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Chapter One
ALEX
Tears blur my vision as I trace the letters on my mother's gravestone. The same sorrow and restlessness that had once driven me away years ago now roars to life in my chest. My wolf, Winter, howls in my head, and the overwhelming urge to escape this city and my past once more seizes me.
As I kneel beside the grave, the forest at the city’s edge calls to my wolf, beckoning me to enter the shadows. The moon's soft glow casts an eerie light over the cemetery, its almost-full shape making it seem like it’s about to burst into full bloom. A welcome sight for many, but something I've grown to loathe over the years.
I sigh.
Two more days and the moon would be full.
For most wolves, being born under a full moon is considered the highest honor. They are said to be the Moon Goddess’s favorites. I disagree. It has been my personal curse as long as I have lived.
The late evening’s sharp wind steals one of the petals from the bouquet I've laid on my mother’s grave. The breeze works like a magic spell, tossing and turning the petal until it lands a few feet away on my father's grave.
Grass and weeds have overtaken the ground around the small lot, and the name on the tombstone has been consumed by bindweed, strangling the stone as I wish I had done to the man buried beneath it.
I close my eyes and let memories flood in, memories I’ve tried so hard to bury. My father’s harsh voice, the sharp sting of his belt, and my mother’s silent tears as she tended to my wounds.
But there were also fleeting moments of warmth—my mother’s gentle touch as she braided my hair, her kind smile, and her soft-song lullabies.
Those moments were few and far between, and they never lasted. They were always overshadowed by the relentless cycle of pain and cruelty served by my father. My mother’s love for me never grew larger than her fear of my father, her fated mate.
No matter how much I begged her to leave him, to reject him, she never did.
She said I would understand how hard it was to end a mate bond when I found my own. But I won’t. If I’m ever cursed with a fated mate, then I’ll reject him. The Moon Goddess’s blessing be damned.
Born to two rogues, I carry the burn-like rogue mark on my neck. Not belonging to a pack solidified my family as the lowest beings in the wolf world. The only thing worse than a rogue wolf is a human. Why the Moon Goddess blessed me, of all people, to be born under a full moon, granting me a white wolf, I’ll never understand.
It has to be a joke.
A cruel cosmic prank.
Only a non-rogue mate would be able to remove my mark, forcing me to carry their mark instead. Status in return for one’s freedom. It’s the truth when they say: nothing in life is free.
‘’Our mate will love us,’’ my wolf speaks in my head.
I can’t help but scoff. At what price? The mate bond didn’t stop my dad from beating my mother every single day of her life, belittling her for nothing and everything.
It didn’t stop him from drinking himself to death. It didn’t stop him from whipping me with his belt, the silver locket burning into the flesh of my back.
Despite my father’s constant torment, it didn’t stop my mother from withering away into nothing after he died.
No. A mate bond is nothing but a burden. On the cold autumn day I lowered my mother into the ground, I swore I’d never be so weak as to let a mate bond control me.
My wolf whimpers at my thoughts. Only Winter is enthusiastic about a potential mate, but her excitement peaks every time we're approaching a full moon. She becomes quite a nuisance during those days. She's easier to control the rest of the time when our minds align in a shared longing for freedom and adventure.
This desire has carried us across most of the country, working odd jobs and living day by day. It's easy when one's home has only ever felt like a prison with floors made out of eggshells.
Gosh, I miss my mom.
Winter hums in agreement.
My mom had dimples when she smiled, ones that mirror my own. But unlike her short pixie cut, my long white braid hangs over my shoulder, a damp mess from today’s training.
Working part-time at World of Fitness, manning the desk and teaching the occasional class when an instructor calls in sick, I get a free membership and access to all their courses. It has everything I love. From CrossFit to self-defense.
Living in a town overpopulated by humans who don’t know that werewolves exist, I don’t get to change into my wolf form often. It’s not healthy. Too much time spent in human form makes the transformation painful. The same is true if you stay in your wolf form for too long; at some point, you’ll lose the connection with your human side and go feral.
I shiver. Feral wolves are the worst. I’ve never seen one, but my mom would tell me scary stories about the bloodthirsty, red-eyed beasts.
