THE ALPHA’S VENGEFUL LUNA

CHAPTER 1: REBIRTH

FREYA HAWKINS

It had been about a hundred years since I was reincarnated back to life by the witch who had promised me with her life. The coven of witches had finally given in to my appeal. I was ready to get my revenge after the long awaited years, years spent hating Icarus Donovan and plotting his demise.

I never forgot the look on his face when he burnt me to death, or when he killed my husband and tossed his beating heart at my feet. The return of an angry hundred year old witch would be something the werewolf clans would never be ready for.

My eyes flung open in the middle of a deserted cemetery, the extremely bright sunlight almost blinding my eyes. Years of being stuck in the underworld made me forget how scorching the earth’s sun could be. Beside me was the body of the witch who had performed the ritual and brought me back to life. It was a collective ritual performed by all witches of the coven, both dead and alive. They needed a witch from the living to complete the ritual and summoned the old, dying one.

The witch had transferred her powers to me before giving up the ghost. They all knew I needed to have stronger powers in order to take down the Alpha King or I would die a second, agonizing death.

I could not fully decipher my location yet, but I knew I had to take care of the witch’s body first before finding the werewolf clan.

I struck the ground using my powers, creating a large, deep space in the ground to be used as a grave. I threw the old witch into the grave and covered it up, looking around in case anyone had seen me use my powers. Magic and witches might still be f*******n if that brute remained Alpha King. But as I glanced around for the first time, nothing was the same as it was a hundred years ago.

My bare feet led me towards the expressway as multiple cars breezed past, some of them slowing down to stare at the weirdly dressed girl lingering by the side of the road.

If I had stopped one of them and asked where the werewolf clan was, would they think I was crazy? Humans never believed in the supernatural back in the days and I was not sure if it was still the same case now.

No non-supernatural being should know beasts lived among them. Mentioning a werewolf clan would not be the best way to go.

Tall trees covered the other side of the road and I ventured into that direction. The place felt familiar, like I had been there before. Closing my eyes, I attempted to conjure up any memory of mine surrounding that forest and got hit with the sickening image of Icarus tearing out my husband’s heart. The murder happened right at that spot. It was then I confirmed I was closer to the werewolf clan.

Although the roads were a lot different than what I was used to, I kept figuring my way out until I could spot werewolf footprints on the muddied ground. It was fresh. They had just been there. Running a hand over my hair, I stopped midway because something felt odd. My hair was shorter than it should be.

Plucking out a strand, I brought it to my face, frowning at the color. It was pale blonde instead of black. I raised my bodice dress, looked down at my legs and noticed they were also a lot shorter than I remembered. Had I been reincarnated into another body? The witches had agreed to bring me back to life, what they did not mention was that I would not be returning to my original body.

The crunching of leaves under someone’s feet told me I was not alone. The sound of incoming footsteps behind me suddenly disappeared as I turned around to be met with no one, thinking my ears were only playing tricks on me.

Turning back around to continue my journey, my heart leaped in my chest when someone jumped down in front of me out of nowhere. I looked up and saw two more people staring down at me from the tree.

"Who are you?" the boy in front of me asked.

"I think the more important question should be why she is dressed like she just fell straight out of the 1900’s," One of the girls up in the tree giggled.

"Let us kill her," the second girl said. "Remember what the Alpha said about intruders?"

"Quiet, the both of you," the older boy snapped, sealing their lips shut. "I ask again, who are you?"

"Freya. I got lost." I responded.

"You should not be out here on your own. There are wild animals everywhere."

I nodded. "I know."

The boy eyed me suspiciously. "You know what?"

"About werewolves."

The other two girls jumped down from the tree, standing side by side with their pack member. "What clan are you from?"

"It does not matter. She is coming with us." The boy grabbed my arm and led me away, deeper into the forest.

"Where are you taking me?"

"To our Alpha. He would know what to do with you," the boy replied. "We can't just let you go."

So many years had passed that I highly doubted Icarus would still be Alpha King. All those rumors about him being immortal had to be a lie. "Can I ask who the current Alpha is?"

"No, you cannot."

One of the girls appeared by my side. "Perhaps she is the new harlot for the week? You know how he changes them every now and then."

"Possibly. Did you receive an invitation from our Alpha?"

Freya blinked at the girl’s question. "Uhm…no."

"We are here," the boy announced as I gazed around the large acres of land, a tall enormous building standing in the middle. There were mini houses scattered across the land, but that one in the middle stood out the most.

He continued to drag me towards one of the smaller houses, kicking the door open and startling the residents.

"For heaven’s sake, Lewis! How many times do we have to remind you to knock?"

The boy in question ignored their complaints and shoved me to a wooden chair.

"Who is she?" Someone asked.

"I found her wandering around the borders," Lewis answered. "I am going to find the Alpha. Do not let her out of your sight."

They all stared at her like some specimen after he was gone, whispering among themselves. The house was small but looked comfortable. It resembled the one I and my husband used to live in before Icarus ruined our lives.

"You look parched," one of them stepped forward after minutes of awkward silence. "Would you like a drink?"

It was only after it got mentioned I realized my throat was as dry as a desert. "Yes, please."

"Why is your feet bare?" Another one asked. These people sure did have a lot of questions.

I forced out a smile at the little boy. "I lost my shoes in the woods."

"Are you really an intruder?"

"That is enough." His mother snatched him up from the floor and nestled him between her arms, the child sticking his right thumb into his mouth and sucking on it. "Sorry about that. He is not used to strangers."

"It is alright. I used to have a son his age."

Someone returned with a glass of water and I gulped it down in one go, feeling refreshed.

"Really? But you look too young to have a child."

I was reminded once more I was not in my original body and cursed the witch for making such a mistake. To everyone else, I was a young, fragile girl who did not look like she could hurt a fly. And I did not mind keeping up that facade as long as I completed my mission for returning to the clan.

It all turned out in my favor, I reasoned, coming back to life in another body. It would be bad luck if some wolf from years ago recognized me as Freya the witch. But no one would have a clue now.

"Are you not scared of what could happen if our Alpha finds you guilty of being an intruder?" the mother of the boy asked again.

"Do not scare her, Beck."

"You have seen what the Alpha does to intruders. He thinks of them as enemies."

I frowned in curiosity. "What does he do to them?"

"He tortures them alive," Beck continues. "But if you are so unlucky to be a witch, it is death by fire."

I knew about that too well. I even shuddered a bit from the memory of burning to death.

Lewis came into the house again, taking my by the arm. "Come with me."

"Let me go. I will walk myself."

Him dragging me around like a puppet was beginning to get me annoyed. Reluctantly, Lewis released my arm but walked very closely in case I planned on running away. If only he knew I wanted to be in the clan more than anything in the world. I had been planning for this very moment.

Lewis pushed the wide mahogany doors open, leading me into a much larger space. He moved to draw the curtains back but his eyes were still watching me intently. Who was he and why was he so bothered by my presence?

"The Alpha would be down soon," he said.

My lips formed a small smile at the mention of that. The long awaited moment was here.