PROLOGUE

Victoria's POV

"Derick!" I blurted out and quickly got out of bed. I rushed out of the room and hurried downstairs where I found Aidan building a tower with his toys.

"Where is Alpha Derick?" I asked the first male servant I met in the sitting room. "He went out, my Luna," he responded, and my heart clenched in my chest.

"Mate in pain," Beatrice, my wolf, howled loudly, sending a wave of panic through my entire body. "Where is Tony?" I asked.

"He also went out with the Alpha," he replied, and before I could respond, I felt a sharp blow to my chest that sent me tumbling to the ground, unconscious.

I could hear familiar voices whispering around me, and on impulse, I forcefully opened my eyes. The first thing I saw was the ceiling. "She's awake," I heard Jane's voice, and I turned to see her sitting beside me. "Jane... you..." I stammered in pain and felt an intense ache in my chest.

"Alpha Derick, where is he?" I asked in a panic as I sat up on the bed, staring at the people in my room—my aunt and Jamal. "Where is he?" I asked in a panicked state, but none of them responded.

With panting breaths, I closed my eyes and tried to establish a mind link with him, but his signals were silent. "No!" I spoke in panic and tried again, only for my wolf to respond with a mournful howl.

"No, no, no!" I yelled and got out of bed. "Derick!" I cried out and stormed out of the room, ignoring Jane's calls. I quickly took the stairs to the sitting room, only to find Beta Tony and the gammas seated there. The moment I saw them, my heart sank into my chest.

"Tony, where is your Alpha?" I asked as I hurriedly approached him. I watched him rise to his feet and hold my gaze with an unreadable expression. "Where is he?" I yelled.

"He is dead," he announced, and my heart skipped a beat. "He… is…"

"He is dead, and his body was burned along with the car," he said, and I fainted once again.

Slowly, I opened my eyes and realized I was back in my room, but this time only Jane was there. "You're awake," she said with a weak smile, her eyes filled with tears.

"Jane, I think I'm having a bad dream," I mumbled, but Jane shook her head while tears streamed down her cheeks.

"It's not a dream, Vicky. Alpha Derick is gone," she sobbed, and I stared at her in disbelief.

"Is this one of his pranks? But it's really not funny," I murmured, but Jane shook her head. "According to Beta Tony, they were attacked on their way to the meeting venue. The killers weakened them with wolfs bane, killed Alpha Derick, and burned his body inside the car," she explained, while I remained numb in bed, unable to believe her words.

"Vicky, Alpha Derick is dead," she announced to me again, and this time I stood up and left the bed. I hurriedly descended the stairs to the sitting room, where I found it filled with Alphas and lords.

The moment they saw me, their eyes flickered with pity and sympathy.

"Victoria," Alpha Gabriel, a close friend of Derick, approached me with a solemn look. "I am so sorry for your loss. Derick was a great Alpha, and he will be deeply missed."

His words hit me like a wave, crashing against my already fragile emotions. I struggled to find my voice, my mind overwhelmed with grief and disbelief. "No... it can't be true," I whispered, my voice trembling. "Derick ... he can't be gone."

"I know it's hard to take, but you have to..."

"Leave!" I yelled with anger burning in me. "Leave before I set you all ablaze." I threatened and unleashed flames of fire from both my hands.

The Alphas and lords noticed my outburst and all stood up. I watched each one of them leave, throwing hateful glares at me.

"No!" I yelled and fell to the ground, extinguishing the flames in my hands.

Beta Tony walked up to me, his hands in his pockets. "You shouldn't have done that. Those men are respectable Alphas…" he tried to speak, but I cut him off. "You?" I said while getting on my feet.

"Why weren't you killed and burned? Why was it just Alpha Derick ?" I demanded, my voice heavy with accusation. Something about Beta Tony's reluctant behavior in delivering the news didn't sit right with me.

"It wasn't me they wanted. It was Alpha Derick ," he responded, his voice tinged with frustration. My anger flared, and I clenched both my fists, fixing him with a suspicious glare. The silence hung between us, pregnant with unspoken accusations.

“Are you suggesting that I had a hand in his death?" Beta Tony asked, his voice filled with a mix of defensiveness and anger. I didn't immediately respond, choosing instead to maintain my intense stare, attempting to calm myself before exploding.

"This is ridiculous," he finally exclaimed, his frustration palpable, and stormed out of the room.

With a gulp, I sank to the floor, overwhelmed by a rush of emotions. I screamed at the top of my lungs, my voice echoing in the whole mansion.

"Mother," I heard Aidan voice behind me and turned to see my four-year-old son staring at me with frightened eyes.

Quickly, I wiped my face with the back of my hands and walked to him.

"Aidan, my sweet boy," I whispered, my voice filled with a mixture of sadness and determination. I crouched down to his level and gently hugged him, trying to provide some comfort despite the turmoil inside me. "Don't be scared, Mommy's just having a tough time right now."

I looked into his innocent eyes, seeing glimpses of Derick in him, and it only intensified the ache in my heart. I needed to be strong, not just for myself but for Aidan too. I couldn't let him see me crumble completely. "We're going to get through this, Aidan. We'll find out what happened to Daddy, I promise."

He nodded, his little hand clutching mine tightly. "Okay, Mommy."

I took a deep breath and stood up, wiping away the remaining tears from my cheeks. "Go be with your nanny," I said, and he nodded and followed his nanny.

With panic, I ran my fingers through my hair and sat on the couch. Tears welled in my eyes, but I wouldn't let them fall.

"Beatrice," I called my wolf, who whimpered and shut herself away from me. It was a good thing that Beatrice was a strong wolf; other wolves wouldn't have made it if they lost their mate.

"Vicky," Jane spoke as she took the seat beside me.

"How are you feeling?" She asked, and I responded with tears falling down on my cheek.

"Hey, I know you are going through a lot, but you have to be strong for your son." Jane pleaded, and I nodded and buried my face in my palms, wishing this was a dream or, better still, a prank.

"Mother and Jamal have gone to the scene to inspect it," she said, and I gulped, not believing this was actually real.

“This isn't real, my Derick can't be gone." I sobbed as my heart broke into pieces, but just then the door to the sitting room opened, and Aunt Laura and Jamal walked in.

Quickly, I rose to my feet and hurried towards her. "Any news, Aunt? Tell me it's a prank," I asked with panting breath as I held Aunt's gaze, which was filled with pain.

"Vicky, the body was burnt beyond recognition, but we found this with the body." Aunt Laura handed me a small pendant, and my hands trembled as I took it. It was Derick’s necklace, the one he always wore. The reality of his death hit me like a ton of bricks, and I collapsed back onto the couch, clutching the pendant tightly against my chest.

"No... no, this can't be happening," I whispered, my voice filled with anguish. "He can't be gone."