Picking up my gym bag, I brush a speck of dirt off my knee. As I navigate the winding path out of the cemetery, the evening shadows deepen around me. The air feels cooler now, a refreshing contrast to the exertion of today’s work.
The gravel crunches under my sneakers, echoing in the otherwise quiet surroundings. Pushing open the iron bars of the gate, I step onto the sidewalk, where the town’s noise gradually reclaims the silence and lures me in the opposite direction of the woods. I adjust the strap of my bag until its weight settles comfortably against my back.
Passing rows of houses, their windows aglow with warmth, I quicken my pace, eager to reach the sanctuary of my house as misty rain tinges the air. I can't help but glance through the windows, catching glimpses of families watching TV or playing board games, laughter falling from their open mouths. A father embraces his daughter, and a mother kisses her husband, leaving me an intruder as I peek into these intimate moments from the outside.
Turning onto my street, I head to my childhood home, the house left to me by my mother. The once vibrant white paint has dulled to a tired gray, with patches peeled away by years under the relentless sun.
The boards of the porch sag beneath my weight, each step creaking in protest as if the house resents being disturbed from its quiet decay. The feeling is mutual, I think for myself. I want to be here as much as you want me here, you worthless pile of lumber.
Without my wolf powers, the key wouldn't have budged in the lock, the corrosion too severe. But with a few wiggles and a firm kick to the door, it finally opens, the hinges squeaking like a scene from a horror movie.
Inside, the musty air assaults my sensitive nose like a boxer’s fist. Every single step I take draws a groan from the floorboards. The mismatched and worn furniture on the main floor seems to have weathered decades of use and misuse. Beside my mother’s once-beautiful floral-patterned couch, my dad’s faded armchair slumps in the corner, the remote still perched on the armrest, as if waiting for him to return.
Upstairs, the bedrooms are sparse and bare. When I reach the room with the peeling purple wallpaper, I dump my gym bag next to my bed. With a stretch, I strip off my tights and change into comfortable pajamas, shedding the remnants of the day.
After pushing open the old window, I let in the fresh air. I sigh and plop down on the mattress, resting my head against the wall, my eyes glued to the horizon. The beautiful forest surrounds one half of the small city.
‘’I want to go for a run,’’ Winter grumbles in my head.
‘’Maybe in a few days. Not tonight; I'm too tired.’’
‘’Tomorrow, perhaps?’’
‘’The moon is full tomorrow. It’s too risky.’’
Winter huffs in disagreement. Wolves born under a full moon are a magnet for unmated wolves on nights when the moon is at its fullest. A fate I’ll suffer as long as I’m unmated. When mated, the full moon would make me go into heat and create a desire within me to want to climb my mate like a tree.
A tall mate with rippling muscles and dark eyes that mirror the black night sky.
Next to me, my phone vibrates on the mattress. I blink repeatedly and shake my head. I shouldn’t be thinking about mating. I decide who and where and when, not some mythical Moon Goddess. I pick up the phone, and my heart sinks in my chest. One simple text from my boss, ordering me to cover a shift tomorrow.
Despite always taking the day off when it’s a full moon, my boss doesn’t leave me much choice. Brian is a forty-year-old man who acts like a frat boy who has listened to one too many alpha male podcasts. I glide a finger over my phone's cracked screen and send a quick reply, confirming the message. It’s a weekend shift, so at least the money will be better. Far from good, but better.
No other messages pop up. No texts, no calls, no notifications. Of the five numbers in my contact list, four are work-related and one belongs to Sephrina, the witch who brews my masking perfume.
The wind carries the howl of a distant wolf, and it stirs something deep within me, waking Winter from her slumber. A shiver runs down my spine. It must be from the pack closest to town. The Shadow Moon Pack. Rumor has it that their alpha is ruthless. A beast of a wolf who shows no mercy to rogues or any other supernatural beings who cross his path. Not even my dad ever dared to enter their territory.
Rummaging through my gym bag, I clutch the purple perfume bottle I bought from Sephrina. I spray my throat and wrists. The concoction is potent and efficiently hides my scent. As long as I wear the perfume, wolves and all other supernatural creatures will regard me as nothing but a mere human.
‘’We just need to save some money, and then we can leave again,’’ I say out loud to both my wolf and to myself.
