The Wolf Spirit

Prologue

Every hundred years, a child is born carrying the gift of the Moon Goddess, the one the shifters call, The Wolf Spirit.

It is an incredible power that is sought by all and it’s presence would be made known to every Alpha, Beta, Omega and warlock the second the baby takes their first breath.

After that, the hunt begins.

Every pack desperate for the power that is The Wolf Spirit’s, that grants immeasurable strength to whoever is strong enough to wield it and it gives them the abilities to do what others consider to be impossible. After all of that is done, the carrier of The Wolf Spirit would be left emptied, like a shell without the gift they’ve been born with and eventually wither away.

That was their fate.

Annalisa Edgar sat on the edge of a swing, her legs on the ground, stopping it from swaying in the strong wind whilstt enjoying the sounds the chains holding up the swings made as they hit the iron bars beside them.

She had hair long enough to reach her thighs and if one looked closer enough, they would see a few hints of white from her roots, the places the dye couldn’t reach. Her eyes glowed red with an unusual but yet entrancing light.

Her bronze skin was as smooth and delicate looking as glass, her full pink lips curled up into a smile, broadening even more as the wind blew her hair in every direction.

“Anna!”

There was a panicked cry from the cottage behind her, it made the young girl lose her smile and jump off the swing immediately.

Always be alert!

That was the first lesson she’d ever been taught by her late grandmother. That one lesson has kept her alive and out of the clutches of those power hungry packs for as long as ten years since her sixth birthday.

“Mom?” Anna called back as she reached for the dagger in her dress and clutched it tight. Her mother ran to where she stood and grabbed her arm with urgency.

“We’ve been discovered!” she said.

Anna had lost count of the number of times she’d heard those words from either her father or mother, something about this time felt different.

Her mother’s brown eyes were wide with fear, panic and…guilt?

Her hands were shaky and her palms wet and warm with sweat, a light sheen of sweat covered her face as well.

Anna looked behind her mother and realized her father was no where in sight.

“Mom?” she called out again but this time, her voice was shaky and her eyes watered.

Something was wrong. Something was different.

“We have to keep moving! We have to get out of here!”

With that said, her mother pulled at her arm and they both ran in the direction of the cottage. A place that had been their home for only a few months, they were going to be moving again…a normal occurrence in their family because of what she was. She always felt guilty because of it, that she cost her parents a normal happy family because of what she was...Because of this so called gift that she considered a curse.

Inside the house, her father had strapped Anna’s baby sister, Julie, to his chest and a well packed bag was beside him.

They were going to move again.

When her father’s eyes met hers, he looked away immediately almost like he couldn’t bear to look into her eyes.

It was weird.

Something was wrong.

Her mother had a packed bag as well, it was right next to her father’s but Anna didn’t have one.

“Mom? Why didn’t you pack my bag?”

Her heart thudded in her chest as the answer she didn’t want to hear was whispered into her mind.

She refused to believe it and still looked at her mother with hopeful eyes, waiting for an answer different from what she expected.

“I put yours in with mine,” her mother said hurriedly as she caressed her head and then they all stepped out of the house and headed for her father’s old truck. Anna let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding as she managed to use her now weakened legs to follow her family to the truck.

The truck had seen better days honestly, it was dark brown, due to rust and it was still a wonder to Anna how the truck still continued to function after so many years of being in the run and not letting them down.

The cottage was hidden deep in the woods and it was one they’d discovered by chance, one that had saved them when they were the most desperate to have Anna hidden.

Their bags were thrown into the back of the truck and Anna’s father stepped into the driver’s seat and started the engine.

As Anna quickly rushed to the backseat, she realized she was being held back.

Her arm was still being squeezed rather tightly by her mother who now had tears running down her cheeks.

“Annalisa…” her mother said in a low whisper. Just then, sounds of growls and footsteps came from the woods, it sounded like an army coming to attack or rather…coming to take.

They were here to take Anna.

Anna knew she shouldve turned around to look at them but instead she was looking at her mother, she couldn’t take her eyes off of the woman that had birthed her but was now holding her down and restricting her from getting to safety.

“Mom?” Anna said, “What did you do?”

The footsteps and growls came closer and closer until Anna could finally feel their presence behind her.

“Your…your sister,” her mother broke into sobs. Anna’s eyes widened as she turned to look at her father and her sister who was fast asleep. Her father had a hard expression on his face and didn’t meet Anna’s eyes.

Instead he pushed his palm on the car horn, waking up Julie and making her mother jump.

“Come Luisa!” he called out.

“You’re leaving without me?”

“Your sister…think of your sister Anna, she can’t grow up like this, we can’t…”

Anna pulled her arm out of her mother’s grip forcefully and closed her eyes, disappointment and hurt consuming her.

“…we can’t keep living like this just for you,” her mother finished, her sobs doing nothing to Anna anymore.

She was being abandoned.

They’d given up on her. Her own family!

“I’m so sorry Anna…you know I love you—”

“ No you don’t!” Anna cried, then she turned around. Getting her mother out of her line of sight and in front of her stood both men and werewolves, over twenty of them. Smug expressions as they readied themselves to take her.

“You’re selfish!”

She heard her mother’s sudden scream behind her.

“Why do we have to live this way because of you?!” Her mother yelled, “ Who guves a f**k if you’re special? Just do it far away from us!”

Anna’s lips quivered as her mother’s words sank in and began to feel like a heavy bag of rugs being placed on her shoulders.

Anna heard her mother’s receding footsteps and didn’t look back no matter how much she wanted to. She heard the engine of the old truck she had known and ridden in her entire life get restarted again.

The slam of a door.

The sound of tires moving on gravel and then it faded.

They had really abandoned her.

“Your parents were paid good money in exchange for you, Wolf Spirit, you shouldn’t feel too sad,”

There was a man who stood in front of the crowd and looked like their leader.

He was the Beta of their pack, Anna could tell from the faint marks on his neck and the darkness of it’s color.

He was old, pot bellied and had brown teeth that showed even more as he spoke.

“You will live better knowing that they’re all well off now because of your wonderful gift,”

Then like it was the funniest thing to say, there were roars and howls of laughter from the crowd behind him.

He made his way to where Anna stood, grabbed the same hand her mother had let go and, brought his head down to her neck and inhaled her scent.

The putrid scent from his clothes made Anna shudder and gag. She wanted to pull away from him but his grip was too tight, bruising her skin and making tears wet her cheeks.

“Ah...” he breathed out, “Our Alpha will enjoy you, Wolf Spirit, real good!”

There was another round of laughter from her captors, the sound of it made her legs weaken and her heart drop to her stomach.

They finally got to her.

What she feared was what they were going to do to her next.