CHAPTER 1

SELINE

"For the glory of Valcrest Empire, you must die!" Intruders snarled at me as I knelt on the floor.

"Please let me see Austin. Please…" I begged.

"How dare you speak the name of our king!" The soldiers growled and grabbed my hair, forcing me to raise my head. They were like shadows towering over me.

"Please. I need to talk to him. I'm pregnant. I have his baby!" I cried.

The head soldier snorted. "Baby? You think you'd be qualified to deliver a baby for our king? Filthy whore! He won't come to you anymore. Don't you understand? He's with Lady Vanessa. Now drink it!"

"No!"

He pulled me harshly, gripped my face and pried my mouth open. Mysterious liquid flew down my throat.

Burning. I began to gag.

"Die! You wretched moron." They spat at me before slamming the door. And I heard the click of the lock.

I struggled to move, but my eyes felt swollen, and my legs were strengthless. The smell of smoke quickly filled the room.

Fire engulfed me.

*****

My mind wandered as I stared out the window. The sky was a perfect clear blue, and the air was filled with the sound of children's laughter. A smile formed on my lips at the sound.

Far beyond me, the pups, accompanied by their parents, made their way toward the forest not too far away from where I sat. It was finally time for the annual hunting festival, and the pups chattered and giggled with excitement as they tugged at their mother's and father's sleeves.

I remembered their innocent happiness well. When I had been a pup myself, I'd been infinitely impatient and raced far ahead of my father and brother, urging them the entire way to move faster. I'd been so excited to get a glimpse of the hunting group I wished to one day be a part of. I was eager to find my place amongst the Pack.

I'd been grown for a long time now, and yet, these pups had more freedom than me.

Ever since the deadly inferno, I'd lost the ability to shift into my wolf form, my life had changed completely.

I lost everything. My wolf, my name, my identity, and all I used to love and cherish. I'd moved far away and came to the Shadowvale Pack, where I'd lived as someone else ever since.

Just as I was starting to feel the familiar ache of loneliness, the sound of footsteps rang out behind me. I snapped out of my stupor and turned to see Emily behind me.

"Sheesh, Seline, I almost fell asleep at my desk."

Emily paused for a breath. She ran her hands through her thick dark hair. Her light green eyes were slightly bloodshot, but her small smile offset her tired aura. "It's been such a crazy day. I couldn't help but doze off between patients."

"I understand completely," I agreed with her. "Here, come sit down. We still have a while until our next appointment."

Emily was my assistant here at the clinic. Five years ago, when Caleb saved me from the fire and brought me to his pack, he taught me how to be a healer. And Emily had been my first patient. Shortly after I helped heal her, she decided she wanted to help others as well, and now she was my right-hand woman.

Emily took a seat on the stool beside me and then glanced out the window.

"I can't believe it's already time for the hunting festival," she sighed, and she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "The kids have been going crazy for days. I swear, they've been driving me absolutely insane, Seline."

"I'm sure," I mused. "The village has been loud all week."

"I wish I cared more," Emily admitted. "But the festival really doesn't interest me much. Visitors from other packs are troublesome. Can you imagine? I was stopped by them three times this morning for the question – 'How to get to the forest?'. Gosh. Can't they read signposts? They are everywhere on the streets. And with how crazy my kiddos have been…"

She let out a heavy sigh, "I wish they could be more like your Ethan. He's such a good boy. Mine are little monsters, no matter what I do. You're lucky Ethan hasn't begged you to come with him-"

She paused for a moment, and a strange expression crossed her pretty face.

"Sorry, Seline," she said quietly. "I didn't mean to bring that up-"

Emily knew I was unable to shift, and therefore, I was not allowed to enter the forest, even the safe zone.

I simply gave her an understanding smile. "Don't even worry about it. Besides, Ethan is too young to watch anyway. If he was of age, I'm sure circumstances would be different."

It had been five years past since that calamity. I need to go on.

"So where is your sweet boy?" Emily wondered with a curious expression.

"He's with the Luna and her children," I replied.

I was grateful that the Luna of the Shadowvale Pack had been so generous as to offer to watch my son while I ran the clinic. The hours were incredibly long, and my patient list had grown endless recently. Emily and I were busier than ever.

A sickness was running through the Shadowvale Pack, one with an unsure origin I had yet to place. It was accompanied by a peculiar mark on different parts of the patient's bodies, each slightly raised, red, and warm to the touch. I'd biopsied several of them, and yet, I hadn't found an answer that made any sort of sense.

"That's a good place for him," Emily interrupted my thoughts again, and then beyond us, bells rang out. She glanced up at the clock. "Looks like it's time for our next patient. Ready to go?"

I nodded. "Let's go."

I offered my hand to Emily and helped her to her feet, and then we walked out into the front of the clinic, where our next patient was nervously awaiting us. She was a young woman named Sophie, and her brown eyes were slightly glazed over. Her skin was pale and coated with a slight sheen of sweat, and her arms were wrapped around herself as she shivered. Emily and I escorted her to a room and sat her down on a comfortable seat.

We took her temperature, her information, and listened as she described her symptoms. For a moment, I was worried she was ill with the mysterious sickness, but it seemed to just be a common cold. I prescribed her some medicine, and after she gratefully thanked me for helping her, the front door's bells rang out again.

"Who is that-" Emily began to say, and suddenly, a tall man burst into the room.

His dark clothing and the sword at his side indicated his rank. I recognized him immediately.

It was Daniel, one of the Alpha's guards. I knew him very well, as he was often sent to collect me on behalf of the Alpha's family if medical attention was needed.

"Hey, Daniel," I greeted him, and I flashed him a smile, assuming it would be returned. When it wasn't, I knew something was wrong. Daniel was always friendly with Emily and me when he came to the clinic, but today, his expression was deadly serious.

"The Alpha needs you right away, Seline," he addressed me hurriedly. "You must accompany me to the Pack House. It's an emergency."

"What's wrong?" I asked, and worry painted my tone.

"There isn't much time to explain," Daniel replied. "Long story short, a prestigious guest of ours has been bitten by a viper and needs medical attention immediately."

Panic flooded through me. Snake bites weren't anything to mess with, and we needed to act fast.

"Emily, finish up with Sophie," I directed my assistant. "I'll get the kit together. Join me once you're finished."

Emily nodded. "Go ahead, I'll handle things here."

I hurriedly gathered my supplies, and then when Emily reentered the room, we followed Daniel down the hall and through the door. After I locked the clinic door behind us, we raced out into the village and toward the Pack House. We sped in silence, and after a while, I decided to ask for more information.

"Who is this prestigious guest?" I wondered.

"I cannot say," Daniel said curtly. "It's confidential."

"Where did they come from?" I pressed.

He said nothing at first, and then sighed. "Ravenspire."

I flinched instinctively.

Ravenspire was the capital of the Valcrest Empire. It resided at the heart of the Moonfall Pack, the biggest and most powerful Pack that ruled our empire. It was also where the Alpha King lived, along with the higher-class werewolf families.

Emily interrupted my thoughts. "The capital? They must be important."

"Yes, they are. That's why we need to hurry up." Daniel nodded seriously.

I tried to maintain an air of normality, and yet, my heart sank in my chest.

I hadn't heard the name Ravenspire in the five years. The memories began to flood back through my mind before I could stop them. Images danced in my mind- the fire, the grins of the soldiers, and the poison that'd been forced down my throat.

Ravenspire was the place of my birth, and in the end, had been my nightmare.