First Blood Chronicles: The Alpha's Special Mate

“Kayla!”

Elena’s voice rang through the tiny room as she threw the cell’s iron bars open. Kayla jerked awake and saw her cell guard lying lifeless on the floor.

Elena rushed to her, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her toward the back door. She quickly found the right key and unlocked it.

“Leave the pack immediately, and don’t ever come back.”

“Aunt Elena…” Kayla tried to speak, but Elena stopped her.

“Kayla, your uncle is in a meeting with his greedy Alpha friends right now. They are planning to make this pack a Regent Pack, and he intends to use your power. If he succeeds, he’ll become untouchable. The Great Southern Council won’t be able to question his actions anymore.”

“Those who have been asking questions about the strange marks on your body and why he has kept you locked up here for fourteen years will be silenced forever.”

“Secondly, I’m closer than ever to discovering the truth behind those strange marks that appear on your body every morning. Once I uncover the answer, I promise I’ll find you, no matter where you are.”

Kayla shook her head and whispered. “You know I’ve tried to escape three times. They stopped me and brought me back every time.”

“Kayla listen to me, the young girl who eavesdropped on their conversation found out why they always use your blood to stop you. She promised she would help you escape. Take the eastern path through Blackwood Forest. It leads straight to Blue Lake Pack. The girl is waiting for you there. She will save you if your uncle stops you.”

“Blue Lake belongs to Alpha Zayron, the most powerful Alpha in the Central region. Once you’re close, he will sense you and come out to protect you. He is known for saving vulnerable she-wolves,” Elena added.

Kayla stared into the dark forest. For the first time, she believed she could escape.

Just as she took a step, the cell gate opened violently. Alpha Cameron and his Beta, Leo, entered.

Leo dropped a map onto the small table while Cameron grabbed Elena and pressed a knife against her throat.

“I’m not here to beg you not to leave the pack, Kayla,” Cameron said with a wicked smile. “You may be fast, but I will always find you, stop you, and bring you back. So don’t waste your strength.”

Kayla stared at him in disbelief. She couldn’t believe her late mother, Elena, and this beast had all come from the same womb.

“Kayla, leave the pack!” Elena screamed.

Tears filled Kayla’s eyes.

Elena wasn’t just her late mother’s sister. She was the only person who had spent fourteen years trying to free Kayla from that cell.

While everyone else called her a monster and the Moon’s punishment to the wolves, Elena had defended her. She had fought for Kayla to attend school, eventually attracting the attention of the Great Southern Council. Because of her efforts, Kayla’s uncle had been forced to let her attend werewolf school like the other wolves.

“Kayla, if you stay, then you truly are the Moon’s punishment to the wolves,” Elena cried. “If you know you’re not, then leave this pack. Save yourself and the Central region.”

“You were born to change the fate of werewolves, but your uncle is using your power for his own advantage. Leave now, discover who you are, and save the wolves, Kayla!”

Kayla couldn’t move. Even though she was the fastest wolf in the country, her legs refused to carry her. Elena was everything to her.

Alpha Cameron laughed. Without another word, he dragged the blade across Elena’s throat.

Blood poured from the wound, and she collapsed.

“No!” Kayla screamed.

For one painful second, she couldn’t breathe. Then she turned and ran, believing she might finally escape the pack.

Cameron looked at one of the guards who had rushed into the room.

“Go to the doctor,” he ordered. “Tell him Kayla escaped again and that Leo is right behind her. He knows what to do. If he doesn’t have her blood with him anymore, he should check the fridge in my chamber.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

Leo shifted into his wolf and chased after Kayla, the rolled-up map hanging from his mouth.

Kayla raced through the forest, constantly searching for the girl Elena had mentioned.

But she saw no one. Then, more than an hour later, her body suddenly gave out. Her stride faltered. She swayed as though the ground beneath her had shifted. The familiar weakness had returned.

Her legs collapsed, and she crashed face-first onto the forest floor.

Moments later, Leo emerged from the trees and shifted back into human form.

He picked a few oranges from a nearby tree.

Kayla saw him approaching, but that was all she remembered.

A few minutes later, her eyes fluttered open. Her body was soaked, as though someone had thrown an entire bucket of water over her.

Before she could regain her senses, a thunderous slap snapped her head to the side.

“You brainless moron! You and your useless aunt are so easy to control.”

He grabbed her hair and yanked her to her feet.

“Your uncle needs something from you.”

Kayla turned toward Leo.

“What does he need?” she asked emotionlessly.

“This pack’s Alpha and his warriors have gone hunting.”

Leo pointed toward a big wolf pack in front of them.

“I need you to enter the pack, sneak behind the Alpha’s chamber and throw everything you find over that fence.”

He switched on a small penlight and unfolded the map he was holding.

“This is a map of Blue Lake Pack.”

He tapped a heavily fortified section near the center.

“This is Alpha Zayron’s private chamber. Slip behind it. Whatever you find there, throw it over the wall to me.”

Kayla looked up at the towering wall.

“And what if the Alpha catches me?” she asked.

She didn’t really care. At this point, she would rather be caught than continue helping her uncle with his selfish ambitions.

Leo scoffed and shoved the rolled-up map into her trembling hands.

“You’re half wolf. You don’t have a scent. To a werewolf, you’re a ghost. They won’t even sense you.”

He stepped closer.

“But if you get caught, I’ll come in and plead on your behalf. Your uncle will handle the politics.”

Kayla opened her mouth to ask another question, but Leo suddenly lunged forward and grabbed her hair.

“If this mission fails, your uncle will kill you himself.”

He released her.

“Now climb the fence and get inside. If you try to run again, I’ll stop you using the exact same method we used today.”

His eyes hardened.

“Trust me. This time, I’ll make sure you die a slow and painful death.”

Kayla looked up at the towering wall..Terror froze her in place.

Breathing heavily, she found a foothold and forced herself over the top.

She took a deep breath and jumped blindly into the dark territory.

Instead of hitting the ground, she crashed into a pair of arms that felt like solid iron.

The impact knocked the wind out of her, and the map slipped from her grip and fell to the ground.

“Moon Goddess!” Kayla gasped.

She struggled desperately against the Alpha’s iron grip. It was like trying to fight a mountain.

“Put me down, please,” she cried.

“Shut up,” Alpha Zayron growled.

“Don’t shout at her. She is our mate,” Rion, the Alpha’s wolf, whispered inside his mind.

“Alpha…” Kayla called in a low voice.

“Be quiet, little howler,” Alpha Zayron interrupted.

Without saying a word, Zayron carried her through a dimly lit stone corridor. His gaze remained fixed on the tiny puncture marks scattered across her exposed skin. He had never seen anything like them before. It was as though someone had been piercing her skin over and over again.

Alpha Zayron was angry, not at her for trespassing, but at whoever had done this to her. It was obvious someone had been abusing her. The marks on her body told the story.

He kicked open the door to an empty room and gently lowered her to the floor. Crouching before her, he reached for her wrist.

Countless tiny puncture marks covered her skin. Some looked fresh, while others had faded with time. The same marks covered her other arm and continued down her legs. A few were red and slightly swollen.

Zayron rolled her sleeve up a little more.

His Beta, Axel, stepped forward and b