1 To a new beginning

Her shoulders brushed against the leaves as she ran into the bush behind her house. She loves the way her bare legs touched the sand and the cool breeze that touches her face. She had just turned fifteen and anytime soon her werewolf powers will manifest and she would become a full werewolf by the next full moon. She was very excited as she ran through the bush going deeper into the forest. She always feels chills of excitement whenever she is running. It feels as if she doesn't have any worries at all. Running has become her safe zone to tune out any stress she has.

As she continue to run, she heard the sound of people running beside her. It was Katya and kaya, Alpha Dimitri's twins. Both had turned fifteen also and were expected to manifest sooner or later. Alpha Dimitri was said to have manifested at the age of ten which was expected because he came from a long line of very powerful Alphas and so he had expected his children to manifest at an early stage. His first child Antonio transformed at fourteen while Sonya transformed at fifteen. He had expected the twins to transform to manifest sooner but because of their slow growth, he knew they wouldn't be any better. Nevertheless, all his children have grown to be very powerful.

As soon as she saw the twins, she smiled. What a good way to have a running practice? She thought

" Hey, you two up for some game," Inessa said to the twins under her breath.

"Yes, why not? Katya said as she looked at her brother

"Let's see what the outee has to offer" she added

Kaya is not known for words, so he just nods in agreement with what his sister has just said.

It was no news that she was adopted and not a real member of the pack. Hence, some of the members liked to call her an "outee". Even though the elders have warned against calling her such, it didn't stop some of them from doing so. It has never bordered her because her adoptive parents Nikoley and Milana have told her about how they found her and how they love her despite that fact. That alone was enough for her to ignore what the others think or say about her.

" Alright, the first one to reach the pine tree at the edge of the river wins" Inessa explained

"And the price for the winner will be?" Katya asked with joy because she knew no one can outrun her.

"For you, Katya will give me your sitting spot at the next meeting," Inessa said grinning

" And if you win, well...I will be your servant for one day" She added with emphasis on the "you".

"Get ready to do my bidding then, because there is no way either I or my brother will lose," Katya told her, and the three of them positioned themselves in a straight line.

Inessa knew she might not win, but it would be fun to test out her running ability on the twins. They all waited for the next wind to blow, as soon as it stops, the race will begin. For the next few seconds, nothing happened. The three of them stood steady and focused. Suddenly, the rustling of leaves indicated that the wind had begun to blow. Inessa slowly bends to an outward position ready to take off. The moment the wind stopped, they all took off at the same time and began to run. The twins were already ahead of her and she knew if she didn't increase her speed they would win the race. She wasn't yet at full speed and even if she was, she won't be able to beat them. She decided to focus and look for a chance to get ahead of them. As she ran, the wind became stronger as the cool air sprays her dark long hair sideways. She felt her body tightens with the increase in the wind and she felt the blood from her toes to her ankle began to warm up, she wanted to slow down but she couldn't, like the force of the wind is urging her to keep going. Her speed gradually began to increase and she knew immediately what was happening to her. Her powers had begun to manifest a lot quicker than she thought. Before she realise she was head to head with Kaya who was leading the race. From the look on his face, he didn't know when she closed the space between them. Without even looking at either of them, Inessa continues to run. The twins were surprised at her sudden increase in power and tried to keep up with her but couldn't. Within seconds she was far ahead of them and disappeared from their sights. Katya looked at her brother in dismay but didn't utter a word as they both kept running. Even though they tried to catch up to her, it was fruitless because she was long gone.

Inessa reached the pine tree within minutes and tried to stop but she couldn't. Instead, she kept running like her body was pushing her.

"When your powers begin to manifest, it would come slowly. So you have to let us know if you noticed any changes" Her father Nikoley told her one day.

"And don't wander unnecessarily on your own like you always do. You are becoming a young adult so always behave like one" His wife Milana had added

Nikolay and Milana had always protected her since the day they found her at the edge of the woods. She was wrapped in a cloth and left on the floor. Milana had picked her scent while she and Nikoley were running in the woods. It was common for their kind to be found in groups whenever they go for hunting. She and Nikoley later discovered her by following her scent. It came as a surprise to both of them when the scent led them to a baby of not less than ten days. They both changed back to human form and stood staring at the baby. Shortly afterward, a big black wolf appeared behind them and transformed into the Alpha. He was not far away from them as they all went hunting together.

"Leave the child, it's not our responsibility" the Alpha growled as soon as he transformed into his human form.

"We can't just leave the child here," Milana said as she looks at the child with pity.

"Lets at least take the child back with us, we can decide what to do later if nobody came looking" Nikoley explained to the Alpha trying to support his wife

The Alpha didn't object and that was how he allowed them to bring the child with them. Months passed by and nobody came looking for a missing or lost child and that was how the blood shadow council decided the let Nikoley and Milana adopt the child as theirs since they didn't have a child of their own. Before the elders decided to give them the child, they had discovered a birthmark on her shoulder that might have a meaning to her existence but since just a few of the older werewolves knew its meaning, they said nothing.