Chapter 1

"Please don't leave us. We need you. Your daughter needs you. I need you, please." the Luna begged her mate, the Alpha.

"Please. I need to do this. I need to keep you both safe. I can't let anything happen to you, nor to our unborn child. I promise I will look for you once all this is over. I love you." the Alpha replied as he hugs his Luna with their unborn child for the last time.

Little did he know it would be his last time to see his Luna, the last time to hug his Luna, the last time to say the words 'I love you', the last time he would get to touch his Luna's belly where his unborn child is.

"I love you, Gabriel. I will wait for you. WE will wait for you." the Luna replied, hugging the Alpha for the last time before running through the tunnels.

Alpha Gabriel watched as his Luna run through the tunnels with 6 of his best guards and her best friend, Maisy. Once he can no longer see them, he closed the secret tunnel and sniffed the air. He made sure that their smell was masked so that they could not be found. He double checked the tunnel entrance is hidden well. He can't afford to have anyone going after his Luna and unborn child.

Alpha Gabriel ran back to the field where the fight was happening. He saw his beta in his wolf form fighting 4 rouges at the same time. He changed into his wolf form mid-air as he lunged for one of the rouges that were attacking his beta. More rouges attacked them as they fight off each and everyone of those filthy rouges that try to kill them.

As Alpha Gabriel fought the rouges with the rest of his pack, the Luna's safety was jeopardized when a group of 20 rogues attacked them. Them masking their scents was no use because they were being followed by a rogue the whole time they were trying to escape using the tunnel. The guards circled the Luna and her best friend, guarding them from the group of rogues waiting for them to launch an attack. Five minutes have passed and the group of rogues did nothing but circle around them. They were just lurking around as if waiting for something.

In the middle of growling wolves, the Luna suddenly gasped as she reached for her stomach. Maisy immediately checked the Luna's clothes to see if there is any blood showing where the pain might come from. Seeing no blood or any sign of the wound on the Luna's body, she looked at her and they knew–Alpha Gabriel is hurt. The rogues suddenly attacked them and the guards fought hard to keep the Luna and her best friend safe. The guards were outnumbered by the rogues, but they did everything they could to keep the rogues as far as possible from the Luna and her unborn child.

One guard snapped the neck of his opponents while one rogue tore the heart of another guard. Maisy stood in front of the Luna ready to fight off any rogue that will try to harm her. The guards have been fighting the rogues for 20 minutes already, and they are getting more and more outnumbered as each minute passes. There were only 3 guards left fighting off 10 rogues.

Maisy knew that they are left with no choice but to run. The longer they stay and hope that the guards will win this fight with the rogues, the shorter their chance of survival is.

"Luna, we have to go. Now." Maisy said, urging the Luna to run.

She knew the Luna would not leave her guards behind. The guards are her people, and she won't just leave them behind after having to leave the rest of her people behind for the safety of her unborn child. She had to get the Luna into safety and she had to do something to get the Luna out of her trance.

She pulled the Luna by the arm as she slowly gets them both out of the sight of the rogues.

"Please, Maisy. No! We can't leave them behind." the Luna begged.

"Beatriz, I did not take an oath to the Alpha so that I can just let you get killed here in our own territory. I took the oath to protect you and your unborn child with my life, and I intend on doing that. No matter what it takes." Maisy hissed.

She can only speak like this to the Luna because she is her best friend, and she had to.

Maisy took an oath a week after finding out that the Luna is pregnant. Maisy is to look after the Luna and their unborn child. She is to protect them with her life.

The Luna knew she had no other choice but to go. She said a silent prayer to the moon goddess. She prayed for protection over her husband–the Alpha, her pack, and her guards. She looked at her guards one last time, sending an apology to them through the mind link. The guards knew the Luna had to leave and she was just doing her job as a Luna but for her it was betrayal. The Luna and her best friend were able to escape from them unnoticed. They have already passed the boundary of their pack's land when the Luna stopped and looked back at the place she used to call home.

'I am sorry for failing you.'

She let a tear fall on her cheeks before turning her back and continue running.

