Chapter 1
The wind tickled the woman's golden hair as she hurriedly ran from those beasts that were after her. They were creatures that were hungry not for flesh but for power; they could not fathom. Bathed with sweat and filled with anxiety, she slipped past grazing rock formations found scattered in the mainland grandeur. It was eerily quiet that night, and although she had no one to aid, the full moon was there to mend her de-escalating hope. The creatures, unlike humans, had remarkable speed and agility, abilities hard to imagine, and with the wrong intentions and state of mind, they could take over and rule places of tranquility.
A slither of moonlight appeared at the grand expanse, and with careful concentration, the woman chanted a few known spells that would help her with the situation.
"She's reciting incantations!" she heard another man growl. Perhaps the man hasn't shifted. That call was their signal, though; the men wailed as a knot in her chest tightened. Why wasn't it working? Why now, out of all times?
Thinking about how the moon abandoned her growing fear and determination made her lose the last string of hope. Her upper arm burned with archaic markings, and she clutched it desperately, praying to the Moon Goddess in agony to lend the woman her energy. Her mind was repeatedly chanting. Instead, a repulsing pain enforced its way up her limbs and torso. Suddenly she had a gist of what was happening, the ripping and tearing clawed like her passing nightmares. In exchange for power, a fragment of the soul must be given. This was it, Mother had grown too greedy she dreads this day when she can no longer make use of the power stored within the family bloodline…she thought to herself.
Sometimes she wonders if death served as their payment.
Twenty years ago, her mother had shown a path that no one else knew except for them. The family kept it secret. She was bound to find that path once more but failed.
As the woman sprinted through the thick undergrowth, her feet captured a few stubbles on the ground. It was painful, but she was dead set on escaping those vile creatures. They were shifters of the blood orb pack set to assassinate the last of her kind. It was pure genocide; seeing her pack's corpses was pure trauma and hell. Snapping out of her daze, the woman peered and saw how they were gaining in proximity. She might not have transformed just yet, but she was capable of running with her two legs; sprinting under sheer pressure is part of their training, and now did she only appreciated the endless torture she had to go through to strengthen her durability.
Then, the woman came to a complete halt.
The waves of sea thrashed against the walls of canyons as her golden hair looked ghastly against the shine of the moon, and as she looked back again, saw their wolves growling ferociously, she then stumbled backward. The woman was cornered and outnumbered. Even if she managed to put up a good fight, there is no guarantee that the book in her hands will be kept safe and away from their hands. The knobs on her mind were turning, and the clock was ticking...it was now or never.
She quickly leaped into the unknown...
****
Head throbbing. Body feverish. I squeezed my eyes due to the amount of pain I was feeling. A soft and delicate white-stray light met my face just as I was slowly awakened from the pain in my upper arms. At first, there was the typical calmness like how every morning sunshine meets my face in a caress, the next thing I knew I was struggling to get myself together. My heart pounded in bewilderment. It took me quite a while to notice that my hands were tied to a wooden chair. I slowly looked around and saw no signs of any human or person. Instead, a pole was at the center of the white tent, a desk table with a few crumpled papers, a washbasin, a minute bed, and weapons propped against the wall. There was minimal furniture inside but enough to make sense that this person staying here captured me. Where was I? How did I get here? And most of all...why can't I remember anything?
Questions clouded my head, and no matter how much I tried to recall what had happened, my mind came out blank. Immediately, I became wary and vigilant of the situation. I'm a woman who is held captive, probably against my will. I do not know this place, and I sure do not know who I am either.
My train of thought was suddenly interrupted. Outside of the dome tent, murmurs and chatters ring in my ears. This isn't good...I need to escape, find any means to get out of here. Then, in the midst of my struggles with the rope tied in my hands, I paused upon hearing a low growl.
"Where is she?" a deep voice asked. Hearing that voice made me shiver. It intensified something within me that I could not explain, and it was stirring inside me, begging to be let out. Unable to fathom me feeling this way, I slowly take a breath.
My nervousness did not cease, especially when I sensed someone arriving. With a stunning set of features and a muscular build, there stood a man at the entrance of the huge dome tent.
My heart hammered inside my ribcage as he made his way towards me, slowly becoming clearer that this man was the most gorgeous man I had ever laid my eyes on. Of course, I can't technically guarantee that he was since I lost my memory, but besides the point, his beauty was indescribable. I snarled, and it took me by surprise when the man proved to be amused at how I reacted.
What was happening to me?