Prologue

Prologue

Nessa’s pov

I was exhausted tonight, but I had no right to rest.

I had just returned from the neighboring town of Raven Hollow, where I delivered bread every day to earn a little money. The basket I carried was heavy, but the weight in my chest was even heavier because of my mother’s condition.

She had severe pneumonia.

For almost a month, she had been coughing badly, burning with fever every night, and struggling to breathe. Sometimes, I woke up in the middle of the night because I could hear her gasping for air, trying to hide her coughing so I would not worry. I had already taken her to the clinic, but she did not get better. Her condition came back and became worse even after the antibiotics. Every night, her cough grew heavier, and her breathing became more painful.

I was terrified of losing my mother.

She was all I had.

It had always been just the two of us since my father was killed by a wolf in the forest while hunting many years ago. I was still young then, but I could still remember the screams, the blood, and the deafening silence that followed after his final cry of pain. That silence stayed with me forever.

Since that day, my mother had been the only one taking care of me.

She worked as hard as she could, and I learned early that life would never be easy for people like us. The thought of losing her too was something I could not accept. I could not lose her. Not when she was the only family I had left. Not when I still needed her, even if we were both struggling.

Our small house at the edge of Moonville Forest was quiet, but that silence was not comforting. It was the kind of silence filled with fear—the fear that one day, when I came home, she would no longer be there. So even though my whole body ached with exhaustion, even though the night had already swallowed the forest, I grabbed my flashlight and my old basket.

I needed to find the Moonleaf herb.

Old Marta, the village healer, told me it was the only plant that could help with my mother’s lung infection. She had spoken to me earlier in town and showed me the medicine made from its leaves. Why would I not try? In this world, many things were possible.

“The Moonleaf only blooms at night,” she had said that morning while arranging dried herbs in her shop.

“But do not go too deep into Moonville at night, child. It is not only animals that wander there.”

I pushed her warning aside. Honestly, I was more afraid of losing my mother than of stories about werewolves, rogue beasts, and the so-called Alpha King who supposedly ruled them all. Fairy tales, I told myself. Stories made to scare children.

As I walked deeper into the forest, I could not stop remembering every warning the healer had given me. I rubbed my head nervously.

The air was cold. Every movement of the trees sounded like lost souls whispering. Moonlight touched the narrow path while thick fog slowly wrapped around the forest. I tightened my grip on my flashlight.

“Please, Lord,” I whispered softly as I walked, “just let me find the Moonleaf for my mother.”

I tripped several times over tree roots. The hem of my skirt caught on dry branches. My hands were shaking, and I did not know if it was from the cold or fear.

Then suddenly, I saw a flower blooming. Then another. And another under the moonlight.

A smile quickly spread across my face.

Near the roots of a large oak tree, there was a faint silver glow. I moved closer and finally saw the mysterious plant the healers always talked about.

The Moonleaf.

Its leaves glowed softly under the moonlight, like tiny pieces of silver touched by magic. I placed a hand over my chest.

“Thank you, Lord.”

I almost cried from relief and happiness. Hope filled me. Maybe my mother will finally get better.

I quickly knelt down and carefully cut a few of its leaves. I could not destroy the whole plant. That was Old Marta’s warning.

As I placed the leaves into my basket, I was already imagining my mother’s face once she recovered. Maybe she would smile again. Maybe she would stop coughing. Maybe things would finally be okay for us.

I was about to cut one more leaf when I suddenly froze.

A loud rustling sound came from behind the thick bushes.

I turned quickly, fear rushing through me. My whole body went stiff.

Slowly, I stood up.

My heart pounded so hard I could hear it in my ears. Maybe it was just a deer, I told myself. Or maybe a wild boar.

Please, anything but the rustling grew louder.

Closer.

I tightened my grip on the flashlight and slowly pointed it toward the sound.

My throat went dry.

“H-Hello?”

My voice was so weak it was almost nothing but air.

There was no answer.

Only the cold wind and the sound of crickets filled the silence.

I took one step back. Then another.

Maybe it is just an animal… maybe just an animal…

I did not believe my own words.

It felt like something huge was hiding behind those thick bushes. A presence so heavy it made the air around me feel suffocating.

I raised my flashlight higher.

My hand was shaking badly.

Then slowly, something moved again.

I saw a shadow.

My eyes widened.

Wait.

A shadow above?

Oh God.

I felt like I might faint.

Suddenly, something dropped from above, and I screamed so loudly I did not care if every spirit in the world heard me.

He was tall, with broad shoulders and a body built for war. He wore a long black coat that moved with the wind as he landed in front of me.

He landed a short distance away, and I could no longer move.

His face.

Oh God.

He was terrifyingly handsome.

He had a sharp jaw, a strong nose, and dark hair slightly messy as if the night itself had touched him. It was long and slightly curly.

But it was his eyes that made my blood run cold.

They were gold. Those are not normal eyes. They're not human eyes.

I froze because for a moment, I thought I imagined it but when I blinked, the color was gone.

I could not breathe. I could not move. And then I noticed the worst part. The world stopped. It felt like every sound around me disappeared.

Even the wind stopped moving. I stared at him. And he stared back.

I stumbled backward so fast that I slipped on the wet ground and landed hard.

“Oh my God!”

I was almost crying as I crawled backward, holding my flashlight up like a weapon.

“D-Don’t come closer!”

My voice cracked.

He said nothing.

He only stared at me.

That was somehow worse.

My mind was in complete panic.

“I have garlic!” I shouted at him.

Maybe he was a vampire.

I froze.

My eyes widened.

I was losing my mind.

He tilted his head slightly, looking confused.

Very slowly, he moved closer.

No.

Every part of him screamed danger.

He was a predator.

I was just a simple girl with a flashlight and very wrong information about monsters.

This was not a fairy tal, not even a myth. I swallowed hard.

My whole body was trembling.

“Who are you?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

He was moving closer, almost like he was crawling toward me, and somehow that made it even worse.

I could hit him with the flashlight.

Maybe.

“You should not be here,” he said.

I swallowed again.

“I—I was just looking for herbs,” I said quickly, holding my basket tightly. “My mother is sick. Severe pneumonia. I need this medicine. I swear, I’m not a thief. I’m not here to steal anything.”

His eyes dropped to my basket, then returned to mine.

For a long moment, he said nothing.

And somehow, that silence scared me even more. I could barely breathe. Then he moved closer again so I screamed.

“H-Help me…”