Prologue

~ Ava ~

Grunts.

Heavy ones.

That was what I heard the moment I reached a narrow river in the middle of the forest. It didn't come from any animal, for sure. It came from a man and judging from what I heard, he appeared to be in pain.

Sort of.

Despite the grave dilemma I was in, I followed the sound, planning to help him should he need any help. It was always in my nature to do so. The residents in the Black Moon Pack, especially the orphans, always called me "Miss Helpful." I thought it was a compliment, so I cherished the name. Plus, it fitted me well.

The towering trees around me covered most of the moonlight, so the riverbank was hard to trek. However, I used my heightened eyesight as a she-wolf to help me see more clearly. Because of this, I was able to spot a hand clenching a bark of a huge tree. He was behind it, most likely standing, and his fingernails were digging deep into the wood.

I figured this was the man in pain, so I slowly inched forward. Once I did so, his grunting became louder and more breathy.

Was he really in so much agony? I thought to myself, partly alarmed.

In haste, I neared him, passing one more giant tree that distanced us, but as soon as I saw his full form, I gasped and froze on the spot.

He...

He wasn't in pain at all.

Wearing nothing but black trousers, he was—how do I say it—pleasuring himself. Holding onto his—very—solid member; wrapping his hand around it like it was a bottle of his most favored liquor.

My eyes lingered on how he moved his hand and how the massive thing reacted to his pumping.

It was a first for me to see a man pleasure himself. I felt like I violated his rights just by witnessing him like this, and the best way to remedy the situation was to move away, out of his line of sight, and return to my original mission, but damn it, I just couldn't. My eyes were glued to him. Mesmerized by him and his confidence. By his sexual appetite and by the bittersweet pleasure on his face.

I felt hot...really hot that instant and a bit turned on. Damn it.

Judging by his built and features, he was in his early thirties. Certainly young and virile. He was the kind of man many would love to share a bed and mate with, so I couldn't help but ask myself. Why was he out here doing himself?

My throat dried up as he kept on pumping and pumping. Every grunt he made, my ears tingled in delight. He was like a one-man orchestra playing the most beautiful sound in this land.

He was like the violinist, stroking his violin. He was like the pianist, playing his keys. He was like the drummist, hitting his bass. Or the flutist, blowing his flute. And yes, he was definitely the conductor, holding his stick, conducting every crescendo, every decrescendo of the orchestra until...

Boom. The climax of the orchestra.

I gasped again as I saw him empty out his handwork.

With the moonlight now hitting his face, he became a beautiful apparition to me. His expression was loaded with suffering, with ecstasy, and relief. It haunted me, and it strum a string in my heart.

Finally, when my wits returned, I dashed back and hid behind the tree; my heart beating a mile per second.

Did he see me? I cried out as I pressed my back against the bark. I think he didn't. He was too occupied. His eyes were tightly shut so he couldn't have—

"There's no use hiding, little wolf, I can scent you."

My body temperature plummeted to arctic degrees when his voice hit my ears. His timbre surely had that effect and my body gave off that immediate reaction. Though he used the name 'little wolf,' I was damn sure he meant me.

Busted. The word rang in my head. Guilt flooded inside me then.

"I'm sorry! I didn't intend to...spy on you," I told him, still remaining on my spot and refusing to look at him. "I...I honestly thought you were in trouble."

"Me? In trouble?" There was sudden humor in his edgy voice. "Hm, maybe you could say that."

Silence fell in between us until I squeaked when he stepped right in front of me.

"But haven't you realized you're in trouble now, too?" he stated, awarding me with a smirk.

How was this possible? I didn't even hear him move his boots or hear the crunch of the dry leaves when he neared me! My hearing had always been sharp. I could hear even the flutter of a bee's wings a kilometer away, so how had I not picked up his sound when we were just a few feet away?

The moonlight hit us, and the answer to my question immediately flashed before me.

A spiked circle, flames around it, a snarling face of a black wolf with its paws looking 3D coming out of the circle; detailed curves, lines, waves, and spirals all covered his chest and left arm starting from the area where his heart lay and ending on his wrist using musou black ink.

This was the only answer I needed to understand his ghost-like speed.

"You...you have that tattoo. You're a member of the Silver Moon Pack," I stated, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Yes, good observation, little wolf. I should reward you," he confirmed.

"Reward me?" I echoed, while looking up at him. "Quite a funny way of saying you're going to hurt me."

"Hurt you?" he scoffed. "Oh, no, I won't do that." He then grabbed my shoulder and pinned me against the tree. I squirmed under his hold and tried to free myself. His grip tightened, however, and because of this, I was effectively under his mercy.

"I however do much worse," he continued as he slowly moved his face near mine."You don't know how much danger you just placed yourself in simply for nearing me, woman. You don't know how much I am in a tight mess and you innocently arrive with a solution."

I took in a sharp breath and glared at him, my mind ready for a grand plan.

"Yeah, a solution...a solution like this!"

With my right knee, I hit him straight on the balls.

“FUCK! Argh!” he cursed and instantly released me. I used this opportunity to move out of his reach.

Instead of running away, I turned back to face him. Now this man was truly in pain. How ironic. But this time, I felt no pity for him. What I felt now was dread. Absolute dread. Because I now remembered the rumors about that one unique tattoo worn by a member of the Silver Moon Pack.

But no. Oh, no. He wasn't just a member. He was their Alpha.

And just my luck, the details of that unique tattoo fitted this man's tattoo in front of me.

Right then and there, I realized I just kneed their alpha on the jewels.

Shit, I mentally cursed as I clenched my jaw.

What a great way to sign my express death warrant.