04

Jodie could scarcely fathom her situation as her feet pushed forward. This was her first time out of Packlands. On some warm winter mornings, from the hill that overlooked the pack, she often stared at the barrier between pack lands and no man's territory, wishing she could see what existed beyond the corners of Whispering Moon. Be careful what you wish for.

Most werewolves in packs never left their pack unless they had good reasons to, such as going to college, finding mates, or other political reasons. Many of the wolves she went to high school with had left for college, and some had joined the yearly mate exchange program where packs around the world swapped members for some time in hopes that some members would find their moon goddess chosen mate.

As an omega, none of those options were ever open to her. Besides, she had been blessed enough to find her mate in her resident pack. So much for her own moon goddess chosen mate. Jodie rubbed her chest, still feeling the sting of Alpha Kenneth's rejection. Some lykae had called rejection the most agonizing pain on earth. Some even went mad after being rejected by their mate. Rejecting a mate was a practice that went against the very laws of their nature as wolves. Jodie figured the only reason she wasn't howling in pain or going mad was because she didn't have her wolf.

Jodie stared at the earth before her. She was officially in no man's territory. Things were fair game here. She shuddered at the thought. With one last glance behind her, she moved in the direction she hoped was north. She never excelled in geography class and had an awful sense of direction. If only she had a compass or something. Jodie closed her eyes and tried to remember the teachings on finding the north without a compass.

'The sun is your guide. In the morning, it rises in the east, and in the evening, it sets in the west. At midday, it's highest in the sky, casting the shortest shadow.'

She glanced at the sky. The sun hung low, casting long shadows. The night was fast approaching. She turned her body until her shadow stretched out behind her, pointing east. The north would be to her left.

Taking a deep breath, she set off again, her path clearer now. But how far north would she go until she could find a semblance of civilization or another pack? It occurred to Jodie that her best bet at survival was living among humans. She had never met any, but she heard they were mostly harmless. She was more like them than a wolf, anyway. If she somehow stumbled into another pack's territory, chances were they would execute her before hearing what she had to say.

The forest was thick with foliage and trees. It was hard to tell if she was still going in the right direction, plus the sun would be setting soon. The feeling that she was being watched occasionally came to her. There was an old tale that was passed around in the pack about a point in no man's land called whispering hollows where rogues and all sorts of creatures dwelled. She hoped it was just a myth. As she trudged forward, she tried visually marking all the trees she'd passed to be sure she wasn't circling the same path, but everything looked the same.

Night fell quickly, and the cold came with it. Jodie found a small clearing and set up a makeshift camp with a blanket, sticks, and some shrubs. The forest was eerily quiet, the only sounds being the rustling of leaves and the distant calls of nocturnal animals. Once again, she hoped she was currently the biggest threat in the forest. She wrapped herself in the blanket, trying to ward off the chill, but the cold was nothing compared to the ache in her heart.

As she lay there, the reality of her situation hit her hard. She was alone, without a pack and a home. And now she couldn't go back if she wanted to. Jodie also had no idea where she was going or who she would meet if she made it long enough to meet someone. The taunts of her former packmates kept her awake. Alpha Kenneth's harsh words replayed in her head. What the hell was she thinking about going up against the Alpha? She was just a weak omega. The moon goddess was clearly mad, pairing her with the Alpha.

Tears freely rolled down her cheeks. She hated her life in Whispering Moon, but at least she'd had a warm bed to fall into every night. She also had food to eat every other day. Her stomach growled in sync with the thought of food, and she searched through the bag for food. The last time she ate was yesterday morning. She came up with fruit roll-ups. Amidst her tears, she laughed. Fruit roll-ups were her favorites. She once told Esmeralda she could survive on them forever. Damn that seer. She had two roll-ups and tried to get comfortable on her makeshift bed. There would be no sleeping for her tonight.

Jodie's eyes flew open, and she realized she'd fallen asleep. The moon was high in the sky, and the forest had grown even more silent. Not a single cricket or rodent made a sound. That was not a good sign. Then came the whispering. It was low and like a hiss, but Jodie couldn't mistake the sound for anything else. That feeling of being watched returned. She turned around, but there was nothing in sight.

Her thoughts were cut off as a different kind of heat began to course through her body. It started as a slow burn in her abdomen and quickly spread, making her skin flush and her breathing heavy. Breaths came out of her with pants, and her abdomen felt like it had been kicked. What the hell was happening? It wasn't her period, so it couldn't be cramps. The only other pain female werewolves experienced was heat.

Jodie frowned. She was going into heat. Her first heat. She hadn't experienced heat before now and always thanked the moon goddess that she didn't have to bear the pain. Heat was especially painful for werewolves who had already found their mates but had to be apart for some reason. The rejection must have triggered something in her. The timing couldn't be worse. Vulnerable and alone in the forest, she was at the mercy of any male werewolf who might stumble upon her. More so, she could have likely set her camp in the foretold, whispering hollow. The whispers continued and seemed to get louder.

"We want it, mate."

Jodie stilled at the voice in her head. It was her wolf! But before she could get excited about hearing her wolf for the first time in a decade, she doubled over from the pain radiating from her abdomen to her lower back. She tried to calm herself and think through the pain, but it was overwhelming, clouding her mind and igniting a primal desire within her. How could she be horny and in pain at the same time?

She knew she had to keep moving to find a place where she could be safe until the heat passed. She would be like a beacon to any stray creatures now, werewolf or not. She especially didn't want to discover what could be out here.

Jodie stumbled into a cave and leaned against the wall. She'd been walking and crawling along for what felt like hours. She didn't know how long she had until the sunrise. The pain was consuming. Her wolf wanted their mate. The one who kicked them out.

"I don't know if you can hear me, but there is no mate." Jodie clutched her abdomen as another wave of pain hit her. The heat made it hard to concentrate. Suddenly, figures emerged from the shadows, surrounding her and blocking the only exit. She tried to back away, but her legs gave out, and she fell to the ground.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

Jodie lifted her head to see three men looming before her and caging her in. But she could tell from their crazed-looking eyes that they weren't ordinary men. They were rogues.