‘’Or maybe we could try and find our mate. He’ll treat us right.’’
‘’I hate this time of the month,’’ I grumble. ‘’Every time the full moon approaches, you always turn into a lovesick puppy.’’
Winter turns her back on me, her snout in the air. She’s stubborn. The closer we get to the full moon, the more powerful she becomes and the harder she is to control.
Another howl sounds in the distance, and I promptly yank the window shut, opting for the bedroom’s stagnant air. A human wouldn’t have been able to pinpoint it, but with my heightened senses, it’s enough to cause me a headache.
Even with the window now closed, another howl penetrates the glass, sounding like a call. I smash my lips together, hindering Winter from responding with a howl of her own.
What the hell!
Winter has never reacted this way before. Not wanting to analyze this further, I dive beneath the covers and hide. When sleep finally consumes me, I’m met with a vision of black fur and black eyes. A furious snarl rips from the wolf in my dreams. It should frighten me, but I can’t help but admire his dominating figure. He sniffs the air and growls the one word I’ve never wanted to hear in my whole life.
‘’Mate.’’
I flinch.
No. This can’t be happening. It’s just a dream. A nightmare. The second the wolf steps closer, my eyes shoot open, and I’m back in my old bedroom with purple wallpaper hanging down the walls. I inhale deeply and rub my rogue mark. I don’t belong to the Moon Goddess, or a pack, or a mate. I never have and never will. I don’t belong to my dad or even my mom. I belong to myself.
Forever.
Chapter Two
LUCIEN
A bell echoes through my office, each chime lingering in the air before fading into quiet nothingness. Outside my office door, the packhouse is slowly coming to life. The cook arrived an hour ago, so by now, the delicious scent of scrambled eggs and greasy bacon faintly drifts through the cracks.
The words on the page blur together as I yawn. Dragging a hand over my face, I scrub the sleep out of my eyes.
Pull yourself together, Lucien. The work doesn’t make itself.
‘’We should go eat. I’m hungry,’’ my wolf says. ‘’And then go for a run.’’
I stifle another yawn. ‘’You’re always hungry, Blaze. And you always want to go for a run.’’
‘’Our mate is out there.’’
I stiffen.‘’What do you mean our mate is there?’’ I sniff the air, but nothing but the breakfast from downstairs reaches my nose.
‘’In the forest. Our mate will be in the forest.’’
Blaze tramps around in my head, his tail wagging with excitement. One I don’t share. It’s not real. It’ll never happen. A mate is nothing but a pointless dream. And that's a fact. At least for me and Blaze.
I was born during a night with no moon, a new moon, and according to the history books, it’s said that the Moon Goddess turned her back on those wolves, not deeming them worthy of her blessing, leaving them tainted and mateless. It’s my own fault. My mother was pregnant with twins, but only I survived. Killing my own flesh and blood was the first thing I did in this world. With my wolf’s fur and eyes cursed to be as black as the moonless sky under which I was born, he’s proof that all the stories are real.
I relax back in my chair. Our mate isn’t here because she doesn’t exist. Yearning for her is just another one of my wolf’s tantrums. The harsh truth is that I will live alone and die alone. And considering what happens to me every new moon, every moonless night, a solitary life is for the best.
Forcing my thoughts away from my own misery, I instead focus on the page in my hand, a report on our latest rogue attack. The number of rogue sightings and attacks has been increasing over the past year. How and why? I don’t know. It’s no secret I don’t let any rogue live long if caught on my territory.
A knock sounds on my door. I grumble for my beta and gamma to enter for our morning briefing.
Beta Kai strolls in, a swagger in his step. The bastard always walks around the place as though he has just gotten laid. With his charming grin and easy-going nature, I’m sure he has. I pity the day he finds his mate. With his whoring ways, it’d fucking thrill me if his mate were to reject him.
It’s hard for wolves, especially those of rank, to receive a second chance mate, which makes fated mates so much more important. And for those of rank, it's near impossible to conceive pups without one’s destined mate. When you turn your back on the Moon Goddess, she turns her back on you. In my case, she turned first.
Despite my beta’s relaxed nature, he’s a fierce warrior. The best in my pack. Only below me. He’s as ruthless as my mother’s cooking.
