Mia's POV

I opened my eyes and hissed as a sudden harsh light greeted me, squinting against the light I got up slightly, feeling a tug on my left arm I looked around in confusion.

I was lying in a soft and comfy bed. The plain cream-colored walls and the IV that was attached to me along with a heart monitor and other medical equipment made me realize I was in an infirmary.

After figuring that out the memory came in a flash.

"P-ple-please h-h-help me." I cried in the dark alleyway.

"Oh shut up already bitch," The dark male voice filled with malicious intent replied.

My sobs echoed in the empty darkness and I let out a blood-curdling scream as the man grabbed me inappropriately and pushed me against the wall.

"No one is coming to save you." He whispered hungrily and while leaning towards me.

"Wrong," Growled an unknown female voice with rage.

The man, thankfully, paused and seemingly not hearing the tone of her voice continued, "I'm sure we have room for another."

Getting no reply he looked past his shoulder to where the voice had come from and gasped in fear seeing a pair of bright green-glowing eyes glaring at him.

"How about ending it?"

Before he could comprehend what was happening she came at him as fast as lightning and twisted his neck, ending his miserable life.

If I had a different life maybe then I would have stared at her in horror and disgust but all I could do was stare at her with the eyes of someone looking at an angel, their savior.

"Y-you....s-s-saved....me...." I cried as my small scar-littered frame shook. I jumped up to wrap my arms around my savior.

I continued crying hysterically still haunted by the memory.

"Shhh it's okay.....you are safe now.....shhh." My savior whispered in a kind and calming tone.

"My name is Shadow," and after a pause, she asked, "What's yours?"

"M-Mia."

"Well Mia, where are your pack mates?"

"I...I'm a r...runaway, th-they ab-abused me," I whispered with fear, hoping she wouldn't send me back to them.

"Would you like to join The Crescent Moon Pack then?"

I gasped and looked up into the glowing green eyes which stared back at me with no deceit and only kindness.

"Yes."

I was happy knowing someone at least.....cared enough about....me.

I found those words strange because, throughout my miserable life, no one did that.

No one even spared me a glance except when they wanted to have 'fun' torturing me.

Involuntarily I felt a lump forming in my throat, with tears blurring my vision and I started shaking.

"NOOOO!!!" My five-year-old self screamed.

The sound of laughter faded as I sank deeper and deeper in the ice-cold lake that ran through my pack, The Blood Moon Pack.

I struggled for a few seconds but then I thought, what was the point of living anymore? I would finally be at peace, no one to humiliate me, no one to hurt me and I'd be out of this terrible place.

As my tears mixed with the ice-cold water, I felt strange calmness wash over me.

Finally, nothing would matter, no one cared about me in this pack, not even my parents.

I was just a pitiful child found near the border of a cruel pack.

Sadly I was saved.

I remembered nothing.

No one cared enough to tell me about what happened to me, all I remembered was the laughter and the feeling of drowning.

I sobbed harder as another memory surfaced.

I lay there naked, shaking and terrified out of my mind.

I was horrified at what had transpired here, at what had happened to me.

I was violated and the one untouched thing was stolen from me like I was nothing.

I was just fucking 15. I looked at my hands in disgust, how could I have been so utterly pathetic? So disgustingly weak?

I had no one to go to, I had no one to ask for help.

My father never cared about me. He hated my existence like I was a curse whereas my mother was less like a mother and more of a suppressive leech, she told me to endure all the torture and hatred towards me and not to fight back.

She was, after all my mother and we should listen to what they say right?

I cried harder, pulling my knees up to my chin, rocking back and forth.

Just as I thought the memories had stopped another surfaced.

Years went by and my desire to find my mate grew because I knew he was the only one who could save me now.

I was by myself when I let out a strangled wail at the sudden feeling of loss and pain.

I started to sob knowing immediately what this meant.

No....no....no this can't be happening.

My last hope, who was supposed to take me away from this wretched place was.....was....dead.

My mate was dead...I didn't even get to meet him.

How could the moon goddess be so cruel to me? Did she truly hate me that much? What did I do to deserve so much pain, so much hatred?

They say that the goddess puts her strongest warriors through the hardest of times, yet I don't feel strong at all. I feel pathetic.

That's it. I'm leaving this place. I can't continue living here in this hellhole.

I got that courage only because of The Crescent Moon Pack.

