The Beast of the Briar Woods

"the only real prison is fear,

and the only real freedom

is freedom from fear"

They say a wolf is nothing without it's pack.

Lone wolves are called Omegas- the lowest of the low. Abandoned. It was only a matter of time before they were dead. Because while wolves are powerful, they work better when they're with their kind. Seeing a wolf pack in action was like watching a well-oiled machine. So why, then, did the idea of being an Omega seem more appealing to me than staying with my current pack?

The New Moon Pack was led by our Alpha, Ajack. But to me, he wasn't just an Alpha. He was also dad. Unfortunately, being his daughter made me feel more like an outsider rather than a princess.

Why, you may ask?

Well, that's probably due to the fact that my own father chooses to pretend that I don't exist. He doesn't even talk about my mother, leaving me to imagine what she would have looked like and how she would've treated me if she were still alive. Ajack was too busy doting on his new Luna and his son to pay too much attention to me. That was a good thing, though. Because whenever he remembered my presence, he looked at me like I was a pest he found crawling underneath his bathroom sink.

With a sigh, I decided to get up from bed and get ready for the day. There was no use in mulling over my family drama and being late to my duties. I would just end up getting into more trouble, and the other wolves already loved to pick on me. The unwanted daughter. The runt of the pack. They just found too many reasons to hate me.

I brushed my long, dark locks to get the tangles out and pulled it into a high bun. I learned early on that a lot of the younger wolves loved to tug at my long hair. My eyes, which were a dark blue, definitely came from my mother. They were a stark contrast to my father's deep, black eyes.

I nearly jumped out of my seat when the door to my room banged open. "Elara, there you are! Can you be any slower? The others are already gathering to patrol the woods. Would you prefer us to wait for you?" The snarling voice came from my doorway.

A part of me felt like hiding under my desk, but another, deeper part of me was also baring its teeth at the intrusion. My wolf was agitated, and I could feel the beast inside of me struggling to take over. I did my best to reign in that part of me. While my wolf was brave, it was also foolish. I don't think it cared about who we challenged as long as our anger was satisfied.

"I'll be right there, Caleb," I answered instead, not meeting the eyes of the older wolf. I didn't want him to see the anger simmering inside of me. Instead, I began pulling on my shoes and heading for the doorway.

I thought I was going to make it out the door without incident, but I felt a strong grip clamping down on my arm and pulling me back as I passed by. I stared at the hand holding onto me, wishing to tear it off with my teeth. In my head, my wolf snapped, for once in complete agreement with me.

My eyes travelled up to stare at the face that the hand belonged to. Caleb was five years older than me and one of the strongest wolves in the pack- that's why he led the patrols. My father trusted him to keep our territory safe. He was also two feet taller than I was, so it wasn't really smart to provoke him. But what he said next made me forget all about being smart.

"Just because you're the Alpha's daughter doesn't mean you're going to get special treatment," Caleb snapped at me. "The Alpha doesn't care about you. Your mother wasn't even a Luna. She was just a pathetic little bi-"

Caleb wasn't able to finish his sentence. Instead, he cried out in pain and dropped my arm, his hand going to the right side of his face. There was a beat of silence as we both processed what happened. His eyes travelled to my hand, and I followed his gaze to see bloody claws extending from my fingers.

I had scratched him. I had actually fought back.

Oh no.

Disbelief momentarily paralyzed Caleb, and I took that as my chance to escape. Without thinking about it, my legs were already moving. I sprinted for my window, crashing through the glass and feeling the broken pieces scratch at my skin. As I hit the ground outside and continued to run, I heard a loud roar coming from behind me. This was followed by the sound of more thundering footsteps running in our direction. I didn't need to look back to know they were giving chase.

And I didn't want to imagine what they'd do to me if they caught up.

Like Caleb said, I wasn't going to be given special treatment. According to the rules of the pack, Caleb would be given the opportunity to take his revenge. He could do anything he wanted with me, and seeing as he already didn't like me, I didn't want to find out what he had planned.

