Chapter 1

Leaves rustled against the rough breeze flowing in the windy day with the sun gazing it's rays lightly over the earth's land.

August woke up to the light beam falling over his eyes. That single beam warmed him from the coldness and darkness that he's been leading into for years.

That one ray of hope made his sleep better and didn't wake him up from his long gone sweet slumber that can be hardly acquired these days.

'If only I could keep on staying here and staring at the city which only looked beautiful, is now so scary and dangerous.' August thought, sitting up straight against the bark of the tree.

His legs that were criss crossed over the branch he's taken space over, let them fall freely on the either side of the branch.

His palm opened, the ray of sun hitting on the inside of his palm felt like cobering him with a warm blanket over the things he had done with this palm of his hand.

He clenched his palm shut, turning it into a fist.

"How long are you going to stay just staring at your palm?" Dagger, his wolf spoke up, interrupting his peace of thoughts.

August sighed and groaned, retracting his arm and letting it fall on his side as he looked across the woods from where the city had begun.

"As long as I feel like." August mumbled.

Dagger his wolf was high on alert, always on the watch around for any signs of hunters or blood hoarding creatures that had been thirsting over to shed someone's blood just for their joy or even hunger.

"That doesn't work like you want it, August." Dagger said, sensing a nearby presence to them. "Someone's coming."

August took a heavy breath of sigh before he jumped off the tree branch and landed perfectly on his two dirty rotten shoes.

"I guess I need to buy a new pair before these break too." August muttered, observing his left leg shoe whose sole is shredding off.

"It's near." Dagger informed, snapping August's attention back to the probability of the incoming predator that they'll have to fight with.

But August was for once not looking forward to fight and he really hoped it was someone from his renowned pack. He didn't want to loose the cool composure that had settled in his body.

"Watch out!" Layla squeaked.

She emerged from the bushes in her wolf form, brown and black shades across the fur that's been dirty from the mud and blood, leaping on August.

August's eyes widened and before he could take a last second action, she fell on him.

August grunted, touching the back of his head as it had collided against the ground.

"Sorry about that. I did tell you to watch out." Layla said, getting off him after shifting back to her human form and helping him up as she dusted his jeans.

August took hold of her hands, inspecting the stain of blood on them.

"Did the hunters come?" He asked with a hint of fear but he tried not to let it slip in front of her.

Layla, she shook her head as a soft smile stretched on her lips. The emerald eyes of her were extraordinary indeed but they twinkled more when she gazed at him with the amount of love flowing in them.

"We were hunting. Got some food for one night. Even the food is getting scarce. It's like the hunters are relocating all the animals just so they can kill us from starvation, but definitely-"

A guy emerged from behind those two with his jeans ripped below the knee and his clothes appearing as if he had a bath in mud water.

"Kill us. Yeah, Layla. We already know that. There's no need to repeat the same thing over and over." He nagged her, pushing her away as he stood before August.

"Caleb, were you hunting with Layla or having a bath in mud?" August asked, amused with the goofy interaction between his friends.

Caleb scoffed, "No, I was in fact, sleeping in the mud- what even, Asher?"

Sarcasm dripped from Caleb's voice while a cheery chuckle slipped from August's mouth that could overwhelm the others.

Layla sighed, dreamily. "The perfect laugh."

Caleb cringed, shivering at the way Layla was oggling at him. He slapped her forehead, snapping her attention back to him.

"Please don't do that again before I puke on you and I did not have a good breakfast, I'm warning ya." Caleb said earning a low growl from Layla.

While the two were bickering, August heard a snap of twig echoing in his ears within the good distance. The scent that the presence was giving off was different and strong.

"Guys, we need to get out from here." August mindlinked them, not forming the words in his mouth as to alert the presence lurking around them.

Both of the teenagers stopped bickering and turned their heads to August's frowned face.

"Should we alert the pack?" Caleb asked through their mindlink as he tried to get a view of the intruder.

"Yeah. Now run." Layla ordered, quicklu jumping on her feet and dashing in the woods with the inhumane speed.

Caleb followed her pace, quickly alerting the pack members they had been left of with and which they found homeless.

"Com'on, August. We need to run as well." Dagger persuaded, pushing his feet forward.

That brought back August's attention as he pushed back his wolf before he could take control.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to take over the body!" August snarled at his wolf.

Dagger growled back at him before blocking their connection because Alpha's aren't easy to deal with.

August sighed, rubbing his temples for getting the best of his anger out. "I'm sorry, Dagger. Hey bud, I won't do it again."

Though Alphas aren't quick to soften and apologize, this particular one is a different case. But it can be because of the upbringing he's been thrown off into.

Homeless and the last Alpha survivor of his Bluemoon pack, the quality that defined an Alpha has been washed away when he came out of that closet that day and found everything and everyone had been dead.

What he lives with now is fear, vulnerability, untrustable and hope.

Last hope to may he see a new beginning even if the last minute before he dies. That is his wish.

"We found a stranded Alpha." The hunter reported, smirking as he sneaked to him and fished out the wolfsbane coated dagger.