Chapter 1

• Aria Langston
• The screams of my people was what I remembered the most. Piercing, raw, and endless. They cut through the night like a steel blade, louder than the roaring flames of our house crashing down and the deafening sounds of wolves fighting just outside the door.
• It was pure chaos, the kind our parents had told us about when we were pups. Stories of bigger packs attacking smaller ones for power, strength, and forgotten wars.
• But I was living in it now, this was real. This was my pack, Silverwood, being attacked by Ravencrest.
• “Aria!” I heard my mother behind me, trying to pack what little important things we had into a bag as my father pushed the sofa toward the door to block the flames from reaching the room we were in.
• I couldn’t move as I watched what was happening outside, the gut wrenching scream from our neighbor as a big brown wolf burst through their front door.
• “Aria Langston!” My mothers voice snapped my head toward her. Tears filled my eyes. Her hands trembled as they shook my shoulders. Her big green eyes were wide with fear, blinking back the tears threatening to fall.
• “You have to go! You have to escape before the Ravencrest wolves catch you!” She shouted through the screams outside. I shook my head.
• “No! No!” I screamed back. I planted my feet to the ground, shaking from the fear of it all. Why did this have to happen? Silverwood had always been quiet, calm and peaceful. We never stirred any trouble with other packs. We minded our business and never interfered with the other packs' fight for power. But I guess having no enemies also meant having no allies.
• “Why are they doing this?” I asked, my voice softening as I let the tears fall. My father came over and held my mother, pushing his glasses up his nose.
• “I don’t know. The Ravencrest pack has been looking to expand. They're here for power, land, or whatever excuse they’ve made up,” my father said. I shook my head again.
• “But we're not fighters, we'd never hurt anyone. Look at what they’ve done to our home,” I said, as my mother wiped my tears and pushed a bag against my chest.
• “Aria, look at me,” she said softly, placing her palm on my cheek. “You have to run, yo—”
• “I can’t,” I cried. “I can’t leave you both. I won’t.”
• “You will if you want us to survive. They'll be here any moment, and they'll burn this house to the ground. If you don’t leave now, you'll be caught in it,” my father said. A loud bang erupted from outside, making all three of us jump in fright.
• “I packed a few things for you. Go to the woods. Don’t stop until you're far from here,” my mother said, helping me put the bag over my shoulders.
• “We love you, always,” my father said, pulling us into a tight hug.
• “I don’t want to leave,” I sobbed, fear settling deep into my bones. My vision blurred behind my smoke-stained glasses.
• “You'll be safe if you run. Your wolf hasn't fully developed yet, so don’t shift or you'll be slower,” my mom said as she wiped her tears and gave me a soft kiss on the cheek.
• “I—I can’t leave you. Please don’t make me,” I whispered through sobs. “Please, Mom, Dad. I’m scared.”
• A loud sound rang out as the door slammed open behind us. I screamed at the movement: a massive brown wolf.
• “Get her out of here!” my father shouted, already beginning to shift, bones breaking and fur sprouting along his arms. My mother didn’t hesitate. She grabbed my wrist and yanked me toward the back door.
• “I have to go back to your father. I love you, Aria. We both do. You have to be strong. Live—for us.” She opened the door and pushed me through before slamming it shut.
• “No!” I screamed. I pushed myself up from the floor and started banging on the door, but it wouldn't bulge.
• “Mom! Dad!” I yelled, tears streaming down my face as I shivered in fear.
• “Please, I’m scared.” I whispered. Then I heard a loud scream behind me, and I turned.
• Outside was pure chaos. Our pack was in shambles. My people ran in fear, some shifting in desperation to fight, some fleeing in panic. The Ravencrest wolves were massive, far bigger than ours. They tore through our small village ruthlessly, their loud growls and howls filling the air as they attacked without mercy. I watched their jaws snap the lives out of our smaller wolves.
• I saw a young boy, no older than eight, sprinting barefoot across the clearing, tears streaking down his face. He looked like he didn’t even have his wolf yet, but they didn’t care. A Ravencrest wolf pounced on him, pinning him to the ground and dragging him away.
• I staggered back in horror.
• This was a nightmare.
• The air was thick with growls and screams. The metallic scent of blood lingered around me. I was too scared to do anything. I couldn’t fight, I couldn’t even shift.
• I turned to the door again, tears pouring down my cheeks. My mother's words echoed in my head.
• “I love you too,” I said softly, then sprinted into the woods without looking back.
• My breath came out in ragged gasps as I tried to find my way in the dark woods. Branches tore at my dress. My heart pounded in my chest, ready to explode.
• My lungs burned with every breath and my feet ached. The sounds of the attack faded slowly behind me, but the thick air and smoke followed me through the woods.
• I didn’t know how far I ran before I tripped on a branch, falling hard on the forest floor. I screamed in pain as sharp stones pierced my palms.
• Then I heard it.
• A low growl.
• I froze. Slowly, I turned.
• My breath hitched. A massive wolf stepped from the shadows. Midnight fur, streaked with silver across its chest and back. Its eyes glowed under the moonlight, a piercing blue with the same silver sheen as its fur.
• It was a Ravencrest wolf.
• I staggered to find my footing again, trying to back away, but my legs struggled to hold me as I collapsed to the floor again. The wolf took a step forward and I gasped in fear.
• It wasn’t just any wolf. This one seemed different from the others, something about it screamed power. I stumbled back as tears filled my eyes again and my body trembled with fear as it drew closer to me.
• “Pl-please,” I stammered, my voice barely above a whisper as my lower tips trembled in fear.
• But he didn’t stop. In a blur, he lunged. I screamed as he tackled me to the ground, knocking the air out of me. I struggled, but it didn't help.
• Pain shot through my shoulder as sharp teeth clamped down, not enough to break my bones, but enough to tear my skin and force me into submission.
• It was meant to make me submit. And I did.
• I couldn’t fight. A cry escaped my lips as I felt blood trickle down my shoulders. I laid pinned to the floor, limp as my fear overwhelmed me. Panic surged through me as I realized I couldn’t escape. My vision blurred.
• “Why?” I whispered.
• The wolf's jaws on my shoulder loosened, and I prepared for the worst, feeling its heavy breath against my skin before it stepped away.
• I blinked back my tears in surprise as I dared to look up. It was shifting, the fur melting away, slowly replaced by skin. My fear spiked as I watched, too terrified to move.
• I blinked again, suddenly feeling darkness looming over me, ready to claim me. My shoulder was losing a lot of blood, and I struggled to see the person who had attacked me.
• The transformation finished, and I caught a small glimpse of the person. It was a man, tall and broad, radiating so much authority and power. But I couldn’t see his face. I blinked again, my glasses foggy and barely making out anything.
• Suddenly, I felt large hands pick me up carefully from the floor, followed by the feeling of warm skin against mine. I struggled to look up at his face, but I couldn’t stay awake any longer. My vision slowly turned dark, but my gaze caught something against his chest.
• A tattoo over his heart.
• It was a wolf paw print, simple but very striking against his white skin. It was dark, and underneath it, I could make out some initials. N.B.
• Warmth filled me as the person pressed me against his chest, and this time I didn’t fight back the darkness. Exhaustion and pain overtook me as the world around me blurred and everything went black.