Chapter Four: Breathe

Each breath breathed means we're alive

And life means that we can find

The reasons to keep on getting by

And if reasons we can't find

We'll make up some to get by

'Til breath by breath we'll leave this behind

All you have to do is breathe. ~ Breathe - Superchick

Jessie’s POV

Today was the first day of training for me and I was getting ready. Ashley gave me a good pair of boots from her collection of over 12 pairs of different boots. She said that these were one of the most comfortable ones at the moment and that we would go into town to get a pair for me later.

The whole house was beyond amazing. There was modern furniture everywhere! The Royals wanted them to be the most comfortable after training and it was a good thing too because training was exhausting! I had to keep running around a path they made in the forest for two hours! And I have to do it for a week and then Grey would decide if I can move to the next level which is weight lifting.

When I asked him why I had to do all this when I haven’t even shifted yet, he said that the stronger the human, more stronger the wolf. I that even right grammar? I shrugged as I thought of it. We all were exhausted and were in the living room, watching tv and eating chips. I had no cookies, thanks to Sam and Grey.

I honestly think that the name suits him. He had dark, brown hair and these beautiful, a little dark, blue eyes. Ashley said –she has said A LOT of things – that his wolf has grey eyes and grey, almost black, fur.

I was sitting on the couch with my back to the hand rest and my legs on Grey’s lap, Sammy and Katie were giving each other googly eyes on the loveseat, Lily and Troy were feeding each other popcorn – which was hilarious because Troy is always so serious looking. I wanted to laugh but held it in by chewing on my lip. Bad habit, I know but I can’t help it! (A.N. I really can’t help it either! Does anyone else chew their lips?) – and Ashley was texting her boy of the week.

She is on this never ending search for her mate. It’s a good thing that I hate Noah or it would have been really hard leaving him. Now, I almost don’t think of him. Almost because I’m thinking of him right now.

To think of something else, I looked out the window. What I saw made me smile. “Full moon tonight.” I said softly but everyone heard me and stared at the beauty outside the window.

I could tell that my wolf was happy. The moon, full or not, always calms us. Maybe because of the Moon Goddess. I loved that my surname is Moon. A thought came to me then.

“Does a White Wolf have a particular surname?” I asked Grey as he had “researched” White Wolves in a book from the library -Yes, the library. How cool is that?!

The palace wanted the Fighters to know all about the werewolves if they have a threat or something so the library has all-you-need-to-know books about Werewolves- I knew he was sleeping most of the time, though… he woke up whenever I closed or opened a book. I didn’t wake him up because practice was tiring.

“Uh, yeah, It’s usually related to the moon.” He looked at me “Why, what’s your surname.”

“Moon. It’s related to the moon, alright.” I said making him chuckle “Were your parents’ surnames Moon, too?”

I frowned as I realized “No… their surnames were Lucine…”

“That’s Latin for Moon.” Ashley said.

“I’ve heard that before…” Lily said, looking at Jessie for a second. “I don’t remember where.”

I shrugged. We’ll find out later. I’m too tired right now. The TV was on mute because the commercials were annoying. And thanks to the silence, I fell asleep.

Ashley and I were the only ones that ate breakfast together. The couples had gone on dates and Grey, I don’t know where he was. Ashley told me that after I fell asleep, Grey fell asleep too and Katie made Sammy carry you upstairs while Troy woke Grey up.” I made a mental note to thank Sammy later.

“So, when does training start?” I asked, changing the subject. I hated owing anyone anything but I owed Sam a thank you.

She looked at her watch and with a groan said “About now.” I couldn’t help but grin. I loved training even though I seemed to suffer a lot of pain later. It seemed refreshing to me, which is completely weird. I snap out of my thoughts when Sam, Katie, Troy and Lily came in along with Grey. “What’s up, guys?” I said with a wave. “And thanks for carrying me upstairs, Sammy!” I gave him a smile. He returned it and said “No problemo!”

“Let’s just get this over with.” Grey grumbled. “What’s gotten your panties in a twist?” I asked him making Ashley snicker. He glared at me and said “I’m just tired.” before walking out. Ashley and I shrugged before following him out with the others.

