Chapter 2: A Run In The Forest.

Diane’s POV

2 months later.

It has been a week since I turned eighteen, and not once did I leave my wooden cabin in the forest. I had been lying down in the middle of the mess I had made. Crying myself to sleep and waking up only to cry again. The truth is after that rogue attack two months ago, my life has not been the same.

We were very few that escaped from our pack, and while looking for a place to settle down, we met a group of werewolf teens my age, residing in Briarwood City, a city that was full of all kinds of supernatural beings.

The teens were also rogues. They were nice to us and even taught us how to spar and steal whatever we needed. Even though I couldn't shift like the rest of the group, I kind of got good at it, but it wasn't something I was happy doing because I knew my parents would never have approved of me doing such.

So whenever I made extra money from selling what I stole, I would go back to the store I stole from and pay them back for the food or toiletries I stole before. The old lady who owned the store, Mrs Sandra, was usually baffled by my behavior. Seeing that I was different from the rest of the group, she offered me the wooden cabin at the far back of her house in the forest.

After living with the group of teens for a month, I decided to accept Mrs Sandra’s offer because I didn't want to continue living the life of a thief. Mrs Sandra also offered me a job at her store, where I made some extra money for myself. But ever since my parent's death, I have started having trust issues.

It scared me because no one was here to protect me anymore. All I have right now is myself and my wolf, who I met a week ago. Realizing that my parents weren't lying when they told me back then that I would get my wolf on my eighteenth birthday and that it was a special wolf was more of the reason why I missed them more now.

I have waited eagerly for this day to come when I would celebrate my wolf with my family, but the day has come and gone, and there was no one to celebrate it with. My wolf, Raven, was a rare snow-white wolf and was special just as my dad had told me back then. Raven had also warned me that we are not allowed to shift during the day for our safety.

Even though I had no idea about what she meant, I had to follow her advice because she's the only family I've got now, and I know she only wants what's best for me.

“Diane, please stand up. I can't let you stay like this anymore. You've got to move on and live your life. I know you loved your parents very much, I can see that in your memories, but you can't keep wasting away like this. You need to heal and move on. I also know for a fact that your parents wouldn't want you to waste your life like this.” My wolf, Raven, said.

“I know Raven, but it's hard. I just can't stop thinking about them or all the wonderful memories we shared.”

“Why don't we go out for a run? Release all the anger and frustration in running. Maybe that would free your mind.” Raven suggested.

“Is it safe for us to go out for a run by this time? It's not even close to 1 am like we agreed. It's just a few minutes past 11 pm.” I replied to her, trying to come up with an excuse not to go out.

“No, no, no. No excuses, Diane. We are going out, and that's it. Besides, it's already dark enough, so our chances of being caught are very low. Now let's go,” she said.

I sighed, knowing that I didn't have a choice but to do her bidding. She probably knows what's best for us. I opened the door and walked to a clearing in the forest, and then I carefully removed my dress and underwear and folded them neatly into a pile.

I took a deep breath and then let Raven take control of our mind and body. I started to feel my bones break. I let out a little scream and fell on my knees. The pain was unbearable. It was like breaking all of your bones at the same time. This is our second time shifting, and the pain still feels unbearable, like the first.

I fought the urge to throw up and focused on letting go of my control. Slowly, fur began sprouting from my skin, giving me a burning sensation as though my entire body was on fire. After a few minutes of what felt like a life-and-death situation, I was standing on all fours, my white fur shimmering under the bright moonlight.

Once Raven fully came forward, she stretched her legs and dug her claws into the grass and dirt. She shook her fur loose as if she hadn't seen the outside world in ages and trotted along the trees to get the blood flowing in her legs. Gradually Raven began to gain speed, and her trot turned into a full-on sprint in seconds.

After running for what seemed like an hour, we got tired. I stopped by a lake to have a drink, when it started drizzling and gradually it turned into a heavy rain. I shifted back to my human form and had a dip in the lake. Instead of running back in my wolf form, I took a jog in my human form.

“Diane! Stop!” Raven yelled in my head.

“What is it, Raven? Is there a problem? Are we in danger?" I asked, scared by the way she had yelled in my head.

“Do you smell that?” She asked ignoring my questions.

“Smell what?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.

“Can't you smell it? The forest is reeking with blood.” She exclaimed.

Then it hit me, like an ice-cold bucket of water - blood. Someone was in the forest with me and that person was close by. Suddenly my heart started pounding like It wanted to escape my chest.

I stood behind a tree as I stared at nothing but the dark forest.

“Shit! I don't know where I am and I can barely see a thing in this rain,” I said.

I froze in my place when I heard a twig snap.

“What should I do? Should I run?” I asked Raven but got no reply.

The smell of blood filling the air made me scrunch my nose. I peeked behind the tree as I scanned my surroundings. This could be a trap, I said in my mind as I carefully walked behind the trees while trying to locate where the blood smell was coming from.

“Turns out you're such a coward,” Raven whispered in my head.

I was about to reply her when I heard the snapping of twigs again. I stopped in my tracks and looked around. The sound was getting closer, and I still hadn't locate where it was coming from. I let out a scream when a warthog ran through the bush, causing me to stumble upon a root.

Wait, the root isn't soft.

Chills crept all over my body as I slowly turned my head to the side.

“Holy shit! It's a man!” I covered my mouth with my hands to avoid screaming again.

I carefully stood up, not wanting to find out if he was dead or alive. I turned on my heel and was about to leave when I heard him groan. My heart was beating so fast as I stood there dead in my tracks. With my eyes glued to the man, I carefully stepped away from him.

“Wait, Diane, and focus,” said Raven.

“Focus on what?” I asked, feeling irritated.

“The scent,” she replied.

I sniffed the air and was hit in the face by the most amazing scent. The scent is very intoxicating. It's as if the fresh scent of a forest after rainfall is combined with the warm, musky sweetness of amber, laced with a hint of spice that tingles the senses. But it was a little bit faint due to the smell of blood and dirt.

Raven whispers the word to me, “MATE!”