Flames of Vengeance

“Are you sure that you used the correct detergent? Andros has a rash again.”

The accusatory tone of her mother warned Eve that today was going to be a difficult day. She sighed, placing down the towel she was just folding, and turned to look the woman who birthed her in the eyes.

“It’s the only detergent we have. I am quite sure.”

“How dare you show such insubordination to your Luna!”

The sting of the slap didn’t faze Eve - it was nothing compared to what the Alpha dished out. The screeching pitch was worse; her bark worse than her bite, so to speak. But Eve lowered her eyes and bared her neck in submission, anyway. She’d learnt long ago that it was easier to just obey.

Not like it made any sense why she had to follow the Pack rules. They all made it clear that she wasn’t one of them; reminded her of it every day, in fact. Even the children avoided her like the plague, as if her ‘ailment’ was catching. A small part of Eve wished it was infectious, but she wouldn’t wish her existence on her worst enemy. Of which she had many.

With a dissatisfied huff, the Luna left the laundry room and slammed the door. Eve winced and continued to fold the towels. It was one of the few chores that she actually enjoyed; it required little to no effort and her mind could drift and dream about a better life, with a loving family. Preferably one where she wasn’t the only human in a werewolf pack.

Although Eve knew no different from the family she was raised with, she often spotted the way other families treated each other, how a parent kissed the top of their child’s head before waving them off to school or wiped healing balm on an injury. She saw how they laughed together during Pack celebrations, how they cried during funerals, clutching each other for comfort.

Eve doubted anyone would attend her funeral - if they even allowed her to have one. She could hardly be buried in the Alpha necropolis, a cemetery for the leader of the Pack and their family. Even though Eve lived in their house, she was never accepted as part of the family.

No, no. As the result of a scandalous affair with a mysterious man from outside Werewood, Eve was a constant reminder of a past that couldn’t be left behind. She was convinced that the only reason she had been allowed to live was so that she could assume the role of maid, cook and punching bag.

The Alpha regularly took his rage out on Eve, furious that his mate would betray him and bring a broken babe into his prestigious home. Eve wasn’t just a reminder of his Luna’s infidelity, but also his weakness as an Alpha; his failure to banish an adulterous mate and a broken babe. Instead, he kept it a secret and told the Pack that had a rare mutation that left me wolf-less. Only a handful knew the truth, including the Beta and the Doctor. She wasn’t even privy to the names of the pair who had raised her with hate in their hearts. That information was deemed too personal for the human runt to know they had taught her to address them as ‘Alpha’ and ‘Luna’ only.

For almost 25 years, Eve had endured abuse from her family and her pack. Under Alpha’s command, the entire community ostracized Eve and refused to even acknowledge her existence. The only exceptions were her teachers and certain staff, who she had to interact with to complete her daily chores. As a young girl, she’d feared that no-one could see or hear her. Mothers kicked at her when she sought comfort, while the Luna would just sneer and send her to her room, which consisted of a stained mattress on the floor and a partially disintegrated box full of tatty clothes.

For a long time, loneliness haunted Eve’s every step. She thought things would improve when her brother, Andros, was born, but his existence just reaffirmed the abnormality of hers. Not that she blamed the babe, of course. It wasn’t his fault that his parents were monsters masquerading as monarchs.

Eventually she learned to embrace the solitude. The silence was infinitely better than seeing lips curl in disgust or combing spit from her mane of wavy auburn locks, or having harden her heart against spiteful curses. For years, she had thought that “you’re not even a wolf” was her name, she’d had it said to her so much.

So, no one noticed when she slinked away to explore the Werewood territory. Sometimes, she would go south towards the next town, but she preferred the roaring waterfalls to the north, right on the border. She wasn’t even sure anyone else knew about them for she’d never seen anyone there. The forest around them was dense as if warding from visitors, but the waterfalls themselves were in meadows of wildflowers. It was her slice of heaven. A place free of abuse. Somewhere she could pretend to be a normal human, reading in the sun.

She’d tried to escape to the human world once. She hadn’t gotten very far. Yet, she had been admiring a lion fountain, foolishly thinking she’d succeeded because she’d crossed a few rivers and thought she had exited Werewood. She didn’t even hear them approach when they came at her from behind, grabbing her and shoving her into a blacked-out SUV. Not a soul on the street turned her way or sought to help her as she screamed for help. She was only 16 at the time.

