1: INVASION

Rain’s pov

We were a peaceful clan. Our pack, Moonlight, was one of the oldest, and strongest in the realm, paving the way for peace and settling disputes among other packs. My father, Wade, was the Alpha King, and he was loved by everyone. He ruled with love and patience. My mother, Luna, was known as Maya. She was a lowly omega who my father married regardless of her rank.

We lived a simple life, and interacted with every other pack like we were one. It was a happy life until the arrival of his pack. They were known as Deathbringer, and for years they had been going around killing Alpha’s and taking over packs in the north, remaining undefeated and now they were here in the east, coming for us.

They were every pack's greatest fear, even ours.

The Deathbringers was a pack led by an incredibly powerful leader—Alpha Kane, but everyone called him the Devil Alpha.

It was rumoured that his eyes were pitch black during transformation, a color that no Alpha had ever had. Some said he got it by making a deal with the devil while others claimed he was the devil. I agree with the latter. He had to be the devil, believing otherwise would mean that there was something worse than him out there.

That in itself, was a more terrifying thought.

I was seventeen years old when my entire life was turned upside down in a blink of an eye. Everything I loved was stolen away from me in just one moment, and the pain, the ache, the grief of that day I have carried it with me ever since, swearing never to forget or let it go, not until I get my revenge.

****

One year ago.

“Wake up! Wake up!” Mother shouted, shaking me from sleep. My eyes instantly flew open to see the frantic face of my mother, hovering over me. Her eyes were full of fear that made my insides shudder.

“Mother? What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice thick with sleep, rubbing my eyes. I blinked at the darkness. The moonlight streaming through the window was the only light—there was no sunrise yet.

What was happening?

“Rain, you've got to get out of here,” she urged, her hands trembling as she yanked off my blankets, tossing it aside. “It's not safe anymore.”

My head was still foggy, the sleepiness making it hard to grasp what she was saying. Not safe? What was she talking about? I couldn't understand a thing.

“What do you mean?” I asked as she moved over to my closet, browsing through my clothes urgently. “What's going on?”

“I don't have time to explain!” She yelled, grabbing a coat, and tossing at me. “Get dressed!”

“I don't under—”

The rest of my words were cut off as a loud rumbling sound echoed through the castle walls, making my heart skip a beat. My body quivered, “What was that?” I asked, jumping out of bed, and shooting my mother a worried look. “What's going on?”

Her eyes flashed with terror as she held my coat open for me. “We are under attack,” she declared as I slipped my arms into the coat, turning to her, horrified.

“Under attack?” I echoed, my heart pounding aggressively. “Who would dare?”

“Who else?” Her voice was heavy, and its weight dropped to my chest.

“The Deathbringers?” my voice thinned. The fear in her voice was now sinking into me.

My mother crouched under my bed and grabbed my footwear. “They took over the Nightshade pack a few hours ago, and we only just found out a while ago. We thought we might have some time to run before they got here, but we were wrong. It's too late,” her voice broke, and she dropped the shoes before me.

I froze. The gravity of the words hit me with full force. The Deathbringers were at our doorstep. This was no longer just a rumor, a far-off fear—it was happening. It was real.

My eyes met hers, and I could see the same fear that had taken root in me now. She was trying to stay calm, but the panic was there—beneath the surface, choking her. “We don't have time, Rain.”

I sunk my feet into them, trembling as a scream echoed somewhere in the castle and my gaze shot to the door, my heart pounding. “Our guards are fighting the threat,” my mom said, looking at me and I faced her, tears in my eyes.

“You mean they are being slaughtered,” I croaked.

One of the things the Deathbringers had over every pack was numbers, they were the largest pack in the state. How could they not be? They had stolen from every pack they conquered—Men, women, and children.

My mother was quiet for a moment, regarding me with a gentle look as she cupped my face. “They are doing their best, but it is obvious it's not a battle we can win.”

“What are we going to do?”

“You are going to get as far away from here as possible. Leave the east if you have to,” she grabbed the collar of my coat, holding my gaze. “Do you hear me?”

“What about you and father?” I croaked, my voice weightless as I whispered. “I can't leave without you.”

“You have to,” her grip tightened on my collar. “We cannot abandon the palace our guards are dying to protect. If this palace goes down, we are going down with it, but you cannot die here. I forbid it.”

“Mother—” I opened my mouth to argue, to protest, but she grabbed me by the shoulders tightly, her fingers digging in. “Rain, please. If you stay here, you will die. Do you understand? You have to go.”