‘’Did you work all night again?’’ he asks as he drops down in one of the two chairs sitting in front of my desk.
I give him a pointed stare. Of course I did, and he fucking knows it. There’s no reason to be asking stupid questions.
‘’Or...’’ Kai drawls out, propping his feet up on the corner of my desk, crossing them at the ankles, a smirk playing on his lips. ‘’Perhaps you did sleep and had another dream of someone special.’’ He waggles his eyebrows.
I clench my hands, the piece of paper crumpling between my fingers. When my claws are about to come out, I let the paper go before I tear it apart. I should never have told my beta and gamma about my dream of the white wolf with the sweet scent. Even in my dreams, my imaginary mate doesn’t want me. Always running away.
‘’Any news from night patrol? Any rogue sightings?’’ I ask.
‘’Just because you haven’t found your mate yet doesn’t mean it can’t happen,’’ Kai says.
I pound my fist down on the table and let a growl rip. ‘’Stop it! We all know it’s not possible. We’ve done the research and there’s no record of any new moon-born wolves ever being blessed with a mate.’’
My beta raises his hand in surrender, his mouth closed.
‘’No rogue sightings,’’ Gamma Griffen says, changing the subject back to the topic that matters. My gamma is a man of few words, which I like. When he talks, he means business.
I nod at his report. Simple and to the point. And I like what I'm hearing.
For the past year, rogue wolves have swarmed like an infestation. I can't fathom why. Never before have they dared to test our borders. My reputation for dealing with rogues swiftly and mercilessly carries far and wide, a deterrent as potent as any. Yet now, the forest buzzes with their insolence, a challenge to the power I've fought hard to gain and maintain.
As of yet, none of my pack members have been seriously harmed, but it’s only a matter of time. Each time they attack, the rogues seem to become better. It’s almost as if they’ve been trained. My lips curl over my teeth in a soundless snarl. The only good rogue is a dead rogue.
‘’You okay, alpha?’’ my beta asks, his brows furrowed.
I grunt and wave them both off. After they leave, it doesn’t even take ten minutes before another knock sounds on my door.
I give up on work and stride over, opening it before my mother has the chance to knock again. The strong scent from her paintings always gives her away.
She smiles brightly despite being adorned in a black dress, reminding me of what today is. The anniversary of my father’s death.
He may not have cared much for me, blaming me for being born under a new moon; still, he was this pack’s devoted alpha up until his murder. Killed by a group of rogues. I was the first to arrive at the scene. Too late. The scent of my father's blood was thick in the air as a group of filthy mutts tore into him, their claws and teeth ripping the man apart who had once led the Shadow Moon Pack.
I killed them all.
Well, everyone except for one coward who managed to escape, a weak bastard with his tail tucked between his legs.
‘’What can I do for you, mother?’’
‘’I thought we could have breakfast together,’’ she says, her voice firm but soothing, a gift she has always possessed.
My mother was the perfect Luna.
Kind and obedient.
I don’t answer, but I gesture for her to lead the way.
As we trudge down the long hallway toward the packhouse’s dining area, sunlight streams through the windows, casting warm patterns on the floorboard that creaks beneath our feet.
‘’I thought we could visit your father’s grave later today?’’
I grunt.
She asks me every year and every year she gets the same response. I still haven’t been back since I laid him in the ground. She glues her lips together. Knowing my mother, it’s to hold back a sigh.
‘’Your father’s beta will stop by,’’ she continues. ‘’He’ll bring his daughter. Prudence has grown into a beautiful woman.’’
I don’t even worthy my mother with a grunt this time. I’ve heard this nonsense for years. Take a chosen mate and pray to the Moon Goddess for a pup that’ll never exist.
The old portraits on the walls are a testament to Shadow Moon Pack’s heritage and resilience. It’s funny to know that it’ll all end with me. My parents never conceived again after me. According to the rumors people like to spread, that's also my fault. I’ll never get a pup that will lead the pack. I’ll either have to choose my successor or get challenged, which will undoubtedly happen when I grow old enough.
‘’Prudence is very fond of you,’’ my mother chats on. ‘’And she would make such a good Luna.’’
‘’Enough!’’
My mother’s shoulders sag in defeat. It's her own fault. For years, she's been pushing me to take a mate and luna, but it's not fucking happening.