It was already dark when they arrived at the neighboring city. Maisy changed into her human form before exiting the forest. Maisy carried the Luna on her back as they run through the forest so that the Luna will not get tired from all the running. The Luna did not want to but Maisy insisted and she knew she was right.

They exited the forest without being seen. They crossed the street and hurriedly walked over to the ticket booth. They bought a ticket to East Frasot–the farthest city with an available ticket that night. They immediately paid for their fare and hurriedly sat at the very end of the bus. The bus left after 10 minutes and both Maisy and the Luna were more than relived.

Two weeks before the attack in their pack, Alpha Gabriel had a witch mask their smell. He did this so that no one can find them if worse comes to worst. He also had the witch prepare a potion for his unborn child. He specifically asked for a potion that will hide the wolf of his child.

"Are you sure about this, Alpha?" the witch asked.

"Yes. I am. I have to keep my family safe. I want to have all the options ready just in case the worst scenario happens." he replied.

"Alpha, with all due respect, hiding the wolf of your unborn child would be risky. He or she might not have the chance to have his or her wolf's back–ever again. You know how difficult that is going to be, right?" the witch explained.

"I know. But if we are left with no choice, and if they go to a human city, then this is the only way that I can keep them protected. I have to protect them." the Alpha responded.

"I understand, Alpha. I will have your potion and spell ready by tomorrow." the witch replied.

"Thank you so much." the Alpha said.

The Luna suggested that Maisy take a rest since there will be a long ride to the next bus stop but Maisy insisted the Luna take a rest and she will keep watch. She knew the Luna needed the rest more than she does. After an hour of travelling, the Luna soon fell asleep and Maisy kept her senses up. Maisy tried reaching out to any of their pack members through the mind link while the Luna was sleeping. She tried reaching out to every single one of them, from the Beta to the warriors, but she could not reach them. She did not want to think of the worst scenario. She knew she had to keep her faith. She can't break down now–not ever - the Luna and her unborn child need her.

They arrived at their destination as the sun started to rise. They both took their bags and got off the bus. They looked around their new surroundings. Maisy instantly sniffed the air to check if this is a werewolf territory or a human territory. She relaxed a little after knowing that this is a human territory. They will be safe here–for now.

Maisy looked for a nearby restaurant so that they can eat first. They left last night without having a meal. She might not be that tired, but she is starving. They found a small restaurant open near the bus stop. The Luna sat at an empty table while Maisy order them food. Five minutes later, Maisy came with a tray full of food and placed it on the table. They ate quietly in peace as each of them are lost in their own thoughts. When they were done eating, they looked around East Frasot for a place to stay.

They looked at one apartment after another until they found a house that is at the outskirt of the city. It is built on a huge land with a forest behind it. They knew it would be the house that they would live in. After an hour of talking with the owner and what not, they are now the new owners of the rest house of an old couple that used to live in that same area when they were still newlyweds.

The Luna stared at her new home. The reason that she bought this house was because it looked like the house that she and the Alpha were planning to build for their family. She still had hope deep down in her heart that Alpha Gabriel would come to find them.

Since the house was already completely furnished, Maisy went out and get groceries for them. She made a mental note on the things she needs to buy for the house as she walked around the house checking every single corner. She knew she needed to keep them protected even though they are in a human territory. Those rogues won't stop at nothing to kill the Luna and her unborn child.

Maisy went to the city to buy food and stuff that she will need for their security system. She bought lots of fresh fruits, vegetables and meat. Money was not a problem to them. Alpha Gabriel gave them enough money to survive their whole life in luxury. Maisy was busy picking what kind of bread she should buy when someone touched her shoulder.

She turned around with cautious and as calmly as she could but deep inside her heart was racing a thousand miles per hour.

'No! It can't be.' Maisy thought.

She slowly turned around and....

'CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!'

"Ugh! Every single time! Can't I have a day where I can actually complete my dream?" I muttered, removing my blanket from my body.

I checked my phone if there are any updates from the author of the werewolf book I was reading. I am addicted to reading books. Unfortunately, we don't have werewolf books except The Little Red Riding Hood. E-book has been very helpful to me. They have a huge variety of books, specially werewolves. I placed my phone under my pillow and stretched my limbs as I get out of my bed. I fixed my messy hair and threw it in my normal bun before fixing my bed. Fixing my bed has become a habit ever since I arrived in the orphanage. It is one of their rules here. I will get in trouble if I don't fix my bed.

