Today was her birthday. The day Jane turns eighteen and yes it was supposed to be a grand day for her because it was a day meant for her to find her mate. And, at the same time, she was meant to have a party where she would go haywire with happiness to mark her day. Not every one of her kind made it past seventeen.
But there was a problem. Her parents weren't home at the moment to help her mark it.
The day before, both her parents had gone out for a business meeting. Something they didn't let her in on. She had pestered them but they kept on saying something relating to buying a new house and their need to prepare for the season. She wasn't fully convinced though. She had grumpily accepted her fate and remained in the dark where she had been placed.
The wolf pack lands were huge and they were subdivided into three which comprised Red Moon Crescent pack, The Wolverine Pack, and The Fire Dart Pack.
Jane hoped her parents made it in time for her eighteenth birthday. She suspected something had gone wrong.
That perception was churning at her stomach, her guts told her it wasn't anything pleasant.
Jane needed something better to do than to sulk, so she jumped out of bed with her phone, still wearing her flip-flops and checkered pajamas. Her pale skin complimented the milky shade of the nightwear.
Jane walked into the kitchen, she found some vegetables and other condiments littered carelessly on the kitchen counter.
Jane started sorting everything in their rightful containers while listening to music which helped her push her worrying thoughts.
Jane washed the peas and put them in the fridge. Letting out a tiring sigh she turned to the counter again and started planning what to cook for breakfast.
Jane grabbed a juice pack on the second drawer of the fridge and stuck a straw in it, sipping and calculating her next move while nodding to the music playing in her ear.
She finished the juice and threw the empty bag into the waste bin. After a massive battle in her head between rice pudding and blood stew and Macaroni, she settled for the former. She didn't like the stress that came with making blood stew. Snake mushrooms, garden shrimps, pollen from Merlin's green flower, flying ants, and bee dessert. Not a stress she wanted to take in finding.
After Jane was done, she went outside to wait for them. She hoped they would arrive today despite how unfriendly the weather turned out to be. It threatened to rain cats, dogs, and guinea pigs.
The weather cussed down about some minutes later. She couldn't wait out any longer and went in.
Her family had Sojourned into the Red Moon Crescent pack; they lived in the suburbs from the rest of the pack.
Jane was seventeen when they escaped, they left and sojourned into the Red moon Crescent pack for safety. The Red Moon pack was welcoming and took them in, even though most wolves had lost their families due to the First attack of the 'Punter' rogues.
As she sat down on the sofa in the sitting room, she heard a knock and she knew her parents were at the door.
Jane opened the door and ran to them, her mother beamed with a beautiful smile and stretched out an open arm.
"Happy Birthday to my first fruit." Her mother said with glee as she wrapped her around her arms affectionately with a big smile plastered on her face.
"My baby girl just turned another year old, you've grown too fast." Her father chuckled and gave a thumbs-up. They all smiled as one big family of three. (Chuckles)
Her mom pulled something out from black cloth and handed it to her. It was shaped like a metallic spatula, but it had strange writings on it. It glowed in her hands and she fell in love with the object instantly.
"This object was given to me by my late Mother, and I am giving it to you. It contains the vast power of magic. It is powerful and has been helpful to so many of our kind, generations in the past before you were even born. You have to take great care of it, and before practising any of the spells with it, keep your mind focused." She narrated cautiously.
Jane stared at the object in awe. She had memorised most of her mother's spells, and today with this object would be a blast.
She was so happy to be gifted such, so she placed it under her arm and thanked her mom with a light kiss on the cheek.
All of a sudden a shrill chant came up in the forest and their heads shot up at the impending pandemonium.
Her parent's faces were filled with fear, her mom was holding onto her father's arm as he comforted her. She was lost with the happenings and for a few minutes, she couldn't speak.
Jane saw Hundreds of angry wolves appearing from the Forest. Their scent polluted the air, and it was overwhelming.
Jane knew instantly who they were, as they wore their emblem proudly on their neck.
New darkness plagued the area, these were the Punter Rogues, who destroyed, stole children, killed men, and raped women. They found fulfilment from suffering.
Jane could overhear screams of other inhabitants from the Pack, the smell of smoke and fire filled the area, screams of women and children as they were brutally captured alive.
"Jane, you have to run! They are here to get you, and trust me they are not good people. I want you to run and never look back, no matter what happens you must get the hell out of here!" Her father ordered with ragged breath, she looked at him with teary eyes. She knew he wanted to protect her, but she couldn't run and abandon them to get killed.
She shook her head stubbornly like a toddler, disobeying his orders.
"Father, Mother, I can't abandon you to die here. I can fight, please let me. I will stay with my family and if death knocks I will gladly die with my family. Don't separate me please–"
Her father cut her off, "Jane Harrison Jude I swear to the Moon goddess, if you don't leave now I'll make you!" He used his Alpha tone with a loud growl. His eyes glowed dark letting her know his wolf was out. She stared at him wide-eyed as the bloodthirsty wolves started to get closer and closer.
"Please, Obey your father. Jane, leave now!" Her mother chipped in, she said in a commanding yet subtle tone. The tone of a mother.
Jane turned around and fled. Her breath hitched as she faced through the forest.
Her wolf instincts whined in her head, for her to go back and fight with her family but those commands were from her parents.
She looked back and saw the wolves attacking her family, hundreds coming at them at once. She let out tears and kept running away.
From a distance, she saw her father being hit brutally and her mother being cut by a sword, her heart constricted but there was nothing she could do. Their blood oozed on their swords and their painful cries filled the air.