Prologue: Beneath the Surface

Welcome to Rockshore Bay, a picturesque coastal city cradled by jagged cliffs and the restless expanse of the ocean. Its cobblestone streets wind between quaint storefronts and pastel cottages, the salty tang of the sea mingling with the scent of wildflowers carried on the breeze. Every morning, the soft hum of the waves is joined by the warm aroma of freshly baked bread from the corner bakery, and the townsfolk greet one another with easy smiles. To an outsider, Rockshore Bay seems like a haven—a place untouched by the chaos of the outside world. But beneath this serene facade, the city guards its secrets.

Here, the ordinary and the extraordinary coexist in a delicate balance. Flickering streetlights reveal fleeting shadows that don’t belong, and the whispers of the waves carry more than the call of the ocean. This is a place where ancient powers stir, where the supernatural thrives in the cracks between the mundane. Rockshore Bay is not what it seems. Beneath its quiet charm lies a battleground for forces older than time, a sanctuary guarded by those who walk the line between humanity and the wild.

Hugo Griffin is one of them—a caramel-skinned werewolf with jet-black hair and piercing sea-green eyes, a man who commands both awe and fear. Unlike the Alphas of legend, born with the birthright of leadership coursing through their veins, Hugo's story is one of survival and defiance. Bitten, not born, he clawed his way to the top, earning his place as the leader of the Ocean Crest Pack—the most powerful wolf pack on the East Coast. His rise was anything but easy. Every victory came at a price, every step forward marked by blood, betrayal, and loss.

Now, as Alpha, Hugo is the protector of his pack and the sentinel of Rockshore Bay, his strength a shield against the darkness that seeks to engulf it. But beneath his stoic exterior, Hugo carries the weight of his own demons. The memory of his human family’s rejection still festers like an old wound, and the wolf within him claws at the edges of his control. Each day is a battle—not just against external threats but against the shadow growing in his own heart.

Inland, another soul wrestles with her own struggles. Sarai Carter is a raven-haired, sapphire-eyed woman whose fire belies the scars she carries. Having escaped the suffocating grip of a toxic relationship, she has built a new life for herself, brick by brick, in the safety of Rockshore Bay. Her bakery is more than a business; it’s a symbol of her resilience, a testament to her courage to start over. Yet even as she thrives, the pain of the past lingers.

Sarai longs for love but fears the curse whispered about her—that she is destined to be alone, her happiness forever out of reach. She tries to silence the doubt, to tell herself that curses are nothing more than superstition. But late at night, in the quiet hours when she is left alone with her thoughts, the fear grips her heart. How do you believe in love when the universe seems determined to take it from you?

Their paths should never have crossed, but fate has its own plans. Hugo’s burdens grow heavier with each passing day as new threats emerge on the borders of his territory. Meanwhile, Sarai strives to protect the fragile peace she’s carved out, even as her heart yearns for something more. Their collision is as inevitable as the tide meeting the shore—a meeting of fire and water, strength and vulnerability, light and shadow.

Rockshore Bay will bear witness to their story, a tale of passion and pain, of redemption and ruin. As Hugo battles the darkness within and Sarai tries to escape the ghosts of her past, they will be forced to confront the question that haunts them both: Can two fractured souls find solace in each other, or will they shatter beyond repair?

Beneath the calm surface of Rockshore Bay, the waves are beginning to churn, and the winds carry the promise of a storm. Nothing will ever be the same again.