I went to the bathroom to pee and do my morning routine - which is basically washing my face with water. We are not really that privileged to have soap for the face and stuff. Once I was done, I head outside the house to start with my chores. Being an IL (Independent Living) makes me a leader of a group. Each group comprises 3 to 4 young kids and another pre-teen that would be your assistant.

There are 40 kids in the orphanage. We have about 10 caregivers to watch over us. There are only 4 to 5 caregivers who watch us per day. They have routine schedules. We have 2 cooks and 6 teachers. We have our own school inside the orphanage. It's a huge place that looks like a big, green playground. Every child is taught how to do chores. Kids as young as 3 years old know how to clean the house, wash plates, do laundry and rake leaves. We don't have maids or someone to clean after us. We do them ourselves.

All the kids are divided into categories. We technically live in separate houses. There is a big house for all the little girls. Every girl that is 3 years old up to 10 years old live in the Little Girl's house. The same goes to the Little Boys' House. The Big Boys' House consists of boys aged 11-15. Independent Living consists of teen-age kids – boys and girls are separated.

I have 4 small kids in my group, 2 little girls and 2 little boys, and a pre-teen as an assistant. Our schedule for this week is fetching water. We don't have running water. All we have is a pump. I took out all the buckets we have in our house and head straight to the little boys to pick up Joshua and Jake. I did the same and picked up the Carla and Princess from their house. Once we were complete, I have them lined up behind me as we walked to the pump. The pump is not far from their house. It takes about 40 adult steps to get there from their house.

We arrived at the pump and lined up all our buckets. Richard already had the big tumbler prepared. For us to finish our chores early, we do our chores together. Joshua and Carla were assigned to do all the pumping today. Meanwhile, Jake, Princess, Richard and I will carry the buckets of water to each house. What we do is we all fetch water for the Little Girls' House before proceeding to the Little Boys' House. Once the two houses are done, we fill up the tumbler in the Big Boys' House, then the Independent Livings House. This way we finish earlier than fetching water separately.

Each group has only around half an hour to finish our chores. Those who do not finish their chores when the bell rings for breakfast cannot eat until they finish. Half an hour may seem like enough time to finish chores, but that all depends on how fast each team works and the category of their chores. That is why I am strict with my teammates. You know what they say – 'Team work makes the dream work'. Our dream is to not be late for our meals.

Unfortunately for the other group, they could not make it in time for breakfast. Once the bell rings for breakfast, you have 10 minutes to get to the kitchen. If within 10 minutes and you are not yet there, you will have to wait until the schools break time to eat your breakfast. Our break time is at 9:10. That is why it is so vital for the leaders to have their team mates do their chores fast and efficient.

Everything in the orphanage works like a clockwork. Kids in here are like in military training. They are strict and if you don't follow the rules, you will be punished. I once got punished for forgetting to take my laundry from the clothesline. I had to work the whole day cleaning, doing laundry and washing the dishes.

I have been living in the orphanage for as long as I can remember. I was told that I was brought here when I was 5 years old. No one really knows what happened to my Mom. All I was told was that she died. As for my Aunts and Uncles, I do not know where they are as well or if I even have one. I was brought to the orphanage by the child services.

The only thing that made the orphanage worth living was my best friend, Casey. Casey arrived at the orphanage a year after I did. We became close from the very first day. Growing up together made us the best of friends. We were inseparable that was until she turned 18. She left the orphanage when she turned 18. She was 3 years older than me. After she left, she could never visit the orphanage again. It has been 2 years already since she left. I miss her so much. She was the only one that I treated as my real sister. My life became dull when she left, and that is when I started reading books online.

"Beatrice, the Director wants to see you." one kid named Ron said.

"Where is the Director at?" I asked.

"She is at her house." he replied before leaving.

I grabbed my books and my skirt before heading to the Director's house. I knocked on the door as I called out for the Director.

"Director? You called for me?" I asked as I waited for her by the door.

"Yes, I did." She replied coming out of her office.

She has a make-shift office in her house. It was actually the old bedroom of her youngest daughter. She made it her office when her daughter moved out.

