Run with faith by Maebell Cushner (early reader books .txt) 📕

Chapter 1
"Run! The wolves are among us! Run!" I woke with a fright. I looked around, my sister was not in her bed. Hope was almost never out of her bed this late at night. I jumped out of bed and pulled my dress over the slip I had on. I grabbed my blue crystal lantern and ran the door. The halls were dark and I could here the panic arise from below.

" They're here!" I could hear my servant's screams and the faint sound of growling. Tommy, one of my servant's son ran over to me. "Mad'am run! The wolves are among those downstairs!"

"Tommy where is my sister? Where did Hope go? Is she alright?"

"She is well…for now. We must get out of here! Your father has sent me to take you away!" He was tugging at my shirt and walking towards the back stairway.

"I have to find Hope! I have to make sure she is ok!" I pulled him into a hug, "You need to get out of here, you are too young to end so tragically, go! NOW!" I pushed him to the stairway, "That is an order! Leave now and only come Back when the Castle is safe!" I watched as he turned to go, looking over his boney shoulder to send me a thankful smile. I ran to the balcony overlooking the entrance. I could see many servants being carried away by men. Wolves killing young and weak work, and Hope! She was safely behind our guard-gate. The gate will withstand any attack and keep her safe. With her was my brother, Song and my sister, Nightengale. I saw my father struggling to guard my mother to the gate. I turned and raced down the stairs to the back porch. I new this would be a safer way to the gate. I was about three feet away from the gate when I was struck down. I felt sharp claws dig into the flesh on my back. Hope was screaming my name and frantically trying to get passed the guards who looked down hopelessly at me. I was flipped over so that the wolf was on top of me. One moment he was wolf the next he was a boy. He pulled on some shorts that had been in his mouth. He was not much older than me. His sandy blond hair hung down to his face and his eyes were the color of the sky on a warm summer day.

"Sorry about this, you'll forgive me one day." He looked down with such sympathy that it overwhelmed me. He got up and threw me over my shoulder. Everything around me seemed to be muted and in slow motion. For the first time I saw the number of dead all around me. My mother was sobbing over my fathers shoulder as my sister struggled to fight the guard holding them on.

"Karma! Karma no!" I could faintly hear Hope's screams, as if she were whispering them to me. I tried to yell out that I would be ok but nothing came out. I could see the others around us as we retreated into the forest, I saw was Song Lunging for Hope as she opened the gate and ran after me. It was too late though, Song was too late. Another wolf attacked her and killed her right on front of my eyes. And all I could do was hang lifelessly over the strangers shoulder as everything went black.

~ Three days Later~

"You have to eat something! Are you going to starve yourself to death? I won't let you! I'll force feed you of I need to!" I sat frozen as Camden, the wolf that had taken me, rambled on about how annoying I was and how he wishes he would have just stayed behind. I stared at the flap in the tent. It was freezing but I was trying to make him think I was never going to break. The food he brought smells so good. Today he made me toast and eggs. I'm suprized he even knows how to cook real food. I am so curious about it in fact that before I can stop myself I speak.

"Where did you learn to cook?" As soon as he hears me his expression softens. It's the first thing I've said since I was brought here.

"Not all of us were born…like this." He sweeps his hand over him body and walks over to me and sits on the mat. "I lived a normal human life until I was ten. I was out with my brother and a warewolf approached us. We didn't know what he was at first because he looked like a normal person. As soon as we realized that he was dangerous, we ran. The man attacked me. My brother was young and foolish he came back to help me, and the man thinking I was dead killed my brother," He looked down at his hands, " When Jason found me, I was a mess. I couldn't accept what I was. I…I was the Monster that killed my brother." He looked away from me and I put me hand on his shoulder. The touch seemed to shock him but I kept it there.

"When I was little I use to watch your pack run in the woods. I always thought you were peaceful creatures who…were, different. My sister and I were very close. The day you took me from them, she tried to follow. One of your men killed her right in front of me. The last thing I remember before I passed out was the sound of my family crying." I took my hand down from his shoulder. I don t know why I told him that but it felt right. A gust of wind blew on through the opening and I shivered.

"Oh! Are you cold, Here." He took off his thick jacket and handed it to me.

