neck hurt. Finish that sentence Peter

"We aren't sure if it will Peter. Just wait," my mother replies. I grunt, throwing my arms in opposite directions. My right arm hits my nightstand, falling the red lamp. I hear my parents gasp. Their words are muffled as I hear them walk into their room. I open the door to my room as they shut theirs. "I heard you father," I say, walking to the door to their room. "Tell me," I yell. I knock hard repeatedly but they don't respond. I hear sounds from the room. "Tell me something please," I whisper, choking on my sobs. I lean my back against the door and slide to the ground. "Why am I different," I mutter. The hallway is dimly lit. I wrap my arms around myself and cry silently. Mother hasn't let me out of the house for a week now. I'm her prisoner. I've always been different from the other kids. Never allowed to have friends or be around people for too long. I've spent my life being a slave to my mother, always doing her bidding. I don't want to be that Alice anymore. I've had enough. I stand to my feet and wipe my tears. "I'll find my answers. Don't come looking for me," I say angrily. I run to my room and grab my backpack. I stuff some clothes inside with my dagger and put on my black cloak. It's dark already, no one would find me. I grab my lock necklace and walk out of my room. A heated argument is coming from my parent'sI walk to the front door and take one last look at the house. "Goodbye," I whisper, taking the key from the bull's horn hung on the wall. My mother has no idea I knew she hid it there. I unlock the door and walk out of the house. I inhale the cool night breeze and put on the hood of my cloak. Our house is at the far end of the village, near the woods. I hear loud chattering from people walking along the path to the village. I hid in the darkness behind the water barrels outside. The sounds become distant after a few minutes. I run to the woods, unaware of what would happen next. I just want to run away from them. They pushed me away. I slow down in my tracks when I've gotten further into the dark woods. The forest has always felt like home. My home. I always run here each time mother and I fought. And I always get this strange feeling of calmness. The full moon is shining brightly with its light guiding me through the woods. I hold my bag tight against my chest, looking at my sides cautiously. There have been rumors about this wood and the cursed creature living in it. If I hurry quickly, I'll make it out of here and cross the river to get to Mancae. The land of peace. I'll have a new life there. Free.

I hold a tree for support. The ground is mushy and pulling me down. The wood is filled with the chirping sounds of crickets and the hooting of an owl. I hear a cracking sound of a stick. "Who's there?" I turn to see nothing. I walk faster and start to rethink my decision, contemplating my next move. 

"Alice," I hear someone yell from afar. Shit. I hold my cloak in my hands, raising it higher. I run carefully avoiding the trees. I hear my name again. My heartbeat is getting faster. How did they get here so fast? Fuck.

Something runs past me hiding in the shadows of the woods. I stop in my tracks, scared of death. I can almost hear my heartbeat. My blood is raging in my veins. "Show yourself," I yell angrily. I hear a low growl and see strange eyes focused on me for a second. I scream and fall to the ground. "Alice! Alice! Alice!" The voices have gotten closer. Something is definitely following me in the woods. I stand to my feet hurriedly. My cloth and shoes have mud stains on them. "Fuck," I grunt. The midnight bell rings from afar in the village. What a hell of a way to start my eighteenth-year birthday. I hear the growling clearly as it draws closer to me. My hands are shaking as I grab the dagger from my bag. I'll put on a fight before I surrender. My father taught me that much. I feel a strange energy coursing through my veins. It's nothing as I've ever felt before. I hear a distant howl. The cursed creature is here. I begin to run as fast as I can. I'm not ready to be tonight's meal. I'm running as fast as I can. I can hear the ripples of the river. Almost there. My adrenaline is kicking in fast, making me prepared for danger. I can see the river from afar. Finally. Just a little bit more Alice. You'll be tasting your freedom. My leg hits a plank and I fall hard to the ground. Again. "Arghhhh," I yell. The dagger falls away from my grip. I crawl on the ground, searching for it. It's too dark to see it clearly. My body shakes. I fall flat on the ground. What is happening? I grip my head hard to ease the stinging ache. I'm screaming in pain on the ground. Something is happening to me. My screams turn to growls. I feel my bones shift and twist beneath my skin. The pain is excruciating. My muscles bulge and expand as if they are trying to break free. My clothes tear off. My body hair grows thick and shaggy, and my nails sharpened into claws. My fur is white as the snow. What am I? I see my father in a hazy vision. "Alice," he whispers, walking closer to me. I feel a primal urge of raw hunger for the hunt and the thrill of the chase. I smell the scents of the night around her, the musk of prey, and the sweet smell of blood. I howl into the night, fully transformed into a werewolf. I turn to see my father who has always changed. A pack of wolves gathers around us. What the hell?