I stand alone

One.

I stood there on the lonely road under the dim starlight, the lights were flickering, I should have been scared but I wasn't, I was more than excited to be here.

I don't know when I became this me, lonely, broken, and desolate me. A wolf belongs to a pack and it's hard to survive on your own especially when you've spent a good number of your years under the protection of an adorable and loving family. A pang of sharp pain shot through my chest, my hand going to cover my chest instinctively, I had no one now and all I have to blame is my family's beautiful courage and willpower to fight. I was just a weeny immature teenager back then.

I wanted to sigh but all that came out was a silly whine and a hot breath through my nostrils and that was when I realized that I had shifted. I was more agile and skilled in my wolf form, something that ran through my family, apparently, we were 'blessed' as they all loved to put it. We were more agile than the most agile wolf, with heightened senses and sometimes super strength. We were in a way the 'justice league of our pack' and that was what began all my demise.

I could hear the howls and the snarls of the hunting and the tracking wolves, they were all looking for me, their beloved alpha, the mate of the pack's alpha. A scoff run through my mind, I was anything but that, on the surface, I was a kind and loving mate to the alpha, going about my duties but no one knew the scars and fresh wounds I had always worn under my beautiful facade.

Greg, yeah Greg, the man who was supposed to be my mate, my alpha, the other part of my soul was anything but. I used to hold him in high regard, stupified by his demeanor, he was a few years older than me, five- to be precise but that didn't stop me from ogling at him at any chance. Maybe I knew all along that he was going to be my mate.

"Lu"

I heard the voice of one of the elders in my mind, that must be the first elder, he was the only one who could use some twisted way of telepathy even when you have been broken from the pack's link.

I blocked him off and I couldn't help the toothy silly chuckled that escaped through my wolf mouth, my name Lumino, was derived by my mother from the Latin word for light, she had said I was the light of her life. In a way it was true, I was the reason why she was able to walk again, to be able to go about her daily duties again.

If my memory doesn't fail me, I recall Dad telling me my mother had gotten injured severely to the point of death but for the timely intervention of the pack doctor, she was saved but she lost most of her abilities to be a normal wolf or person. But then suddenly, she found out that she was pregnant and oddly enough, when the pregnancy started growing, she also started healing like the baby inside her was nourishing her.

Dad used to say my birth was totally unplanned and a sudden surprise because they had never thought that Mom could get pregnant after what she went through. And it was even hilarious to know that my elder sister, the one I directly came after was seventeen and a half years my senior not to mention my two older brothers who were twenty-two years older than me, I was always scrawny and tiny whenever they were around but I loved to dangle and juggle around their big and burly bodies.

I heard the howls and the heavy thumps of paws getting closer and so with the last shard of my strength, I pushed on. As fast as my paws could carry me, I ran, and soon I chanced upon a thick dense forest, not so different from the one in which our pack was occupying, darting my eyes around, I scurried into the forest.

To fool my pursuers and to delay them a bit, I ran in circles for a bit, stopping by huge trees and rubbing on them and others, well I peed on them. Getting satisfied with my work, I dashed straight ahead, my body as light as feather, allowing the wind to carry me as it wills, it was almost as if I was flying. I got satisfied and resisted the urge to howl out my satisfaction lest all my efforts earlier would be in vain.

Trees whipping by and my paws making a slight crunching sound as they made contact with the dried leaves and twigs of the forest floor, I came upon a large lake, shiny and beautiful under the stars, flowing calmly and glistening with magnificence. Without hesitation, I ran into the water and drank or rather, flapped my tongue vigorously on it.

After drinking my fill, I shifted to my human form, with a smile on my face, I dived into the water, allowing the cool to wash over me, soothing my aching muscles. I don't know how long I was under the water but I was alerted when hot pants of wolves sounded above the water, their distorted figures staring straight into the water.

In the blink of an eye, they parted and a huge grey wolf emerged, also staring into the water, his eyes strangely looking into mine. I silently praised my way elder sister, her soul rest in peace, for making me take those asshole swimming lessons with her friends. Those lessons were more dreadful than hell and the word dreadful itself. I remember lying down for days after my first lesson. Now I couldn't be thankful that I persevered and took them.

Those eyes of the grey wolf, the eyes that had looked at me with scorn when we were inside but feigned love when we were outside now looked hollow and lifeless as they stared at what they probably thought was the water. Greg's wolf, the wolf who was my mate but made sure that every single day of my mating life couldn't even compare to hell, it was more than.

Finally, they all turned and left, Greg being the first one. After they had all left, I emerged out of the water, shaking my head to get rid of some of the water in my hair. I stepped onto the bank of the lake and lied down, naked, my hands under my head as I stared at the sky.

"I'm finally free" I muttered with a smile and took in a deep breath releasing it with a satisfied sigh.

I closed my eyes still with a smile on my face and enjoyed the serenity of the atmosphere. Just then, a stick poked me, very hard. I opened my eyes with a glare ready to hail fire on the culprit only to find a child with big brown eyes with a tilted head, brows furrowed together in confusion as he looked at me.

He raised the long stick in his hand to poke me again but I stood and gave him an awkward smile to which his eyebrows perked up and then he pouted.

"Hey, little one," I said.

He hummed and frowned making some more distance between us as he looked around, probably looking for someone.

"Why are you here?" He asked slowly in his little voice.

I raised my eyebrows and thought of how to answer the question but not having an appropriate answer for the kid, I diverted and rather asked him " What are you also doing here?"

"I came with my mother to sit here" he responded without hesitation whiles narrowing his eyes " Are you here to steal our place?"

I laughed at him and raised my hands in mock surrender " No, no, I'm actually here to rest. I have no intention of stealing anything"

" I don't believe you," he said and poked me again.

Before I could say something a lady's voice called out " You stop poking him right now before I punish you"

I looked beyond the boy and saw a woman, probably in her thirties or forties approaching us. She walked with gentle graceful steps, it was like she was gliding through the air. She had a peaceful smile on her face, hair dark that it shamed the night, her body swaying with the breeze. It wouldn't take a genius to figure out that she was some kind of supernatural creature.

"Please forgive my son, he doesn't often meet strangers" she apologized.

I dismissed it with a beam of my smile.

" I am Herda and this is Brian" she pointed to her boy " We usually come here during times like these to enjoy the peace here"

"Lumino, and I'm in a bit of a situation, hope I'm not imposing," I said.

" No, we don't mind the company" she beamed again.

"But why are you not wearing clothes?" Brian asked Herda.

Herda looked at me, and I blushed a thousand shades of red, I dare say I put Santa's red hat to shame. Herda laughed and made some gestures with her hand and then I was covered in a big warm coat.

I looked up at her in surprise " How did you?"

"I'm a fairy" she winked in reply and sat by me, pulling Brian into her lap.