Prologue

Camellia

/“Run. Run. RUN!”/

/“Don’t let them catch you, don’t let them see you. You have to keep them safe; you have to get away from here! Go!”/

I’m running, but I don’t know why. It’s raining and the dense undergrowth of the forest obscures the jagged stones underneath; my feet are sore and bloodied, the stitch in my side has nearly winded me.

Everything is slippery but I’m running like my life depended on it… Which it probably does, seeing as I’m running with a swollen belly.

/“You need to run!”/

The warning echoes in my head every time I try to slow down and catch my breath, but my instincts seem to guide me safely across the darkened forest. I turn my head to look behind me and don’t see anything at all, but the fear of being caught still propels me forward.

Who am I running from? Who am I supposed to protect besides the baby in my belly?     

 “…lia! Stop!” someone calls out. The voice is distant, almost drowned out by the pounding rain and my own ragged breaths. The sound makes my heart leap, but I can’t tell if it’s out of hope or dread.

The tree line is just ahead, and the sight of it gives me a burst of energy. I force myself to keep going, each step more painful than the last. The ground seems to shift beneath my feet, the forest itself conspiring to slow me down. My lungs burn, and the pain in my side is unbearable, but I can’t stop now. I won’t stop.

As soon as I break through the trees, the world tilts and I let out a painful scream. I fall to my knees, gasping, the pain in my belly sharper now, and my eyes go blurry. I try to get to my feet, but my legs feel like lead. 

Through the haze, I see a group of people approaching. Are they here to help me, or are they the ones I’m running from?

I struggle to stay conscious, to keep moving, but my body betrays me. I collapse, the last of my strength gone. The world fades, the sounds of the forest and the rain merging into a distant roar.

Everything goes black.   

***

Nero

“This can’t be fucking happening,” I growl as I run into the destruction that is my pack house. 

My warriors stationed around the estate are all dead, and as I run upstairs to our bedroom, hoping against fucking hope that she’s still alive, I see my little sister laying in her own blood at the top of the stairs.

“Fuck, Morana!” I call out and fall to my knees beside her, only to see my little brother in the same position in front of my bedroom door. Thank Goddess, her heart is still beating. “Osiris! I need your fucking help up here!”

As I hear Osiris running toward me, I move to run towards Aeron when Morana suddenly grabs my forearm, her eyes wide. “Th…They took her, Nero,” she tells me with wide eyes and my heart fucking drops. 

“No, no, no,” I mutter, shaking my head in disbelief. “This can’t be fucking happening.” I pull away from Morana, my mind racing and heart pounding. Aeron’s pulse is strong beneath my fingers, a small relief in this nightmare. He’s healing, but where is my Luna?

I stumble to the door, fear clawing at my chest. As I push it open, the sight inside hits me like a punch to the gut. The room is trashed; furniture overturned, blood smeared across the floor and walls. Evidence of a brutal struggle. 

But no sign of my mate.

A roar tears from my throat, raw and filled with anguish. “Where the fuck is my Luna?!”

My voice echoes through the empty room, a desperate cry that goes unanswered. The silence that follows is suffocating. I feel like I’m drowning in it, every second stretching into an eternity.

She’s not here; no sign of her or her sweet apple and cinnamon scent. 

Osiris finally reaches me, his eyes wide with shock as he takes in the scene. “Nero—”

“Her scent is gone,” I growl as I back up, walking out of the bedroom. “Mobilise the trackers; we need to fucking find her!”

I’m out the door before Osiris can respond, sprinting through the halls and down the stairs. The rain pounds against the windows, mocking me with its relentless downpour. I push open the front door and step into the storm, the cold rain instantly soaking me to the bone.

/“Camellia!”/ I call out to her over the mind link, desperation clawing at me, but there’s only silence. The rain has washed away most of her scent, making it nearly impossible to track her. /“Fuck, baby, where are you?!”/

/“Please, answer me,”/ I plead, but there’s no response, just the emptiness echoing back at me. The silence is a silver dagger to my heart.

I push myself harder, my breath coming in ragged gasps. Frustration boils over, and I shift into my wolf form. The transformation is painful, bones cracking and reshaping, muscles tearing and reforming. 

But I barely notice the pain anymore; it’s become a reflex, a necessary part of who I am. The agony is nothing compared to the fear of losing her.

My wolf is massive, powerful, and ready to tear apart anything that stands in our way. Nose to the ground, I scour the forest, but the rain has done its job too well. The scents are muddled, leading me in circles. 

Frustration and panic fuel my every move, and I sprint through the trees, my senses on high alert. I reach the end of our territory and find... nothing.

A guttural roar rips from my throat, echoing through the forest. The sound is filled with my rage, my fear, my helplessness. It’s a primal cry, one that shakes the trees and sends birds flying into the stormy sky.

“Damn it!” I howl into the night, my voice raw. “Camellia!”

The rain continues to pour, relentless and cold. I shift back into my human form, collapsing to my knees in the mud.

My mate is gone… and so is my son.