Chapter 1
I’d let myself forget how terrifying the world outside the pack fence has really become. But now, I’m confronted by it all over again.
I stand at the gate, peering out at the fields. The grass is still stained with the blood of my fallen pack mates. Debris blows in the wind. It is a scene of utter desolation.
I look over at Zak, our Alpha. He is a strong wolf, but this time, he has failed us. Our rogue enemies breached our territory and they have killed nearly all of us.
“What are we going to do now?” I ask him. “Where will we go?”
He grits his teeth. “Make it to the next pack’s territory.”
My stomach churns. Our closest pack lives the other side of the mountain, several days walking away. We are already weak from hiding for days without food.
“What happens when we get there?” I ask.
“We beg them to take us in.”
Beg? That is what we have been reduced to? Beggars? Relations with them are strained at the best of times. Why would they take in a bunch of refugees like us?
I look behind me at all that remains of our pack. Once, I fought these women for the affections of our Alpha. Now, I see them as my sisters. I am the eldest of them, and they look to me for direction. It seems I must now take the mantle of leadership.
I give the gate a solid push open and walk out onto the fields. The women follow. I take one last glance at my old home, feeling a pain in my chest to see it in ruins.
There was a time our pack was thriving. But that time is gone. Now, we must leave everything behind.
It’s time to start a new life.
* * *
We walk in silence, the silence of dread. I have never felt so alone. The chill of the wind bites into my flesh. Storm clouds gather above us. Thunder rumbles in the distance. I can feel the electricity in the air.
We are close to the mountains now, but the women are starting to whine from hunger. I don’t know why Zak has not let us hunt yet. Perhaps the woods are still full of rogues?
“We should hunt soon,” I tell him.
He shakes his head. “We will eat once we reach safety.”
“We can’t reach safety if we’ve starved to death.”
He turns to me, his eyes blazing with fury. “What did you say?” he bellows.
I feel the challenge behind his words. He wants me to disobey him. He want me to say the million words on the tip of my tongue. The angry words. The accusations and insults. He wants me to provoke him so he can justify his cruelty.
I take a few steps back.
Behind me, I can feel women fall into hushed silence. Obedience. Subordination. That is all that is expected from us.
But here I am, alive where others have fallen. Not because of Zak’s protection, but because of luck.
I look him directly in the eye. “We will not reach safety without food.”
“You dare defy me?” he roars.
I narrow my eyes at him. “I will not let you lead the pack to death.”
I barely get the words out before he lunges at me.
I dart aside and he turns to bite me. The women stare at me, their eyes wide with shock as Zak clamps his jaw down on my flank.
I yelp in pain as he shakes me, roughly, then tosses me aside to the ground. I tumble into the dirt, the wind knocked out of me.
Zak looms above, his rain-clumped fur on end. He is a formidable wolf at the best of times, but ravaged by hunger and defeat he is downright terrifying.
“You think you’re in charge, Leah?” he growls. "You think you're Queen?"
I heave myself to all fours and shake out my fur. It stings from the lacerations on my flank but I don't let him see me wince. Instead, I meet his eye and hiss back, “I think you are a fool."
There is a moment of stunned silence as Zak’s eyes widen in shock. I’ve never spoken to him like this before. None of us have. We are always docile. Meek. Agreeable. But that was when we believed he was our protector. That the only thing standing between us and certain-death was him. We tolerated his cruelty in exchange for his protection. But now the pack has fallen, the spell he once held over me has broken.
A slow decent of fury seeps into his eyes, making his pupils so large they are completely black. Then he springs into action.
He pounces, landing his full bulking weight on me, knocking me to the ground. He pins me down beneath his paws and bares his teeth. A flash of lightning streaks across the sky behind him.
“Who are you to judge me?” he roars, his breath hot on my face.
“You let our pack die!” I snarl, squirming beneath him. “You said you would protect us! But your cowardice got our pack mates killed!”
I lash out with my claws, raking them across his face. Bright red blood sprays from the gash and I feel his grip loosen. I take my opportunity, pushing forward with all my might with my strong back paws. He staggers from the blow and I manage to slither out from beneath him him. I pull myself to my feet and pounce.
I land on his back, and before I know what I’m doing, my claws start tearing through his fur and digging into his skin. He roars in agony but I do not stop. I feel a rage like I have never felt before. Anger has taken over completely. I bite into his neck with my strong incisors and I feel his flesh give. I taste his blood on my tongue. I feel its hotness. I hear his pained whimpers. Then I hear them die to silence.
His body goes limp. The fight seeps out of him.
He is dead.
I have killed him.
I have killed the Alpha.
I sit back on my haunches, stunned by what I have done. My muzzle is stained with his blood. I look around at the shocked faces of my pack mates. They are not fighters, but there is no way they will forgive me for what I have done. Zak was our leader. Our husband. The other women will kill me now for sure.
But instead, they begin to utter quiet howls of approval. They huddle up behind me and as I look around at their faces I see no anger. I see only respect. They have come to the same realization I have. Zak failed us. He would lead us only to more pain.
Rain begins to fall as I look down at the corpse of my former Alpha. He is dead. The old life is over. We are free.
But we are also in grave danger.
