1: echoes of vengeance

BANG BANG BANG

The deafening sound of pounding on the door echoed through the dimly lit room, shattering the silence of the night. My heart pounded in my chest, matching the rhythm of the harsh knocks. Fear chewed at me, threatening to consume me in its suffocating grip.

"Open this fucking door before I smash it into pieces! I know you're in there; I can sense your fear, little one, so open up!" The voice outside was loud and cold, sending shivers down my spine. I curled in the corner, clutching the worn-out teddy bear to my chest, trying to hide from the terror on the other side.

"No! Go away," I managed to whisper, my voice shaking with fear. Tears streamed down my cheeks like a waterfall , mingling with the sweat on my brow.

"I'm going to count to three, if you don't open up, I am going to break it open," the voice threatened, the agitation in its tone growing obvious.

"ONE..... TWO..." My breath jerked , and the room began to suffocate me, like the walls were closing in on me. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears.

A sudden crash shook the room, the door shattered into pieces under the force of the intruders. The loud noise made me clench onto my dress tighter, trying to calm my still trembling body.

The footsteps grew louder and closer, each thud like a deafening drum sound in my ears. I curled into an even tighter ball, seeking refuge under the bed, praying that I would become invisible to the menace that was now inside the room.

"Look what we have here, if it isn't little miss pup! Well, playtime is over, Doggo," he sneered, his voice dripping with hostility. He yanked a generous amount of my hair, causing me to release a deafening scream .

****

In my nightmare, I was trapped in an unending cycle of terror, reliving the terrible night that changed my life forever. The demon of a man who had taken everything from me, my parents, my home, my happiness, keeps haunting me in my sleep.

My mind became a battlefield of emotions, an overwhelming storm of fear. I wanted revenge, but I also needed to be patient a bit. Every night, I fought my desire for vengeance.

As I lay in my bed, drenched in sweat and tears, my heart still racing from the intensity of the nightmare, I knew that my journey for revenge was far from over. The journey will surely be scary and hard but I must be ready for it.

I vowed to confront my past and the demons that haunted me. The nightmare served as a reminder of the injustice that had befallen me. And I am not going to rest until I have avenged my parents and shattered the chains that bound me to this agonising past of mine .

I don’t care about the consequences. I shall wait for the right time, although the alpha promised to personally find my parents murderer or murders and bring them to justice himself, it doesn’t mean I will seat and wait for him. For all I Know the alpha might not take its as serious he should, even with the fact that my parents were his friends and most loyal pack members, but, they were also replaceable. It has been nine years and the alpha is still quiet about it. However, when the moment is right, I will make sure they pay for their sins, and I shall see to that.

"Aria, Aria, ARIA!!" Lacey's urgent voice took me out of my trance, snapping me back to the reality of the pack house chaos.

"Aria, can you please hurry up?" Lacey called out for what felt like the hundredth time. The alpha's son was returning, and we had to make the place spotless—'make it shine like the castle it is,' as Luna put it.

Being an orphan here meant becoming an unspoken servant. No one called us that, but we felt it in every chore dumped on us. Without parents to defend us, we had no escape from this filthy place. But this was our life in the pack—a life I had grown used to.

They called us "orphaned pups" as if we were the real threat. But it was their bias that turned us into outcasts. I often wondered why they expected us to be tamed when they treated us like monsters.

"Snap out of it, young one. We have a lot of work to do. Save those thoughts for later, because when the Luna wakes up and finds this place like this, she will rain hell on us all," Lacey advised, heading for the door. Lacey was the only one I felt comfortable around, even though we weren't close. She showed me kindness in this hostile and chaotic place.

"Oh my god, Lacey! I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm coming!!" I rushed to my little bathroom to wash up. I needed to escape the grim reality, if only for a moment.

After a quick cleanup, I was ready for the day. I tied my waist length hair in a low bun and put on my apron as I stepped out of my room.

The familiar scent of lavender and vanilla air freshener greeted me in the hallway. Elise must be up already. I followed the fragrance straight to the kitchen, where we had a mountain of chores ahead.

As I began my tasks, a sudden pain stabbed my chest, but I shook it off, knowing I had to focus on the chores. Time dragged on, and my mind drifted. I sent death glares at the stubborn croissants through the oven's glass, stomping my foot on the wooden floor in frustration.

"Damn girl, please have some mercy on my ears and the old wooden floors, or should I get on my knees?" Lacey joked, dramatically placing a hand on her forehead. I couldn't help but chuckle at her playful behaviour.

"Ugh, that must've been disturbing to your ears, my apologies. I'm just a little tired, and it seems like these damn croissants want to take forever!" I unintentionally raised my voice with frustration. Chores always felt like an endless burden, and sometimes, my self-control flicker.

"Oh honey, it must be exhausting. Go take a break and rest; I'll finish up here. And when you come back, don't forget to have some breakfast before you head out, okay?" Lacey's warm smile was a balm to my crusty soul.

"Oh my, you are such a sweetheart, Lace! What would I do without you!" I squealed with joy. Lacey's caring nature was very rare in this harsh pack house.

"Uhm... you'd simply lose it?" She raised a brow playfully before pulling me into a hug and kissing my forehead as she always did. Her affectionate gestures never bothered me, they reminded me of my mother's warm embraces—a comforting memory in the chaos of my life. I wished I could stay in her arms forever sometimes, but the reality was harsher, and I forced a smile when she broke the hug.

"Okay, now out you go before I change my mind," Lacey teased, flashing me her million-dollar smile.

I swiftly let go of her, uttering a "you're the best, Lace ace," before making my way to the stairs. The excitement still rumbling within me, and my eagerness blinded me as I practically ran towards the door.

But then, in my haste, I crashed into a solid yet gentle figure. My heart skipped a beat as I looked up, meeting a pair of strange silver grey eyes. In that moment, time seemed to slow down a bit as I took a whiff of his intoxicating scent, smelt like musk with a hint of cinnamon. I felt like I was drowning in his mesmerising eyes while breathing into his scent.

I lost my balance and began to fall, but his strong arms grabbed me just in time as I stumbled backward, and lost my balance on the staircase. I looked up at him, my heart still racing. "Thank you," I breathed, feeling a newfound sense of safety in his embrace.

He smiled, his eyes not leaving mine, and a sense of familiarity washed over me. It was as if we had known each other for a lifetime, even though we had just met. "I've got you," he whispered, his deep voice echoing within me.

"I'm Jackson ," he introduced himself, breaking the silence with a warm smile.

"Aria," I replied, my voice soft as I spoke my name to him.

I regained my composure, and a sense of peace washed over me. In that moment, I couldn't deny the magnetic pull towards him. I have seen and been in contact with many wolf but this one was different. and if it weren’t for my wolf I would have thought he was my mate.