Alphas Thirst For Ember

Ember's POV

  It's been two years since I last saw my mother and brother. After our father died, mother was forced to take on the responsibility of a family. One day she went on a hunt to feed us, and a bunch of brazen rogues attacked our little pack.

My last glimpse of Caden, my little brother, was of him lying in the mud, his small body curled in on itself. One of the men kicked him, and I saw him clutch his stomach weakly in response.

I lost consciousness with his name on my lips, wondering what mum would do when she came back and found us gone.

I woke up in what resembled a concentration camp. Humans and werewolves from different raided places were crammed together in horrible conditions, their faces painted with despair. Fortunately for me, I didn't stay there long.

The very next day, I was dragged out of the camp and shoved into a filthy old van. From snippets of conversation among the traffickers, I learned that a hundred of us had been sold to Alpha Thorne, the most feared and revered Alpha in the plains.

"They say he's so cruel and evil, no other Alpha dares to challenge him," whispered Kaya, a wiry human girl I'd met at the camp. Her bright blond hair was so long it nearly dragged on the ground. So I'd braided it into one thick plait for her to keep it out of the way.

At the sound of that name, I clenched my fists.

"I'd kill him if I had the chance," I muttered in a flat tone, glaring at the men outside.

"Shhh! Keep your voice down," Kaya hissed as she glanced around nervously. "You don't want that kind of attention."

"I don't care," I snapped, although my voice was low. "I don't know where my brother is. I've watched everyone here, and he's not among them. He's my only priority."

Kaya's green eyes softened, but her voice was stern. "Then don't die. How will you find him if you make the traffickers angry and get yourself killed?"

She was right. As much as I hated admitting it, I couldn't afford to let my anger get the best of me. I had to stay alive, for my brother, for my mother. Worry stung my chest but I kept my face blank, locking my emotions away.

"Stop right there!" a trafficker's bark suddenly cut through the air.

Everyone turned in the direction of the commotion. A young man had bolted from the group, sprinting toward the tree line in a desperate attempt to escape.

The tall man perched on top of our cage jumped down without a word. As he gave chase, his body began to twist and contort. His bones snapped and realigned, fur sprouting from his skin. Within seconds, he had transformed into a massive brown werewolf.

Gasps erupted from the humans around me. For many of them, this was the first time they'd witnessed a shift up close. The werewolf's strides were impossibly fast, and in mere moments, he was upon the fleeing man. With a bone crunching bite to the neck, the escapee fell limp on the ground.

Kaya gripped my arm, her nails digging into my skin. I turned to her and saw tears streaming down her face.