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Chapter 1 | ☾ wreck

* • * Gia * • *

"Stop!" I panted as my legs dropped to the ground.

Seeing the flick of her wrist, I quickly rolled my body to the left just as a knife whipped through the air and became embedded into the ground where I had been mere seconds ago.

"You know it doesn't work like that."

I stumbled back to my feet, sweat was dripping all over and my joints were aching unbearably.

"I mean it!" I snapped, eyes flashing a brilliant yellow as my nails grew into claws.

"Gia! We fight until one of us is incapacitated! That's our rule," Viktoria snapped as she twirled the dagger in her hand. "Now if you want to stop, stop me."

I grabbed the dagger from the ground and lunged at her, fingers gripping the handle of the blade hard as the impact of our bodies crashing against each other made me land on her.

"Yield?" I snapped, my breathing ragged as I pressed the point of the blade in her gut. Already, I knew it had broken skin by the scent of blood permeating through the air.

"No. Have you seen my claws?" Viktoria smirked and awareness prickled down my spine when I realised her claws were a hairbreadth away from the nape of my neck.

One quick movement of her wrists and I was dead.

"Impasse," I breathed out, chest heaving from the exertion.

My eyes were stinging but I forced them to stay open. I was utterly unwilling to allow them to close.

Viktoria growled, baring her fangs at me as her eyes turned bright orange before pushing me off. With one swift movement, she was back on two feet and shaking her head at me.

"You're getting sloppy."

I glared at my sister who wiped the blood off her lip but I chose to remain silent.

"We can't have you weak when we know they're coming."

At that, I hung my head down and closed my eyes. "I know, I'll do better next time," I swore before meeting her eyes.

"Gia, you do understand what we're in, don't you?" My sister sighed as she pulled her hair back into a ponytail.

I slumped to the ground and closed my eyes, feeling my claws retract back into my fingers. Already, the cuts and bruises that were littered all over my legs were healing.

"Yes, I do."

My sister bent down, eyes meeting mine solemnly. "Then you know why we're doing this."

I pushed myself into a sitting position and nodded as my eyes focused on the long cut on my arm that was healing. The flesh knitted back together and all that was left was the blood.

"Yeah," I breathed. "They killed our parents."

My sister, my brave fearless sister picked up one of the curved blades and flung it hard at the trees.

"Yes, they did." Her voice was hard.

The blade pierced three inches through the bark of the tree with a crack that resounded around the area.

"They're going to pay," I said quietly and Viktoria turned to face me with sorrow in her eyes.

"They will."

"Are you two bitches done?"

My sister and I turned to the left to see Kaleb smirking in our direction.

"Because we're just getting started," Kian declared, stepping into my line of sight beside Kaleb.

As usual, both the twins were sporting identical smirks.

Kaleb and Kian were my third and fourth brothers and as all brothers do, they were annoying at best.

"Rude," Viktoria snarled and flung another dagger in their direction.

"Viky, that was hurtful, especially when-" Kaleb said, eyes feigning sorrow as he caught the dagger in his hand.

"-we're siblings, aren't we?" Kian finished, eyes turning yellow as his claws surfaced.

"No, no, no. I'm out of this one," I huffed before dragging my tired body up. "Three of you are on your own this time."

"Deal. I'm older," Viktoria grinned, eyes turning orange once more as she got onto her two feet, claws and fangs out.

"But there's two of us-," Kian chimed out as he took a step forward.

"-and just one of you," Kaleb supplied, as he too took another step closer.

"We'll see."

I grinned as Viktoria bared her fangs before stopping Kian mid-lunge with her right hand and flung him far back before grabbing Kaleb by the neck and squared a hard punch across his face. 

Yep, she had everything under control.

I turned and walked back to the house, my steps slowing as my second brother approached me.

"Gia, where's Gareth?"

I blinked and ran my fingers through my hair. "Gareth? He went to town to secure the last of our shipments and it. What's wrong?"

Jonathan sighed, "Nothing. He left his mobile behind and you know how edgy we all get when any of us don't have ours on hand."

