Prologue - The Ritual Binding - Odessa POV

I run through the trees, squealing with delight as my older brother Kai and our friends Starling and Juniper give chase after me. A game of tag after a long day of chores in our family orchards. It’s mid-spring, with birds singing, the sun shining brightly, my tenth birthday two nights away when I will get my wolf.

“You’ll never catch me!! I’m too fast for you!”

My voice sings as I keep running. Despite my teasing, I know Kai will have absolutely no trouble catching me soon. I can hear his feet pounding faster. Our laughter fills the air, breathless with the joys of being young.

In a quick move, I find myself tackled, Kai’s “Ha!” in my ear.

“Careful sister, don’t let yourself get too cocky!”

I shove him off, laughing as I do. Starling and Juniper join in, falling onto us with their own giggling. With my brother being 12 and having his wolf for two years, he has already started gaining the interests of most young ladies in our territory. So it isn’t a surprise when Juniper blushes as Kai grasps her waist and laughs as we all roll around a bit.

“Kai is quite strong and fast now! You should know better than to think you could best him, Odessa.”

Juniper states breathlessly as we all roll to lay on our backs and look at the clouds. Starling sighs.

“It’s true, Oddie, you always want to run. Do you think you could really escape Kai? Beat him?”

Kai puffs up his chest as he sits up and looks at us with a proud smile.

“I’ll be the next alpha of our pack, you know I’ll only be getting stronger and faster, Oddie! Maybe you should listen!”

I laugh and roll onto my side, propping my head up on my hand.

“Where is the fun in giving up? Just because you’re the future alpha doesn’t mean I can’t train to become strong and fast too. Maybe not like you, but enough to protect my own family and friends if the need ever comes.”

Kai looks at me with all the love of a brother. Sometimes he seems to have grown wiser than his years since his wolf came to be.

“You already are strong and fast, Oddie, and I hope there will never come a time when you will need to stand and fight. I want to continue to value and run our peaceful pack. And ensure the safety of all of you.”

I smile, my amethyst eyes meeting his green ones. I adore my brother and his dreams of peace. But I also know he will want to ensure we are all well trained in case any need arises.

“I know, Kai, but you’re not alpha yet! Mama and papa have things under control, you know this! They have given us the best possible teachers and training.”

Juniper and Starling laugh.

“You both need to stop being so serious! Let’s go find some snacks, I’m starving!”

“Yes, let’s!”

Both the twins jump up to rush toward the pack house while my brother and I take our time. Thinking back on it… our souls probably knew then that peace only lasts so long. The greedy and cruel beings in the world are always hungry for more.

****************************

Today is my tenth birthday and tonight, under the full moon, I’ll finally get to meet my wolf. My mother plays with my raven hair, twisting it into a braid to let it hang over my shoulder. Both my hair and olive complexion come from her, even the shape of my lips. The bottom full and their color rosy. Neither my mother or father have eyes like mine, but I am told they’re a blessing from the goddess when I was born.

“You’re beautiful, my heart.”

She whispers to me and smiles, watching me as I watch her. I blush and tilt my head to the side.

“Thank you, mama.”

I don’t know what else to say, but something in my heart wants me to say so much more. She kisses the top of my head and leaves me. The sun will be setting soon and she needs to help finish setting up our yard for the festivities. I stand and walk to the window, watching people from the pack moving about.

A tent for food and drinks is being erected, while faerie lights and torches are being set about. My father and brother are getting the brick grill set up to cook the meat hunted in our very woods. I should feel excitement, but I can’t seem to shake the cloud settling on my shoulders. Oh how I wish I had paid attention, spoken with my parents of it.

Instead, almost two hours later, I can feel the moon setting, feel something inside of me blooming. For the first time today, the cloud of doubts I had been feeling are shoved aside by the thrill in my mind and heart.

As the moon begins to rise, there’s a shout and a man stumbles onto the grounds.

“R-Rogue-“

He is cut off by a snarling, ragged black wolf as it pounces and rips his head from his shoulders. In seconds, screams rise, wolves howl, chaos erupts. My brother shifts as he begins trying to lead innocents away as more and more rogues begin to make themselves known. I am one of those innocents, but the moon is rising higher and my muscles and bones are aching.

~ Odessa, I am Artemis, your wolf. I wish I could say I am happy to meet you, but there is no time. We have to shift! We need to run! I will try to guide you! ~

This can’t be happening, it can’t. Even as I think this, I fall to my hands and knees. Amid the chaos, I am going to have to make my first shift. The world around me is erupting in flames, I can smell blood, hear screams as my bones begin to break, my body making its painful first change. I try not to fight it, but before anything, something hits me hard on the back of my head and my world goes completely dark.

When I awaken, I am surrounded by torches, circlets of silver and wolfsbane on my wrists. I can’t feel Artemis, I never got to finish my first change. I feel sluggish and sick, I’ve been given something to dull my senses, the silver and wolfsbane prevent my wolf and I from communicating.

As my blurry vision clears, I start to hear humming, there’s a strange circle and sigils written into the ground. Then I scream, on pikes around me are the heads of my loved ones. Tears stream down my cheeks as I scream again. Then a man, one I recognize, steps into view. His orange eyes and auburn hair seem appropriately matched to the fires of the torches around us. At his side is a gorgeous woman. Her eyes are ice blue and her hair is long and silver. She isn’t a wolf, I don’t need my senses to know this.

“Beta Sego, please… please help me…”

I whimper, but his slow and cruel smile takes my breath away and then he speaks.

“Dear child, I am helping you. Don’t you see? You have something I want, your family, this pack was in my way.”

I shiver and whimper again. By now, the moon is high, but it has turned into a blood moon and the witch uses an athame to cut her palm and begin chanting. She comes toward me and I can feel magic begin weaving around me. She cuts my palm.

“Please stop this! Please!!! Someone help me! Please! Oh Goddess… please…”

My heart is in shatters, the heads of my family start me. My blood and the twitches blood stains the ground. The sigils and circle begin to glow. She rubs blood over a gem in her hand, bringing it to my heart. I start screaming in agony as I feel an explosion of fire under my skin. My soul is being ripped to shreds, I feel like I am dying a most excruciating death.

My vision blurs, my soul continues being stripped. There’s a sudden howl coming from somewhere, and then my world goes completely dark.