The day aged gracefully, orange gold stretched low, the color of fire hearths and tangerine, as the sun plunged down into the sky. It was but the reflection of an evening preparing to welcome a velvety night. Yet the daunting forest was eerily quiet, none of the usual cooing, screeching or chattering of the animals in the night. Even the nocturnal animals felt that something was amiss. 

The air was still, thick, laced with a heavy feeling. The wolves were alert as if they sensed a dangerous scent in the air. 

At the very edge of the dense foreboding forest, was Luna Greywolf out on patrol. She was still as a rock, nose in the air. A cold feeling of dread enveloped her, her whole body broke out in cold shivers, as she surveyed the Greywolf territory. Her mind raced to the day's events, nothing out of the ordinary had taken place. The pack members had gone on about their day as usual, somehow she still felt like something awful was about to happen. Something she had no power to prevent or stop. 

Her racing mind was interrupted by distinct footsteps that approached her. They were soft and measured, she sensed it was Carden Thorne. She remained rooted on the spot, back turned to him. 

Carden Thorne hesitated. He paused, he was partially hidden by the long dark shadows. He gazed at her, unsure whether to proceed or not. He watched her still body, he observed as her eyes darted from one corner of the territory to the next, her mind alert and calculating. He respected that about her, her poised nature even when faced with danger. 

His heart pumped with feelings he couldn't explain and was not willing to acknowledge, his eyes flickered with emotions of respect, affection, loyalty and trust. He knew he could entrust her with his life, she was a determined and responsible leader, one who cared about her pack. Everyone loved and appreciated her just like they had, her own mother. 

On very rare occasions, he had seen her in her vulnerable moments, when she missed her mother dearly and talked of her with nostalgia, sometimes she had gazed into his eyes with the same exact emotions that always left him conflicted. Tenderness and affection, concern and worry. 

He wondered what she thought of him. But most importantly what did he think of her? At times like this when he had the chance to gaze at her and admire her even from afar, he was sure it was not merely an admiration. It was more. He was strongly attracted to her, her intellect intrigued him, her wisdom, her composure. He admitted to himself, there was indeed a link between them, one they had never talked about in the open but it was there. In the way they held their gazes, in the manner in which they spoke to one another, always saying less but meaning more.

He was well aware, Lumina was not like any other woman. She had gone through pain and loss, she had built herself back up stronger and sturdier, he knew she  was not someone to easily let another person in, Carden had to tread carefully with her, work his way slowly into her heart, but it was not the right time. The pack was at a dangerous place, things seemed bleak and there were signs of trouble looming heavily in the air.  His position in the pack was quickly changing too, he needed to Show Lumina that he was more than trustworthy, he was sure his connection to Lumina, whether it was that of loyalty or more, would be very important in the future.

He started walking again towards her. His footsteps quiet against the cool forest floor. He knew Lumina felt his presence but was deliberately staying put, just like he was always able to discern her presence near him. The link was strong and it brought them together in peculiar ways. 

“Lumina.” his soft voice drifted to Lumina, his tone of concern, and something else. “It is getting late, why are you alone out here?” 

“Carden. Something feels wrong. I just can't put my fingers on it. Listen? It's too quiet.” She shifted her position to face him, her expression of worry and frustration.

“You are right. Something is off. The forest is not as it always is. Even the animals are not shrieking as they always do, it's like something is about to happen.” Carden concurred with her, looking around and sniffing the air. His sharp vision focused on the immediate surroundings. His eyebrows raised in deep thought.

“We need to be prepared. Things are not as they seem. I don't want us to be taken off guard.” Lumina stated with determination. 

Carden shifted his position and took a step closer to Lumina, his eyes focused on hers. He looked at her deeply. “Could it be the strange woman? Is it because of her?” His expression was impartial.

Lumina looked away then back at Carden. Her heart was in turmoil and her mind raced. “Maybe, maybe not. She has tried to fit in but still, something is amiss about her. Let us observe her very closely.” She thought back to the pack's reaction whenever Rhea was around them, the discomfort was not normal. 