"Yes, Director?" I asked, waiting for her to tell me the purpose of summoning me.

"We have a group of visitors coming later. I want you to entertain them and give them a tour of the place before I talk to them." she said, tapping on her phone.

"Yes, Director. What time would they be coming?" I asked.

If there were visitors coming, I need to know exactly when are they arriving so that I can adjust my schedule.

"They said that they will be around 9 am. Don't forget to have them sign on the logbook and give them snacks after the tour." she instructed.

"Yes, Director. Will that be all?" I asked.

You can never be too sure. She might have forgotten to tell me something else, and I don't want to end up getting in trouble for anything she forgot.

"Yes. That is all." she said.

"Okay, Director." I replied.

I left her house and went straight to school. I just arrived when the school bell rang. I hurriedly wrap my skirt around my waist while I stand in line. Once we were complete, the teacher motioned for us to enter the room. I went straight to my table and placed my books down. After all the morning ceremonies, we all sat down to start our school work.

We are actually home- schooled. So, we have our own booklets to finish. One advantage of being home schooled is that you can go on your own pace. If you are a fast learner, then you can finish around 2 levels in one year or more. If you are a slow learner, you can take time to study as you finish your level. Even though we are home schooled, we still had goals to finish. We have to finish at least 3 booklets per quarter in each subject. If you don't finish your quarterly goals, you will be punished for a week. I always try so hard to finish all my booklets in time. Even though I always get pulled from school because I am the one who gives the tour and entertains the visitor whenever we have one, I never have a free pass.

Before starting my schoolwork, I went to our supervisor to let him know I will leave the school early and most probably won't be back until after lunch break because of the visitors that will be arriving. He gave me permission and was told to do as much as I could before the visitor arrived. I did as I told and dived into my schoolwork. Thankfully, I did advanced studying last night. I was able to finish two subjects by the time the visitors arrived. I immediately left school to greet the visitors that have just arrived.

"Good morning Ma'am, Sir, everyone." I greeted as I try to catch my breath from running from school to the Multipurpose Building.

"Good Morning. Is Mrs. Jackson here?" one man asked.

"Yes, sir. As of now, the Director is just finishing up some meetings. Allow me to give you the tour of the place." I replied.

"Oh, that is great! By the way, my name is Arthur, and this is my wife Sharon." he said as he gestures to the lady next to him.

"Hi. These are our work friends with us." Mrs. Sharon said.

"Hi Mr. Arthur and Mrs. Sharon. Hi everyone! My name is Beatrice. I am one of the kids that lives here. Just let me know when you guys are ready to start the tour." I replied.

"Are you guys ready? Let's go?" Mr. Arthur asked his group.

They all agreed, and I started the tour.

"This is the Training and Learning Building. There is a small stage here where we hold ceremonies such as School play, presentations and graduations. We also have a big library here with all the varieties of books from kids to adults. The other half of this building are empty rooms for big group of visitors that spend the night here." I explained, touring them all over the Training and Learning Building.

They took pictures and commented on how beautiful the library is. We then moved to the closest building to it – the school and the office.

"Right here is the school. The right side is for all the students that are in Level 6 and below. The left side is for everyone that is in Level 7 and above. We have 4 Supervisors and 2 Class Monitors." I explained as we passed by the school.

The Director hates having the visitors inside the school during class time unless they were really there to help.

"This next building is the Social Workers' office. Pictures for the activities and events that happened for the previous month are all posted on this bulletin board. Please feel free to check out the recent activities and events that have happened the previous month while I get the logbook for all of you to sign. Please excuse me for a second." I explained before excusing myself to go fetch the logbook.

I came few seconds later with the logbook and a pen. I gave them the logbook and allowed each of them to sign in the logbook. Once they were done, we moved to the next part of the tour.

"This is our playground on the left and this is the Director's house and office." I pointed out as we passed by the playground and the Director's house.

Our playground has a trampoline, slides, swings, sandbox and monkey bars.

"This is the little girls' house." I stated.

I removed my slippers as I enter the Little Girls' House. They all followed me as I showed them around the house.

"Where are their beds?" one of them asked.

