chapter 2

***TIANA***

Stepping out , the smell of wild honey, cinnamon and coconut hit my nostrils. The smell was alluring, welcoming, inviting. I sniffed the air and moaned, the scent was nice. I ran to the village. As I came closer, I could hear battle cries, angry roars, wails. I knew then that it was a war, not a new hunt. I changed from running in the open to run in the shadows. I almost screamed when I saw a wolf ripping Bidy's head off. I cupped my mouth, the time had come. I snuck away and found myself in the middle of a battle. Wolves, my people, battling and killing theirselves.

Never hurt a werecreature.

Abiding to that rule, I climbed into a barrow and closed it, hiding inside. I stayed in there unnoticed, watching my people get ripped apart one after the other until only my father, mother, one of my younger brother and his mother were left. I could see three wolves gather them in the village square were I was hiding. My mother was crying, my brother shaking with fear. That scent came again stronger than before, right before I heard a powerful deep voice speak out.

'Your Majesty,' every single blood in my veins went cold, my heart pumping faster at his voice. I bent my neck and looked through the holes, upon my father was the tallest and hugest man I have ever seen.

His body was a structure of art, muscles, abs, popping veins, broad shoulders, sculpted jawline that looked like he was specially made. His hair was strangely silver with highlights of strawberry blonde, wine and darker red, that made it a glint of different colours that glinted under the moonlight. His amber eyes flecked with little bits of gold and amethyst and hunter green highlight. It was hard believing he could possess such eyes but yet again, there are many strange beings amongst their kinds. The special ones. His unblemished skin was cream, paler than your usual cream.

What a hunk of creamy werewolf flesh... My subconscious purred. I shook my head and held my chest, trying to soothe my beating heart.

'Who are you?' Father asked under his breath.

'My name is Lucian Kane, Alpha of Silver Moon Pack. I am sure you don't remember me because we never met but I have waited for years to meet you, to end you myself. For so long you have killed our kind, eliminated my entire family...' He yanked my brother's head up aggressively. 'My mother was the first werewolf you killed,' he growled, the gold in his eyes completely taking over. 'She was pregnant, carrying my promised little brother,' he clasped his palms against my crying brother's head. 'You killed her, ate her like some kind of meat!'

'Your kind eat others,' father dared to speak.

'Never humans! Never other beings like us! You have wickedly killed so many; my mother, my father who died after her, my cousin, uncle, my best friend! Everyone! You took them all!!!' I squeaked at his roar, good thing no one heard me. I could feel his pain, I could perceive his power, yes, perceive. Tears soaked my face, I wasn't bothered about the fact that he had crushed my brother's head, crushed his skull. I was bothered about what he had been through. 'You made me mourn my pack members, children, friends, allies. At the age of four, I grew with only two purpose, one of them never to rest until your kind is wiped out of the face of earth.'

'Your kinds are pitiful, week creatures that shouldn't exist,' father spat. Kale let out a loud humorless laugh.

'And you think it is fun watching your love ones die? Heck! I didn't even see them but you will. Look around, where are your people now? Where are your warriors?' Father's face fell. 'Enjoy,' with a swift move, he grabbed my stepmother and ripped her head off her body. He flung her body and that of my brother's to ten large wolves who quickly used them to play a tug of war.

My heart bled for them, my tears soaked my body. I swallowed every sob, digesting the horrific sight before me. My eyes widened when he took hold of mother, she didn't fight back. 'This is your wife, right?' Lucian asked with a evil smile. 'How much do you love her?'

'Please, if there is anyone you will kill, please don't harm her and my daughter, I beg you.' Dad pleaded, his eyes welling up with tears. Mother sniffed, her eyes finding mine. I knew she could see me, could see where I hid. Her eyes held so much worry, so much warning, so much love. Kale's claws pierced into her throat, digging into her windpipe. He yanked out her oesophagus and vocal cord. Blood gushed out of her throat and eyes, her mouth sharing the same fate.

I hugged myself as I sobbed, father was screaming in agony. I cupped my mouth to stop myself from shouting out as he crushed mother's head with his bare hands, her brain making a loud squishy sound. I felt sick; woozy. Like he did to the others, he hurled her body over to the large wolves. Father fell on his hands, crying bitterly at mother's death. I knew then that he loved her. 'Feeling the pain? Well, that is the least of what I felt!' He barked. 'Bring the girl out of the barrow...'

Bursted!

found

Did I care? No, I didn't.

The moment I felt my mother's life leave her body, something in me snapped, something was destroyed. The tall wolf had ruined me, ruined my need for existing just by killing her. I didn't fight back or cry when I was pulled out, didn't speak when I was brought before him. I stared aghast at my mother's half eaten body, stared as her blood soaked into the earth. He pulled me up, wrapping his huge strong palm on my throat. My eyes locked with his, I swallowed drily. Something flashed in his eyes before his eyes widened, a look of disbelief and shock clouding his face. Everywhere was quiet, fire and need surging through my body from his bloody hand on my throat.

'You have to be fucking kidding me!' He shouted all of a sudden. My stomach clenched at his shout. He threw me down on the ground, a new rage radiating through him.

'Alpha, what's wrong?' Another wolf asked. Lucian roared and in his rage, struck my father to death. I didn't screen, didn't move, just stared with eyes wide open. The beast in him growled at me, his eyes turning black this time.

'Take her alive, she'll be part of the lowest rank of slaves in the manor...'

'What?! But they must all die!'

'Not this one, she saved my chief warrior's sister and her children, I promised them I wouldn't hurt her, yet.'

'I hope you know what you are doing,' another wolf growled.

'Question,' Kale spat. He looked around. 'Set this entire island on fire, burn it all to the ground.'

I couldn't still shake, not even when I was roughly thrown on someone's shoulder and ran out. I watched my whole village drown in flame, the spirits of my people rising to hades for their crimes. 'Goodbye Tiana, I love you.' Mother's voice whispered.

Goodbye mother.