Apex Predator

~FOUR~

Apparently, even the pack knew of how much of a hermit I was. At night, I rarely stepped foot downstairs. It was painful to look at the moon and not be able to run and be free with her.

That changes today.

I jogged to the door, slowly opening it enough to slip my smaller frame through and closing it as silently as I could muster. The breeze outside instantly hit me and my body sung with relief. The clearing was empty, and all the other cabins were dark as everyone was asleep. A smile fit my face and quickly my feet started running to the entrance of our camp, only stopping to hide in bushes periodically. Usually, my anxiety would have been strangling me so hard, id refuse to go, but I was so desperate that it was ignored.

Once I reached the entrance, my body froze as it stared at the pitch-black forest ahead. The trees were so dense, hardly any light shined through and now my feet started pacing nervously. Was this a good idea? Probably not, but I've gotten this far. The only option would be to follow through, and before I had any time to make excuses my body just started running. It was like the wild part of me did the hard part for me, knowing it was something we severely needed. My body was right, because the moment my bare feet touched the forest floor, my entire soul felt light and a butterflies formed in the pit of my stomach. This is where I belonged, not locked up like an animal. We are all animals, and I deserved more than that.

I barely gave myself enough time to dodge all the tree's with how fast my legs carried me, and I only stopped once I could no longer smell the camp. My body was drained by the moment I reached the boarder of the Devine's territory, and my eyes admired the clear river that separated us. The water almost looked unreal, and the moons light shined off of it, making it glow. Softly, my hand dipped in and my mouth tilted into an excited grin, there were even little minnows that danced around my fingertips.

As I examined the river, sadness and betrayal rested in my heart and my head shook. My whole life this world has been right under my nose, and I was forbidden from seeing it. How is that okay? How could he live with himself knowing that I'm literally going crazy standing so stationary. We are werewolves, and it seems like abuse to not allow me to experience everything that comes with being a werewolf.

I stood to my feet once more and sniffed around the area, keeping my ears alert for any other wolves as my clothes were stripped off of my body and folded in a neat pile by the river. We were usually raised that there was no such thing as immodesty, considering every time we shift unexpectantly, our clothes were ripped to shreds. If someone didn't have clothes on, it was usually for a reason and there was no reason to feel any type of way about it. Me on the other hand? I rarely shift, so my nude body being open to the public did make me slightly nervous.

Not even because of the nude part. I had a large scar on my side and no recollection of where I got it or what happened. Of course, I asked about it and was just told that when I was a pup, I had gotten into a brawl with a coyote and the scar was from his claws. It's not something I remember, so the questions I've gotten asked make me uncomfortable. Plus, it wasn't very attractive and made me slightly insecure. An old fling told me it was badass until he got upset with me over something or other and threw it back in my face.

My dad uses the coyote as an excuse on to why I can't go out, but c'mon... if I fought a coyote now? There is no way I'd lose. Even without the proper training, those things are massively weak compared to us. Now maybe their own little pack could catch me off guard but not a single one.

I bite my lip and brought myself down to my knees, taking in a large breath. Like I said, shifting into one wasn't the main issue, it was when I get angry or scared is when it becomes hard to control. My hands laid flat on the floor and a growl started deep in my throat as my bones started the crack and shift under my skin. The one thing I'll never get over is how bad it hurts. It gets easier as the years go on, but those first few shifts are one of the worst pains you've ever felt. As I thought that my arm snapped and twisted making my body fall to the side, my teeth gritting as I tried to contain the scream threatening to spill out. If I were to scream now, I'd attract both my clan and Devines clan and then I'd screwed. Who knows what Atlas would do to me, seeing me in such a disadvantage. My dad wouldn't be any better, he might even do worse than Atlas. I almost wanted to stick my head in the river so I could scream and not alert anyone, but my body couldn't move as my insides warped. My eyes trained on my hand, noticing my fingers shrinking and white fur poking out of the pores on my skin. A loud crack echoed in my head before my back snapped in an awkward position, each one of the vertebrae on my spine separated and molded into a different shape under my flesh. My spine distorting made cry out in pain before my face started cracking. My jaw unhinged, and my face contorted until the pain finally subsided and I was left panting and shaking next to the river.