r, her arms pumping beside her, her feet ca

s bathed in the gentle glow of a

chest burning with exhaustion. Her lun

in her. Her hair flayed wildly behind her,

her emerald eyes darting frantic

avy pounding of paws on dirt and leaves, s

is lycans after her, to ca

he could just get to the borders of the pack, s

had been so scared to leave. Fear of the outside world which she knew nothin

ce of Iron Claw Pack. The Alpha of the pack, Alpha Kael, had

rank of shifters. Hence she was regarded as an omega t

night he found her, there was a strange mark on

ade her swear never to tell anyone about it. So Astrid

omegas were treated like trash, abused and punished at t

e had no parent, and the omegas who raised her told

it. A part of her knew the crescent moon mark was important, and it had something to do wit

er eighteenth birthday, the age she was to find her mate. A

el's son. The only boy

red how Gerald cruelly rejected her. His

ou. An omega mated to the future Alph

again. Gerald's hurtful words and the pain of his rejection

her shifters laughed at her mockingly. She remembe

a group of other shifters talking ab

a Kael." One of the shifters complained angrily. "We can't let anyone find o

should have killed her as a child." Ano

e about it." Alpha Kael growled. "But it's not too late. We will k

ael meant to kill her. In her shock, she took a st

er. His dark gaze whipped through

roared, and

on it, because it did. Her pursuers were relentle

ht. She could feel her legs getting weak, buckling occasiona

ashed heavily to the ground. Pain shot through her

ers of the pack ahead of her, she felt a burst of hope. She just had to reach it.

limped forward, a bod

oth fell to the ground

nd she let out another scream. Despite the

ns had caught up with her, surrounding

r lifted her and threw her

as they began to run back t

through the forest,

as realization dawned on her

whispered weakly, tears streaming do

us roar shook th

their hackles raised as the ear-splitti

e holding Astrid asked

sounded, this time closer, much louder than the first. Pa

to run, but something in that roa

forest. It was a terrifying beast, towering over

, and those eyes quickly turned furious

ng beast transformed. Its massive shape contorted, dar

ce and piercing ruby gaze. Broad shoulders an

they were in the presence of a

ok a step forward and spoke

hands off