Chapter 1

Prologue

Elena Ashvale was born as a half-human—

a cursed blood, unworthy of the werewolf world.

She was treated as nothing more than a slave, forced to endure a life of suffering simply because she was not a true wolf.

She was never meant to be chosen, never meant to be loved, and certainly… never meant to stand beside a king.

But what if, the Lycan King, a ruler destined to live in eternal solitude… fell in love with the very existence the world despised?

A forbidden bond that should have never existed.

A king who abandoned ancient laws, reason, and even his own kingdom… all for a single girl.

As his obsession grew darker, as his love twisted into something dangerous and consuming—

war began to rise.

Between the werewolf world… and the underworld itself.

And when the time came, the Lycan King was forced to choose—his kingdom… or Elena Ashvale.

“Elena… my woman… the only one who can destroy me…” His voice was low, steady, yet filled with something dangerously absolute.

“If this world dares to take you away from me…”

“I will destroy everything… including this world… for you.”

...

Chapter 1

...

The moment he was born, kings began to fall.

A king without a Luna… should never exist.

There was once a tale spread by a Moon Priest thousands of years ago... a prophecy that spoke of the birth of a king.

A king who would take the form of a human, yet be born from a true wolf—stronger than any beast that had ever walked the earth.

A being whose power was great enough to challenge even the ruler of the underworld.

But the Beast King was cursed because of his extraordinary power. He would become a Beast King without a Luna, for his descendants were forbidden from setting foot upon the earth.

The moment he was born—every other king would grow weaker.

The tale spread… and when it was spoken during a gathering of the Alpha Kings, the Moon Priest who told it was immediately executed for defiling the throne of the Wolf King.

Yet the story lived on in the mind of the Wolf King himself—Gargan Noctyrr Noar, who was already 9,800 years old and had ruled the High Kingdom of Lupus for thousands of years.

Until one night…

“Ugh!”

Gargan’s body suddenly flared with light. In his sleep, he transformed into a mighty jet-black wolf, but a few seconds later his body shrank, and when he awoke, Gargan felt it instantly...

half of his power was gone.

“What is it, my king? You look very pale.” His wife, his true Luna Malya Hycte, touched his shoulder. He looked deathly pale and suddenly much thinner.

Gargan growled, his eyes burning like fire as he stared at the moon, which shone brighter than ever before.

“Find him!”

“Find that child—and kill him!”

Gargan Noctyrr Noar roared at the moon, defying the will of the Moon Goddess.

For Gargan knew, the legend had truly come to pass. The Lycan king had been born.

...

Twelve years later…

Gargan Noctyrr Noar grew weaker with each passing day. His body became thinner, and his temper grew more violent. He killed wolves and half-wolves for the smallest mistakes.

He was a cruel and terrifying king.

Especially because he could not sense the presence of the child—the one said to bring down his throne.

“He’s coming! He’s coming!”

“Gather all the Moon Council and every Alpha Pack, now!” Gargan snarled at his wife, Malya Hycte, his body growing weaker.

“Yes, My King.” Malya could not refuse. Though she was a High Luna, she no longer felt loved by her husband. She immediately ordered her servants to summon everyone as quickly as possible.

By order of the Alpha King, all elders and packs gathered in the grand meeting hall of the palace.

The Blackthorn Pack, the strongest military pack, sat upright. Elsewhere were the Nightveil Pack, the pack directly under the King, guardians of the throne and intelligence.

There was the Ironfang Pack, guardians of the kingdom’s borders; the Mooncrest Pack, the spiritual and healing pack; and the Silverhowl Pack, responsible for diplomacy and politics.

They all gathered, and the moment the Alpha King arrived, supported by his wife, they immediately stood and bowed deeply.

He sat upon the magnificent throne—a throne he would never hand over to anyone.

“He will come, the filthy blood they say will destroy my throne!”

“The wolf race is the strongest race in existence! There is no way the Moon Goddess would grant a king who takes a perfect human form. That is an insult to our kingdom!” Gargan roared.

He could feel an immense power drawing closer, and so he gathered all his forces to destroy that disgusting being.

At his words, whispers spread throughout the hall.

Then one of the Moon Council elders spoke.

“My King, I believe you are right that a true wolf descendant could never possess a perfect human form. And if such a being appeared, we would have to kill him."

"However, to my knowledge, this is nothing more than a legend. For more than twelve years, your strongest warriors have searched every corner of the land and found nothing. I believe Your Majesty is exhausted and should rest.”

Elder Thorne Grimwald spoke firmly yet respectfully. He was a senior elder—the kingdom’s most trusted advisor.

Beside him stood Elder Virex Lunaris, who also agreed with Thorne Grimwald.

Hearing this, Alpha King Gargan exploded with rage. He growled and transformed into his true wolf form. He was still the Wolf King, possessing absolute power to dominate all wolves.

“Bastard! How dare you doubt my words!”

“I don’t care if you are an elder or not. I sentence you to death!” Gargan roared, shocking everyone.

In the history of the High Kingdom of Lupus, there had never been an execution of a Moon Council elder. The only precedent was the Moon Priest executed thousands of years ago.

Thus, the Wolf King’s decision was seen as a violation of royal law and the will of the Moon Goddess.

“My King, I believe you have gone too far. Executing a Moon Council elder is the same as defying the Moon Goddess—it is a fatal insult,” Elder Virex Lunaris said calmly, though his fists were clenched tightly.

“You too are sentenced to death!"

"How dare you question my decision? I am the Wolf King! Anyone who dares oppose me will die!” Gargan roared, plunging the hall into chaos.

The Alpha Packs moved into position. No matter what happened, they had to protect the Alpha King—that was their primary purpose.

