CHAPTER ONE
LYCANDRA POV
My legs and lungs are burning from exhaustion from running at full speed as fast as I can through the trees in the forest. The only thing keeping me going is the adrenalin from fear of the faceless beast chasing me and I can feel it closing in behind me. I can feel it closing the distance between us and panic starts to set in, and I push myself harder to try and stay out of its claws. My heart is racing so fast and hard that I swear it felt like it wanted to break free from my chest and I know he could hear and smell my fear and I have this sickening feeling that he is enjoying every moment of the chase and that he was only toying with me. I could feel from his powerful aura that he was very powerful, and I had no doubt that he could have taken me down any time he wanted to but instead he is taking pleasure in my fear from trying to escape it.
The burning in my legs intensifies and I knew that I would not be able to keep this up any longer and a sense of hopelessness starts to set in. I knew that I was just wasting my energy and strength by trying to outrun the impossible. With my fate already decided, unless by some miracle that someone would stumble along to save me, my wolf body gives up and I collapse onto the ground. Stumbling and rolling on the forest floor until I come to a complete stop.
For a moment, my body just shuts down and I am vaguely aware of trying to take deep breaths to replenish the oxygen in my lungs and my legs burn, ache and muscles twitch from pushing them to run further than what I was used to.
My vision swims in and out and I cannot get my brain to focus on what is happening around me and I feel my body shifting on its own accord, unable to hold onto my wolf form any longer and I shiver as the breeze of the cool night air blows over my naked form where I laid exhausted on my side.
My ears pick up the sound of approaching paws coming closer from behind me, its strides sounded almost lazy as it walked through the forest debris that littered the ground.
The fear and panic starts to pool back into my stomach, settling heavily like lead and making it impossible for me to move except for the deep breaths that I was still greedily taking in to try and satisfy my lungs. A sob escapes my throat as the feeling of helplessness settles over me again and I don’t even try to stop the tears from leaving my eyes.
This is it. I think to myself. I’m going to die here, and I don’t even know why or by who. I gather my last bit of strength from my body and push myself onto my back, not caring in the least of my clothe less state. If I am going to die, I will at least face my killer.
I focus my vision on the approaching shadow and I couldn’t help admiring that even though the forest was dark, my approaching soon to be murderer had his own type of shadow that surrounded him that stood out from the darkness of the night. The only thing that I could make out in the shadows were its eyes. Yellow glowing eyes. My breath hitched as soon as our eyes locked…
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK! “Lycandra?”
Three knocks on my bedroom door jolts me sitting upright in my bed. My heart is racing from fear and I am breathing heavily. I look around frantically for the beast that was stalking me, but all I saw was the four walls of the room. my bedroom. I close my eyes and blow out a very relieved breath as the fear that thrummed through my body started to flow away. It was just a dream. Again. I wipe the sweat from my face, and I noticed that I was also crying. Knock Knock Knock. Came the knocks again and I remembered what woke me up, saving me from my nightmare. “C-come in.” I call out, half in half knowing that it could either be my twin brothers or one of my parents. It’s unlikely to be my best friend Tracy because she never bothers to announce her presence and only barges into my room.
The door opens just as I gather myself together and I see my mom stepping into my room. “Happy birthday honey.” She says with a bright smile. I try to put on one of my casual smiles, but she only had to get a quick look at me, and she knew that something was wrong. After closing the door behind her, she hurried over to sit next me and she immediately took my face in her hands. Her green eyes were looking me over carefully before they settled onto my blue eyes that I inherited from my dad. The rest of me was pretty much an exact copy of my mom and a lot of people outside of our pack mistook us for siblings because my mom still looked so young, and werewolves tend to age slower than humans.
My mom looks at me sympathetically. “Another dream?” She asks and I sigh in defeat, nodding my head. It was difficult to keep something from her. She always had this strange way of knowing if something was wrong with me and my brothers and that made it nearly impossible to keep anything to ourselves.
I sigh. “It feels like it’s getting worse.” I say, still looking at her. She let go of my face and pulled me in for a hug, one hand cradling the back of my head and the other rubbing up and down my back in comfort. “This time he was so close I could see his eyes.” I say and a shiver travels down my spine as I think back to the piercing gaze in my dream.
“He?” My mom asks as she pulled away to look at me curiously and I frown in confusion as well. He? when did I start thinking of the faceless beast as him?
Luckily my mom didn’t expect me to answer because she changed the topic. Breakfast will be ready soon." Mum says and gives my hands a squeeze. “Okay.” I say gratefully, giving her a nod. “I’ll be down in a minute.” She nods in return and stands up and leave, closing the door behind her with a soft click. I sigh and lean back in my bed, staring at the ceiling. In truth, I did not feel like having breakfast, in fact I didn't feel like seeing anybody today.
