Runaway *being edited* *adult

chapter 1 -edited

*there is a teen (clean) version on my page as well*

P.o.v.= point of view

Chapter one

Alex p.o.v.

My life consisted of living independently; that's how it had been since getting away from the monster I called my uncle or the so-called guardian of my adolescent period of life. Currently, I am fully grown, struggling to eat, and staying out of the way of alphas, betas, and any unwanted rogues. In a world entirely of werewolves, I stand as the only known panther shifter, well, that I know of, at least. I was probably considered the same as elves, vampires, and goblins......a myth.

I felt my panther's unease. 'We need to rest,' I heard clear as ever in my head. No one could listen to her except me or someone I mate with; she called herself Cleo. Whatever she wanted to be identified as was good for me. Mates are soulmates for shifters wolves; I'm not sure I have a mate, being panther and all.

'agreed.' I looked around me, focusing on my surroundings; nothing stuck out of place, as it was another scenery patch of woods. Finding somewhere to get some human food is next on my list today. I've only had what I could kill in the forest; human food was becoming rare for me to indulge in. Deciding to find a small store somewhere, I started looking for a road to lead me to a town.

'Careful, no big stores or large bodies of people, ' I hear Cleo state; she was always a matter of fact, which I liked. She was a worrier, but she was the only family I had.

Nodding my head, she stayed silent. I came across what looked to be a lovely little town; I couldn't tell if this was a territory, unclaimed, or rogue land. An alpha with pack members rules territory. Unclaimed land has no connection to anything or any species, and rogue lands are home to unwanted wolves or loose ends, as my uncle used to call them.

My uncle was a whole other story.

He was my abuser, my torturer, and the reason I have not stopped running since I was 18. my uncle came from a wealthy pack looking to overtake the multipack system; I don't know much, but I overheard things from my room when my uncle would have his friends over. They would play cards, drink, and demand I cook them food. Uncle always said anyone would love my panther's head hanging on the wall, and I believed him. I hadn't seen another one of my kind in my whole life. My parent figure was my mom when I was young before she passed away. My dad died a few years before her. I'm not exactly sure about the story with my parents, considering I only had my true parents for a few years before I went into foster care; I had barely any memories of them. Honestly, most of my memories were filled in by my uncle after he adopted me a few months after I landed in the system.

Once I found a road, I shifted back into human form to follow it to a town. The only fortunate thing about being a panther and not a wolf is that I can turn back into human form in my clothes when I shift, unlike wolves that bust their clothes while shifting so they come back naked...I wasn't jealous of that. It took me only a little time to discover what led to a small-looking town. I ignored the details, considering I would be in and out quickly, not trying to stay long or draw attention. The first store I recognized was a quicky mart, brushing off the same outfit I had worn for the past few months; clothing was always the bare minimum with me, always stolen. When one of my garments was worn out. Currently, my get-up was black leggings, a faded blue hoodie, old socks, and some beat-up tennis shoes. Walking inside, the lights threw me off instantly; I was not used to artificial lights regularly.

Then, something shiny caught my attention.

a mirror

Now, I hadn't looked at myself in the mirror in years because I had been in panther form off and on since getting away from my uncle. Looking at it, I stared back at myself; long black hair cascaded down my shoulders, wide blue eyes, my face thin from barely eating, and the scarring that ran all over my body slightly poking out from under my hoodie from the monster that was my uncle.