The tension grew unbearable. The air felt scorching and suffocating, until…

Every strand of fur on their bodies stood on end. Not a single one of them dared move.

This was not the Alpha King’s power, but the power of someone standing beyond the massive doors at the far end of the hall.

A power greater than the Alpha King’s—one that forced heads to bow and hearts to race.

Even the Alpha King himself could not move. Fear gripped him. Wolves were apex predators who feared nothing, yet whatever stood beyond that door made them feel like insignificant dust.

The grand doors slowly opened.

Gargan Noctyrr Noar’s eyes widened. His chest tightened, his body trembling violently.

“My King,” his wife quickly grabbed his hand and supported him.

As he collapsed, all the wolves—including the Moon Council, Moon Priests, and all Alpha Packs—fell to their knees, their heads unbearably heavy.

“Brother, Gargan Noctyrr Noar. It has been a long time.”

The familiar voice ignited Gargan’s fury.

It was the voice of his younger brother, the one he had exiled to the borders of the underworld after a battle for the throne.

Galilea Noctyrr Noar stepped forward, accompanied by his Luna, his wife Nimia Valecrest.

Between them stood a young man.

A youth of commanding presence, human in appearance, with icy blue eyes as sharp as a demon’s and jet-black hair. Each step he took made the ground tremble.

Lucien Noctyrr Valecrest.

The biological son of the Wolf King’s own brother. A true wolf descendant who had taken a perfect human form now stood before them.

The legend was real.

All wolves bowed. The Wolf King had lost his power and was utterly weakened.

“Kill him!”

“I order you, kill him!”

“Aaaaa!” Gargan Noctyrr Noar screamed, but he was too weak. His Alpha King power vanished in an instant.

Lucien Noctyrr Valecrest’s existence absorbed all his power, just as the Moon Priest’s prophecy had foretold thousands of years ago.

“Just as the tale foretold—a prophecy of the future—the king has been born from the womb of my beloved wife, Nimia Valecrest. And we come by order of the Moon Goddess to take over the Alpha King’s throne, starting now!”

Galilea Noctyrr Noar’s voice echoed, stirring unrest within the Moon Council. The Alpha King’s throne could not be taken so easily—yet none of them could move. The young man’s power stood far beyond their understanding.

“Aaarrggg!” Gargan screamed. He knew it—if he continued to look at Lucien Noctyrr Valecrest, he would die.

That was why his loyal warriors and followers forcibly shifted into wolf form and fled the palace, carrying their king away.

Some of them could not accept it.

A king… in a perfect human form?

Unacceptable.

Inside the palace, within the vast and magnificent hall, all Alpha Packs remained.

It was instinct.

Because a new king now stood before them.

“King Lucien Noctyrr Valecrest… we welcome you.”

One of the strongest Alpha warriors, Cillian Blackthorn, stepped forward with his wife Lilian Blackthorn.

Cillian Blackthorn was a powerful Alpha, the commander of the kingdom’s greatest army. His instincts told him that the young man before him was the king he must serve.

After Cillian bowed, all Alpha Packs followed.

All acknowledging the will of the Moon Goddess.

The new Lycan king had arrived.

Lucien Noctyrr Valecrest was only twelve years old.

Yet the power within him… had not fully awakened.

His true power would rise when he turned seventeen.

And only then, would he be crowned.

…

Days passed.

Lucien Noctyrr Valecrest grew up in a harsh world. Hunted since birth, he trusted no one except his parents.

He became cold, arrogant, and merciless.

Anyone who tried to harm him, or his parents, met only one end...

Death.

Now, bored, Lucien wandered alone through the forest near the palace. The forest was dense, the sunlight barely able to pierce through the thick canopy above.

His steps moved without direction, as if something unseen was guiding him forward.

Then...

his icy blue eyes caught something.

“…Hm?”

From a distance,

a small figure.

A girl.

“Ah—!”

A small girl suddenly slipped, falling from a tree branch into a deep, dark lake.

Lucien frowned slightly, his gaze sharpening as he stepped closer.

“Is she trying to kill herself…?” he murmured.

Moments passed.

Then...

Splash.

The girl resurfaced.

In her arms she held a small white rabbit.

Her golden hair clung to her wet face, her green eyes wide and clear—yet her small hands were covered in scratches.

Proof of a life that had never been kind to her.

“Lecy… why did you jump? Why were you so scared?”

The girl hugged the rabbit close to her chest, her voice soft, trembling slightly.

Earlier that day, the rabbit had suddenly become restless—then leapt into the black lake.

Without hesitation, she had followed.

Now, the rabbit wriggled free—and ran back into the forest.

A strong wind suddenly blew.

The girl froze.

Then came the sound of the footsteps... Slow and heavy.

Her heart began to pound.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

She slowly turned toward the sound, and her eyes widened.

Before her... stood a man.

Tall. Cold.

His presence alone made the air feel heavier.

His eyes—sharp, piercing—like something that did not belong to this world.

The young king, who was destined to live in loneliness—stood before a girl who knew nothing of who he was.

A meeting destined by fate, one that should never have happened.

“Elena…” A voice called out—her grandmother’s.

It echoed faintly through the forest, carried by the cold evening wind, trembling with worry and exhaustion.

“Elena… where are you…?” The voice came again, louder this time.

Elena’s fingers trembled, she wanted to answer.

She wanted to call back—to tell her grandmother she was here… But she couldn’t.

The man standing in front of her… was far more terrifying than the fear of being lost in the forest.

Her breath caught, her body stiffened.

Her hands clenched tightly in front of her.

She didn’t dare move.

Because for some reason, standing before him… felt more terrifying than anything she had ever faced before.