"The little kids are not allowed to have a bed frame. All they have is a mattress. Each kid has their own mattress. They lay it out at night here and stack them up to the wall in the morning. This keeps them safe from falling off the bed at night. It also saves a lot of space." I explained.

They all nodded.

"Here is the Little Boys' House. It is the exact replica of the Little Girls' House. The next building is the Independent Livings' House. This is where all the teen-age girls live. We have a small dirty kitchen at the back where we cook our own food. The only time we eat with the rest of the kids is during lunch on the weekdays. The layout of our house is a little different from the rest. We have actual rooms but no doors. We also have double decks." I explained.

They went inside the houses and saw everything they were all curious about. After the tour, we went back to the Multipurpose Building.

"Please excuse me for a moment." I excused myself as they all took a seat.

I went to the storage room and grabbed a tray. I placed the juice, straw and bread on the tray. I returned to the Multipurpose Building and gave them each a juice and bread.

"Please have some snacks while we wait for the Director. She won't be long now. She will be here soon. If you have questions, please don't hesitate to ask." I informed them.

"Beatrice, what happens to the kids once they turn 18?" Mr. Arthur asked.

"Once a child turns 18, he or she gets signed out. If they have family members, then they can opt out to go to back to their families. If they don't, then it's up to them to decide where they would want to go." I answered.

I tried to answer the question as calmly as possible. I would soon turn 18 and I will do the latter. I don't know if I even have family to go back to or if they even exist. I don't know if they even know that I exist. I could go to Casey, but I don't even know where she is. I shook the sadness that I was feeling and focused on the visitors.

"Oh, that is sad. What about adoption?" Mrs. Sharon asked.

"No one has ever gotten adopted from our place. People always complain how it is too expensive to adopt a child, so we are just left here until we are kicked out." I replied.

"What about you? Do you have any families to go back to?" Mrs. Sharon asked.

Before I even had the chance to reply, the Director has already arrived.

"I am so sorry to keep you all waiting. I had a very important meeting with the government. I hope Beatrice here took care of you all good." the Director said as she stood next to me.

"Oh yes! She is such a sweet child. She showed us around and gave us snacks." Mrs. Sharon replied.

I smiled at her response.

"Yes, she is such a sweet one." the Director added, looking at me sweetly.

"Director, can I go back to school now? I might still have some time before the lunch break." I asked.

She looked at her phone and nodded. "Sure. Go ahead."

"If you would excuse me, I would head back to school." I said, excusing myself from the visitors.

"Thank you so much Beatrice for the wonderful tour. It was so kind of you." Mrs. Sharon said, hugging me.

I hugged her back and replied, "It was not a problem Ma'am."

I left and run towards the school. I arrived and saw that there were 20 minutes left before the lunch break. I composed myself and focused on using that 20 minutes wisely.

'KKKRRRRIIIINNNNGGGGG!!!!!'

"Lunch Break!" the Supervisor announced.

We all stood up and waited to be dismissed. Once dismissed, I gathered my teammates so that we can all go to the kitchen together. We all waited in line to get our food. Once we all had our food, we sat down at our assigned table and ate quietly. I waited until my team finished eating. I can't leave my team unattended. It is my job as the team leader to watch them and make sure that they follow the rules as much as possible. When they finished their lunch, I instructed them to put their dishes in the basket accordingly. There are three baskets by the table, one is for the plates, the other is for cups and the last one is for spoons.

After lunch, everyone takes a nap for half an hour before going back to school. Watching the little boys as they take their nap is one of my many tasks. My job is to make sure that all the little boys brush their teeth before taking their nap. They also have to be quiet during those times. I always wake them up 5 minutes before 1 pm so that they have enough time to fix their beds and get ready for school.

Thankfully, I was able to finish all the schoolwork I had to do for today. I fixed my table before leaving the school. I went straight to the Director's house to finish the updates for the website. After 2 hours of editing and updating the website, I turned off the laptop and left. I went straight to our house and placed my skirt on the top of my drawer. I lie down on my bed and opened my Wattpad to continue reading the book I downloaded last night.

That is basically my daily routine – wake-up, eat, chores, school, eat, work, school, work, eat, chores, work, study, read, sleep.