Wolf Blood **N.E.V**

CHAPTER ONE

"Aiden! No fair!" I giggled, chasing after my older brother as he waved my brown teddy bear in the air. He was quicker than me, and my legs were much shorter than his. I was at a disadvantage, but I wasn't discouraged. It would've taken forever though if Ethan hadn't stopped me. Him and Aiden were twins, so having Ethan on my side evened out the playing field.

Ethan flashed me a mischievous grin, explaining his plan without uttering a single word. I slowed to a stop, watching as Aiden continued to run, oblivious to what was going to happen. Ethan was out of sight, hiding amongst the trees. I counted the seconds.

Three...
Two..
One.

Ethan jumped out of the shadows, tackling Aiden to the ground. My teddy bear went flying, landing a few feet away from my brothers who were now wrestling on the ground. They were around five or six years old at the time. I had just turned four.

"You know, you're really slow, Bri," Aiden said, calling me by one of my many nicknames. My real name is Gabrielle.

"No! You had a head start! I'm faster than you!" I argued, watching as he pulled himself away from Ethan. His light brown hair was tangled with dirt and leaves, and his clothes were covered in mud.

"Nope! I'm the fastest," Aiden protested, his arms crossed against his chest.

"You're both wrong. I can outrun all of you," Ethan grinned as he stood up, dusting off his clothes.

We were children, so we only knew of one way to settle our little dispute— a race.

The woods were dark, but we had no reason to be scared. We grew up playing out here, plus we were werewolves. We had a few advantages that normal humans did not.

"Ready..." Aiden started as we lined up. I stood between my brothers.

"Go!" All three of us took off running. I was in the lead, but I think my brothers let me win. They did that sometimes.

I ran through the dense forest until I had no idea where I was. Ethan and Aiden were no longer in sight, and the area didn't look familiar anymore. I ran too far out.

"Ethan? Aiden?" I called. No one replied. I walked around aimlessly in attempt to find my way back. I tried to use my hearing and sense of smell, but it only made me more confused. It only made things worse.

I finally stopped, my eyes scanning the area in attempt to figure out where I was. I couldn't hear any voices, but I could hear light footsteps as boots pressed into the soft soil and fallen pine needles. Someone was coming.

"Aiden? This isn't funny," I whimpered, gripping my teddy bear tightly. Now I was scared, but who wouldn't be? I was only four and I was lost.

A figure finally emerged from the shadows. It wasn't Ethan or Aiden, though. No, this person— this woman— had a gun cautiously aimed at my chest. She was a hunter. My parents had told me about them. If I ever ran into one, they told me that they wouldn't hurt children but I should stay quiet and run away anyways. But I couldn't move. I was too scared.

My eyes were wide, glowing gold. I couldn't control the werewolf part of me yet, and I didn't even realize my eyes had shifted. I felt like crying, I didn't know what to do.

"Hey, sweetie, are you lost? Where are your parents?" The woman smiled, lowering the gun slightly although her finger still lingered over the trigger. I shook my head, taking a step back. The woman knelt in front of me, her green eyes locked on mine. She was trying to get me to trust her.