The beatings when she got home persuaded her never to try it again. Didn’t mean she didn’t contemplate it sometimes.

After finishing her chores in the Packhouse with plenty of time left in the day, Eve decided to head to the waterfalls. She hadn’t been in a while, and definitely missed the sound of birdsong and the cacophony of cascading water as it crashed into a crystal-clear lake. As far as she was aware, the others didn’t know she ventured there frequently. They didn’t know that it was her special place, where she came to get away.

The clarity of the water gave the impression that the lake wasn’t that deep, but Eve knew the water concealed deceptive depths; she’d dropped an mp3 player once, having thought it was a fantastic idea to listen to music as she’d floated around on her back. Her lungs had screamed, and her muscles burned during her futile dive attempts, but she just couldn’t retrieve the precious electronic device. It had been her one comfort at home. Now all she had was the waterfalls and the sun-kissed meadows around them.

The journey there would take at least an hour, and it was mostly through thick forest. The north of Werewood was protected from urban development, being one of the last places in the region that had miles of natural environment. The rest of Werewood wasn’t overdeveloped, but the population was healthy and growing. The werewolf packs of Werewood had a shaky coalition that ensured the peace and prosperity of those living within its borders.

Except for Eve, the human. Of course. She had no legal protections. Thankfully, her status of Alpha’s daughter, even an ostracized one, meant that trouble avoided her - as the Alpha’s property, any insult against her was a direct challenge to him. Eve had never seen him lose, and she saw first-hand how he dealt out punishment. She was sure he would always be the Alpha of the Blue Moon pack. A shadow constantly following her, raining on her parade.

Yet, she enjoyed the hike through the thick foliage, climbing over fallen trees and taking in the smells of the forest. Twitters in the leaves calmed her, the scuttles and cracks of movement on the ground did not scare her. This land felt more like home than home did.

As she lay on the shore of the glistening lake, eyes closed and soaking in the sound of crashing water, her mind once again considered running away. If no one cared she came here, what’s to stop her from heading a little further north and seeing where that got her? Her previous escape had been to the east, towards other settlements. But the north trail was barely used, perhaps they wouldn’t even know she went this way. The Blue Moon were the most northern pack, she was sure of it. All she had do to was… go a little further…

Her heart started to race as she seriously considered it. She snapped upright, suddenly paranoid that the Pack would arrive, somehow sniffing out her thoughts.

Eve splashed her face with water, watching her reflection in the ripples. When the surface stilled, she barely even recognised herself. There was determination and hope in her eyes. It was decided, then.

With nothing but a satchel filled with a bottle of water and a packet of crisps, Eve marched towards the northern border. In her mind, she repeated one mantra over and over, in time with her steps.

The bigger the risk, the bigger the reward.

Auburn hair snagged on branches, waving goodbye in the gust of wind that chased Eve as dipped, dived and darted through the forest as fast as her little legs would take her. She wasn’t even sure where the border was, just that it was north. Doubt crept through her mind; she’d assumed a soft border, but what if there was an electric fence? Or regular patrols?

With no lupine senses, she was at a major disadvantage against any adversary from the Werewood Alliance. They’d be able to smell her a mile off. Her escape would be over before it even began.

She trembled at the thought of being dragged back to the Alpha, who would undoubtedly punish her severely. She could practically hear his laughter taunting her, his breath down her neck as he forced her to submit to his authority.

No, getting caught wasn’t an option.

Eventually, she slowed. Her breathing ragged and muscles screaming, the body demanded a break. A tree stump called to her, seducing her with the prospect of rest. Flopping down, she took in her surroundings as she took a swig from a metal water bottle.

The trees looked slightly different to those found near the waterfalls; bigger, taller and their bark a reddish tinge. Eve was certain that if she hugged one, her fingertips would not touch. If she could find one with a hollowed-out trunk, she could use it as a shelter for the night.

The forest floor was covered in a layer of broken branches, twigs and dying leaves that crunched with each step. Some wildflowers could be spotted, with bees and bugs scuttling over their petals. Moss spread across rocks and dead trees. She smiled. It was peaceful out here. Nature doing its thing, not caring about her. Plus, moss meant water couldn’t be too far.

She strapped the bottle back to her satchel and slung the bag across her shoulders and onto her back. With renewed confidence instilled by quenched thirst, she strode north.