Stupid, stupid, stupid, I scolded myself. At least the frustration pushed me to go faster. I should've known he was goading me.

But my emotions were doing the thinking for me as soon as he mentioned my mother. I had tried so long to control my emotions around other wolves. I didn't care that they picked on me, called me names, hit me or pulled my hair. I could take all of that, even though my wolf was always frustrated with my inaction.

What I couldn't take was hearing them speak badly about my mother. She was probably better than all of them, but I would never get the chance to know.

I could hear the other wolves gaining on me. "You can't run forever, Elara. I can smell your fear from a mile away," I heard Caleb's taunting voice echoing through the trees.

My heart pounded in my chest because I knew he was right. Even though I was smaller and lighter on my feet, they were on the hunt. Their senses were locked in on me. I couldn't escape them. They would track me down until they had me cornered, and then they would pounce. That's what we did to all our prey. Except, this time, I was the one being hunted.

Seeing as I didn't have any other options at the moment, I ran deeper into the forest.

The dried leaves and fallen branches crunched and snapped beneath my feet as I flew past the trees. The longer I ran, the more I realized how the forest was changing. The trees seemed to be taller and thicker. There was barely any sunlight piercing through the canopy of leaves. It looked as though twilight had fallen, when just a few minutes ago, I was getting ready to start the day.

Then I realized I couldn't hear the other wolves behind me.

In fact, I couldn't hear anything.

There were no insects. No sound of other animals. No rustling leaves. The silence made my loud heartbeat pound against my ear drums, and I looked around in confusion. Suddenly, the forest seemed to be shrinking in on me, and I didn't know which direction to go. None of the trees looked familiar to me. I couldn't see any trail to follow.

When I turned around again, a short scream clawed its way past my throat. A figure in a dark robe stood before me, her features shrouded in shadows. Her long, white hair and figure told me she was a woman. "Who- who are you?" I managed to stutter.

It wasn't everyday one met mysterious figures in the woods. I knew for certain she wasn't a werewolf. Someone from another pack wouldn't stray too close to our borders and an Omega definitely wouldn't want the attention of other wolves. Plus, she just smelled... different.

When I didn't get a response, my wolf began to get nervous. My nails once again extended into sharp claws and even my teeth began to grow longer in my mouth. Finally, the woman pulled back her robe and smiled at me. "Now, now. There's no need for that," she said in a song-like tone. "I'm here to help you, my dear."

At this, I couldn't help but snort. "I highly doubt that," I muttered. Maybe she was just some crazy lady in the woods. Maybe she got lost and decided to stick around, not knowing there were werewolves about.

"So full of doubt," she mused, her wrinkles deepening as she pursed her lips. She appeared to be in her late sixties or early seventies. She definitely did not look like she should've been wandering the woods alone. "That's always been your problem, Elara."

All of my thoughts came to a screeching halt when she spoke my name. When she saw the uncertainty in my eyes, she smirked again. "Yes, I know who you are," she murmured, walking closer. "But most importantly, I know what you want."

One second, the woman was in front of me, and the next, she was gone. "Freedom," a voice whispered from behind my ear. I whirled around to find her standing there, that same smile on her face. "You long to be free of your pack."

I could only watch as she began to circle me again. And although she looked like an old woman and I was the one with the claws and the sharp teeth, I still felt like the prey as she continued to look at me with her shrewd, grey eyes. It was as though she could decipher all the secrets I'd been keeping to myself. The longer she looked at me, the more I felt like a puzzle she was trying to solve.

"But you're scared that you won't be strong enough on your own," she continued. "I can help you with that."

"Why?" I whispered, completely confused now. "How do you know me? Who are you?"

"So many questions," the woman tsked, shaking her head. "But I understand. Walk with me, and I can explain to you."

I looked back towards the trees, wondering if the others were still after me. The woman followed my line of sight and shook her head. "Don't worry. They won't be able to follow you anymore... unless I want them to."

With a smile that looked as though she was also keeping her own secrets, the old woman walked towards the shadows, and I had no choice but to follow suit.