The noise from the people around me woke me up, and I attempted to stretch my body, but I felt restricted. When I tried to open my eyes, I realized I was blindfolded.
Panic set in. What was happening? The last thing I remembered was taking a walk with my dad. I had just turned 18, and as expected, I was ready to find my mate. My father had called me to go on a walk with him to brief me on everything I needed to know as an adult werewolf to find my mate.
Questions raced through my mind. What was going on? Where was I? Was my dad safe? I tried to use my abilities to sniff around and see if I could detect a familiar scent, but I couldn't.
Wherever I was, it was scentless, which was incredibly strange. Fear began to creep in; I didn't know where I was or what to expect. Maybe we had been captured by humans because my dad was an Alpha wolf, and no other wolf, except the ruthless Alpha of the Blood Moon Park, could capture him. Well, we hadn't been on his bad side, so I assumed it must be humans.
Fury welled up in me as I gritted my teeth, thinking about what I would do once they removed these chains. The footsteps drew nearer. I swore to myself that I would tear them apart once they released me.
The person stopped right in front of me, and their scent was overpowering. I had never encountered such a potent smell before. My heart started to race. The blindfold was removed, and I slowly looked up.
My mouth hung open as I gazed upon the man before me. I had never seen such handsomeness. He was flawless, with piercing blue eyes that seemed to penetrate my soul, wavy black hair rolled into a bun, and a chiseled jawline that made me yearn to touch it. Everything about him was perfect. He was a wolf, but I had never seen him before. His long robe swept the floor, giving him the appearance of a prince from hell.
I blushed and looked down, feeling heat rush to my cheeks. He bent down, gently grabbing my jaw to make me look at him. I froze; his hands were ice-cold, like he was dead.
"You belong to me now," he said smugly before leaving.
His deep baritone voice echoed in my head for about 10 minutes after he departed. However, what struck me the most was what he had said. "I belong to him?" I questioned myself for the umpteenth time. Fear caused me to shiver. From his scent and aura, he was no human; he was undoubtedly a werewolf, and perhaps an Alpha at that.
"Was he the ruthless Alpha of the Blood Moon Park?" I finally asked myself the question I had been dreading.
The Ruthless Alpha of the Blood Moon Park was someone I grew up dreading. His story was passed down to every young wolf as soon as they started teething. His family once ruled one of the most respected clans until several parks joined forces to challenge their growing power. It became a brutal battle, and in the end, his father and other family members were killed, leaving only him and a few survivors from the clan. They were enslaved by the conquerors.
Then, everything changed one day. The young wolf, considered weak by everyone, rebelled against the leaders and fought them single-handedly. He defeated them all and rose to become the Alpha of his clan. Rumor had it that during his battle to reclaim his throne, his right eye turned pitch black while the other remained red—a first in the history of wolves.
The sword he wielded during that fight was said to be unique. Only he could lift it, and if he used it against someone, they would instantly disintegrate, leaving no trace of their body. When he became Alpha, he ruled with an iron fist, and other parks avoided any dealings with them.
I had heard countless stories about him, but in all of them, nobody knew his name. They said his name was worse than death itself. Uttering his name would summon him from any part of the woods he was in.
His influence wasn't limited to our world; it extended to the human world due to alliances with certain humans.
As the reality sank in, I realized that I had been captured by the very demon I had heard about throughout my childhood. I remained chained, with no escape in sight. Tears welled up as I reminisced about my life. Since I was here, it seemed best to open my heart, even though I knew I wouldn't survive. He would surely kill me, and my family wouldn't find a trace of my body.
I pondered where exactly we had gone wrong. My father and I had been on a simple walk as I had just turned 18.
"Heaven, you've just turned 18, and luckily, you had your transformation before your birthday. It means one thing: you will find your mate soon," my father said.
"But Dad, isn't it a bit early to be talking about finding a mate? I'm still getting used to my abilities as a wolf," I replied.
He chuckled and stroked my hair. "You, my child, are very smart," he said. "Just wish for a mate who is patient enough to understand that you've recently transformed."
"But Dad, why are you in such a hurry to send me off?" I asked.
"I'm not, my daughter. It's just how it is. If you have your transformation before 18, it means only one thing—you'll meet your mate sooner than you think."
I remained silent, walking a bit ahead of my father. My transformation had occurred just a few weeks before my 18th birthday, and my senses were still sharpening. I was just beginning to enjoy being able to sense my environment.
Now, my dad was talking about marriage. None of my friends were married yet, and I wasn't even keen on finding my mate. My dream had always been to succeed my father as the new ruler, despite the rarity of female rulers. I was willing to forfeit meeting my mate to focus on my dream.