I had heard so many stories about them as an omega.

They were also known as The Justice Pack.

I wondered why they didn't save me but then the thought left my mind as soon as it came, how would they when the cold-hearted Alpha that loved to torture me the most would go to such lengths to keep me there and hide me from other packs.

I laughed like a maniac, feeling like my sanity was on the brink.

Nothing can amount to how much I hated that pack.

I continued crying, trying to let out all of my emotions through tears. I couldn't handle the pain of my memories, they hurt so much.

There was so much more buried deep inside that surfaced.

The courage I felt was slowly slipping.

As I sat there, the monitor continued beeping loudly next to me, I couldn't distinguish what was real and what wasn't.

All of my past kept playing over and over like a broken record in my head and no matter how badly I wanted it to stop, it just wouldn't stop.

I suddenly heard a loud bang which made me flinch.

I didn't look up. I couldn't. My heartbeat increased more and more, making the monitor beep louder and louder.

Out of nowhere, I could hear someone calling my name but it felt like I was deep underwater.

It stayed that way for a few more seconds until I felt like I was slowly coming up to the surface.

My eyes suddenly opened and I gasped loudly.

I squinted as I saw something bright and blue through my blurry vision.

Suddenly my haze cleared, resulting in me looking at the brightest blue eyes I have ever seen.

They were glowing and were brighter than Shadow's.

I jerked back with a gasp, slightly in fear.

But then I noticed that they didn't have any bad intent in them.

All I could see was deep concern and sadness. Why were they....? Oh, were they concerned about me?

I was finally able to make out the soothing and calm voice that said, "Hey, hey listen to me Mia, it's over, it's all over, you are here now. You are safe okay? Shhh.....shhhh it's ok.....I'm here for you now."

I still had my tears falling endlessly.

She got up from my bed and leaned down, hugging me.

I was surprised at first but then held onto her tightly.

She still kept whispering soothing words to me.

I let her soothe me because I might just go insane.

Feeling my shoulder stop shaking she pulled away from me.

I let go, feeling shy all of sudden, and wiped my cheeks.

She smiled at me gently still looking worried.

"I'm sorry I—"

She cut me off with her very beautiful and gentle voice, "Don't ever apologize for something like this. Crying is not a weakness, it's just the way many people deal with things sometimes."

I managed to crack a small smile to which she grinned.

She picked the glass of water from the table beside me and handed it to me and as soon as it was in my hands I gulped it down.

She looked at me with worry-filled eyes and somehow I felt brave enough to ask her a question.

"Can I....can I ask you something?" I stuttered a bit worried about her reaction.

She seemed confused but replied, "Of course, go on,"

"Who are you and where....am I?"

Just as I said that I noticed the power she radiated and looked at her strange half blonde and half....blue hair? She had bangs and short wavy hair reaching right below her shoulders, a diamond-shaped face with deep-set, and straight eyes along with a square jaw.

"I'm Alpha Taylor Swift and you are in The Crescent Moon Pack infirmary."

I gasped, feeling shocked.

Wait, what? I.....she is the Alpha Taylor Swift? But I thought it was a male alpha? And this is The Crescent Moon Pack?

Oh....that means Shadow brought me to their territory.

Just as she noticed the wheels turning in my head, she grinned.

"But-But how....?"

"Okay, questions later. You need some food in your system right now," she said with a stern yet friendly voice.

I didn't want or need the food but how I could object an alpha?

She smiled and mind-linked, though she still appeared to be alert about her surroundings.

That surprised me and I wondered how she did that because our minds would get occupied with speaking in such a way, and not pay much attention to our surroundings, which can be quite dangerous in some situations.

After a few seconds, she looked at me. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions so, until the time that the food arrives, I can answer them."

I nodded hesitantly. "Yes....yes uhh..."

I was a bit afraid to ask her but saw her kind look and remembered her previous words so I continued, "How are you alpha? I mean aren't males usually the Alpha?"

"Let me start from the beginning. My father was the Alpha before and this pack was very small back then. At that time a lot of evil was there in our world. People killing each other, rape, abuse, everything bad that could happen, happened. And my father and mother wanted to change that because they knew the sufferings their pack had gone through, having lost so many members, even the former Alpha and Luna died during this time all of which was because of this strange evil in the world, all the things that were happening were just....unnatural. They told me about their dreams and taught me how to be kind yet firm as both an Alpha and a Luna would be because they knew that my mate had passed at a young age and didn't tell me about it until I turned 18."

