The Wild Luna

Her eyes shot open to the sounds of snapping branches. Amelia looked around, searching for the source of the noise, and noticed a small squirrel running away, scared by her sudden movement. Oh Goddess, she was so tired! In another situation, she would have spotted the tiny creature much sooner. Even her wolf senses were weaker now. She desperately needed a rest. After the heavy storm, it was dark and still cloudy. Leaves were dripping with water from the rain, and the ground was slippery and muddy. And it was freezing. The blowing wind was not helping either, getting under her already wet clothes. It is not a time when you want to be outside. But Amelia had no choice. Four days ago, she left her pack, not because she wanted to, but because she had to live in this hell on Earth way too long. She had once called this place her home. But those days were over. She couldn't handle any more of Alpha Samuel's cruelty. Today, in the middle of nowhere, caught by the storm, she was exhausted. All her thoughts were going around one thing: keep moving, keep moving. But her body was telling her that she had reached her limits. Amelia found shelter under the old oak tree, where she was trying to keep the little warmth her clothes gave her. After two hours of a storm, she finally had some little sleep, but every sound immediately woke her up. Her senses were on high alert all the time. -You need to rest a bit.- Shadow, Amelia's wolf, said. She was the only thing that kept the girl saint. Without Shadow, she would be long gone. Her inner beast's strength helped her escape from the Black Moon Pack. Amelia had her wolf for two years, which was like a miracle, as most shifters had their wolves at 16. As impressive as it was, she kept it the biggest secret. Amelia felt that no one could discover that she had her wolf so early. That wouldn't bring anything good if they knew—probably just more suffering for them both. Alpha Samuel would kill her if he knew. Luck was on Amelia's side this time, and no one ever discovered that. They even had their first shift kept secret, which was hard, as the pain was excruciating, and the girl was ready to scream from the top of her lungs. Shadow was such a great companion and a magnificent creature. But most of all, she was a great support, which Amelia needed so badly. She was a dark brown, almost black wolf with amazing amber eyes, piercing your soul, and a little, nearly gold crescent moon mark on her right shoulder, matching Amelia's birthmark. -We don't have time to rest, Shadow, we will get caught. We need to move to stay alive. I am not returning, and I don't think they will let us go so easily. Since she left the pack, Amelia was scared of being found by her tormentors. She needed to keep moving to increase the distance between her and them. - At least shift, little dove. We will move faster, and you won't be so cold. Please, don't be stubborn. Little Dove was her nickname from Shadow since they met. Maybe it was accurate for a petite girl with blonde hair, which sometimes looked more like silver, and blue eyes in the shade of the sky on a sunny day. - You are right, anyway; it is time for a hunt, and you are the only one here who can enjoy eating raw meat.- Amelia said, standing up and taking off her clothes. She had been dreaming of the cooked food for a long time now, not that she often had a chance to eat homemade food in her pack, but uncooked meat was the thing that only Shadow could handle. Even the tiny fire was too big a risk, so a hunt in wolf form was the only option she had. At least she would not be starving. Amelia took off her clothes and folded them in a neat pile. They were still wet, unfortunately. She needed to dry them later, as they were one of her few clothes. All she had with her was a small backpack. Not much, but that was all she managed to grab before running away. You don't need anything that can slow you down when you are on the run. Amelia and Shadow have planned their escape over the last two years. They agreed to leave everything behind them, taking just a minimum, which in this case meant just a backpack. Anyway, she had nothing valuable. Alpha or his men destroyed all the stuff she cared about. Even the clothes she had with her were stolen from a pack member. Amelia couldn't care less, as long as she had something to cover her body. She shifted into her wolf, feeling increased strength and senses. And so much-needed warmth after the nasty storm and cold wind surrounding her. She speeded through the forest, looking for a potential dinner, fully aware that she might not be the only shifter there. Rogues were another threat besides the trackers who might be looking for her and were scaring her to death. A long time ago, Amelia saw what they were capable of. Shadow finally found a young deer. The animal was no match for her and was dead in a few seconds. After the hunt, Shadow lay down under some other tree. Amelia knew better that her wolf would quicker recognize any possible danger. They couldn't allow themselves to sleep deeply, but they needed rest, and this was the best option. Amelia needed the strength to run away from the hell she lived for most of her childhood. No one deserved the life she had. She was not going back to the Black Moon Pack. Even the death sounded like a better idea. Never. This nightmare must finally be over. Must be. Nothing else mattered to her. Nothing more was necessary. Just to run away and survive. For Shadow, the main task was to keep Amelia safe. To make Amelia safe and happy. All she needed was to find her safe place. And maybe a silver wolf that has haunted Amelia's dreams since she remembered... Giant wolf at the Silver Lake.