Chapter 3 3

Azara.

My existence flashed before my eyes as I caught sight of a shiny metal under the soft glow of the moon.

"Azara, run!" Aria cried desperately as soon as she recognized the legendary dagger that was lethal to Opal wolves.

The Lunaris fang.

The mystical dagger, forged with celestial materials, spelled and activated by a witch, is designed for an Opal wolf hunter. It was rare. There were only 2 in the world; one was passed down to my father and the last was in the possession of Darius, the Rogue King.

The indestructible dagger had lived for 500 years. Because of our ability to self-destruct before our powers could be snatched and used to cause great havoc, Opal wolf hunters found another means that made us unable to activate our self-destruction. Once the dagger found its way into our hearts, we would be unconscious, thus providing our hunters the luxury of time to steal our powers.

The mark on the strange man's forehead made me realize that he was a member of Darius' crusade. Swinging the dagger between his palms, I caught sight of the ancient foreign writing engraved on the sharp blade and the shimmering silvery-blue ball that resembled the moon lodged a bit above the hilt of the dagger.

My legs raced in the direction of the pack and the man followed in a hot pursuit.

I ran because my life depended on it. After making sure I had given him a reasonable gap as I could no longer hear the heavy thuds of his feet against the ground, I shifted into my human form, dragging my exhausted body home.

I escaped death narrowly for the second time.

The thought of narrating my ordeal to my parents struck my mind, but it was 3am, and I didn't want to wake them up.

Disappointment rushed through my veins, it was as if I could hear my mum's worried voice for crossing the border once again and risking my life.

A small huff escaped my throat as a thought rang in my mind.

Happy 18th birthday to me.

Sitting under the shower as I sobbed quietly, trying to forget all that happened, I couldn't help the paranoia that consumed me.

What if he followed me home?

What if I don't survive the next attack?

I was a fool. Aria had already sensed his presence as she urged me to run, but I chose to ignore her.

"It's not your fault, Azara," she spoke softly, trying to comfort me.

"No, it is. We just spent minutes barely getting to know each other and I messed up. I didn't listen to you, I don't deserve you. I risked our lives today, I'm sorry, Aria," I replied, wiping the tears off my face as I made my way to the bed, slumping down heavily on it before drifting to sleep.

*****

My sleep was cut short by loud screams. But what caught my attention was the horn blaring.

It didn't make sense. The horn was never used since the creation of this pack 700 years ago. Its use was to alarm the pack members if there was an invasion.

My heart almost gave out as I froze on the bed.

Was our pack invaded?

Peeking through the window, I saw bursts of flames everywhere. I could recognize my pack members self-destructing in the blink of an eye.

"What is happening?" I asked, almost paralyzed by fear as my head began to spin rapidly and I couldn't comprehend what was going on.

My door flung open and my parents dragged me out of my room, hiding me in an underground basement without saying anything.

"What is happening? Please talk to me!" I screamed, but the fear in their eyes and their fingers against my lips hushed me.

"We've been spotted by one of Darius' crusade members..."

The rest of her words flew past her ears as I almost collapsed.

We were spotted because of me.

Everything is ruined because of me.

700 hundred years of peace ended because of me.

Hundreds of my pack members would give up their lives because of me.

My gift was a curse. My first shift was a curse.

I was a curse to this pack. I was a curse to my parents.

"Azalea!" My stepfather's voice jerked me out of my long train of thought.

"This is not a time to be afraid. You must survive."

My brows furrowed in confusion as I glared at them. From the expression on their faces, it seemed their minds had been made up about a decision that I was not aware of.

"What do you mean?" I asked when I found my voice, glancing at them as my heart pounded hard against my ribs.

"You must survive, Azalea. You must survive for us," my mum responded, bursting into tears before trying to put on a brave face.

"What is happening?!"

The suspense was killing me. I was terrified because my mother was a strong woman. Seeing her break down in tears while my stepfather held her close meant their decision was a hard pill to swallow.

"We can't survive with you." They finally broke the news. I felt empty that instant; my head was light, and I wanted to collapse.

"Remember how your mum and I vowed to protect you, even if it meant sacrificing our lives because we love you so much? That vow begins now." Alpha Hunter sobbed, cupping my small face in his large palms.

It broke my heart to see him weep like a child. But it broke my spirit knowing that I would lose them because of my stupid decision.

"No!" I shouted. "I can't let you do that. I caused this mess. They can have me if they want."

"Azalea..."

"It was me who ran into the woods when my shift started. I couldn't control myself. I didn't know when I crossed the border and was spotted by that man. I thought I escaped, I thought it was over. I'm sorry..." I broke down in tears, falling over them as I awaited their bashing.

"It doesn't matter. We don't blame you. Now is not the time to cry over the spilled milk, now is the time for solution–"

"It doesn't count as a solution if I would lose you. Please, don't leave me. My life wouldn't be empty without you."

"We want you to be strong, Azalea. Don't waste our deaths. In other words, you must not be captured, nor be recognized as Alpha Logan Storm's daughter. Remember everything I taught you. Your name is Azalea Hunter and you must survive. Today is the last day you will ever shift to conceal your identity."

I shook my head, grabbing my mother's hand, "Don't talk like this, mum. Don't leave me."

"Forgive us, we are just doing our best to protect you no matter the cost," they said. I hugged them one last time weeping profusely as I was unwilling to let them go.

I couldn't believe this was the last time I would see them.

I wish this was one of my nightmares.

"Have this," Alpha Hunter said, breaking the hug as he pulled his ring from his finger before wearing it on mine. "Always remember me and don't forget that I love you."

His words brought fresh tears streaming down my eyes as I clung to him.

"Thank you, Dad. I know I have never called you Dad, but you are my real father and I love you very much. I could never forget you and I would never." I said amid tears

The sound of the door being kicked open made me jump in fright and broke our last hug.

"Hide here until this is over and come out when you no longer hear any sound. There is a food supply that would last a week. Find a safe place and disguise amongst humans, but don't be seen and never reveal your secret."

I pulled away from my parents, giving them one last look.

"Goodbye, Azalea, see you in another life," they chorused, hugging each other firmly before surrendering themselves to the smoke that emitted from their bodies.

Bright flames erupted from them, it hurt my eyes, but I didn't blink.

That was the last time I would see them.

It was my first time seeing self-destruction being activated, but I never thought I would watch my parents self-destruct.

The fire wasted no time in eating them up, reducing them to nothing but a pile of ashes.

I killed them. I deserved to die.

I bent over my mother's ashes, picking up her bracelet before rushing to the basement as footsteps drew close.

"Hurry, Azara,' Aria urged, while I doubled my pace.

A blend of seductive scent tingles my nose, taking over my senses. I halted, turning to look at the origin of the strong scents.

"Take another step and you will be dead!"

The blend of four masculine baritone voices that had striking resemblance reverberated throughout the room.

The impact caused a mini earthquake.

Fuck! I had been caught.

Everything happened so fast.

This is the day of my 18th birthday. The day I broke the pack rule and caused a great massacre. The day I was captured by four men. The day tragedy befell me.

Speaking of the men, I could swear they felt familiar. Having been confined to the mountains all my life, where have I seen them from?