Chapter 1 Prologue

• Olivia's POV
• “Happy birthday, my dear Olivia,” I heard my mother's usual cheerful voice pierce through my sleep, jolting me awake. Blinking my eyes open, I saw her seated beside me on the bed, her charming smile lighting up her face, her sea-blue eyes — the same ones I inherited — brimming with happiness and love.
• “Happy fourteenth birthday, my darling.” Mother's smile widened, and I smiled as I tried to sit in bed. “Good morning, Mother,” I greeted, rubbing my face with my hands.
• “Morning, my darling. Are you excited to get your wolf?” Mother asked, and I swallowed nervously, which she noticed.
• “You don’t have to be scared. If you don’t get your wolf today, you still have a chance on your eighteenth birthday when you might also find your mate,” she reassured me. I nodded, comforted by her words.
• “So, I want you to dress up and come downstairs; everyone is waiting for you.”
• “Alright, Mother,” I nodded while she kissed me before leaving my room.
• After she left, I stood to my feet and went over to the mirror. Standing before the mirror, I smiled at my reflection. Today was my fourteenth birthday, and if I was lucky, I might get my wolf. I was so excited and anxious at the same time.
• Taking a deep breath, I left the mirror and took my bath. After bathing, I got dressed in the new dress Mother had gotten for me and then packed my hair in a bun before leaving the room.
• Arriving at the sitting room, I met everyone at the table: Mother, Father, and my elder brother James. They all smiled at me. “Happy birthday, Olivia,” they chorused in unison. “Thanks, everyone.” I placed a kiss on Father’s cheek and then on Mother's before moving to James. “Are you excited?” James asked, and I smiled and nodded.
• I wanted to take my seat but noticed my favorite juice wasn’t on the table, so I excused myself and went to the kitchen. After picking up the can of juice, I heard loud voices coming from the dining room. Confused, I peeped through the kitchen door, and my breath hitched in my chest when I saw three masked men pointing guns at Father, Mother, and James.
• “Who…” Before my Father could speak or shift to his wolf, the men fired countless shots at them, and my family dropped dead.
• My legs became weak. I wanted to scream, but my voice failed me. “Check if they are dead,” the one who seemed like the leader spoke, and with teary eyes, I watched the men check on them and confirm they were dead.
• “Good!”
• The man I assumed was the leader pulled up his sleeve as he checked his wristwatch, and I noticed a scorpion tattoo on his wrist.
• “We should go,” he ordered the two men, who obeyed and followed him out.
• After they left, I stumbled out of the kitchen, rushed to Mother, and shook her. “Mother!” I cried but got no response. I went to Father and did the same thing but got no response from him. With panting breath and tears streaming down my face, I stumbled towards James, hoping against hope that he would wake up. “James, please,” I whispered, shaking his shoulder gently, but there was no movement, no response.
• The reality of the situation crashed down on me like a tidal wave, overwhelming and suffocating. My family, my world, was gone in an instant. Numbness spread through my limbs, and a dizzying sensation swept over me. I clutched at the edge of the dining table for support, but it felt like the ground was slipping away beneath me.
• The room began to spin, the walls closing in around me. I struggled to breathe, the air thick with the scent of fear and blood. Darkness crept into the edges of my vision, threatening to engulf me entirely. With trembling hands, I reached out for something, anything to hold on to, but my strength failed me.
• As the world blurred into shadows, the last thing I remembered was the scorpion tattoo on the masked man's wrist.