Night was falling by the time the forest started to widen into rolling fields. The sudden change was delineated by a small, rickety wooden fence and a faded ‘Outside Alliance Territory - Turn Back!’ sign. As she traced her fingertips over the chipping paint of the lettering, a sense of trepidation fell over her.

It felt like millions of eyes bore into her back, like the Alpha would grab her wrist and drag her back to the glorified cupboard where she slept. It was too easy...

All she needed to do was get on the other side of the fence, and she would officially be out of Werewood. Free.

But the open space would leave her exposed, vulnerable. It stretched endlessly, a shimmering haze of heat distorting the horizon, while a soft breeze tickled the blades of grass. There was no obvious means of shelter or sustenance. Her stomach growled as the sun sank lower, bathing the green meadows in a dark golden glow.

Bigger risk, bigger reward.

With a determined grunt, Eve clambered over the fence and darted a few feet into the field. Her eyes scanned the treeline, searching for any glinting orbs glaring back at her. She saw none. Didn’t mean there was none, of course.

She didn’t know how far she sprinted into the endless meadow, but it wasn’t long before the sun dipped below the horizon and total darkness swaddled her like a babe, blinding against any threats that awaited her. The tiny twinkles of stars did little to light her way, and she was soon disorientated. For the second time, doubts gnawed away at her determination, and she considered hopping back over the fence to find a hollow tree, like she’d originally planned. But which way was back to the forest? She searched for denser shadows, but her heart dropped as her eyes failed to find any. It all looked so dark.

Eve’s stomach grumbled. Loudly. It seemed to echo across the flat plains, alerting anything with working hearing to her location. She ripped open her salt and vinegar crisps but limited herself to only a handful and a swig of water before stuffing them back into her satchel. Perhaps she should have done some foraging before leaving the forest - at least she recognised the berries there.

Her feet continued, although she had lost the enthusiasm that had carried her this far. Hungry, tired and afraid, Eve regretted leaving the tranquillity of the waterfalls. Even cooking dinner for the Alpha and Luna would be preferable than walking in the wilderness wily-nily.

It was only when she gazed at the sky, hoping the stars would guide her path, that she realised she was crying. The fragile lights were blurred and tears trailed down her cheeks, but she just wiped them away with a scowl and focused on one particularly twinkly star. When she was younger, she’d heard the stories of early navigators using stars to traverse across uncharted territories, of kings, using them to divine the right time for rituals and of farmers tracking their rise and fall as a means to calculate harvest and sowing times. Perhaps, they could help the human out of Werewood?

Eve, for the first time in her life, prayed to the Moon Goddess. She didn’t know the correct rites, nor the words or... well anything, but she hoped that the goddess of the wolves heard her. The Moon must know she doesn’t belong in Werewood. Who else could’ve cursed the Alpha’s daughter to be wolfless, if not the goddess herself?

An eery howl went up behind her, followed swiftly by a chorus of responses. The sound almost stopped Eve’s heart, turning blood to ice in her veins, but terror re-started it. Adrenaline propelled her forward and she sprinted blind into the field, uncaring where she went. She just knew where she didn’t want to go.

Another round of howls cut through the inky air. Closer, this time.

No! They were going to catch her! Eve sobbed, stumbling over loose rocks as she scrambled to get away. Her body felt heavy with regret, and the rushing of blood proved deafening, tears blinding.

In her fervour, she hadn’t even realised she’d entered a cosy coppice. Nor did she spot the sentry guards to the nearby encampment. They saw her, though.

Two young men trailed her adroitly, their footfalls silent as they moved in sync, flanking the tiny girl. They watched as she flailed erratically through the tall, thin trees, yelping and oblivious to their hungry stares.

Fresh meat.

Easy prey.

The howling of wolves stopped everyone in their tracks. They were close. Too close. Eve collapsed to the floor, arms covering her head, trembles taking over her body. She curled into a tight ball, preparing for the onslaught of teeth and fangs.

Hand signs flashed between the camouflaged men. The flurry of movements grew increasingly agitated until the shorter of the two yelled.

“Fine! Grab her, then.”

At the sound of unknown voices and peculiar accents, Eve rapidly uncurled and attempted to push herself to stand, assuming what she hoped to be a defensive position. Her face was still a mask of shock when the dense fist collided with it.

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