Prologue

"S-Save me!"

Roxanne ran desperately, pushing her body to its limits as she feared for her life. Her eyes darted across the vast woods, searching for the apparition she had seen before she took to her heels. Then she saw it, the thing which relentlessly pursued her.

The shadow resembled something she had never seen before, a man, a beast, she had no idea. The only certainty she had left was the fact that it was after her.

"Someone... Someone help me!" She cried.

Her voice was lost in the large expanse of dried barks and wilted branches. The snowy field of thorns and the cold winds of winter seemed to swallow her entire being, almost like it choked her.

Her breathing became uneven as she panted due to exhaustion, yet she couldn't stop running. Doing so would mean her end. As she dashed through the cold and snowy path, she could hear it getting closer.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrr"

The sound sent shivers down her spine. She willed herself with every fibre of her being not to look behind her for the fear of what she might see. She could feel it's gaze on her, she could hear the sound of it's growl. Roxanne could sense her pursuer's nearing proximity as she fled for her life.

Many questions raced through her mind, but she didn't have the luxury to answer any of them. The only thing at the forefront of her mind was survival.

Fortunately for her, the falling snow had ceased, else she would have been in a much more awry state. She just had to keep her legs moving until she reached the road intersection where she would get help.

Yes, help would come!

She heard creaking sounds above her, from the branches of the trees behind and beside her.

The monster was pouncing on them, keeping pace with her desperate sprint. She looked around her, but the creature moved too fast for her eyes to clearly capture its movements. It was as though the beast was toying with her, playing a game it knew it would win.

As she kept looking around her to get even a glimpse of the leaping man-beast, she failed to notice the obstacle beneath her... Until it was too late.

"Gahhhhh" She let out, suddenly falling.

Oh no, her legs had accidentally hit the protruding root of one of the many trees surrounding her.

Her body crashed into the cold snow, making her feel the harsh embrace of the frost. Her legs were sore from frostbite and her body throbbed with exhaustion and pain.

How long had she been running? She had no idea. The emotions and sensations she ignored while she was running on the high of adrenaline began to flood her body. She tried pushing herself but her body wouldn't respond.

"N-No... Just… a… little... More..." She muttered weakly.

She stretched her hands to reach a non-existent hope of escape, but deep in her heart she knew it was pointless. Her voice reached no one, her cold and shivering hands were going to share the same fate.

"W-Why? Why is this happening to me?" She asked herself, still struggling to get her body to budge.

The strange figure suddenly appeared from above, leaping from the branch of a tree and soaring through the air as though it was flying. It landed before her in a swift and precise manner.

Roxanne slowly lifted her gaze to see the perpetrator of the chaos and her assaulter. It wasn't human!

With jet black fur and a crouching figure, it's beastly jaw looked deadly, along with the claws it had on both hands. The height of what stood before her was not ordinary. It was tall, huge and severely well built.

The strong musk of the creature danced around her nose. It was that of olives and chestnut, with a hint of burnt wood. She couldn't get the smell out of her head, she couldn't think of anything else.

"W-What are you..." She mumbled, slowly losing herself to the cold and exhaustion.

The beast appeared to grin, with it's crimson red eyes shining due to the reflection of sunlight. It stood transfixed in its moment, not uttering a word and merely observing her as she lay helplessly on the snowy ground.

Her vision grew blurry, her eyes began to close forcefully, taking her to the realm of subconsciousness. She was going to pass out... Entirely at the mercy of a dangerous and deadly beast... A monster!

She wondered how things turned out the way they did. From the average 19-year-old girl she was, going to school and the arena, through. Perhaps this was her punishment for saying those mean things to her mother, or for refusing to let go of the past she missed so dearly. Perhaps this was her fate...

"I've finally found you..."

She suddenly heard the voice of the beast. A dark and incredibly deep tone reverberated the rougher body. She wondered what those words meant as she slowly drifted away from reality, unable to respond and incapable of doing much else.

"... You're mine"

Those were the last words Roxanne heard before everything finally went dark.