Two Months Later

Two months. Two months since I ran away. Two months since I found that the bully I hated the most was my mate. Two months since I unofficially rejected him. Two months since I found the brothers and sisters I’ve always wanted. My life has become the opposite of what it was two months ago. And two months have passed since I had started training for becoming a fighter. Grey had said that I’m learning faster than the others had so I replied by saying that it’s got to do something with being a White Wolf. He just shrugged and said “I don’t think so.” with a grin.

I still don’t know what he meant. I don’t know why but I felt that today was a special day. Maybe because in I don’t know why but I felt that today was a special day. Maybe because in exactly a week, I’d be in school. Time has passed by so fast. I was currently in my bed, looking out the window. I had a clear view of the forest in which I’ve spent almost every day in.

I had woken up about ten minutes ago but couldn’t help but look at the most peaceful place on Earth. There were birds chirping and I had a good view of a bird’s nest with eggs in it. Talk about Paradise. So much had changed in these two months. I had lost a lot of weight and was more athletic than I had ever been in my whole life. I’d always be the one to drag the other fighters to training when all the wanted to do was sleep. We were all ready to take on almost anything.

I finally got out of bed and brushed my teeth and almost ran downstairs when my stomach grumbled. I took in the empty living room and realized that I was the only one who had woken up. I shook my head as an evil thought crossed my mind. I chuckled and got out the blow horn that I had bought from Prank Store. Yes, they had a Prank Store. How cool is that?!

I had hidden it in my room, under the bed. I tiptoed to Grey’s room feeling like a secret agent. I choose Grey first because I didn’t want to see what was in Sam’s and Troy’s rooms alone. Their mates had spent the night in their room and didn’t want unwanted images haunting my dreams. I slowly opened his door and praised myself in my mind when it barely made a noise. I walked towards his bed and pressed the button on the horn and screamed “YOU HAVE PINK UNDERWEAR! AAH!”

He jumped out of bed so fast that I cursed myself for not bringing a camera. Once he saw me, he growled and ran towards me. I squealed before running out the door and downstairs. I could hear the others coming towards their doors to see what had happened. I ran towards Sam and hid behind him.

“Save me, Sammy!” I squeaked. Once everyone realized what had happened, they were laughing so hard that they were holding their stomachs. Katie and Lily were turning red.

“I’ll save you from the monster, sissy!” Sam said as he stood in front of me. Katie was catching my elbow because she was about to fall, feeling dizzy. Looking at her, I couldn’t help but burst into a fit of giggles.

“Give her to me Sam!” Grey said as he tried to reach for me. “No can do, buddy. Sissy told me to save her.” Sam replied with a grin. Grey’s glare was directed at him now. “I’ll get you, Moon!” He said as he walked to his bedroom. I noticed amusement cross his face before he slammed his door. Katie and I were hugging each other so that we wouldn’t fall laughing.

“What did you do this time, Jess?” Troy asked, he had a grin on his face. “B- blow horn!” I gasped. “Where on Earth did you get a blow horn from?” Lily questioned, her face pink. She was trying to control her laughter. “The Prank Store.” My voice was so… airy, breathy. That just sent her to another fit of giggles.

The Training

I had a feeling that something strange is gonna happen. I don’t know what or how but ugh! I hated this feeling!

I was currently trying to pin down Ashley. I had pinned down every one here and now it was Ashley’s turn. Yes, I had even pinned down Sam and Troy. Grey too, which had just made him more grumbly. I swear, grumbling is all that boy ever does. The only compliment he had given me, other than in training, was about my paintings. I’d sit on the back porch that showed the forest and paint, almost every day. Almost because some days I was just too tired.

I grinned as I finally made her fall on her back and caught her neck. Not tightly, of course. I was barely touching it! I helped her up and we dusted our clothes. “How on Earth do you manage to do that? I have never ever been pinned down before!” Ashley said while we walked towards the fighters. “Yeah, it’s because she’s always so fast!” Lily exclaimed.

I shrugged and mumbled “I don’t know.”

We were walking towards the forest because the guys wanted to run in their wolf forms and I decided to tag along because it was really fun playing when they were wolves. (When they were wolves! Get it? Hehe!)

