“SAMANTHA, SANANTHA.” I could hear a faint but familiar voice calling from a distance.

I tried to move, but my entire body felt cold and numb. My eyelids were heavy, refusing to budge. The only thing I could feel was the suffocating grip of the water trying to drown me. I was lost, unable to find my way out.

“Was this really the end for me? Did I really endure all those years of suffering just to end up dying like a traitor without even a grave to call my own?"

I felt a hand gently brush against my skin, and then a loud voice coming from all directions: “Wake up, child… Wake up."

I jolted awake, violently coughing out the water from my lung.

“Was this still a dream? Did I really survive the fall?” I rubbed my chest, slowly taking control of my breathing.

“How… how am I still alive?" I whispered, my hands still trembling in disbelief.

The last thing I could remember was Alex driving his sharp claw through my stomach, sending me off the cliff. Thinking about it now made the pain feel even worse. I slowly rolled to my side and gently placed my hands on my injured stomach.

I could feel a sharp pain coming from my lower abdomen, and I couldn't help but wonder how I had managed to survive the attack that was clearly meant to kill me.

Every wolf instinctively knows that to take down a rival, you’d need to target vital organs like the heart, brain, or lungs. And Alex, with his years of experience protecting the pack, would have known this all too well.

“Why did he hold back?” The question echoed in my mind.

I could remember him giving a silent apology before I passed out. I guess he did have a heart after all. But none of that mattered anymore, because the day I had always dreamt of since my father died was finally here. I managed to escape from that nightmare I had called home for the past twenty-four years of my life, and now I had nothing left to be afraid of.

But for some reason, I still felt empty and scared on the inside, like I was missing something important. This normally wouldn’t happen to me unless…

“Oh no.” I winced in pain as I struggled to stand up.

“Eliza.” I called through my mind link but got no response.

“Eliza.” I called again, but still, I couldn’t feel my wolf inside me anymore.

“What have I done?” I thought to myself, tears rolling down my cheek.

I should have known better than to use my wolf as bait just to save my skin, and now she was gone, and there was no one else to blame but myself. But how could I have known that my plan would fail, and we’d end up being separated?

“Eliza, wherever you are, I hope nothing bad happens to you." I whispered a silent prayer.

My wolf was still out there; I could feel it, and I knew that wherever she was, I didn’t have to worry about her getting into trouble because she was strong enough to protect herself, which was more than I could say for me.

Without Eliza, I was nothing more than an injured wolf master with zero protection and absolutely no clue of where I was going. Making me an easy target for rogues, humans, and whatever evil lurks in the outside world.

If I wanted to live long enough to reunite with my wolf again, I needed to find a new pack or maybe just a decent place to call home.

And that’s how my journey began. Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and months turned into more months. I traveled by night and rested by day, surviving only on wild fruits and small prey to keep me going.

I passed through many dense forests, hot deserts, and riverbanks. But the strange thing about it all was that since I started my journey, I hadn’t come across any humans, wolves, or even rogues. It was as if the world had emptied itself of life, leaving only me.

Two Months Later

The weather was slowly changing into the worst season for any werewolf to be stranded without a home. Animals were beginning to hibernate, trees were beginning to wither, and the gorge path had become slippery.

The clear skies had gradually turned gray as small snowflakes began to fall. Nature itself seemed to be holding its breath, waiting for the season’s change.

It was an early winter's morning and my third day at the gorge. I had traveled all night, and my legs were already killing me. I found a small overhang to rest for a while and regain my strength; the food I had managed to gather had run out, and I had nothing left.

This wasn’t the life I had dreamt of when I ran away from the Dawn Runner pack. I was supposed to find a new home, begin a new life, and never have to deal with those who made me feel worthless.

“But how did it all go wrong and so fast?” I let out a frustrated sigh.

My injuries had almost recovered, which also meant that I didn’t have to worry about it getting infected or slowing me down anymore. But on the downside, I still hadn’t eaten in weeks, and I was starving.

And to make matters worse, my clothes were all torn and worn out. I could feel the cold air seep into my bones, making me shiver uncontrollably.

“Why did fate have to be so cruel to me? Even if I had committed a mistake in my previous life, haven’t I paid enough for it?"

A faint sound moved through the wind, echoing through the entire gorge. As soon as it reached my ear, I gasped, holding onto my chest as if the sound itself was draining the air out of my lungs.

“That sound… I know it." I whispered, my voice trembling. The one thing that every Werewolf feared: silver chain. But for us purebreed, the mere sound of it was enough to trigger our pain. And if the silver chain was anywhere near the gorge, then the hunters couldn’t be far off.