"Paa no more, please. I am tired now" Sana whined, huffing and panting for a breath as she ran for the last thirty minutes.

" No ten more minutes before you leave." Abhinav was stern when he was the master and coach to her.

"Paa, please. I promise I will work 10 minutes extra tomorrow" she tried knowing well enough that nothing would help her.

"Sure you can but you will have to complete today's run. Now come on speed up" he clapped his hand alerting her.

"Meanie" she muttered and completed the next ten minutes too. Once they were over she fell on the ground, hands and legs thrown out, catching a lot of breath.

"Here. Have some water and let me wipe your sweaty face" Her father handed her the bottle and moved to wipe her face.

"Why are you not this sweet old man when you become this meanie coach?" She questioned gulping the whole bottle down.

"Because at that time I am your mentor and if I turn into your father I will struggle to make you take even a single lap. My 'father heart' is too sensitive to put my daughter through that. And who are you calling old, I am still more fit and active than you, sweet pie" he reasoned. She knew that his response was always the same, no matter how many times she asked the question. It had become a predictable pattern in their conversations, and she had long since stopped expecting anything different.

"Take me home now. I need to go to college too." She demanded extending her hands. He smiled and bent to get her on his back for the piggy ride.

"Now will you make some delicious pancakes for me"

"Of course my love I will" he smiled happy to have her smiling. Her smiling face was just like her mother's and Abhinav was captivated by the striking resemblance between his daughter's radiant smile and that of her late mother. He made it his mission to ensure her happiness, longing for even a fleeting reminder of his beloved wife. Left alone with his most precious possession and a closely guarded secret, Abhinav held the key to a revolution that could alter the course of history. This secret, entrusted to him by his wife, held the power to shape the future for generations to come.

"Siddhant, I don't think the news would be pleasant to ears", Parth, the commander in chief of the Star Fire clan informed the leader, the Alpha of the pack. In the darkroom, he sat with his eyes closed but his mind restless with the weight of impending calamity. The news he had received had confirmed his fears - another attack was imminent. He had predicted this moment ever since the last assault on his pack, and now, with no Luna by his side to share the burden, the pack was vulnerable to threats at every turn.

The Alpha, the guardian of his family's legacy, knew that he could not afford to let his guard down. As he gazed at the horizon, the winds carrying whispers of danger, he refused to appoint anyone but the rightful owner as his Luna. Yet, with each attack claiming lives and testing his resolve, doubts began to creep into his mind like tendrils of darkness.

Despite his unwavering determination to protect his pack, the Alpha couldn't ignore the reality closing in around him. The howls of distant predators echoed through the night, a constant reminder of the dangers lurking in the shadows. Every passing moment brought him closer to a crossroads where he would have to make a choice.

"I think you should think of a Luna now Alpha", Parth suggested unsure what his suggestion could lead. He instantly backed hearing the guttural warning growl.

"I am sorry Alpha, but the situation is not getting any better. We are nowhere near to finding the Luna, that the throne deserves and are just losing are people to the attacks of the pack, which some years existed just in the shade of a tree but is expanding at an exponential rate. ", Parth made him aware of the situation. Alpha heard him patiently.

"I will not let anything happen. Luna or no Luna, this pack stays, until I breathe.", he declared. The message was clear and bowing his head he left the Alpha to contemplate his next moves.

"Did you get all your stuff?", Abhinav questioned feeding the pancakes to his daughter.

"I did", she mumbled with her mouthful of pancake.

"Eat and speak",

"okay", she raised her thumb in acknowledgment.

"Do you have your mum's necklace around you?", he asked. She nodded.

"Good, now off to college or should I drop you. You might not want to encounter any of those creatures", he made a suggestion. He never hated those creatures until the day he lost his wife. The hate that he harbored in his chest for them was not going to subside anytime soon, and though he failed to protect his wife, he was ready to cross hell and heaven if it came to his daughter.

"No Paa. I am a big brave girl and those 'creatures' are nothing in front of me. They don't know who my coach is. One punch and they will be howling in pain", she assured and laughed at her little wordplay. Abhinav smiled too. How could he not, his daughter's smile was the way to his smile.

"Okay, brave girl. Be safe. Don't and I am repeating...."

"Yeah I know, don't ever let go of the pendant of your mom. This was her protection thread she gave to me to protect me even when she is not here to protect me. I know Paa, and don't worry I keep mum close to my heart." she interrupted completing his sentence. She has never understood the reason for the insistence on wearing this necklace except it being her mother's gift. She has asked about it on many occasions, directly and subtly but never got the answer that could satisfy her curiosity. She often wondered if there was some hidden meaning or significance behind the necklace that her father was keeping from her. Perhaps it held a secret from her mother's past, or maybe it was simply a sentimental piece that held no deeper meaning. Whatever the reason, she couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to the necklace than met the eye. And so, she continued to wear it, hoping that one day her father would finally reveal the truth behind its importance.

"Paa can I go to the woods for a short walk? I promise I won't go deep", as she was leaving she thought of trying her luck once again, but it was however not fruitful as he denied her in sharp and stern words.

"No Sana. No going to the woods. Not even close to it let alone going inside it", were his words of rejection. Nodding her head with a face sad she left for college, meeting her friend Meeti on her way to college.

"I will be on watch now", Alpha declared as everyone gathered in the courtroom with the persistent issue of the rival pack attacks.

"But Alpha, do you think that would be an intelligent move now when you are required here", Kabir, the advisor advised.

"I thought over it enough. I will be on the night patrol with other soldiers and Parth will cover the other border of the territory. The pack house will be under the guard of Abhay and Kabir", he declared. The prevailing fear in the room did not stem from a concern for their pack, but rather for the rival pack beyond the borders. It was the imposing figure of Alpha himself who stood guard at the edge of their territory, accompanied by his fierce wolf, ringing the ominous bell of danger.

He was no ordinary Alpha - he was a beast in every sense of the word. Ruthless, relentless, and menacing, he exuded an aura of danger that seemed to cloak him like a shroud. The glint of bloodlust in his eyes and the lethal sharpness of his claws were a stark reminder of the unforgiving power that he wielded. The Alpha and his wolf were not to be underestimated; they were a force to be reckoned with, a relentless storm of fury and death that threatened to consume all in its path.

Hello!!

Welcome to this very first story of mine. A world of fantasy that will pull you through the deep dark forest, through blood, through passion and through fears.

Your thoughts would be needful and appreciated. A heart would be the love that would take you forward in the story.