‘’How are the preparations for the graduation party going?’’ I ask.
Each year, we hold a celebration for the graduating class of wolves training to become pack warriors. Despite my father’s death, my mother still acts as the Luna of the pack due to my mateless status, and so it’s her duty to take care of these things.
My mother straightens her spine and smiles. ‘’I have everything under control.’’
Good. That’s the only thing I care about, and my mother knows it too. I don’t need to know the trivial details; I just need to know that shit is handled.
As we approach the wide archway leading to the eating area, the hum of morning chatter and clinking cutlery grows louder. I glance at my mother, her serene expression reflecting the unspoken strength that has always kept this pack united.
Entering the dining area, my eyes immediately find my men. Gamma Griffen, with his perpetually serious demeanor, is nursing a cup of coffee, while Kai, ever the morning person, is engaged in animated conversation with a few younger pack members. All of them she-wolves ready to fall into his bed and onto his dick.
The rich aroma of scrambled eggs, sausages, and fresh fruit wraps around us like a comforting embrace. I settle into my seat at the head of the table, my mother sitting at the far end. The chair nearest to me remains vacant. It once belonged to my mother back when my father was alive. It now awaits someone who doesn’t exist.
My mate.
Chapter Three
ALEX
The sun is setting on the horizon as I wipe down the machines standing by the window wall. It won’t be long before the full moon stands tall and proud. My wolf stirs relentlessly in my head. She’s giving me a headache, but doesn’t care.
‘’I want to run,’’ Winter says.
‘’We can’t.’’
Before Winter can throw a fit, my boss approaches.
‘’Hey, Alex, thank you for covering for Mindy today. As always, you're a lifesaver,’’ Brian says, winking at me as he steps closer, invading my personal space, the cleaning supplies in my hands the only thing separating us.
I force a smile. ‘’You’re welcome.’’
When I try to sidestep, he moves with me. ‘’How ‘bout we go out for a drink?’’
‘’Thanks for the offer, Brian, but it’s been a long day and I’m beat. I really just wanna go home and get some sleep.’’ The clock hanging at the far end of the room says my shift ended four minutes ago. I’d fist pump the air if it didn’t make me look super sus. Instead, I clear my throat and point at the clock. ‘’I better get going.’’
‘’Come on, you need to lighten up, sweetheart.’’ He squeezes my cheek. ‘’You need to live a little. It’s Friday night.’’
Winter snarls in my head at the same time a familiar heat explodes behind my eyes. Oh no. She’s clawing her way to the forefront of my mind, demanding to let her take over my body and rip Brian's fingers from his hands. I can’t allow for that to happen.
‘’Sorry, but it’s been a long shift, and that bachelorette party really took me out,’’ I lie. I can’t afford to upset my boss. I need this job. I like this job. It beats waitressing.
My boss's smile falters. ‘’Alex, are you okay? Your eyes…’’
‘’What about them?’’
He frowns. ‘’They're changing colors?’’
I shake my head, my thick braid slamming against my cheek. ‘’Don’t be ridiculous. It’s just the lighting,’’ I say, hoping he won’t hear the tightness in my voice. ‘’Anyway, I should get going.’’
I don’t wait for a reply. Pushing past Brian, I pick up my bag from behind the front desk and hurry out of the fitness center. I dart through the quiet town, heart pounding, my wolf clawing at the edges of my mind. Winter wants out. Her paws are trampling all over my mind. My eyes glaze over, becoming even more icy blue than usual. The eyes of a full moon-born wolf.
The lunar pull is the worst it’s ever been. Usually, I lock myself away and meditate until the urge to give in to my wilder side fades.
‘’I want out,’’ Winter hisses. ‘’Let me run.’’
I throw myself against the nearest brick wall and fist my hands as my claws grow longer. Bit by bit, I’m losing control.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
If I continue down the road on my left, I still have half a mile before I’m home, but if I cross the road and turn right, I’m only a few minutes away from the cemetery. Maybe the sight of my parents' graves will be enough to calm me.
‘’Cemetery, cemetery, cemetery,’’ Winter howls.
I slam my hands over my ears. My wolf’s unusual loudness is overshadowing all of my senses. It’s like standing in front of the speakers at a heavy metal concert without earplugs.