Their wolves could never refuse to a game of fetch. Yes, even Grey and Troy. Shocking, isn’t it? I was currently sitting on Grey’s back. He was of course in wolf form. We had reached the lake that was flowing in the forest. I had brought my pencils and a paper and pad to paint while they played tag together. No, I wasn’t sad, jealous or angry about not being able to shift. I kinda liked it as weird as this sounds. Maybe because shifting is really painful even though it takes about fifteen minutes. Yes, it doesn’t take a week or anything.

Grey told me that White Wolves shift the fastest. So it’ll probably take about five minutes at least. Five painful minutes. I was now sitting on the side of the river, sketching the scene of the wolves playing around in the forest. It took me about ten minutes to finish it and when I was about to call them to see it I heard a yelp. I quickly looked that way to see the wolves on the floor. I quickly got up and ran towards them.

They were unconscious on the dry leaves. There were these syringes poking their skin. I realized that they have been shot with some kind of drug. I quickly looked around and spotted a human with a gun. I could tell he was a human because of his scent. “Get away from them, girl! They’re dangerous!” His voice was so rough, I wanted to cover my ears. I could feel myself get angry.

Who does this human think he is? My wolf and I were not happy!

I growled, shocking the man. He then realized that I was a werewolf too and pointed the gun at my direction. Oh no, if he thinks he can get away by making my pack unconscious, he’s got a thing coming for him. I ran towards him with inhuman speed and threw the gun away before he could realize what was happening. He took a knife from his belt but before he could use it, I hit his hand making the knife fall and kicked the back of his knee, forcing him on his legs.

“I want answers. NOW!” I growled. Even I was scared by my tone. But before he could say something I felt a sharp pain shoot up my leg, making me gasp and fall. I heard voices before I saw black spots and fell asleep.

I woke up in a moving room. I felt something warm on my leg. When I saw what it was, my heart almost stopped. On my leg was Katie. She wasn’t conscious and I looked around to see Grey, Sammy, Troy, Lily and Ashley sleeping too. What happened? Then it all came rushing back to me. The forest, the human, the wolves. Where were they taking us? I put my hand on my mouth to stop a gasp from escaping. They weren’t Hunters, were they? I hoped not but the answer was clear. We were kidnapped by hunters.

‘What if one of them wakes up?’ I heard a male voice say. “They won’t. There’s enough Dormientes in them to knock them out for a few hours.” Dormientes?Is that Latin?

“Well, what if?” The same voice said. “Then too bad for us.” I heard a sharp intake of breath. Oh, too bad for them, alright! I nudged Grey, who was lying beside me. He didn’t even move. I nudged him again and this time I whispered his name. Still no movement.

“She’s awake!” The car turned sharply making me hit my head hard on door. I gasped as the black dots reappeared. And everything went black again. (Have you guys ever fainted? I have, thrice! Once in First Grade, then in second grade and then in… not third, fifth grade! Not a pretty thing!)

I could hear voices. Someone whispered “No…. not…..you crazy…. accident.” I was missing many words. And then, it all stopped. The movement of the, what I’m thinking, van stopped and bright light came on my eyes. I could feel a touch. I don’t know where but someone was touching me. And then I was lifted. I felt like I was flying. But then everything became dark again. I could hear the voices getting smaller and smaller.

I woke up with my hands tied to the chair I was sitting on. I could faintly hear crying from my right. I was feeling dizzy. When I looked to my right, I was heartbroken to see Katie, Lily and Ashley crying. The sadness soon turned into anger at those Hunters. In my left I could see Sammy, Troy and Grey looking heartbroken. I tried to see properly because everything was still spinning.

I squinted my eyes and they widened when I saw bruises and cuts on their bodies. I was shaking with anger. They were looking at the floor, probably sad because they couldn’t comfort their mates. I wanted to tell Lily and Katie to be strong for their mates, they won’t be able to handle hearing their cries but I was too weak and dizzy.

And idea came to my head. The Mind Link! I could use it but I’m not sure if I will be strong enough. I tried to reach Katie and Lily through my minds, telling them to be strong for their mates. Their sobs suddenly stopped and they both turned to me, eyes wide. “J-Jessie?” Lily croaked. That only made me more angry. The door burst open and the girls whimpered while the boys growled, lowly. A human with a smug grin was standing there and was scanning our faces. He stopped at me. “Ah, finally awake, I see.” He made his way towards me.

