SHE ran across the deserted road, leaping over the carcasses of dead horses and the wreckages of smashed carriages. The paved road was littered with abandoned carriages and coaches, smouldering and battered. Some were tipped on their sides or onto their roofs, their wooden bellies exposed. Others were torn apart entirely. Hastily, she sprinted across to the other side.
The young woman looked behind her. Her vibrant, orange eyes glowed in the night, juxtaposed with the dark bags lying underneath them. Her hair was messy, tufts sticking out in all directions, caused by many days constantly on the move. She looked back one last time. In the distance she could see the large city sitting on the hills, overlooking a sprawling Kingdom. Many of the towering buildings were on fire, and some looked close to collapsing. Even from this distance, she could hear loud shouting and howling. A bell tower suddenly leaned on an angle before crumbling entirely. The bell that sat atop the tower tolled one last time in panic before crashing to the ground. In the surrounding area, she could see more columns of smoke rising.
There was a certain sadness in the woman's eyes.
She looked down at the little bundle she was carrying. The little boy, no more than a few months old, breathed in and out calmly. His red tufts of hair poked through the cotton wrappings, and his eyelids were squeezed together tight as he slept. His mother sighed, and continued to run.
It took several more days to get to the forests, standing proudly in the southern end of the Kingdom. In that time, the woman had eaten and drunk nothing, using whatever she had to ensure the survival of her little boy. All that kept her going was the will for her baby to live. She was uncertain of where she was headed, but she hoped that wherever it was, her son would ultimately be safe.
She eventually happened across a small shack in a clearing in the woods. Relieved beyond measure, the young woman stumbled across the clearing to the small house, in the hope that it was occupied. All the while, she held her baby tight, ensuring he would not drop out of her grip. Her right arm was the only part of her body that remained strong.
Lacking the strength to knock properly, she used her entire body to slam into the door, making a dull thumping sound. She then tried again twice, producing three knocks in total. Within seconds, the door opened, and a man, around his late twenties, stood there in its place. He was a tall man, and his arms stretched beyond the inside frame of the door, out of view of the woman. He regarded her for a moment, and noticed that she was wearing a rather dirty and ripped dress, with intricate patterns stitched onto the fabric. His eyes went wide.
"Lu...lu...," he stammered, struggling to find the words. He finally found them. "Luna?"
The Luna smiled weakly. He stood back and bowed deeply to show his respect for the young queen. He then realised her husband was not standing beside her.
"Where's the Alpha?" he asked.
The Luna opened her mouth in an attempt to speak. All that came out was a faint whisper, the first words she had uttered in days, "In my hands."
It dawned on the man what had happened. "They attacked? And killed the Alpha?"
She nodded. He put his hands onto his face. The Luna extended her arms, offering her son to the man.
"Please...," she said. "I want you to take care of my son."
"Your Majesty, I'm not worthy—" he began. But he was hushed by the younger woman standing weakly before him.
"Promise me...," she gasped, "that you'll protect him, love him, raise him."
He nodded.
"Take him," she whispered. Awkwardly, the man took the baby and held him in his arms, cradling him with the utmost care. No sooner did the man take the boy from her did the Luna collapse to the ground. Her vision went hazy. Her mission was complete. Her son would be safe.
The Alpha is safe.
"Your Majesty?" the man cried. She didn't move. Her eyes remained very still. The vibrancy had vanished from them, and her knotted hair lay in a mess on the grass.
"Luna? Wake up, please!" No response.
"LUNA!!!"
Author's note: Hi! I'm Tim, and welcome to Alpha of the Shack! I hope that you enjoyed the prologue! While I'm not entirely new to the werewolf genre, it is the first time that I've written such a novel, so please give some much-needed love to this fledgling story. Constructive feedback is always welcomed. I hope that one day this will develop into something big! Please vote for this story and I will try my best not to disappoint you!
Tim :)
YOU ARE READING
Alpha of the Shack
Werewolf"Where's the Alpha?" he asked. The Luna opened her mouth in an attempt to speak. She gestured to the small, rugged bundle that she was cradling. All that came out was a faint whisper, the first words she had uttered in days, "In my hands." --- For a...