Yanking the familiar black iron gates open, I rush over to my mother’s grave and drop to my knees, my gym bag landing with a thud beside me.
The sight of my mother’s gravestone does nothing to calm my wolf. Winter keeps howling one word over and over again.
Run.
Run.
Run.
I look to the moon for help as though it holds any and all answers. But it never does. My hands shake in my lap as I eye the edge of the tree line.
‘’Listen, Winter,’’ I say to my wolf. ‘’If we go for a run, we have to stick to the edge of the forest.’’
She jumps in circles in my head, her tail wagging at my surrender.
‘’That means no trespassing into any territories,’’ I point out. ‘’The second we catch scent of another wolf, we leave.’’
Winter is quick to agree. I’m pretty sure she’d agree to anything as long as she can go for a run, which worries me.
Stashing my bag and clothes behind a tree, I stand naked and close my eyes. I picture myself as a wolf—long claws, white fur, sharp blue eyes. Before I know it, I’ve shifted, the transformation swift and seamless.
In wolf form, I take off, savoring the rush of freedom as leaves crumble beneath my paws. The wind rushes past, carrying scents and sounds my human form could never perceive.
We race along the forest's edge, the moonlight filtering through the trees. Each step eases the tension, each breath steadies me. My wolf is on high alert, every sense attuned to our surroundings, but there's no sign of danger, just the thrill of the run.
For a while, I lose myself in the night, letting the day's troubles fade into the background as Winter and I move as one.
I push myself harder, feeling the burn in my legs and the exhilaration in my chest. We leap over fallen branches and dodge low-hanging boughs. I let out a howl, a sound of both liberation and warning, reminding myself and Winter of the boundaries we've set.
My senses sharpen even further as we near the edge of the Shadow Moon Pack’s territory. I slow my pace to a trudge, much to Winter’s annoyance. She wants to keep going. Further and faster. That’s not happening. Not on my watch. I inhale deeply while scanning the area for any signs of other wolves.
Nothing.
I don’t like it.
Something is off.
The treetops have grown thick in this part of the forest, covering the moon and drowning me in darkness, but it’s the absence of chirping birds and chattering squirrels that worries me. Only my soft footsteps and shallow pants can be heard. It’s as if the entire forest has been muted, all the animals holding their breath in a collective, unspoken agreement.
‘’What’s going on, Winter?’’ I ask my wolf.
‘’I don’t know, but we have to keep going.’’
‘’No. We’re already too close to the Shadow Moon Pack’s territory. We’re right on the edge. We shouldn’t be here,’’ I admonish. ‘’If they catch us, they’ll kill us.’’
‘’They won’t,’’ Winter argues.
A cacophony of growls rises in the distance, and buried beneath it, a female whimper. I swivel my ears toward the sound, every instinct snapping to high alert. Someone’s being attacked. I’m sure of it. My feet move of their own accord as I creep forward, the sounds growing louder with every step.
Bursting into a small clearing filled with wildflowers, three rogues are assaulting a lone female wolf with light beige fur. Despite putting up one helluva fight, she doesn’t stand a chance. If I don’t intervene, she’s as good as dead.
I could turn around. None of the rogues has heard or scented me yet. I sniff myself.
Shit.
My natural scent is starting to seep through, and I left my perfume bottle in my gym bag at the cemetery. It won't be long before the rogues detect me, but I still have time. I could leave and be safe, but what kind of person would that make me? What kind of wolf would that make me? To leave another wolf to their death? No one deserves to be abused.
Rage and protectiveness surge through me. With a snarl, I launch myself at the nearest rogue, knocking him off the female.
The rogue spins around, teeth bared. We clash in a blur of fur and claws. I bite down on his shoulder, tasting blood, but another rogue barrels into me, sending us both tumbling. I roll to my feet and lash out, my claws raking the side of his face.
I snarl at the two red-furred rogues, but they don’t retreat. As I take a step back, I step on something wet. I look down, and to my shock, it’s a turned-over easel with a painting. Is that what the she-wolf was doing before the rogues jumped her?
