Chapter 1
A hand yanked Melina away from her burning home and dragged her into the open. Her lungs filled with smoke, her eyes stung, and yet the sight before her was even worse than the fire behind. Every house in their small village was ablaze, flames painting the moonless night in shades of blood-red. From the corner of her eye, she caught masked men rampaging through the streets—cutting down her friends, her pack, her people. Their screams pierced through the roar of the inferno, sending chills down her spine despite the blistering heat.
“Where are Amber and Ranni?! We have to help them!” Melina cried, struggling against her mother’s grip. But before her mother could answer, the truth revealed itself.
There—through the smoke—Amber and Ranni, her beloved sisters, were struck down at the same time. Their eyes went lifeless, their bodies discarded like empty shells into the mud. The killers moved on without pause, hunting the next.
Melina’s breath vanished. Her knees threatened to buckle. She could have shifted, could have fought back, but pain clung to her chest like chains, every movement a reminder of her broken ribs. All she could hear were the desperate screams of her people, the crash of falling timber, and the guttural howls of wolves fighting—and dying.
Her mother never let go, dragging her deeper into the forest, away from the massacre, until the burning village was nothing more than an ocean of fire in the distance.
“Stay alive, Melina. No matter what,” her mother urged, voice firm yet trembling.
Melina looked at the woman who had always been her pillar, and for a heartbeat, relief surged—her mother was alive. But it shattered the moment an arrow whistled through the dark and struck her mother’s shoulder. She collapsed, pulling Melina down with her.
“Mom!” Melina cried, scrambling back, ignoring the sharp stab in her ribs. She clung to her mother’s bloodied body, dragging her close. The river beside them rushed loud and wild, drowning out her sobs.
“You’re all I have left,” she whispered, holding her mother tight.
“Go...” her mother rasped, coughing blood, the poisoned arrow sapping her strength. She was the Luna of their pack, yet even she could not rise.
“No, I can’t lose you too.”
Crunching footsteps drew closer. Their hunters were nearly upon them. Melina squeezed her eyes shut, desperate, helpless—until her mother used the last of her strength to shove her into the river.
“Mother!” Melina’s scream echoed as the current swallowed her. She fought to keep her head above the rushing water, but the last thing she saw—blurred by tears—was her mother surrounded by the masked men. Then her head struck a boulder, and the world went black.
When Melina finally washed ashore, she was barely conscious. Broken ribs, burns, a pounding head—her body screamed with agony. Yet none of it compared to the hollow ache in her chest. Her pack, her sisters, her mother... gone.
She crawled to a tree, shivering against the night air, when a presence froze her blood. A tall silhouette emerged from the forest, his aura so powerful the nocturnal creatures fell silent, fleeing into the dark.
Her mother’s words echoed. Stay alive, Melina. No matter what.
Weakly, she reached out. “Please... help me.”
The stranger’s hand was warm as it closed around hers. He draped a cloak over her trembling body, then lifted her with ease. Melina hated being touched—hated being this vulnerable—but her world spun too violently to resist. She let herself be carried into the safety of a carriage. The scent of ash and spice enveloped her, lulling her closer to unconsciousness.
“Melina.” His voice was low, intimate, brushing against her lips. She didn’t even question how he knew her name.
He watched until she fell into exhausted sleep, then covered her with another cloak, shielding her from prying eyes. Outside, his men—the same masked soldiers who had destroyed her village—waited in formation.
“You shot an arrow at her.” His voice was calm, but the ground itself seemed to tremble. One soldier dropped to his knees, begging for mercy.
“Forgive me, Your Highness! I didn’t know she was the one!”
The Alpha King’s eyes were cold, merciless. “You’ll never make that mistake again.” His blade flashed, and the man’s head fell.
He turned to the others, his tone like ice. “Let this be your lesson—anyone who harms her meets the same fate.”
An older man approached, bowing low. “Sire, the Silvia Pack is confirmed destroyed. None survived... except for Melina, daughter of the Ronric family.”
“Prepare to return to the palace,” the Alpha King ordered. His jaw tightened as he glanced back at the carriage. “She needs immediate care.”
The old man—Blaidd—gave a curt nod. Around him, the knights whispered silent questions. Why annihilate an entire pack only to spare one girl?
But only the Alpha King knew the answer. Only he knew why Melina lived.
