Kaela's POV

Chapter 1

Kaela

I woke to the smell of blood.

I was naked, skin covered in red, my heart slamming against my ribs.

I turned slowly.

My mother lay near the stairs, throat torn open, heart ripped out, eyes wide in shock.

Selene, my younger sister, slumped by the table, chest ripped apart. Her pale dress was soaked through, clinging to her body. Her head tilted at an unnatural angle, hair stuck to her face.

My father rested by the side door, body cut deep, one hand still reaching out as if he had tried to protect me until the end.

I staggered. My chest would not fill with air. “I did not…” The words broke in my throat.

The same hands that once held my father’s gentle touch were now stained red. He had been the only one who stood by me. The only one who defended me when my mother and Selene pushed me away.

The drums still beat outside, calling the Blackwood Pack to the clearing. Tonight was the moon ceremony. Both of us were supposed to stand before the visiting Alpha. The moon would choose which one would become his Luna and join the packs in peace.

My gaze fell on my mother’s face.

Even now, those eyes looked like they might open and cut into me.

“You are not our equal, you might be blackwood, but you don’t act like one.”

The memory cut through me. My fingers curled into the blood-soaked floor.

Selene’s laugh followed it, light and cruel.

“You would never become Luna to a great pack like the silverfang.”

I squeezed my eyes shut.

Even now, I would have given anything to hear her laugh again.

But my father’s voice came after, softer.

“You are special, my child. Don't let them tell you otherwise.”

Now they were gone.

I stayed on my knees, tears blinding my sight. The blue tint in my eyes still glowed faintly in the moonlight that came through the broken window. Something inside me had woken up tonight. It had simply taken over my body.

I remembered the pressure building earlier in the house. The way my mother’s voice had cut like a blade. “Do not make a scene tonight.”

Selene had laughed. “You do not have it in you to be anything anyway.”

I felt the heat rise then. My skin had grown tight. My eyes had changed in the mirror, that strange blue color. I had tried to hold it back, but the drums had pulled at something deep inside me. When the cold wind tore the curtains open and moonlight flooded the room, everything broke.

My father had reached for me. “Kaela, I'm here. You are safe, control yourself.”

My mother scoffed. “Safe? She is a danger to herself, and to us.”

That was the last clear thing.

My spine had arched, and a sharp crack tore through my back.

I screamed, the sound breaking halfway into something deeper.

My fingers clawed at the floor. Nails split and lengthened. Another louder crack. My jaw forced forward, teeth tearing through my gums.

Blood filled my mouth.

And then…

Nothing but pure rage. The wolf that lived inside me had ripped free in a storm of claws and rage. I had lost myself completely to it.

And now my family lay dead around me.

I wiped my face. The silence in the house pressed against my chest, heavy and unnatural. A few hours ago, voices had filled these walls. Now only the smell of blood remained.

“What have I done?" I wailed.

The drums echoed outside. The pack was still waiting. They would soon come looking for the two sisters who were meant to be presented tonight. I stood up, legs shaking. The moonlight touched my skin again, and the cold air made me shiver for a moment.

I looked back at my father one last time. “I’m sorry,” I whispered.

Then I turned toward the back door, naked and covered in the blood of my family, and ran into the night.

I ran into the woods. Branches scraped against my arms as I pushed through them. The ground was uneven beneath my feet, roots catching, leaves crunching.

Behind me, the drums stopped.

Then a shout echoed through the forest.

“Kaela!”

My heart lurched. They had already found the house, and guards were already after me.

“Stop!”

The more the voices rose, the more I ran deeper into the woods.

“She’s here…!”

“Don’t let her get away!”

The sound of human voices shifting to a primal howl, and paws hitting the forest floor thundered behind me.

My breath came in sharp bursts as I pushed harder, forcing my legs to move faster than they ever had.

“Kaela, stop!”

I recognized the voice of one of the guards.

“You don’t understand what you’ve done!”

My throat tightened. A low growl echoed through the trees behind me. Something crashed through the undergrowth to my left, keeping pace. Another to my right. Surrounding me. My pulse roared in my ears.

If they caught me…

I didn’t let myself finish the thought.

The moon hung high above, pale and cold.

Scenes of capture crossed my mind, and each ending in my death. They were getting closer now. Still, I didn't stop. Not when the trees thickened. Not when the path disappeared. Not even when my lungs burned.

Every step hurt, but I managed to force myself forward.

The blood on my head, my family. A shadow lunged behind me…

I swerved…

My foot caught on something, and the ground vanished beneath me.

I dropped hard, and pain exploded at the back of my head. The last thing I saw was the moon hanging above the forest.

Then everything went dark..