Chapter 1

The forest was quiet and obscured by wispy grey fog. The silence was deceiving. No one would have guessed that only an hour ago a crime against humanity and every other form of life had just been committed. Even the night birds nestled in the trees were quiet as they looked down without so much as a chirp or a hoot. 

Why were they looking down you ask?

On the mossy forest floor where the trickles from the night rain dropped and soaked the earth laid my pathetic broken body covered with soot and dirt. I was naked. I was dead. My killers had not even bothered to hide the evidence of my death. I, Maggie Storm, the daughter of Alpha Ezra of the Dark Storm pack was killed and discarded like a common animal. They let the dirt of the earth mar my skin.

I remember how it all happened. 

The wedding ceremony that never took place.

Lance and I were supposed to be married. We were supposed to unite both of our packs. That was the plan of our fathers when they contracted our marriage even before I could walk. I didn't think I would grow to love Lance but I did. But love has earned me nothing but betrayal. Even those whom I called my family and friends, who I loved so much betrayed me. It hurt so bad.

Why am I alive? Why did the moon goddess bring me back? 

I wanted to die. I wanted to die over and over again as the memory of the pain of the silver dagger driven through my heart flashed through my mind without mercy. The feel of the scorching fire as it licked up my bare skin with its merciless tongue, exposing my tissues and bones was a memory forever etched in my brain.

I didn't want to open my eyes, I didn't want to see what remained of their betrayal. But how had I not seen it? How had I not suspected the pack's hatred for my father and me or the evils behind their smiles? How was I so blind to the lies of the Lycrox pack? 

God, how gullible was I? How foolish was I to believe their lies? 

As I lay silently on the ground with my eyes squeezed tightly shut the voices of my tormentors came back to me as they burned me to death in the arms of my father. Dad had tried to protect me when they turned on him but little did he know they didn't just want him dead, they wanted me dead too. So they killed him first and when I was alone and defenseless, they ran the knife through my chest, breaking my heart into many pieces.

A single tear drop escaped my eye. "Moon goddess, please let me die."

But death did not come. What came was the realization that my enemies would come back to confirm whether or not Dad and I died.

Dad!

If I was still alive - if I was reborn, was it possible...?

I finally opened my eyes in hope and reached out to the wet ground before me in search of my father. The night was as cold as my heart as I reached across the grounds, fingers digging through the dirt until they came in contact with the unthinkable. 

My father, Alpha Ezra's burned remains. It wasn't a dream.

A cry tore out of my throat. My cry was filled with anguish and bitterness.

"They will pay! I swear by the moon goddess that every single one of them will pay for what they did to us, Father. For taking you away from me, for taking my life and destroying my happiness they must pay!" My tears ran freely down my face hot and scorching like the fires that burned me. My anger fueled my body as I pushed myself to my knees to gather my father's bones even though my head spun. I lost so much blood that my skin was pale.

"I will bury you, Father. I will bury the pride of Dark Storm."

I gathered the pieces in my arms and staggered to the bed of running water only a few feet away. Using a stick, I dug a grave deep enough and placed his bones in it but not before kissing each one of them, pouring out the last of my love into his remains.

My heart was frozen as I covered the grave with sand and leaves.

"I will make you proud, father. The moon goddess gave me life again so that I can avenge our deaths. I will make them pay and they will regret they were ever born."

As I spoke my eyes began to tear up again and my head ached. My wolf stirred within me as she too mourned the loss of my father. I sat back on my heels wishing my strength would come back to me so that I could march all the way to the enemy's territory and rain hail and brimstones. But for now, my weak body collapsed on the floor beside the stream and I slipped into the warm arms of sleep tormented by dreams of the moments before I died.

I must have laid there for a long time because the next time I woke up it was almost dawn. The slight breeze brought with it the smell of fresh rain and flesh.

Flesh?!

I sat up quickly. My powers were still weak but there was no denying the presence of someone else in the woods. And it wasn't just a human being it was one of my kind.

I had just started to rise to escape for my dear life when an unfamiliar figure came through the trees. He was tall but my blurry eyes could see no more than that.

"Oh good you're awake," he said. 

"Who are you?!" I demanded ready to fight if I had to.

He raised his hand and stopped moving. "Easy easy, I promise I am not going to hurt you. I just...well, I was going to look for something to uhm cover you with."

Up until he mentioned it I had forgotten I was naked but that was not enough to distract me from the issue at hand.

He took one tentative step closer and raised his other hand to show me the broad leaves he held. "I was going to string these together as a skirt and give you my shirt but now that you are awake I'm guessing you have your clothes somewhere?"

"I have no clothes anywhere. And I don't need your help so thanks but no thanks."

Unabashed by my nakedness I washed the dirt off my hands and said a small prayer over Dad's grave and turned to leave when I suddenly stumbled. In the blink of an eye, he crossed the stream and reached out to hold me when I slapped his hand away.

"Don't you dare. Go your way stranger and let me be."

"Your wolf is weak," he said as a warning. His eyes were a dull amber as he looked at me with concern.

"She is not weak merely tired and when she's rested she will lash out and avenge her..." My head spun again. This time he didn't try to hold me. Good. I do not need to be that weak Maggie anymore.

"Fine. Well...my name is Asher and you're?"

I looked over my shoulder at him. "Dead. I am dead."

No sooner had I said that before my feet gave way under me and I slumped helplessly to the ground.