Chapter 1

Lucy ran with every strength she'd got, crashing through the bushes and tall grasses of the forest, stumping on dried leaves and branches so that they made some creaking sounds. She peeked behind her, constantly as she made an effort to lose the guards that ran after her. She gasped and breathed heavily, holding on to the wish to outrun them. 

It was either to stop and be captured or run and stay alive. She could hear the sound of their footsteps which became more audible as she ran. The sound of their growls was scary enough to make her quiver and made her have thoughts of what might happen if she was to be caught

She merely escaped from the Moonshine pack where she had to labor as a handmaid in the Royal residence of Alpha Eric and Luna Ava. Though she didn't work directly for them but for their daughter, Isabella.

Though Isabella was not the biological daughter of Alpha Eric. She was the daughter of his Beta who died alongside him with his mate during a war. Alpha Eric had to take her in and nurtured her like his own.

Isabella was the pompous kind of girl that would do anything to remind anyone who she was so they would know their place. And that was the case of Lucy and Isabella. Lucy has always been criticized by Isabella countless times and probably insulted. There was a time when she was ordered by Isabella to transport a box filled with clothes to the residence of Luna Ava.

Without hesitation, Lucy made haste to execute her order. She carried the box, grunting, and strived to regain her balance.  She strode,  impatiently along the path that led to Luna Ava's residence. Being lost in her thought,  she became startled by the sudden appearance of a guard who bumped into her. The box fell off and the clothes were strewn all over the ground. The guard was harsh enough to blame her and walked away without apologizing since she was just a handmaid.

She hurriedly packed a few of the clothes and piled them together inside the box, leaving them scattered but eventually, was caught by Isabella who happened to stroll by. She was slapped thrice before she was questioned about how it happened. Lucy could not lift a finger as it was against the law of the pack. She would be severely punished if she was to make an attempt and probably be killed.

"I have to run,  I can't go back there, ... I can't see her face," She grinned, swirling her hands back and forth

She soon hit her leg against a dry wood that was on her path through the course of her peeking at what was behind her. She tripped and fell, rolling down from high ground like a slope, and eventually hit her head against a rock.

Blood gushed out of her head effusively and soon noticed her palm filled with blood after which she touched the side of her head. She whimpered in a low tone but covered her mouth so she wouldn't have to give her location off to the guards. She groaned in pain as her leg hurt. Blood dripped down from her forehead, she look dizzy and her eyes blurry but she shook her head swiftly and endured to get up on her feet.

"If only I have my wolf," She sniffed and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. She felt weak, a difficult moment for her. She had regrets about why she was wolfless. Lucy was already nineteen but yet, her wolf didn't show up. She had no idea who her mother was. The only one left for her was her Father who was an Omega but died when she was fifteen.

She lived a comfortable life through the course of her Father being alive but her world came crumbling when she lost him.

Her Father, Mason who was a guar, though a lower rank, has always gone out of the pack to get supplies for the Royal residence. He never came back one night when on a tour. His body was later found a few days later. Lucy wept for days as she thought of no one to rely on.

The only one to console her was Katherine. Katherine was a close friend of her Father. They met at the Royal residence since she was a handmaid but would always come to see Lucy and bring gifts sent by Mason since Lucy had to live amongst the pack, away from her Father. Katherine was thrice the age of Lucy but her face was as young as Lucy, making it obvious that she was her age mate

Sometimes, the thought of Katherine being her Father's mate would cross her mind but she could not ask him why Katherine would always look after him. But then again, she had always received unearned respect from Katherine, including Mason before she lost him. She had always wondered why they would do that to her but could not challenge their actions, so she kept it to herself.

After her shortcomings,  she had no choice but to contest for the place of a handmaid in the Royal residence, knowing it was the only way to survive. Katherine herself was not capable and in no position to help since she also had to work in the Royal residence. Lucy went through some harsh and cruel trials before she was selected to live in the Royal residence as a handmaid.

"I have to survive...  I have to," She gasped and felt her heartbeat as her chest lingered upward and downward. 

She paused for a moment and glanced around the forest with her head. The forest sounded so silent. Looked like she was all alone, not until the thunderstruck with a resounding noise in the clouds. She raised her head slowly to notice the clouds that looked like it was going to rain.

It took her back to the time when Marie would run to her whenever lighting struck the clouds with a deafening sound. It was like a trauma she experienced when she was young and ever since was always scared of lightning. Marie was the only friend she had. They were both handmaids at the Royal residence. Marie had always worked for Isabella but was dismissed from her post to work for Luna Ava a few weeks after which Lucy was brought to the Royal residence.

They have always stayed together in a room after working hours and soon became fond of each other. Though at first, they never really exchanged words not until Marie got into trouble with a guard during working hours. At that time, she mistakenly poured a bucket of water containing the dung of horses she packed on a werewolf guard. She was scolded and slapped numerous times until Lucy yelled with a high-pitched sound at the werewolf with a slightly aggressive stance.

She made fun of him, using the fact that it was only a girl he could beat up and not a werewolf guard like him. The werewolf felt belittled by Lucy's attitude towards him and rushed at her but Lucy was too fast to dive away and dodge his blows. It went on for a while but the werewolf was unable to deal with Lucy not until he called out to the rest of the other werewolves watching over the slaves and beat her up till she bled from her nostrils and mouth.

Marie became fond of Lucy since then as she thought of her, as a strong and brave girl not to talk of her beauty. Marie seemed to be the only friend she had ever since then.

"You have to run, Lucy... If you don't, you'll be captured and be returned to the pack and that's the last thing you want," She whispered, advising and talking to herself. 

She strived and eventually stood upright. Her ankle seemed to be fractured, causing her to wail. She immediately shut her mouth and took a deep breath, her eyes closed. Dozens of birds flew out suddenly from the trees, startling her, and causing her to open her eyes. She knew at that moment she had to run. She lingered forward but wasn't fast enough. She rasped when she noticed the guards already surrounding her.

She fidgeted constantly on the spot, every instinct of her body telling her to run for her survival but she could not, well aware that there was no escaping from their grasp.

"You know you will never escape... why did you run," One of the guards voiced out in anger.

Lucy wagged her head sideways and uttered her word indistinctly. "Please, don't take me back there... You could just kill me,"

"He wants to see you and you have to meet him," The guard cut her off.

"No, no... I will rather die here than go back to..."

"You have no say in this, handmaid," The guard hurled back at her with a sharp tone, interrupting her.

He propelled his head slightly forward so that one of the guards rushed at her, incapacitating her, and finally knocked her out.