Chapter One

~Alyce/Faelyn~

I tossed and turned in my bed, unable to find any kind of peaceful sleep. I never sleep well this time of year. Nightmares would chase me down, pestering me until I could no longer avoid them. It was usually a good two week time period from start to end before I could begin to return to normal. Nine years. It had been nine years since the night I lost everything. Nine years since my family had vanished. Nine years since I had arrived at the Red Moon pack, sold to them as an Omega and essentially forced to work as a slave. Just eight when it happened, I still didn’t understand why I was spared unlike the rest of my family. The few memories of the night that I could recall had become hazy over the years. His face though… His face I would never forget. It was seared into my brain with such clarity that there would be no mistaking I had the right person when I came for him. Of that I was sure. 

The nightmares were always hazy. It was stormy, people were screaming, my people were screaming while my mother was telling me to take my 5 year old brother and run and hide.  The Delta’s had jumped in to help my parents as I grabbed Elwyn’s hand and ran as fast as I could. Their faces were hazy and I could not recall the name of the Delta and his mate. I remember running, taking Elwyn to a safe place to hide, but I could never remember where I hid him. I could never make it past that point. My emotions and the overwhelming guilt of not knowing why I survived and they didn’t always startle me awake about this point. Everyone thought the entire family was dead, including their daughter. I would keep it that way.

I sat up on my bed with a gasp, sweat sticking to me like a second skin, I tried to catch my breath as I cleared the sleep from my eyes. The large blue numbers on my alarm clock glaring 0430 at me. I needed to be up in 30 minutes anyway, so there was no point in trying to go back to sleep. I stretched my stiff muscles and slipped out of my bed. The concrete floor was cold and the sudden temperature jolt to the soles of my feet brought me around a bit more.

I grabbed a pair of worn jeans, a thread bare black t-shirt, panties and a bra then stumbled towards my shower still half asleep. There was no bathroom per say, just like  my room wasn’t exactly a room. I was kept in the basement. My room was a storage nook that barely fit my twin mattress, narrow 3 drawer dresser and a 2-tier small shelf that I used as a night stand. I had hung the thickest blanket I owned over the doorway to give myself the illusion of privacy. That was a joke in and of itself when the bathroom was taken into account.

There was a free standing shower with clear glass doors, a large single basin sink, and a toilet; however, there were no walls, no doors and if I was lucky the water would be lukewarm and not ice cold. At least I had access to the barest of necessities though. I was thankful I didn’t have to slave away and do so in my own filth and body odor.

As I looked at myself in the standing mirror that Matheau, my best friend, had smuggled down for me a few months ago, I let out a sigh. The nightmares always brought back curious memories. I had been sold to Alpha Andrew of the Red Moon pack at the request of his Luna, my paperwork all showed my name and rank to be Alyce Lilly, an 8 year old Omega orphan. I knew better. I knew who I was. My name is Faelyn De’Lune and I am the only daughter of Liam and Gwydia De’Lune, rightful Alpha and Luna of the Silver Moon pack.

I never let on that I was someone other than who my paperwork said I was. I had always been too intelligent for my own good according to my father. I knew something was off when they didn’t come find me and when I was sold off as an omega orphan I knew something was terribly, terribly wrong. If anyone ever found out who I truly was, at least before I was ready to remind them, then I would likely die before I could avenge my family and find the truth. To accomplish any of this it would require me to keep my origins under wraps and to find a way to take back my pack. I planned to take my leave from Red Moon and start my journey to take back my pack before long. I was just waiting for my birthday.

Finally I undressed, taking a quick assessment of the bruises all over my body. They were in various stages of healing. I really was treated like a slave in this pack. If it weren’t for secretly training with Matheau and his parents, and my wolf shielding me, or lending me her strength, I would be in a lot worse shape. I was regularly a punching bag for the pack members my age, and while most werewolves healed relatively quickly I hadn’t shifted yet. I had my wolf, I had gotten her at 13 like most wolves did, but I hadn’t shifted at 16 like the others had. Aramyth, my wolf, insisted that for me this was a normal thing. I didn’t understand. She said I would soon. I trusted in her. My main goal was remaining strong and training as much as I could so that I could survive when I left the pack. I was a month away from my 18th birthday, a month or so before I could make my escape. 

I stepped into the water, thankful that it was luke warm this morning instead of cold. Probably due to the hour of the day. Maybe I should start getting up earlier. Washing my hair was a task, it hung down to my ass, but I made quick work of it and scrubbed myself clean of the sweat the nightmares had caused. I took a minute to just enjoy the water rolling over my body before turning it off and stepping out. My towel was small and thin, but I used it to get the water from my body and as much water out of my hair as I could. 

Stepping over to the mirror I braided my hair, wrapping it around my head like a crown, pinning it in place. I had learned long ago not to give the bitchy she-wolves a hand hold, but I also refused to cut my hair. It hadn’t been more than trimmed since I arrived at this hell hole of a pack. I stared at myself in the mirror. With my flame red hair, translucent green eyes and pale skin I was the spitting image of my mother. Gwydia De’Lune was not a wolf. She was Fae and I had inherited many of her features and my wolf came from my father. I was a perfect blend of my parents, my looks from my mother, hell my ears even had a slight point to them if you looked close enough. My attitude, determination and strength came from my father. 

Elwyn had taken more after father in the looks department from what I remembered. The ice blue eyes, brown hair and tanned skin were all from our father. My brother was only 5 when he and my parents disappeared. I remembered him being a very calm, level headed child, even at such a young age. He took after our mother in that way. I wondered if he would be taller than me now. Had he gotten our father’s ridiculously tall stature? Mother stood a grandiose 5’0”, which just made her look ridiculous standing next to my father who had been 6’3”. I had inherited my mother’s runt gene, standing at 5’3” - barely. I had also inherited her curvy figure though, so there was that. 

*Faelyn,* Aramyth refused to call me Alyce. She never let me forget who I truly was, *That’s enough self pity. You’re going to be late if you don’t get your ass in gear!*

*Yeah, yeah. I’m going, I’m going.* I smiled at her a bit in my head and threw on my bra and panties, then slid into the jeans and t-shirt. I didn’t bother with shoes. I hated them. I couldn’t stand not being able to feel the ground beneath me. I darted up the basement stairs and into the kitchen, skidding to a halt in front of the double inset stoves on the island.