"thanks." I put it on and reached for a piece of toast. Camden seemed satisfied with that and turned into his wolf form. He stretched out and curled up beside me. His fur was soft and warm. I traced little circles in the fur on his belly and found myself yawning. Soon his relaxed breathing soothed me and I fell asleep on him.

Chapter 2

I woke up slowly. I had been lying on Camden…again. I feel so safe around him, but I shouldn't. He is a monster, he kills my kind. But I still trust him. My mother use to say, trust you instincts. Would she want me to do so now? I snuggled into his fur. I was still sleepy and he was warm. When I woke up again Camden had changed back. Somehow he had rolled over and wrapped his arm around me. I tried to move but he pulled me closer. It was no use, he was too strong. I almost felt safe, secure almost, in his embrace. But I shouldn't, right?

But he feels to warm, too familiar. Almost like we be-…NO. I can't let myself think that way. I can't…ugh I won't even let myself say it! It's wrong. It's disgusting. Oh...he has nice eyes. That. Are. looking. Straight, At. ME!

"Hey when did you wake up?" He still had his arm around me.

"I woke up a like 20 minutes ago but you," I raised my brow and looked at his arm, "kept me from going anywhere." He jumped up

"Sorry….Sorry I …uh, Sorry." Hahaha, aww he's blushing!

"I am not blushing!" He turned to the dresser.

"Hahaha Hahaha! Did I say that out loud? Oh, I'm sorry!" I got up and swung my arms around him. "You know I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"Mmmhmmf." He was still turned around

"What was that? I can't hear when you mumble." I turned him around and smiled big.

"I said fine but…" He took a step closer with a devilish smile on his face, "You are going to pay, mwahahaha…Hahaha!" He picked me up and spun me around.

"Aaaaa! Cam-Den! Put me down!" He tipped me upside down, "Camden your going to drop me!!" He flipped me upside right and put me down. "So what are we doing today?"
Chapter 3
"I don't know. What do you want to do?" I mean like really how was I supposed to know what to do? I was kidnapped and brought here, and instead of feeling like a prisoner. I felt…happy. Wow… I hadn't felt happy in a long time. this guy must really be growing on me.

"Hmmm. Maybe we could take a walk. In the garden. They have a lot of flowers in there." Well isn't that why they call it a garden. A beautiful heaven with floral décor surrounding you. I don't think Camden is the brightest light bulb in the pack. That or I got him wrapped around my little finger. Ha-ha.

"Are we allowed to go out? Do you have to ask permission? I mean I'm like a prisoner...aren't I ?" He looked as If he was going to burst out laughing any second. "What? Is there something I'm missing?"

"I…lets just say that I'm, well known and they trust me to keep a good eye on you."

“Do you guys have a garden, can we go?.” I walked over to flap and peeked out. There were several men and women outside. Children were playing around. If I didn’t know what they were I would have thought that I was in the city.
“Yes.” He sighed, “here you can wear this shirt and….I got these from my sister. They might not fit but oh well.” I turned around to catch the cloths he tossed to me. The shirt was a long sleeve black sweater and the pants were long thick sweats. “
“I can’t wear these!” I waved the bunch at him, “It’s like seventy something degrees out there if you hadn’t noticed!” He glared at me
“There are more than 100 men that are hungry for YOU, if YOU haven’t noticed!” He was right in front of me now. At first I had thought he was my age but now that I got a better look at his face, I could see that he is about two years older. His hair hung in loose messy curls. He has light brown freckles that decorate his perfect, natural, tan skin.
“I’m sorry I didn’t realize.” I looked down at my shoes, “I will put them on, but you have to wait outside.” He made a noise that sounded similar to chuckling and walked out. Hahaha! Sucker! I saw the pocket knife that he kept in the dresser. I walked over and got it out of the top drawer.
~ Camden’s P.O.V. ~
I almost lost it in there! I can’t believe that she yelled at me! Ok, calm down, she doesn’t know, she is doing what you want. She is wearing the clothes, everything is fine. Why can’t she just understand how easy it is to anger our inner wolf? I mean GOD! She drives me insane!
Maybe you just like her.
Shut up! I do not! How could I ever like someone who drives me so insane?!
I’m the one in control of your emotions maybe I like her.
Your me, dumb-ass. You’re my inner wolf, If you like then I like her!
Then you do like her okay, bye!
But I…UGH!
Just shut up and watch the door she’s coming.
Karma