Chapter 1

Lena's Pov

I didn't know what life laid ahead for me, but I was damn sure it was hell. My life as the daughter of an Alpha linked to a prophecy of doom was nothing short of miserability.

And in the cold night, both of my parents were killed, right in front of me.

…what could I have done wrong?

"Lena, listen to me, hide! Don’t let anyone find you." My mother’s voice was a fierce, trembling whisper as she clutched my shoulders, her eyes were wild with fear and my legs wobbled. "You need to run, Lena. Don’t look back, just…."

A thunderous howl cut through the night, and my mother flinched, her gaze darting behind her. She let go of me and took a step back, standing between me and the sound.

The shadows moved, revealing him, our Beta. A trusted face that was once full of warmth, now twisted into something unrecognizable, cold and monstrous. He was like a bloody monster looking for whom to devour and he found them…. My parents.

“Why?” That was all my little child brain could think of.

"Run," she whispered one last time, her voice barely audible over the rush of blood in my ears.

I stumbled back, hidden by the thick trees, heart pounding, legs frozen, too terrified to move. I wanted to scream, to run to her, but something held me rooted in place, as if the ground itself had swallowed my will.

My father laid sprawled, lifeless, crimson pooling beneath him, his eyes staring at nothing. This can’t be happening. This can’t be real. I didn't believe anything like that had happened.

I clamped my hand over my mouth to stifle a sob as I watched, my mother standing alone, defiant, even as the Beta’s men surrounded her. She looked so small and so impossibly brave.

“Your daughter… She’s the curse, you know that, don’t you?” the Beta hissed, his voice slicing through the night. “It’s because of her that your pack will fall. She’s the reason for all of this. You should have dealt with her yourself.”

My mother’s chin lifted, her voice steady, unwavering. “She is more than you’ll ever understand.”

The Beta smirked, his eyes glinting with a twisted satisfaction. “Then let this be a lesson in mercy.”

The next second was a blur. The Beta lunged, claws tearing through flesh, his men following with ruthless, bloodthirsty movements. My mother’s scream echoed, torn from her as she lost her balance completely, her life faded away right in front of me.

Her body crumpled under their relentless assault, torn apart until she was no longer the strong, loving figure I knew, but a mere dying soul, one I couldn't afford to look at.

A strangled cry escaped my throat. I clutched my chest, feeling like my own heart had been ripped from my body. My vision blurred, hot tears streaming down my face, burning as they fell. My mother was gone. My father, gone. They were my everything, my life, my world, my family.

“Find her!” His voice roared, snapping me back to the nightmare. “She couldn’t have gotten far. She needs to die before she brings more ruin to this pack.”

A surge of fear jolted me. They were coming for me. The only family I’d ever known was gone, and now… they wanted me dead, too. My legs moved on instinct, stumbling, scraping against the underbrush as I turned and ran.

Each step felt like it took everything I had left, the ground tearing at my feet, branches clawing at my face as I plunged deeper into the darkness.

My chest heaved, my breaths sharp and shallow as my heart hammered against my ribs. The forest blurred around me as I ran blindly, my mother’s last words echoing in my mind.

“Run, survive… don’t look back.” But every step forward felt like a step away from everything I’d lost, every heartbeat a reminder that I was alone now, that I had no one left to turn to.

But the night wasn’t silent. Their howls tore through the air, drawing closer, louder, filling me with a terror that seemed to stretch out forever.

I pushed myself harder, forcing my legs to keep moving, keep running, even as my vision blurred with tears, even as my lungs burned, as if they might tear apart from the effort.

A branch snapped, close enough that I could feel the tremor through the ground. I bit back a sob, my muscles burning, every part of me desperate to collapse, to give in. But I had to keep going. I had to survive. I had to….

The ground came up to meet me as I stumbled, my foot catching on a hidden root. I fell forward, my head colliding with something hard, a jagged branch or a rock, I couldn’t tell. Pain exploded behind my eyes, and for a moment, everything went black.

When I opened my eyes again, my vision swam, and I felt warmth trickling down my forehead, down my cheek. Blood. It was everywhere, on my hands, on my clothes, staining the ground beneath me. I reached up, touching the wound, my fingers slick with it, but I could barely feel anything beyond the dull throb in my skull.

My body refused to move. The world spun, and the darkness closed in.

*No, not here. I can’t… I have to…*