Chapter 1
Main Characters
Lucien Draven
Male Lead | Alpha Wolf | Amelia’s Fated Mate | Liam’s Best Friend
Pack: Blue Moon Pack (Rival to Night Walker Pack)
Wolf Name: Zade
Age: 19
Appearance:
Height: 6’4”
Hair: Jet black, slightly tousled
Eyes: Stormy grey with silver flecks
Build: Muscular, intimidating, presence of a born Alpha
Scent: Cedarwood and burnt amber
Markings: Old scar on shoulder from battle
Amelia Lockwood - Not born yet
Liam Lockwood
Amelia’s Father | Beta to Lucien | Lucien’s Best Friend
Age: 19
Pack: Blue Moon Pack (Rival to Night Walker Pack)
Appearance:
Sandy brown hair starting to grey
Strong jaw, warm brown eyes
Broad and warrior-built like Lucien, but more approachable
Eleanor Lockwood (Amelia’s Mother)
Eleanor “Elle” Lockwood
Role: Amelia’s Mother | Liam’s Mate | Beta's wife
Age: 18
Pack: Blue Moon Pack (Rival to Night Walker Pack)
Appearance:
Hair: Rich auburn, sleek and waist-length
Eyes: Deep green, thoughtful and warm
Skin: Ivory with a natural glow
Build: Elegant and regal, tall and willowy
Scent: Wild rose and sandalwood
Lucien’s POV
The ale tastes like regret and burnt wood. But hey, it’s doing a decent job numbing the noise in my head, for now.
I lean back in my chair, boots kicked up on the table like I own the place. Technically, I do. Well, not this tavern, but the airspace around it definitely bends to my authority.
The room’s packed with the usual mix of overly loud wolves, half-drunk warriors, and that one guy who always laughs like a dying hyena. Mug clinks, stale smoke, and testosterone peak Friday night, apparently.
My wolf? Not impressed.
He’s pacing just under my skin, restless as hell, tail flicking like he’s caught a scent he can’t quite locate. There’s this low, simmering tension vibrating in my bones. It’s not fear. It’s not dangerous. It’s… something else. Something that’s been scratching at my ribs all night.
And I hate it when I can’t name the thing that’s bothering me.
I take another long sip, okay, more like a gulp, and pretend to ignore the feeling like that’s ever worked. My wolf growls again. It’s not the ale, not the noise, not even the meathead in the corner arm-wrestling his own ego.
No, it’s deeper. Instinctual. Uncomfortable.
Across from me, Liam’s knee is bouncing like a metronome set to chaos.
He’s trying to tell some dramatic story about a rogue attack last week, probably embellished, but his eyes keep scanning the room, unfocused. His wolf is restless, too. Great. That’s always a sign of peace and prosperity.
I lift a brow. He catches my eye for a second, just long enough to know we’re on the same page, and then looks away like he didn’t just twitch.
Right. So it’s not just me unravelling tonight.
My wolf pushes again, harder this time, like he’s testing the limits of my control. I clench my jaw and force another sip. It doesn’t help. Nothing does. He’s practically clawing at the inside of my skull now. Run. Shift. Find. Hunt. Repeat.
Across the table, Liam tries to keep talking, but I can see it in his posture, tight shoulders, fists flexing, the ghost of a snarl tugging at the corner of his mouth. He’s barely keeping it together. And honestly? Same.
I shove the tankard away. My hands are shaking. My wolf’s at a breaking point. So am I.
I stand abruptly. The chair screeches back like I just murdered it. Conversation around us stops. Eyes swivel. Concern. Curiosity. A little fear. Great, just what I needed, an audience.
“I need air,” I growl, voice rough and low, barely masking the beast beneath. “Can’t sit here.”
Liam’s already standing. “Yeah. My wolf’s losing his shit.”
That’s one way to put it.
He claps a hand on my shoulder, pack solidarity, or just grounding himself, who knows, and nods toward the exit. “Let’s run it off.”
Finally, a good idea. My wolf settles just a fraction at the thought of open sky and broken silence. I don’t wait for the crowd to adjust to our mood shift.
I push through, not caring who stumbles or glares. Let them. My wolf’s on the verge of snapping, and if someone breathes wrong near me right now, I will snap back.
Behind me, Liam’s footsteps are quick and heavy. The others stay seated, silent now, probably sensing that this isn’t just some casual moonlight stroll.
Something is coming.
We can both feel it.
But for now, we run.