Unlike my brothers, I wasn’t born a werewolf. I was born human. Dr Missy said that it could have been due to the stressful circumstance that my mother endured while she was pregnant and was held captive by a maniac, but that didn’t stop my parents from treating me different or loving me any less. I was just so sick of seeing the pity looks of the pack and the sympathetic voices of the woman about what I was and wasn’t and the fact that I turned eighteen today, will only make it more unbearable.
Unlike my brothers, they were lucky enough to find their shared mate in Tracy when we turned sixteen, a kind omega from our pack, but unfortunately no male in our pack was a match for me. Which I was kind of relieved at because all the young guys here are such pricks and I couldn't imagine myself with any of them. I think dad was just as relieved.
The day after our sixteenth birthday, dad pulled me aside and hugged me close. Except for moms, his hugs were the best and always full of love. He told me that I'll find my mate when the time is right and to keep faith in the Moon Goddess' plans for me and that I would always stay his favourite no matter what, just as long as I don't go telling my brothers he said so otherwise he would deny in ever claiming such a thing. I laughed at him then because it always caused for playful banter at family times.
Everyone knew my father was more protective over me than my brothers just like he was and still is over mum. I still remember that mum had a personal guard until we were old enough to get into mischief ourselves. Claiming that she would never screw him again if he didn't stop his overprotective nonsense. Although we were too small to know what that meant, but we sure do know now and my brothers still snicker secretly about it behind dad's back, unaware that we heard their conversation back then.
I sigh again and get up from the bed, stretching my small frame on the way to my on suit bathroom. I am tiny compared to my brothers. Both are over six feet tall, a head taller than dad and they were bigger built as well, resembling something like those bodybuilders on TV. I often tease them that they can lay off on the steroids now, but only because they tease me of my small size. Quite comical really. Anyone who did not know who we were, would never think that we are triplets. At least I inherited mom’s length and delicate features so that made me feel somewhat normal.
After a quick shower and getting dressed for the day, I head down to the dining room. This used to be the living room area but because our pack have grown over the years, mom and dad started expanding the pack house and added another level for housing and built more cabins on the grounds. Entering the room, I was instantly gathered up into two pairs of strong arms, I yelp out in surprize as I am lifted off my feet and I clutch onto whatever I was able to find while I could here snickers around me and I started slapping at the big oafs of my brothers to let go of me.
“Happy birthday Andra.” They both said in a kind of sing song voice that made me laugh. As big as they were, they could be very goofy and playful. Stretching on my toes, I managed to get each one of my brothers around the neck and give them both a hug. Happy birthday Fenris. Happy birthday Adoff. I say between them and dropped a kiss on their cheeks to which they both squealed in mock disgust, trying to wipe it off, but both sporting grins. “Sooooo, what did you get us?” They said together and I arched and eyebrow at them and crossed my arms. “Aren’t we a little to old for exchanging gifts?” I asked and they both put a hand over their hearts in mock hurt. “Dear little sister.” Fenris said, trying to put on a hurt look as well and I laughed. We are never too old for gifts.” Adoff completed the sentence, and I shook my head smiling. I reached into my pans pocket and took out two small packages and hander each brother one. They both looked at me with a raised eyebrow holding their little gifts in their big hands making it look even small.
They both started tearing at the little thing like children which made the others in the room laugh and stood there staring at two matching round keychains with a letter of their first name on it. “Uhm… Thanks I guess.” Adoff said, eyeing the thing dangling from his finger. Fenris was eyeing his as well in the same way before saying; “Thanks, but why do we need more of these?” And I started laughing. “These are special.” I say and pause to draw out their curiosity. “Since you both seem to have the habit of losing your keys, I got you both one that whistles back when you whistle.” I say and everyone started to laugh. Everyone knew that they regularly misplaced or lost their keys.
They both smiled brightly and gathered me up and squeezing me in a hug again. “Okay, okay. That’s enough boys.” A feminine voice came from behind them and as soon as they let me go and parted, I was pulled into another hug but this time gentler. “Happy birthday Andra.” Came the voice of my best friend, Tracy and the mate of my brothers. She let go of me and pushed a present into my hands before flicking her long blond hair of her shoulder. It was the size of a book and it also felt like one too. “I’ts from the three of us.” She says smiling and I smile back, looking the present over. “Don’t worry, it hasn’t been tampered with.” She says laughing and blue eyes twinkling. “I wrapped it myself this time.” She said and gave a non-threatening glare to her two mates that were standing with innocent faces to the side. I barked out a laugh of relief and started to open it. It was a book. A black leather diary to be precise and it had my name engraved on the front in gold letters.
. “Thank you.” I said and at that moment my parents came into the room to where more gifts were given, and hugs and kisses were exchanged. I was relieved to find that there were no sympathetic look or whispers directed at this time. I knew it wouldn’t last but at least I could enjoy my birthday breakfast.