I looked at her, feeling a heavy weight in my chest. I couldn’t leave. I couldn’t abandon my parents, my home.

“Do you understand?” she raised her voice. There were tears welling up in her eyes as well as mine now.

I nodded, tears spilling down my cheeks, and mother wiped it off, and kissed my forehead. Her lips lingered for a while, and then she hugged me. I could feel her trembling, her heart racing, but she held me as though nothing else in the world mattered but this one last act of love.

“My sweet child. I love you, and no matter what I'll always love you but I need you to be safe,” she released me, and looked into my eyes, “As long you're alive there will always be hope for peace to reign again. I believe that, I believe in you,” she said, releasing me, “Now, go!”

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak, and my mother hurried me to the lower part of the castle. She led me to a hidden tunnel, one I hadn’t used since I was a child.

But before I could enter, I heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps—heavy, urgent steps, echoing through the corridor. My heart sank.

“Go,” my mother mouthed, pushing me into the darkness. I hesitated, wanting to hold on to her, but the fear in her eyes told me I couldn’t. She was giving up everything for me, and I could not let that be for nothing.

Tears rolled down my cheeks, “Mama—”

“GO!” She enunciated, tears spilling down her cheek now. “You're our only hope now, Rain.”

Two men stormed into the corridor just then, wearing black robes with the crest of the Deathbringer—the shape of a fang.

“Run, Rain!” Mother yelled, and with all my will I broke into a sprint, tears streaming down my face as I ran.

“Ah!” Mother's wails echoed through the tunnel, and I wanted to stop so badly. The tears choked me, but I couldn't stop. I was our only hope. That was the one thing that kept me going. I had to make it out of here.

I heard footsteps echo through the tunnels, they were coming for me. I needed to get out of here. I hurried, running with all my might. The instant I broke out of the tunnel I felt a small relief, stopping to catch my breath.

I glanced back at the tunnel when I heard the footsteps closing in, getting ready to run when I bumped something as hard as steel and fell backwards on my butt. My eyes shot up instantly, falling on another member of the Deathbringer.

His cloak was blue which meant he was the second in command, Kane’s bitch of a beta, Alec.

Before I could move, the guards behind me seized me, and dragged me inside the castle, to my home, the one place I surprisingly didn't want to be. They took me to the throne room, and tossed me to the ground and as my body hit the ground, my eyes instantly fell on the bloody corpse of my father.

My eyes widened in shock, no, no, no. Just then a guard dragged in my mother's corpse, laying her next to my father.

My heart dropped slowly to the ground, shattering like glass. Oh my God. I trembled, my breath caught in my throat. Everything stilled, and the walls around me began closing in. I couldn't breathe. I opened my mouth, gasping for air.

“NO!” I screamed as my heart shattered in my chest, and an enormous pain shot through my entire body. Hot tears rolled down my cheeks, my body shuddering as I crawled towards my parents' lifeless body. Everything suddenly felt like a nightmare, one I badly wanted to wake up from.

I lifted my mother's head on my thighs, placing my head against hers. “No,” I croaked. The tears choked up my lungs. My chest burned through and through, “No!” I rested my chin on her forehead, kissing it and crying my eyes out.

“Please,” I whispered, glancing over at my father's corpse. Even in death his eyes were still opened.

I slipped my mother to the ground and moved to him, holding him too, crying my heart out. My heart felt like it had been carved out of my chest, and it stung and burned and oh God. I couldn't breathe.

I shivered, feeling cold to the bone, and then suddenly someone dragged me away by my hair, threatening to pull them from my scalp. I groaned, throwing my hand to my hair, still full of sobs and fight as he held me tightly.

“Don't cry,” the beta, Alec teased, staring down at me, “You'll be joining them soon,” he said, his lips quirking into a smirk. He raised his claws, and I closed my eyes, resigning myself to my fate, to my death.

Mother, father, I'll be joining you soon. We will be together. A tear slipped out of my eyes as I waited for my end.

“Wait!” A powerful voice boomed through the room, causing the air on my arms to stand, and instantly Alec released me, and I fell, my back hitting the ground.

I groaned. There was no other authority that could stop Alec except one. I felt a cold chill run down my spine, and I turned in the direction of the voice.

His shoes caught my gaze first, black suede, and my eyes ran up those black pants, stopping at the sight of his red cloak that made my heart shudder. Alpha Kane—The devil himself.