Prologue
I ran as fast as my legs could carry me through this thick forest, leaving Bloodrose Pack’s territory, the place where I and my father had been staying for the past two weeks, behind.
It was in the middle of the night now, and here was pitch-black. But the darkness didn’t frighten me anymore. All I knew was I had to run as far as possible from the pack.
The remarks that made me run away were still ringing in my ears.
“Alpha Wolfgang, how could you let a vampire live in your pack?” asked one of the council members who visited Bloodrose Pack’s territory this afternoon.
“Yes,” added another council member, “you know, it’s inappropriate for a vampire to live in the werewolf’s territory. She could be a threat for your pack and other nearby packs.”
“Excuse me, Gentlemen. The vampire you’re talking about is my daughter. And the most important is she’s only a half-blood vampire. She’s not a threat for our pack or other packs,” my father defended me.
“A vampire is a vampire whether she is half-blood or pureblood. They are our enemy,” said the other council member. His voice was full of venom.
How could I forget the fact that I was a half-blood vampire? It meant that I was the enemy to the werewolves. Even though the Bloodrose Pack’s members were willing to welcome me with open arms, I still couldn’t stay with them. My presence would only endanger all of the people who lived there. I didn’t want to take risks with other people’s lives, that’s why I decided to run away.
All of a sudden, I tripped over a tree root that was poking out of the ground, and I fell forward, grazing my knees and palms. Pain shot up my ankle, but I ignored it. I just picked myself up and went on running.
I didn’t know where I was headed. I just ran and ran. I didn’t even care if I might get lost.
I actually wanted to get back to my adoptive family. But London was far away from here. And I honestly didn’t know how to get there.
I wondered if I should return to the vampire kingdom. But I was not ready to face my grandfather’s wrath yet. And I doubted Sigmund would be there to help me this time. King Bellamy might have punished Sigmund severely for betraying him. Or even worse, Sigmund could be killed because of that.
And Prince Maximilian? After I ran away from our wedding like that, I was sure Maximilian wouldn’t want to help me anymore. I had embarrassed him and hurt his feeling. And I understood if he hated me for that.
Running non-stop for a long time left me feeling breathless. Thus, I decided to stop to catch a breath.
When I finally could breathe normally, I intended to start moving again, but something held me back.
‘Oh My God, who is holding me back? Could it be my father? But what if it is a vampire? Even worse, a rogue vampire? Or maybe a rogue werewolf?’ I thought in horror.
Fearfully, I looked back over my shoulder. I let out a sigh of relief when I noticed that the hem of my long white dress got caught on the branches.
I scoffed at my stupidity. I thought I was just being paranoid.
My dress got stuck in the branches and I knew it would take a long time to get it out. So I had to tear the hem of my dress off before carrying on.
However, as soon as I got a couple steps, I abruptly stopped dead in my tracks when I spotted a big wolf a few feet in front of me. Just by looking at its size, I immediately knew that it wasn’t an ordinary wolf. It’s sure to be a werewolf. But it seemed that the werewolf didn’t come from Bloodrose Pack. Because if he did, he would have recognized me.
Did I accidentally trespass into other pack’s territory? I hoped not, because I had heard from Randolph what some packs did to the trespassers. They would kill anyone who dared to cross their territory without permission. And I didn’t want it to happen to me.
But if this wolf was a rouge, it would be even worse. Rogues were infamous for their brutality. I couldn’t imagine what the wolf was capable of doing to me.
The wolf’s menacing eyes locked on mine, and it sent shivers down my spine.
I took a step backwards, and the wolf stepped forward, slowly advancing on me. It seemed that this wolf didn’t want to let me go easily.
‘What shall I do now?’ I asked myself confusedly.
The wolf suddenly howled and almost immediately I also heard other wolves howling in the distance.
‘Oh My God, what is it doing?’ I began to panic.
Within seconds, wolf after wolf emerged from the forest.
‘Oh no, I’m in great trouble. I must get away from here now!’ I told myself.
I spun on my heel and bolted to the opposite direction. Although I was sure that those werewolves could outrun me easily, but I still had to try, right?
However, I was forced to stop running when more wolves arrived, barring my way.
Moments later, more and more wolves also came out from the right and left side of me. Consequently, I was now completely blocked in all directions.
‘Oh no, I’m done for,’ I thought.
All of those wolves began to circle me. I was standing in the middle of them, shaking like a leaf.
‘God, please save me!’ I prayed silently.