Chapter 1

"Kill her! Kill her! Kill her!" the crowd screamed. I stood there, tied up at the edge of the woods, waiting to say my last words.

"This woman is a curse to our pack; therefore, she must die," the elder said, his speech drowned out by the cheers from the crowd.

"Say your last words," the elder instructed me while signaling the guards to bring the fire.

"You'll be saying your last words if you dare touch her..." a deep, husky voice from the crowd interrupted.

My eyes shot open; the nightmares were becoming more frequent, and this voice always came to save me.

My dreams always made me wonder if I was cursed. My 18th birthday had passed, and I hadn't shifted shape, which meant I had to wait until the next full moon, which occurs every five years.

I stood up and took a shower in the slaves' bathroom. It was dirty and irritating, but we didn't have a choice.

After that, I made my way to the Alpha's farm to work with the others. I've been working here since I was a little girl.

At first, it was Nana and me, but Nana died a year ago, leaving me all alone.

No one cared about me except for the chef, who always gave me extra food, and the guards, who looked at me lustfully as if I were prey to be devoured. I hoped I would never fall into their trap.

"Miranda," I turned to look at the voice calling me; it was our supervisor.

"Good morning, sir," I greeted, wondering what I had done wrong.

Mr. Ken is the supervisor of Alpha Farm, and he is a very strict person. He would order slaves to be punished for even a minor error.

"Are you done with your work?" he asked me. Deep down, I kept praying I had done nothing wrong.

"Almost, sir," I said, hoping that would spare me from whatever problem there was.

"You can leave the remaining work and go clean up; there's someone you have to meet." He walked out, leaving me completely confused.

But I had no time to ask questions, and I didn't want to get on Mr. Ken's bad side.

Three hours later, I was standing in his office. There was a big, fat man there talking to him.

The fat man kept looking at me and whispering to Mr. Ken. At this point, I knew something was wrong.

After a few moments, I was told to go to the quarters and get my things.

Walking down the hallway, I heard the old chef whisper my name.

"Child, you have to leave this place. The master is about to sell you to that man for the sex trade," she handed me a few coins.

"But where do I go?" I asked her, completely confused.

"Anywhere, far away from here. I've already got a few things you'll need. Quick, child, save yourself."

"Thank you," I said, taking the bag and reaching for the door, taking the back door that leads to the farm, and running through the plants as fast as possible.

I don't know how long I've been walking, but I was tired, so I stopped by a riverbank to refill my bottle.

I felt someone watching me, but I shrugged it off. Before I could turn to leave, I felt a hand clasp over my mouth, dragging me into the woods.

"Shh, be quiet. There's danger out here," a voice whispered in my ear. "What are you doing here alone in the woods?"

I turned around to look into a pair of dark eyes. It's him... My wolf jumps in excitement; my mate has found me. But I knew this face from somewhere I couldn't remember.