I bit my lip at that. Ever since our parents had died about two decades and a year ago, all of us would be filled with anxiety whenever one of us had no means of contact.

"Where's Conrad, then?"

"At the boundaries of the property, ensuring our security and defences are up."

"Weren't you supposed to help him out with that?" I frowned.

"Yeah, until Conrad needed Gareth's help with something and I went to look for Gareth and he isn't here."

I nodded and ran my hands through my hair. "Alright, I'll go find Gareth to hand his cell back to him and when that's done, I'll head back," I suggested and Jonathan's tense features faded.

"Yeah, that sounds good, I'll let Conrad know. Thanks, Gia," Jonathan said, mouth turning into a relieved grin. "Remember to bring your cell!"

I nodded as he headed back to the edge of the land where the gates were.

Jonathan was one of the many siblings that I had. I had four brothers and a sister. Conrad was the firstborn, who was then followed by Viktoria, Jonathan and then the twins, Kaleb and Kian. I was literally the baby of the whole family which sucked big time depending on the situation.

My parents had died when I was four and unfortunately, I hardly remembered them. There were pictures of them, yes. But it wasn't the same. On the other hand, I knew all five of my siblings did. But I suppose it was harder for my uncle Gareth who lost his older brother that night twenty-one years ago.

With the addition of losing his brother, he became the guardian for his four nephews and two nieces. Something that was definitely not an easy feat.

But due to our slow ageing abilities, we could hardly call Gareth our uncle in public. Truthfully, he looked to be in his early forties instead of his actual age of ninety-five.

Grabbing a quick glance in the hallway mirror, I guessed that I was somewhat presentable despite the holes in my jeans where Viktoria's claws had gotten to.

I really needed to have a talk with my sister about the clothes she was ruining.

It wouldn't be good if I left home and went about in public as if I had gotten attacked. It would attract too much attention.

Attention, that I didn't need.

Thankfully, my jeans weren't in such a bad shape. Some would call them grunge or hipster or whatever terms that humans used.

Running a hand through my hair to pat it down, I got into the black sedan that belonged to me and began driving it down towards the ports.

It has been three days since we moved to Astoria, Oregon. It wasn't exactly a planned move but it was necessary. Moving around constantly made it harder for us to be tracked down. But there were still risks, hence the need for my family to keep to ourselves and not draw attention.

Even though we were in this city for just three days, we already knew it well enough. Conrad and Gareth had made it compulsory for all of us to be very acquainted with any particular area whenever we moved to somewhere new.

It was part of our routine and safety measures.

Turning into one of the parking spaces, all I had to do was to find Gareth and finding him wasn't hard. It was pretty easy, really.

The only thing any of my family members had to do to find Gareth was to look for a man that everyone avoided. My uncle was simply built intimidatingly with a large stature and stern features.

But he really was a softy at heart.

Once I had parked my car near the ports, I immediately found him and as I made my way towards him while twirling his phone in my hands, I spotted it.

My steps slowed. "Gareth, is that it?"

My uncle didn't turn to face me, it was as if he already knew that I was there. "Yes."

It was referring to the very item that my family and ancestors had protected since the days of Ancient Greece. It was one of the Five Sacred Antiquities and my family line was one of the fifty Wolf Lines that were chosen to guard it.

It was our legacy and will be for years to come.

But I didn't want anything to do with it.

That very thing was what cost my parents' lives.

The Woltons, Duncombes, Hartfords, Acklerleys and the Montague Lines were five out of the fifty Wolf Lines who were elected to protect the Five Sacred Antiquities.

Our kind - Werewolves - had originated from Greece with the short story of Zeus turning a god and all of his sons to wolves after they had tried to trick him.

In short, each of the Five Sacred Antiquities had powerful characteristics that gave their owners specific advantages. And that was the very thing that had started the terrible predicament we were all in now.

The Duncombes, Hartfords and the Montagues were slaughtered just because of the Sacred Antiquities that they were protecting.

The casualties included my parents.

"Do you need help?" I asked, shaking my head from the slight array of memories that pushed into my mind as I shuffled my feet, eyes never leaving the crate where it was resting in.

In my opinion, destroying it was the ultimate solution, but I was the only one in my family that supported the idea.

