Chapter 1 War Is Coming

• “Come home, Seraphine. War is coming.”
• By the time I received my father’s letter, it was too late.
• My name is Seraphine Velkan. My parents, Damon and Sarrah, served the Alpha King. I was trained from birth to be a warrior, stronger than most, with a wolf unlike any other. Emogen’s red fur and size earned me the name Red Phantom.
• I should have been beta, but the Alpha King deemed me too dangerous. My brothers, Aiden and Oliver, inherited the title instead.
• Now I stand among the dead—my family among them. The Alpha King fled before the attack.
• “If only they’d listened,” Emogen growls.
• They never believed my warnings. Not when I told them a spy laced the wine. Not when I said war was coming.
• Pain seared through me; my beloved parents and brothers were gone.
• My claws tightened around my sword until it gave a sharp clang.
• They never listened to me, not until everyone was dead!The castle reeks of blood. Silence presses after the massacre.
• Then I hear it.
• Footstep coming from the great hall. I move before I can think, rounding the corner just in time to see a man step over my father’s body. Tall and lean. his dark hair framing sharp features and eyes gleaming with sinister amusement.
• A lump clogs my throat the minute I recognize him. “You, I saw you!”
• He smiles, holding his sword over his shoulders. “You must be Seraphine. The clan’s witches warned me about you, the gifted beta-wolf.’’
• “I’m going to kill you where you stand, rogue. Tell me who sent you!’’
• “Sent me?”
• His voice is smooth, amused. “Oh, little wolf… I was always here.”
• “There is so much about this battle you don’t know, Seraphine. You’re fighting on the wrong side. A weapon like you shouldn’t be wasted on the likes of Lycan King Aldrich.’’
• “Enough of this! I’m going to kill you where you stand, rogue. Tell me who sent you!’’
• “Sera..’’ A faint small voice calls out my name. “Seraphine.’’
• For a moment, I’m distracted. The rogue moves quickly, aiming his sword and moving at the speed of light. I dodge his attack, emerging only with a grazed shoulder.
• “Sera..’’ The voice calls again. I turn to notice a figure laying across the pool of blood.
• “Make a choice, little wolf. Save your mother, or fight me?’’
• His words stop me cold.
• My mother is alive!
• But the rogue moves, lunging at me with inhuman speed. My instincts take over, I dodge. His sword slices the air where my throat had been a heartbeat ago.
• “Choose,” he taunts. “Save her, or fight me.”
• I shift my stance, every muscle in my body screaming at me to strike, to end him now.
• But my mother wheezes, a wet, choking sound that sends ice through my veins.
• I can’t let her die. She’s my only family now.
• I lunge backward, pivoting toward her as I kick a fallen spear toward the rogue’s feet, forcing him to stumble. It’s a cheap trick, but it buys me seconds. I drop to my knees beside my mother, pressing my palm against the deep wound in her abdomen. The bleeding won’t stop.
• “Sera…” She grips my wrist. “Listen to me.”
• “Save your strength,” I link her, scanning the room for anything, anyone that could help. But there’s no one left.
• “Run. He's just the beginning. You have to tell the King...”
• I shake my head. “No! I can get you out of here.”
• “Run!” Her grip tightens. “They… they’re not done. He’s just the beginning.”
• Dread curls in my stomach.
• The rogue chuckles behind me. “She’s right, you know.”
• Beyond shattered windows, wolves howl. More are coming.
• I lift my mother and stagger toward the exit. He doesn’t stop me, only smirks.
• “Run fast, little wolf. Next time, we won’t be merciful.”
• I don’t look back.
• I run.