Chapter 7 - Time Slowly HealsThe smell of freshly cooked pasta slowly fills the kitchen and extends into my living room as I pull a dish out of the oven and scoop a generous heap onto my plate. I do a once-over of the kitchen, making sure the oven and stovetop were off and that the dishes were in the dishwasher, ready to be cleaned when I’m done eating. I grab a bottle of water from my fridge and make my way into the living room. With a plate of food in one hand and the TV remote in the other, I settle into the plush sofa and surf Netflix, trying to find something entertaining to watch with my meal.It has been three months since I left my old pack—a decision I do not regret—and I had been lucky enough to find a house that the realtor described as a “mini-mansion” just inside neutral territory but hours away from Forest Paw. The best part about this place is the large greenhouse that I began using right away to grow fruit trees and vegetables. Since being rejected and becoming a rogu
Chapter 8 - Dealing with Beasts The night is eerily silent while my feet carry me through the tree canopy. Nocturnal animals were hidden away, causing dread to swell inside me. With how quiet it was, it meant the situation with the Soulless is worse than I thought. As I cross the northern border to the Blood Moon Pack territory once again for the night, the signs of struggle slowly grow below me with my eyes scanning the forest floor. You could usually sniff out the foul stench of a Soulless before you see them. Carefully sniffing the air, the scent of decay and rot reach my nose, causing me to feel woozy. I couldn’t help but use my black scarf to cover up my mouth and nose to rid of the stench I breathe in, stopping to lean on a trunk for support. I hated this stench.The sounds of growling reach my ears, indicating that I am close. I continue forward, making sure that the stench is filtered so as not to get sick off the scent of the Soulless, and continue to keep an eye
Chapter 9 - Saving an AlphaI waited for the next wave of attacks as the three Hunters circled around me. The leader of the Soulless group waited patiently in the background as large snarls are directed at me. I thought the Hunters would be the easiest to deal with, but it’s clear I was dead wrong. The Hunters were far more organized than the Trackers. Clearly, they had planned out their attack on how to wear me down. I hated it.The next wave starts, and I grin, this time prepared for their attack. I watched each wolf carefully, waiting to see who would go first. It seemed like everyone’s patience is wearing thin. The first one to make a move is the black wolf to my left. He leaps at me, his body high in the sky and I drop to my knees, my throwing knife cutting deep into his belly. He hits the ground dead, black blood pooling around his corpse.The second one runs at me, her fury escalating from the sight of the dead Hunter behind me. I guess those two were close. As the she-wolf get
Chapter 10 - Fateful EncounterThe warm sunlight surrounds me as I stare at the lake in front of me. The sound of waves gently crashing against the shore washes a sense of calmness over me as the soft breeze ruffles my long hair and pink sundress. Today, I am nineteen years old, and it has been one year since becoming a rogue. My heart still feels broken, but I am happy instead of feeling a shattering pain from the rejection. As pups, we are told that the first year after being rejected is the most difficult to overcome. Your sanity could shatter, or the pain of the rejection could physically kill you. If the mate that rejected you was selfish, they could cause more harm to you by having sex with other wolves after the rejection. I knew that pain all too well.But somehow, I managed to keep my sanity, even when I felt like giving in to the pain. I managed to survive a year alone as a rogue and even killed plenty of Soulless in the process. You might think that I’m cruel for killing an
Chapter 11 - Training Blood Moon Wolves “Seriously, guys, it’s only been an hour, and you’re all out of breath. Ten kilometres should be a warm-up for Trackers.” I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at the scene before me as I casually lean against the sturdy maple tree behind me. An hour ago, Dominic had called all of the Trackers and Trackers-in-training to the training field and introduced me to all of them as the Head Tracker candidate. At first, some questioned his decision to bring a rogue into the territory, but when he mentioned my name and the fact I owned Fire Heart Bakery and Gift Shop, they soon quieted down and gave me the respect of an Elite wolf.Some wolves groan and fall to the ground as they try their hardest to catch their breath, while others start to puke whatever they had eaten for breakfast this morning. All I could say is how sad this sorry bunch of wolves looked with just a simple run that should have been a walk in the park for them. Clearly, this ans
Chapter 12 - Worst Nightmare Comes to Life "H.T. Amber." A voice calls out to me as I step out of my Mustang, the cold winter air nipping at any exposed skin not covered by my winter gear. I turn around to catch a Tracker jogging her way towards me, her warm breath fogging in the winter air and blonde ponytail bouncing up and down."Hi Lease, want to give me a hand with these?" I close the driver-side door and make my way to the back seat, revealing boxes upon boxes from my store’s bakery, my logo proudly showing."Sure, as long as I get some to snack on some too!" I chuckle when Lease’s stomach growls to punctuate her statement. I bend over to pick up a few cake boxes and hand them to her. These were some treats that I had made in advance for the pack while at my store. Business has boomed incredibly in the last year and a half after agreeing to Dominic’s request. Today has been busy, and all I wanted was to go home and sleep, but first, I have to make my usual appearance
Chapter 13 - Reluctant Reunion The shrill of my alarm clock cut off my short amount of sleep. My eyes shoot open, and I glare at the machine on the night table beside me. Considering it’s been over two years, and I still held onto the stupid alarm clock Blue gave me, it shows just how valuable the object is at waking me up. With a groan, I get started with my day, turning the machine off before getting ready for the rough day awaiting me. Today, I would be facing the wolves of Forest Paw, and Dominic wants us to leave exactly at six o’clock in the morning—exactly one hour from now. With a burning desire to skin my friend’s hide for agreeing to this request, I quickly shower and dress into my mother’s Tracker uniform. If they wanted the best of the best to train Forest Paw, then I will dress as the best. Feeling as ready as I’ll ever be and needing maybe another ten hours of sleep, I make my way downstairs, take the box of food to my car with my multiple suitcases, and driv
Chapter 14 – Payback Training "You can’t make me do that or anything!” Mia yells, her face inches from mine as her rage filled eyes glare at me. I sigh, tired of her high and mighty attitude as wolves surround us. I could see my wolves tensing, ready to step in and attack if need be. I signal for them to hold off as Mia continues her rant about how she is the Head Tracker and doesn’t need any training. Apparently, Mia is the best Tracker in Forest Paw, and being the Head Tracker I would hope so. But she had deliberately been late to the training session, and then ignored me to try and flaunt her “assets” at my pack mates. This led to me pushing her fake-tanned body into the slush below, where her skimpy white workout clothes were promptly ruined by the slush. Everyone else had been on time, and some were even early to warm up in the winter weather. Only Blue and Axel were given a free pass as they were dealing with the pack finances and gathering intel on the Soulless. Eve