Silver Rose

Chapter 1

The gunshot rang throughout the forest in the early morning air. Hooves pounded the ground as the herd of deer dispersed to seek safety.

"you got her dad." the young woman smiled.

"a gut shot now we have to track her." Her father responded frowning.

"I'll get her dad you get ready to clean her." She launched herself toward the area of the shot.

"Abbigail no, wait for me." he spoke too late as she was already on the blood trail and far from sight. Her heart pounded, never had she been able to chase a deer. Her father, being the excellent marksman he was, had always made perfect kills. Abbigail blindly chased the animal's trail over fallen logs, around a large hill before she came to a dead stop. Before her very eyes a large black wolf stood, his back to her. He had to have been at least one hundred eighty pounds with a muscular build. But wild wolves didn't get larger than one hundred twenty pounds and they were almost never built as this wolf was. She ducked in the bushes as the animal suddenly shuttered. Hands sprouted from fore paws, feet from hind paws, two arms and two legs, his spine lengthened and straightened. She barely registered the sounds of his bones popping and contorting. In less than a minute a man stood where the wolf had once been. He reached for a fur coat that hung from a nearby branch. Abbigail gasped as she realized what she'd just seen. The man turned and his eyes immediately fell upon her despite her camouflage. His short black hair framed his face to his cheek bones. His blue eyes pierced her soul and seemed to illuminate his tan skin.

"What are you doing out here kid?" he attempted a friendly tone.

"I was hunting." she quivered.

"what did you see?"

"Nothing." she lied and he swore.

"Come along my brother will know what to do with you." Abbi went numb when he touched her arm. She immediately forced herself down with all her weight. Angered, the stranger pulled her roughly until her feet came off the ground. It wasn't hard considering she wasn't all that tall.

"you'd do best to obey." he growled. As he set her down she tried to wrench herself free of his grasp. Once again he picked her up and held her there until she stopped kicking.

"I could easily kill you but I'm giving you a chance to live kid so be good." his words chilled her to the bone and she finally gave in and walked with him. She allowed him to lead her deeper into the thickening forest, further from civilization, and closer to his home. The trees were closer together and barely any light filtered through the trees. Was he lying? Could he really mean to kill her and dispose of her body? Here in the north it wouldn't be too hard to do. Many people went missing and were never found after an ill fated trek through these woods. A sharp growl caught her attention causing her to look to the right as the stranger pulled her along. A vast number of wolves stared at her, each a different color, filling the clearing they had just entered. In her fear Abbi tripped and closed her eyes. She felt her body being lifted to her feet and forced herself to follow her captor. The man pulled her up a set of steep marble steps and through a large doorway.

"brother we have a problem." he spoke clearly.

"Leave us." Abbi shivered at the new voice as it's owner spoke to someone. She heard no other voice nor a footstep the only sound was a closing door before Her captor slung Abbi at the other man. She grunted as her knees hit the ground hard. She felt her pants rip and her knee split open. Her eyes flung open at the sudden immense strength she felt in front of her.

"She witnessed my transformation brother." Abbi watched as the taller man's young face darkened with anger. His features made him seem as though he was carved of stone. His chin was free of stubble, his strong jaw slim and his nose long but perfectly proportional. His hair was darker than the blackest night and his eyes were a dark blue that gave away no hints to his mood. He wore elegant clothing of dark blue and black. No jewelry hung from his neck, no rings graced his fingers but it was obvious he was an important man.