Chapter 5

Colleen stepped out of the bathtub and reached for a towel that she left hanged behind the door. She wrapped the towel around her effortlessly then she headed out of the bathroom and decided to take a look at herself in front of a mirror. She still can't believe that a young girl like this was a daughter of an Alpha and a soon-to-be Luna. There's also the thought of becoming an Alpha, which still feels surreal for her. "I wonder if our great grandfather's spirit reincarnated through me. Am I just a vessel?" she asked herself in front of the mirror. Colleen knows that if that's the case, then it was destined that she'll become a great warrior, but only if she does drive the enemies away or win against them. For that to happen, Colleen knows that this training was essential. She gently smirked, still staring at her figure, and shrugged off her thoughts. "If this is my fate, then it is what it is!" Colleen knows that accepting the possibility that she will become an alpha should become her top priority. She needs to be prepared for the possibility of her having a mate that's useless in defending her pack. Colleen stopped thinking more about the future and decided to finally get dressed, she reached into her wardrobe and got her favorite cotton pants and a soft pink top. As she was about to leave her room, her phone suddenly rang. "Hey, how's the training?" Melissa's soft voice greeted her. Colleen was about to give her an answer when she heard someone knocking on the door. "I'll call you back later," Colleen excused herself. She rushed towards the door to open it. It was her grandmother, giving her a tight warm hug right away. "Thank you, pup, I'm grateful to you," her grandmother uttered silently. "For what?" she replied. "For accepting your fate, even when we forced it upon you on such short notice." her grandmother answered with sincerity and thankfulness in her eyes and tone. "If it's my fate, I have no choice but to accept it, granny," she answered bravely. Colleen chose to ignore her proud smile as she already knows how much her grandma loves her. "Alright, let's go down for now. Your mom and dad are already waiting for you," her grandmother said. She got slowly pulled by her wrist, so Colleen just decided to go with the flow as they exited her room. "You know, Colleen, when you are still young, we never thought that you'd be an only child. I believe that your mother and father did their best to give you a sibling, but the moon goddess never gave them a chance. When you turned 10, your parents accepted that you are their only offspring and that you're going to be the leader of this pack." Colleen's grandmother stopped her narration as they had already reached the dining area. Both of her parents were waiting for them, and after moments of preparation, the family started to eat. While they were eating, the Beta of the pack, Jacob, suddenly went in. Colleen saw her father gesturing towards Jacob to wait for him in the living room. Not long ago, her father stood and immediately went towards Jacob. Colleen noticed that they went out of the house, which piqued her interest. She turned her gaze to her mother, and she was surprised to see her expression. "Mom, is everything okay?" Colleen asked as she noticed her mother's anxious face. It was the first time she did this since, most of the time, Colleen was never bothered by her uncle Jacob's visit. "Nothing, pup," her mother responded with an awkward and weak smile. Her gut feeling was telling her that it's not just "nothing." Knowing this, Colleen finished her meal as soon as possible and excused herself. Colleen spent more than an hour in her bedroom, and this only fueled her uneasiness and overthinking. She stepped out of her bedroom and silently made her way outside. It's hard to see through the darkness, but she still knows the direction of the forest, a place that indeed has something going on. As she proceeded to walk towards the forest, the darkness started to become overwhelming. Colleen started to hear many mumbling sounds that she determined to come from the center, as it becomes louder as she draws nearer. The mumbling turned into growling and whimpering, which sent chills to Colleen's spine. Despite being alone, Colleen got the courage to speak, "Who's there?" she shouted to no one in particular. Colleen has spent the past couple of minutes walking, and she still can't shake off the feeling that she's being watched or followed. Colleen immediately stopped walking and being a werewolf; her sense of hearing was much more powerful and improved than an average human. She started to focus, but to no avail. Colleen rolled her eyes in the disappointment of not hearing any movements from anywhere. She wanted to look around, inspect her surroundings and know everything that was around her. Instead, Colleen chose to take a deep breath and started moving her legs faster. She's chasing the sound that she heard a while ago, and after a couple of moments, the growling and whimpering are starting to get closer. "Stay calm, Colleen. You got this; you're not in danger," she consoles herself. Colleen was still worried that this creature might try to catch her, so she shifted and changed her pacing and went on through the treetops. She also ignored the fact that she might be getting followed as, for now, she's focused on reaching the center of the forest. After pulling out her clothes, Colleen began to shift. Yet, out of nowhere, Colleen was taken aback despite having improved senses. A hand suddenly grabbed her waist, and another one was suppressing her mouth. In just a couple of moments, Colleen was now being dragged deeper into the forest. She couldn't scream for help, and even if she did, her voice was already silenced when she met her captor's eyes.