A biting wind beat against my face, whipping at the folds of my long white dress. I wrapped my arms around myself as I walked, wishing the dress offered more protection against the weather that sent shivers down my spine. But it was more than the cold; something deeper and far colder resided within me. My heart felt as if it had turned to ice, frozen and numb.

Yet, a heavy pain also weighed upon my heart with unbearable intensity. With every step, Adrian's words echoed through my mind. [The promotional text "Search the FindNovel.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality." has been removed as it is irrelevant to the narrative.]

The driver of a passing vehicle yelled at me, and I realized I'd wandered into the middle of the road. Emptiness filled me; I had no specific destination. I rested briefly, unsure where I would end up, but pressed onward. After a long time, my legs grew tired, and I slowed.

Then a thorn pierced my foot. "Ahh!" I exclaimed, dropping to the ground. As I removed the thorn, I could no longer contain my tears.

A branch cracked behind me. Then, suddenly, I heard growls.

"Look at her," a man's voice said. "She looks like a young whore. What's she doing here?"

I whipped my head around to find several rogues approaching. They were rogues!

"Tuck! She's a beautiful bitch."

"Catch her!"

Panic flooded me. I jumped to my feet and ran, hearing them scramble to catch up. I cried out, increasing my pace to widen the gap between myself and those dirty men. As I ran, I prayed for my children.

Their intention was clear: they wanted to rape me. Where would I go now? How could I save them? No time to think. I had to keep going. Branches and thorns assaulted my arms and legs as I fled. I hissed in pain as spots of blood stained my white dress.

But then, the boundary of another pack appeared ahead—a glimmer of hope. I launched myself into a mad dash, hearing their pursuit.

A quick glance behind me showed that three of the five men had shifted into wolves to catch me. The two remaining in human form halted the others.

One spoke to me. "Come back. Don't cross that border. There's a dangerous pack over there. They'll kill you."

As if I would believe them! Besides, what choice did I have? The entire world was full of beasts. A lone woman wasn't safe anywhere. But I was safer across that border.

I turned and continued to bolt, hastily crossing the boundary into the other pack's territory. Another quick glance showed my pursuers hadn't followed. I had done this for my children.

Crunching sounds reached my ears. The border guards must have noticed me and begun their pursuit. As I started to run again, my head spun. A moment later…

When I came to, I was in what appeared to be a hospital room I didn't recognize. Terror engulfed me, and I bolted upright, seeing a man.

"Who are you? Where am I? How are my children?"

"Your children are fine," he said. "No need to worry. But how do you feel?"

"No. First, tell me who you are and where I am."

Placing his hand over mine, he smiled and said, "You're in the confines of the Blue Blood Pack, and I'm Jason Hansley, the pack's future alpha… and you are my sister."