“Yes Lumina.” Carden was pleased. “I will consult with Alpha Elias, we shall put our guards up and strengthen our defenses. If anything dares come after us, we will go after it first.” 

Lumina looked up at Carden with tenderness. Aside from her father, the only other person who always had her back was Carden. His straightforwardness and readiness to protect the pack touched Lumina's heart in ways she could not explain. “I don't know what I would do without you. For everything you've done, thank you Carden.” 

A gentle smile tugged at the corners of Carden's lips. His eyes wrinkled as he smiled. “No need to thank me. It's my job– Our job to do all we can for our pack. As a team.” 

Lumina opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a loud air-piercing yowl of desperation and helplessness. Whatever was happening was not good. The wolf was hurt or maybe worse, A second howl rang throughout the quiet night. Danger was close.

“Shit!” Carden cursed, his whole body brought to a halt before he jumped into action. “That is one of our guards who was surveying the territory. Lumina we need to go.” 

“Let's go.” Lumina nodded. The two transformed into their wolf nature, their bones breaking and clothes ripped off as their majestic wolves took control, they had shifted so many times they had gotten used to the pain. Lumina's white fur shimmered in the moonlight, her teeth bare, she sprinted across the forest, her eyes sharp and focused towards the howl. Her strong legs carried her easily through the thicket in the forest. Carden's huge shiny black wolf. As dark as the night was closely by her. His sea green eyes sparkling in the dark. He was scary in his wolf form. 

Lumina was determined to know the source of the pained howl. Her mind raced and her heart constricted with pleasure running wild and free, adrenaline and fear. She wondered what was out there that would cause a Greywolf warrior to howl so desperately. One thing was for sure. It was not going to be a cake walk. 

Heavy scent of blood intoxicated the air, as they got closer to the source of the sound. It was right at the border of their territory. Lumina's vision blurred with anger, she growled her sharp teeth bared, she increased her speed sprinting swiftly throught the blurry trees. Carden snarled dangerously increasing his speed his nose in the air. One of his men had been hurt. They launched into the air bursting through ancient trees that fell down with force and landed right in the middle a tiny clearing. Lumina's heart broke at the site that met her sore eyes. She sprinted to five lifeless bodies, each with a different degree of mutilation. Blood was everywhere. She softly nudged at her men with her nose, whimpering in pain. Carden let out a loud deep growl, his nose lifted to the moon. He sprinted up and down, around the tiny clearing trying to make head and tail of what hasd occured. 

They had died brutal deaths, deep gushing wounds, completely drained of blood. It was the work of something monstrous and merciless. Something powerful that could finish all five warriors of a pack. 

Lumina transformed back to her human nature. She sobbed pitifully, holding on to each one of her brutally killed warrior. “It cannot be. It cannot be.” She wept sorrowfully her voice cracked.  She barely recognized their disfigured faces. Kyle, Joline, Franktus, Lospez and Andreas. All young, youthful vibrant souls, full of life and promising. There faces lay pale with unfocused dull eyes that were open but saw nothing. 

Carden transformed to his human nature and knelt down beside Lumina, his expression was wildly dark and cold. “Who on earth has the audacity to do this?!” He snarled in rage. He was furious. 

“I can't tell.” Lumina answered helplessly, searching her mind for answers. “The one responsible for this is not a deserter, this something violent, expericenced, ferocious, look at the bodies.” 

“This thing that killed them. They must have been very capable and brute, seems like they were well trained warriors too, weolves trained specifically to kill.” Carden looked at the bodies keenly, his eyes slitted in focus. 

“They were communicating with us. Some kind of a warning.” Lumina said her heart constricted in pain as she closed their eyes gently. 

“What message would they possibly be communicating by killing our pack members? And are they?” any composure that was left in Carden quickly dissipated, he was beyond furious. His hands trembled, his gaze was directed at Lumina.

Lumina was about to respond, when suddenly the leaves swished loudly. Accompanied by measured steps. Carden instinctively moved infront of Lumina, both were ready to transform and fight the enemy, they waited with bated breaths.

Rhea Silverclaw walked into the clearing.