"No," Gareth shook his head. "The two of us seen together here with this will raise suspicion and we don't need that. I can handle it. What are you doing here? Weren't you training with Viktoria?"

I shrugged casually as he peered down at me.

"Jonathan said you didn't have your phone with you and Conrad needed your help with one of the security measures. So I'm here to pass you this." I handed the black phone into his palm. 

Gareth nodded apologetically. He knew how antsy we all were when anyone didn't have their cells.

"Thank you. You should go on now. Grab a drink or two on the way home," he ruffled my head affectionately and gave me a small smile.

A smile that I returned. For the past twenty-one years Gareth was like a father figure for me. Well, for all of my siblings too.

"I'll see you at home, then," I offered, walking backwards with a grin before turning on my heels and headed back to my car.

The tight feeling of anxiety that had been knotted in my chest faded when I had finally seen that Gareth was alright and now that his phone was on him.

You could say that I had an extreme fear of abandonment.

Buckling my seatbelt, I adjusted the rearview mirror and paused. Seeing it again had brought back all the memories of that very day twenty-one years ago.

It had been a cool summer night when Gareth had pulled me out of bed and led me to a jeep that was for special emergencies. There, all my siblings were waiting with soot and grime on their scared faces.

I hadn't understood what was happening that night but it was probably two years later when I found out the truth.

The truth referring to how my parents had died, tortured to their very last breath for not revealing the locations of the Sacred Antiquity that us Woltons had possessed and protected for centuries.

The Sacred Antiquity that Gareth had also managed to spirit away with us just in time.

I stared at myself in the reflection of the mirror and exhaled heavily. My hands tightened on the steering wheel and I pressed my lips into a thin line at the fragments of the memories I had of my parents.

It was sad but I didn't really remember what they looked like. Yes, I had pictures of them but other than that, I couldn't even remember anything else.

They were like strangers to me. I didn't have the memories that my siblings had of them and for that, I was terribly envious.

Kian had once told me that our mother had a beautiful singing voice while Kaleb claimed that our father had the widest smile on his face with a dimple on both his cheeks.

Hazel eyes met mine and I watched myself swipe away some tears that had rolled down my cheeks. Shuddering, I clasped both my hands over my face in an effort to compose myself. It wouldn't be good to dwell on such memories for the only thing they brought was nothing but pain and anguish.

Once I was sure that I had a grip on my emotions, I took another glance in the mirror to see that I still looked horrible. Tiredly, I rubbed my face with my hands before tucking my brown curls behind my ears before starting the engine.

If I had the chance, I would literally rip Trent Jackson's head off his body.

With that darkly satisfying thought, I began driving.

Turning right, I spotted the coffee-house I've been wanting to try and I figured that I'll grab some for my siblings too.

Getting out of my car, I turned right while adjusting the sleeves of my leather jacket and to my luck, I bumped into someone while walking.

I was, in short, a klutz.

So much for being a supernatural creature with better senses and agility with faster reactions that athletes would envy. It was a quality about me that the twins liked to make fun of me up till now.

I knew this was undoubtedly my fault. I hadn't been looking where I was going and I just hoped that whoever the stranger I had bumped into would be a kind gentle soul.

"I'm so sorry. It was my fault and I acknowledge that and-" I quickly began but stopped abruptly when I looked up at the man I had bumped into.

Crystal blue eyes met mine.

Immediately, something inside me shifted and locked into place. The sensation was so odd and foreign that it made me take a step back involuntarily.

Something was warning me to put some distance between me and the man in front of me and I heeded it.

My eyes were still fixed on his and my heart stopped for what seemed like an eternity. Throughout the twenty-four years of my life, never had I felt something like this before and that is coming from a werewolf.

"Hey."

I, on the other hand, could only stare at him stupidly as I tried to figure out what that strange feeling was and really, what the hell was going on?

"Hi," I finally managed, warily as I swallowed hard.

The corner of his mouth quirked up just a tad bit.

And I was wrecked.

* • * ☾ * • * 

A/N: I hope you lovelies get the idea behind this story! Let me know your thoughts!