The beautiful painting of the clearing is destroyed by splatters of my blood. A cry rings out. The beige wolf tries to fight the rogue that is biting into her front paw, but her movements are sluggish. A sign of exhaustion. Blood taints her mat fur. Evading my own two rogues, I leap to the beige wolf’s defense, Winter growling in fury. With a kick to the rogue’s side, he knocks his head against an oak tree, his body dropping unconscious to the forest floor.
Standing side by side with the beige she-wolf, the two remaining rogues are relentless, circling us like sharks in water. I’m a good fighter in human form, but I haven’t had any proper training in wolf form, and I can feel it. I'm weakening, and my vision is blurring. I blink repeatedly. There’s no way both me and the she-wolf will make it out of here alive.
Locking eyes with the beige wolf, I huff and gesture toward a small opening between the trees, urging her without words to flee. She hesitates, a subtle shake of her head, but I nudge her side with mine, pushing her to take the chance.
When she finally takes a tentative step toward the opening, I launch myself at the two rogues. I bite into one of them while drilling my claws into the other, holding on to them for dear life, giving the beige wolf the best chance of escaping.
She vanishes into the forest, and I fight on, but my strength fades, and I collapse, shifting back into my human form. Curling into a fetal position, I protect my throat as the rogues' claws and teeth tear into me.
This is it.
This is how I die.
Alone.
Ripped apart by rogues.
My so-called own kind.
My jaw aches as I stutter out an apology to Winter. She has always deserved a better human than me. She’s so quiet now. I can barely feel her presence in my head. I know I'm not used to fighting in wolf form, but still. How did Winter get so weak so fast? It makes no sense. I'm stronger than that. I'm a better fighter than that.
Another set of claws sinks into my flesh, ripping at my thigh and causing me to cry out. Not for help. It’s not coming. I have no one. No one but myself.
Just as I think I can't go on, a powerful howl splits the air.
Three wolves appear, their presence commanding and authoritative. The largest, a black wolf with a powerful aura, moves with lethal grace. He lunges at the rogues, dispatching them with terrifying efficiency. His two companions join the fray, and within moments, all three rogues lie dead.
I remain huddled together in a fetal position. After my mother’s death, I swore I’d never feel weak and helpless again, and yet here I am. Beaten and broken. I sniff the air, but the metallic scent of blood is all I can make out.
The black wolf turns his gaze to me, eyes cold and unforgiving. He stalks forward, each step thundering with lethal intent.
The beige wolf reappears where she had vanished moments ago, shifting into human form and picking up a white, sheet-like dress from the ground.
‘’Wait,’’ she calls out while clutching her injured hand to her chest, crowfeet appearing as she narrows her eyes. ‘’Look at her closely, Lucien.’’
The black wolf hesitates, his eyes narrowing in disgust.
Lucien? As in Alpha Lucien of the Shadow Moon Pack?
It can’t be.
Please, Moon Goddess. I beg you. Don’t let it be him. He’ll kill me. He kills all rogues.
‘’I know she bears the rogue mark, but she saved my life,’’ the woman says, her tone insistent. ‘’And she’s a white wolf,’’ she adds in a murmur.
With a rumble, the black wolf transforms into a beast of a man in under a second. I would have considered it impressive if I weren’t fearing for my life.
I gently try to reach out to Winter. Maybe we can make a run for it. I scoff. In what universe do I escape the clutches of an alpha with a black wolf, not to mention the henchmen flanking him.
A scent tickles my nose, but I can’t pinpoint it. Winter perks up in my head at the fragrance. It’s comforting and warm, like a bonfire on a cold autumn evening. I squirm on the ground, tilting my head toward the scent, but my muscles constrict, and I bite back a whimper.
Alpha Lucien, the man with the mane of black hair that resembles the fur of his wolf, glares at me, his disdain for me clear. He doesn’t care that I’m a white wolf. To him, a rogue is a rogue. And to wolves like him, the only good rogue is a dead rogue.
When he steps forward, his claws extending from his clenched fist, I brace myself for the end.
Then, he pauses, his nose twitching as he catches a scent. His eyes widen, and he steps back, uttering the one word I’ve never wanted to hear.
‘’Mate.’’
No! This can’t be happening. He must be wrong. It has to be a mistake. We can’t be mates. His declaration is the last thing I hear before darkness consumes me and I black out.