The boys’ heads snapped towards me. I was glaring at the man. Who does he think he is? Abusing my pack! A growl came from my throat. He stopped for a second before moving towards Sammy and roughly gripping his hair. Sammy was hurt. A member of my pack was hurt, and I am not gonna sit here and watch as he hurts!

I tried pulling my hands and breaking the rope but it didn’t work. I was not strong enough because of the drug, and I hate being weak. I growled at the man who was now smirking at me, pulling Sammy’s hair more. He removed a knife from his belt and made a long cut on his hand. Sammy whimpered which made Katie cry harder. Lily and Ashley were sobbing too. “Why are you doing this?” I growled.

He shook his head “Respect, young lady, respect!” That only made me growl louder. “Respect, my a$$! Leave him!” my tone made him flinch. Even I was surprised by it. When did I get so confident? He almost let him go. Almost. But then he pulled it harder and hissed “What are you gonna do? Bark at me?” He guffawed at his bad joke. I was shaking with anger now.

“I will tear you to pieces, bit by bit, and then I will feed you to your own dogs!” I hissed in a venomous voice. I could see him gulp and loosen his hold before tightening it again. “I- I don’t have any dogs!” he said, trying to look strong. “You won’t have anything if you don’t release him now!” my voice screamed “Danger!” and that guy knew it. “Shut your mouth before I do it for you!” He yelled making the girl flinch but I didn’t even waver. He obviously noticed this and stabbed Sammy’s arm, making him scream in pain.

A sudden burst of energy went through me. I was shaking violently now and all I was seeing is red. A sharp pain went through my spine and I gasped. My hands and legs wear making these sick cracking sounds. They twisted in different positions making me whimper in pain. It felt like I was being crushed. I could feel and hear my clothes tearing. I looked at my hand to see white hair growing from it. My nails turned into claws that became partially hidden in the hair. I was shaking badly and suddenly it stopped. The pain and the shaking stopped when my surroundings became bright and I could hear eight heartbeats. I looked around me to see my pack looking at me in awe. I guess I shifted, huh?

The proud feeling was replaced by worry which became anger when Sammy whimpered again. The knife was still in his arm. My eyes narrowed at the man who was now cowering in fear. I growled automatically. I could hear his heartbeat become faster.

I snarled and jumped on him. I caught his shirt and threw him across the room. He hit his head and became unconscious. I quickly clawed at the rope that had Sam’s hands tied. I could feel my blood boiling with anger at the man. I wanted to beat him senseless.

As soon as his hand was released it flew up to the knife in his arm. He whimpered as he tried to remove it slowly. I quickly clawed at Katie’s rope so that she could comfort her mate. I then tore Grey’s rope because he knew most about healing than us. He quickly went over to Sam to help him. He tore his shirt and tied it around Sam’s injury.

I untied the others and stood in crowd that was around Sam. “He’s too weak for him to heal fast and he’s losing blood! We have to get out of here before the others come back.” He looks at me. Our wolves are too weak, you’ll have to carry him, Jess. You’re a lot more stronger than us because you’re a White Wolf and you’ve just shifted. Can you do that?” I nod my head and through the mind link I say “He carried me two months ago, I carry him today.” That made them crack a smile.

“Okay, we need something to keep him in place on your back. But what?” I thought for a moment before mind linking (if that’s correct) them. “We can use the ropes that we were tied to?”

Their eyes light up “That’s a brilliant idea! Okay guys, help me.” Troy helped Grey lay Sam on me and the girls got the ropes. They tied him to me, not too tight, just tight enough so he won’t fall. Katie was crying silent tears. Grey opened the door and checked to see if anyone was there.

When he saw no one, he motioned us to come forward. Grey and Ashley were in front of me and Troy and Lily behind me. Katie was beside me, she was catching Sam’s hand and saying soft words to him. We got confused on which way to go once so Grey told me to sniff and find out which way the humans went recently.

When we finally reached the front door, we ran towards the trees until we were far enough from the house. I had to track the house as the others kept falling and tripping over roots and rocks. Every time someone fell, I would immediately go over and try to help them up. We couldn’t be more glad than we were when our pack house came into view.