I looked at her sympathetically and in sadness feeling her pain and she smiled sadly in return.

"So I had to be Luna and Alpha both, it was difficult at first but then I learned because anything can be learned if you have the resolve and determination to do so."

She stared at the floor, lost in her memories. "So our pack trained to be the best, slowly many people who were abused or treated badly and people who were rogues came here and our pack grew and our training grew more intense. Eventually, we became as fast as lightning or at least close and also deadly. With our training we delivered justice to packs who were being harmed or not being run properly by their Alphas or Lunas, we liberated the packs and they wished to become a part of our pack and also wanted to train just as hard, of course with our steady and sudden growth in population and power other packs got jealous....." she trailed off angrily.

I touched her arm for comfort, surprising her and me, and pulled back immediately, but then she continued, smiling sadly at me.

"As much as I hated it, we fought wars and emerged winners, though it seemed for namesake because the people we lost grew. My parents died in the last war and with that, we had finally locked away the darkness that had this world in ruins. Too much evil was there but now it's less or well hidden."

It was her turn to be sympathetic, I felt a tear slip which she wiped gently, cupping my cheeks with her warm hands.

"But you are safe here like many others, we have saved people who have lost their mates and runaways, we helped them all and we always will, here in this pack the ranks don't have absolute power." she then paused and then grinned at me.

"We are like a big family, everyone here had somehow had had a bad past. Our pack was built over the trust of strangers who needed a home and we, my family, my parents gave that to them, and they were killed because of this; because they were doing what was right."

I noticed the unshed tears in her eyes.

"It's okay, at least you have got good memories with them whether they are big or small but you have memories to cherish.....I don't....I'm not saying to not be upset about losing them but what I'm saying is that remember them in your heart. I can't do that because if I do then I will have another episode of a panic attack, my memories aren't exactly something I can be happy about..." I trailed off with a tired sigh.

Putting her left hand on my shoulder she said, "I understand what you are saying and I'm grateful about you opening up to me but remember, a family doesn't have to be by blood, many of my pack members aren't related to each other by blood but we are still like a family, we all would gladly sacrifice our lives for the good of the pack."

She then smiled proudly. "I'm glad that you pulled through, you are a warrior for surviving all those difficult times. I'm not saying it will just magically get better but I promise you this, you will be welcomed with here open arms, not only as a member of the pack but also as a member of this family, and if you allow it, we will help you in every way we possibly can."

I teared up once again. And smiled a true smile in a long time.

After a few moments, I stopped, getting ready to get some answers.

"But why do your and Shadow's eyes glow?"

She grinned mischievously and then suddenly the power that she radiated increased, and surprisingly enough I didn't want to submit.

I gasped at myself and felt a strange sensation build up inside of me, "Our acts weren't unnoticed by The Moon Goddess, she thanked and praised us for ridding this world of evil and gave this pack and me special powers as a token of thanks and appreciation. But no one knows about it except this pack and she gave us these powers to help us more in our fight against evil, anyone who joins this pack whole-heartedly without any bad intentions and is accepted by me can get these powers and anyone born in this pack has them too; depending on our ranks our eyes glow more, for example, if it's an alpha the glow is the brightest and the glow decreases as the ranks go down but other common pack members' eyes glow only when using these powers whereas we high ranked members have eyes that always glow. The warriors and assassins earn this glow in their eyes as they work harder and become more powerful."

The strange sensation in me increased a little, it didn't hurt but it was exciting.

Suddenly her voice became ethereal and hauntingly beautiful, "My dear, one thing I do know of is that you were destined to be in this pack, when you entered our territory your powers awoke and so did your wolf, she was dormant all these years because of what you suffered in your previous pack. Hence, I would like to commemorate your ceremony in joining this pack today as tonight is the full moon where you will shift and get your full powers."

I just sat there in shock which turned into anger as I realized how much that prison of a pack stole from me, even my wolf.

But suddenly I felt a change in me and felt this strange giddiness.

"I feel strange....like strange....happiness?"

Her eyes lit up. "It is your wolf, she has started to emerge and soon you will shift when you get accepted."

I now felt the giddiness increase as my happiness was added. I have never felt this emotion so extremely before, it was exciting.