PROLOGUE
15 years ago
"When your daughter turns eighteen," Anna said slowly, "my son will come for her. He'll claim her as his wife. And he'll make her Luna of Dark Howl Pack and Queen over the werewolf kingdom."
Mike went very still.
He looked at the woman standing in his doorway, wrapped in heavy coats because of the cold winter air and could have sworn he needed a century to process her words.
“Anna, what are you saying?” He asked, his voice barely a whisper.
“This is the only way I can repay you, Mike." Her voice cracked, but she didn't stop. "I owe you my life, Mike. So in return I'm giving your daughter a future. The best future a shewolf could ever have."
"Anna…"
Anna gripped his hand. "When she comes of age and meets her wolf, my son will be Alpha. The most powerful Alpha in the kingdom."
Mike pulled his hand away and stepped back. His face had gone pale. "You can't promise that. Your son might have a fated mate. He might…"
"He will reject her, because I’ll raise him to honor this promise," Anna interrupted, her tone leaving no room for argument. "I know you'll raise an outstanding woman. And my son will come for her. I'll make sure of it.”
Mike turned to look at his little girl sleeping in her little bed in the living room. She stirred, made a soft noise, and settled back into sleep, totally unaware of what her future had in store for her.
He looked over at the scented candle by her bed. She slept longer when the soothing aroma of cinnamon and vanilla filled the room.
He returned his attention to Anna, but frowned slightly as he noticed the four hulky men who came to escort her approaching his balcony.
They walked past the beautiful flower garden that sprawled across the lawn and arrived at the balcony of Mike's small bungalow.
He instinctively grabbed Anna and placed her behind him.
“What do you want?” He asked them coldly.
“She wanted a few minutes. Dusk is near, we have to head back now, if we want to arrive in Dark Howl before nightfall.” One of the men replied.
They all wore dark suits and shades like regular corporate security, but had the muscles of an extreme body builder and the crest of Dark Howl emboldened on their suits like batches.
“She'll be out soon, just get your foot off my property.” He said, firmly.
The men were undeniably irritated by his words, but they obliged to his request and backed off to the black tinted Mercedes across the road.
Mike turned to Anna.
“Are you really sure you want to go with them? What if it's one of their schemes again?” Mike asked, with fine lines visible across his forehead as he motioned to the four hefty men outside.
Anna could see the distrust in his eyes. The memory of eleven years ago, when living felt like hell, was too damning to forget in a hurry.
If only after Alpha Rochar Grimm discovered she was his fated mate, he had rejected her and let her be, her entire world would not have fallen into the mess she had to live through.
"Mike, I know you are worried," Anna managed, voice breaking. "But I have to go. My son needs me. Alpha Rochar sent word that Luna Gwen is dead. I have to go be with my son and if it is a ploy to kill me again, then I will perish."
Her tears fell uncontrollably as the last words left her mouth.
“Anna….” Mike's voice was barely a whisper as he pulled her closer and patted her back gently.
Mike believed any soldier or elite from the Dark Howl Pack was a threat to Anna just like they were eleven years ago.
Then, Alpha Rochar Grimm of Dark Howl Pack, King of all werewolf packs, was married to Luna Gwen, the daughter of one of the most influential clans. But behind her title was a cold and ruthless Luna who saw Anna as a threat the moment she discovered she was with child for Alpha Rochar.
A year later, Anna gave birth to a son.
Anna shifted under his arms and he released her. She sniffled.
“The only reason I forced food down my throat all these years, tried so hard to live while my son is going through all the kind of hell I cannot even bear to imagine, is because I have been waiting for this day all these years, living with the torture that I may never lay eyes on my son again, but grasping to the tiniest hope that I would. And now the time has come. I’m sorry, Mike,”
Mike exhaled.
"You don't have to apologize," he said, softer now. “I understand that you have to go be with your son. Although you never mentioned it, I know you have waited for this moment for the past ten years.”
Anna wiped the tears from her face, her fingers brushing over the scars that marked her skin. Mike lifted his gaze to her scarred face, his brown eyes filled with pity for the woman before him.
Mike's jaw worked. "Are you sure…."
"I’m fine Mike.” She sniffled. “I know I can't repay you with gold. I don't have land or titles or anything useful. That's why I came to offer something even better before leaving."
Tension returned to Mike's expression. He was still uncertain about her promise.
His wife, Sanita had gone to gather some herbs with the other pack guard wives of Silvermoon after putting their daughter to sleep. He doesn't know how she'll react to Anna's promise.
"She's beautiful," Anna whispered, looking at the little girl.
Mike's expression softened instantly. He looked at his daughter with so much love it made Anna's chest ache. "She is."
The little girl slept soundly with tiny fists curled against her cheeks, breathing soft and even. Her red curls fell across her face in wild tangles, catching the firelight like molten copper. She was born three years ago.
Anna dried the silent tears on her face and Mike noticed her scars again.
He knew her pain and all she had to endure to get to this point. Her scars would always be a reminder of that.
During her pregnancy, Anna was left in Alpha Ravick’s care by Alpha Rochar, who provided for her. Still, Ravick treated her harshly. She endured it for her child.
His birth was her only joy.
A week later, Luna Gwen found out. Refusing to let a low-born she-wolf mother the heir, she sent men to abduct him. Anna fought, but they beat and slashed her, and as they moved to kill her, Mike Hawthorne stepped in and took the blade for her.
He fought them off. Carried her to safety and nursed her back to life. For ten years, she'd stayed with Mike and his wife, Sanita, hopefully waiting for the day she could see her son again.
Mike released a breath he didn't realize he was holding. “Anna?”
She looked at him.
Mike looked at his daughter again. His eyes glistened. He blinked hard. "You really mean what you said earlier."
"Every word."
Mike exhaled shakily. "Then okay. I accept."
Relief hit Anna like a tidal wave. She grabbed his hand again, squeezing tight. "Thank you. Thank you, Mike."
She reached into her bag and pulled out two silver necklaces, each with a black-and-white yin-yang pendant. "There are only two of these in the world because one has my initials engraved on it. The other has my son's. Keep the one with my son's name. If you ever need to find me, use this."
Mike took the necklace, turning it over in his palm. "Thank you, Anna."
Anna smiled. She hurried to the bed and reached down, brushing her fingers against Olivia's tiny hand. The baby's fingers wrapped around hers instinctively.
"You're going to be a queen someday," Anna whispered. "My son will come for you. I promise."
She cooed softly in her sleep.
And then Anna gasped and pulled her hand back, staring at Mike with wide eyes.
"She's special," she breathed.
“I know.” He said, giving her a slight nod.
Anna sighed and walked back to the front porch. “Take care of her." She smiled.
"I will."
Anna paused at the threshold, one hand on the doorframe. "And Mike? Send my regards to Sanita. Tell her I said thank you, for everything."
Mike's expression softened. "I will."
Anna smiled faintly. Then she turned and walked toward the waiting men.
