Mateless and Home Bound

Prologue: Home, Sweet Home

The Orion Forest wasn't well known to many. It didn't have many magical properties, and it wasn't cursed. Everyone flocks to cursed forests. But not the Orion Forest. It was bright and beautiful and left untouched by both humans and most supernatural beings.

There was a time when it was different, though. There was a time where everyone came to that forest. They came looking for something. Whether it be sanctuary or their next snack, the trees used to be bustling with beings.

It was said that there was an ancient pack that once lived there before all the others. The wolves were like Orion: The Hunter. They were noble and had the purest hearts. They protected many who came looking for sanctuary. No matter the race, gender, or being, they accepted everyone who they deemed worthy. During that time, the people were at peace. Both humans and supernatural could live in harmony at that point many, many years ago.

The Alpha of the Orion pack led them through many years of peace. But there was one enemy in which they couldn't defeat.

Vampires.

They attacked the forest, taking the lives of many who came for protection, along with the ones trying to protect them. For many years, they went to war against the beasts of the shadows. They were as dark as the night, and had no need for rest. It was a losing battle. But the Alpha still fought. He would rather die than let his people be hurt. He prayed to his goddess and fought amongst his men.

It took many more years until the beasts got to him. With one blow to the gut, the Alpha fell to the ground. He would not die without getting these blood suckers out of his forest. On his death bed, he cursed the vampires, vowing that none of them be allowed in the forest for 3000 years. With the Goddess on his side, his curse took effect as soon as he took his last breath. On his death bed, a gust of wind blew over the forest. It was a gust so strong that it blew away all of their enemies. All the vampires and demons that plagued them for so long flew out of that territory, unable to step foot in that forest again.

The remaining people could not stay there, though. They didn't have anyone to watch over them. The remaining of the Orion pack buried their Alpha and Luna in the ruins of their old pack house, and went their separate ways. Some went to other forests while others merely went to the outer edges to start their own families. All of them knew that they couldn't continue the pack. Not even the Alpha's son could, for he was just a small child at the time. But they were at peace knowing that anyone who came to that forest for sanctuary would find it now. For three thousand years, they would never have to deal with the evil that they had witnessed.

It was a nice story, one that could easily be taught to a child before bed. They would shiver in their sheets as their parents read it to them and check under their beds for the monsters that they talked about. It was a traditional story that the locals passed down from generation to generation.

The unfortunate thing about stories that are passed down orally is that they're never the same as when they were first told. He was shocked that it had stayed as truthful as it did. The issue with this myth was that it happened a thousand years ago.

And the vampires weren't banned for three thousand years.

"Really good artistry, though," he muttered to himself, reading the book of it on a screen. This forest had horrible reception, but it helped that he could download the book from the databases.

He turned the iPad off and hooked it back onto his belt. He had one of those cases for it that connected to his hip and protected it from breaking with a gust of wind like these things loved to do.

"You've changed a lot since I've been gone," he stared at the trees. They had gotten taller and more had sprouted up. He would have thought that the humans would have thinned it out by now. It had been a thousand years after all.

It seemed like there were many things that he had to catch up on in that forest. He could tell that much had happened. Even though many supernatural beings stayed away from the trees, there was still a story to be told.

One thing he noticed almost immediately was a scent that danced through the trees. Warm and strong, it was not one of warning. Instead, it was inviting, perfuming the forest with its calming aura. It reminded him of apples.

But not even an orchard of apple trees could perfume an entire forest like this. No, he knew what this was.

"A Star Child," he furrowed his brow. That ancient breed was thought to have been extinct a long time ago. Of course, he knew better than to think that any race was truly gone. Only a fool would think that. He just wasn't expecting one to be in this forest. Not without him knowing, at least.

The man walked through the trees, looking as curious as ever. It seemed like he had a lot of catching up to do. He didn't mind though. He had waited a thousand years to come back to this forest. He had all the time in the world.

He took a deep breath of the clean air and sighed.

"It's good to be home."

Author's Note: Hello everyone! It's good to be back in this series again, and it's been really fun getting this story all ready for you guys! I figured I'd show you guys the Prologue a week before the initial launch just to give you all a taste of it before I send out the first five chapters on September 1st! Get ready guys! It's going to be great! 

I'm also going to warn you all now that the first chapter takes off a couple months after the Epilogue of 'Mateless and Rogue Bound' so I do encourage you all to reread that chapter at least before getting into the new one!

'Mateless and Home Bound' is going to officially come out on September 1st, and I'm super excited to show you all this great tale. This is generation 2, which means that there's a lot of new faces as well as old ones. This one will also tie a lot of loose ends that were brought up in the previous books, and bring some things in that I've only barely hinted at. While new romance blossoms, will danger threaten to crush it? Can love prevail against the mysteries of the Orion Forest?

Tell me what you think of the prologue! I'll see you in September!

-Saturn