Her eyes raced to the disfugred bodies. Her jaw dropped. She tensed and her expression grew fearful. “What the hell is going on here?” Her voiced cracked in fear.

Lumina and Carden looked at one another briefly, before they shifted their positions towards Rhea. “Perhaps you can enlighten us.” Her voice was low and cold. She watched Rhea's reaction like a hawk ready to attack. Their patience was running thin. 

Rhea stared at Lumina and Carden, an incredulous expression written all over her face. She sighed in shock. “What? You people are accusing me of killing them?” Her tone was hurt and pained.

Carden moved closer to Rhea, his steps deliberate, his hands were balled into a tight fist. He was fuming. His eyes went wild.

“Is it so far-fetched? You suddenly appear and bodies start dropping. Five of our pack members are dead. Five! Can you blame us?” His voice was stone cold, he glared at Rhea square in the face. 

Rhea's eyes boiled with anger, as she met Carden's cold gaze. “I am not a killer. I certainly did not kill your pack members.” Her voice was stern, her expression was hard. 

Lumina observed Rhea’s demeanor keenly. She was hoping to catch a glimpse of any deceitful move from her. She could not believe that barely a week had a past and people were dead. Her instincts told her Rhea's presence and the deaths of her pack members were somehow related. “Do you mind explaining this then? Who could possibly do such a thing?” She asked authoritatively, her eyes shining. 

Rhea's demeanor changed, her face scowled. Fear gripped her. Her voice barely above whispers. “I truly have no idea. Unless it's him.. If it's him, then we are all dead.” 

Lumina's face turned pale at Rhea's menacing tone. “Who are you referring to Rhea?” 

Rhea could not utter his name. She looked about her in fear, her eyes darting from side to side. Her voice was shaking. “They've found me, they'll stop at nothing to get me. They are Savage. It's another pack. The Shadowclaw pack. An old clan of hunter werewolves that have been rivals with my pack for a very long time. Oh no! They must have found me.” 

“Carden was stiff. His eyes glistened with rage. “It never crossed your mind to tell us about this a while back?” 

Rhea was beside herself with remorse. “I truly didn't mean to cause you any harm. I was sure I had lost them. It seems I was wrong. Forgive me for bringing death to your doorstep.” I should have told you. 

Lumina was at a loss for words. Shadowclaw pack? Her mind raced back to when she was but a young pup. Her mother told her stories of the clan, dark scary stories of how they killed and maimed, raped and stole from all the pack's around them. They were formidable and unmatched in battle. Was it true? A feeling of dread creeped over her body as it dawned on her that those were not just stories to tame them into listening to the adults, they were real experiences of real life werewolves. Her gaze drifted to her dead pack members, their brutal deaths could only have been caused by the barbaric Shadowclaw clan.

“We must leave this place at once. Go back to the pack, tell them to be wary.” She said courageously, her tone commanding, even though her heart raced and pounded like a drum. 

Carden looked somber,“Yes, Lumina. We must also strengthen our defenses and prepare for battle.”

Rhea's face lightened up. She was ready for battle. “Let me help. We've encountered them before, so I know their tactics. I can help you defeat them.” She was hopeful.

Lumina was conflicted. She did not have faith in Rhea. She feared being stabbed in the back. No matter how much she wanted to put her faith in Rhea, her instincts wailed no, but they were short handed, and in no position to be picky considering the enemy they were up against.

“Alright.” Lumina's voice was stern and her expression foreboding. “But just know we are onto you. If you even breathe in the wrong direction, we will kill you.” Her voice was stone cold, just as her words. 

Rhea held her gaze, unwaveringly. “Agreed.” 

Lumina gave one long look at her dead pack members. Said a prayer to the ancestors and turned around towards the pack, her heart ached as she thought of how she was going to break the bad news to families of the fallen members, there was no easy way of telling someone their loved one was dead, a dead person was a dead and no matter how one sugar-coated the news, it still hurts all the same. She wished she could lessen their pain. She thought of how much she had hurt when her father broke the news of her mum's passing. She fought back the tears that threatened to expose her grief in front of Carden and Rhea. She has to be strong. She knew this was only the beginning. Much worse was to come.