Prologue

Hazel POV

“Lucas! Hurry your ass up here, we are going to be late!” I shouted from the top of the stairs, my voice echoing through our small house. My heart was pounding with excitement, but also a bit of annoyance. Lucas was always taking forever, messing with his hair or something stupid like that.

“Coming!” he yelled back from his room downstairs. I could hear his footsteps thumping on the wooden floor, finally moving. I rolled my eyes and checked my phone. The concert started in two hours, and the bus ride would take at least forty minutes. We couldn’t afford to miss this. It was the biggest wolf boy band ever—Lunar Howls. Their songs about pack life and full moons always made me feel like I belonged somewhere, even if our real life was kinda crappy.

Me and Lucas shared a little joke before we said goodbye to our mom, Dottie. She was in the kitchen, stirring some soup that smelled like old vegetables. “You two behave out there,” she said, her voice tired but with a small smile. She worked two jobs just to keep the lights on, and her fur was starting to gray around the edges from all the stress. Lucas leaned in and whispered to me, “Hey, Hazel, what do you call a wolf who’s bad at hunting? A ‘howl’-failure!” I giggled, even though it was dumb. It was our thing—stupid jokes to lighten the mood. We hugged Mom tight, and she whispered, “Have fun, my pups. You deserve it.”

We headed for the door, slinging our backpacks over our shoulders. The night air was cool, with a hint of rain coming. Our neighborhood was quiet, just rows of old houses with peeling paint and yards full of weeds. Wolves like us didn’t have much, but tonight felt different. We were escaping all that for a few hours.

The bus ride was bumpy, and Lucas kept fidgeting next to me. “You excited?” I asked him, nudging his arm. He grinned, his green eyes lighting up. “Hell yeah. I’ve been saving for these tickets forever. Remember when we used to pretend we were in a band, howling at the moon from the backyard?” I laughed, remembering those nights. We were just kids then, before Dad left and money got tight. Now, at 18 and 20, we were still close, like a mini-pack. Lucas was my big brother, always looking out for me, even if he acted like a goof sometimes.

We got off at the arena stop, the place already buzzing with energy. Wolves from all over were streaming in—young ones with glowing necklaces, older packs laughing loud. The air smelled like hot dogs and popcorn, mixed with that wild scent of excited fur. We spotted our friends right away: Mia, Jax, and Riley. They were waving from near the entrance, their tails swishing happily.

“Hazel! Lucas! Over here!” Mia called, her voice high and squeaky with thrill. She was my best friend, a short wolf with curly brown fur and the biggest smile. Jax was the quiet one, tall and lanky, always wearing that faded band tee. Riley was the joker of the group, with piercings in his ears and a mischievous grin.

We hugged and high-fived, chatting as we waited in line. “This is gonna be epic,” Jax said, his eyes wide. “I heard Lunar Howls are debuting a new song tonight.” Riley punched Lucas’s arm playfully. “Dude, you ready to howl along? Bet you can’t hit those high notes.” Lucas laughed. “Watch me. I’ll out-howl the whole band.”

It felt so nice to be out like this. Money had been tough for us lately. Mom’s jobs barely covered rent, and Lucas worked part-time at a garage, fixing cars for rich packs. I was in community college, studying art, but scholarships only went so far. We didn’t usually do stuff like this—concerts, hanging out without worrying about bills. Tonight, though, we splurged. It was a treat, a break from the grind. As we finally got inside, the arena lights dimmed, and the crowd roared. We found our spots in the general admission area, not too far from the stage but definitely not VIP.

The opening act started, some local wolf rappers, and we jumped and danced. The bass thumped through my chest, making my fur stand on end. Lucas was right next to me, laughing and spinning me around. Mia linked arms with me, and we swayed to the beat. For a moment, everything was perfect—no worries, just music and friends.

Then the main event: Lunar Howls burst onto the stage with fireworks and howls that shook the rafters. The lead singer, Zane, with his silver fur and piercing blue eyes, grabbed the mic. “Are you ready to howl with us tonight?” The crowd went wild. We screamed along to every song, our voices blending into one big pack chorus. Sweat dripped down my back, but I didn’t care. This was freedom.

As we danced during a upbeat track, something caught my eye. A lady—barely wearing anything—sauntered through the crowd toward us. Her dress was tiny, all sparkly and revealing, like she belonged on stage, not in the pit with us normals. She had a VIP band glowing on her wrist, the kind that cost more than our monthly rent. How did she get back here with us? The VIP section was up front, roped off. Maybe she snuck through, or maybe she was some alpha’s daughter who could go wherever she wanted.

She zeroed in on Lucas, her hips swaying like she owned the place. “Hey, handsome,” she purred, her voice cutting through the music. “Wanna dance?” Lucas blinked, surprised. He was polite, always was. “Uh, no thanks. I’m good with my friends here.” He smiled, but it was awkward, like he didn’t want to be rude.

The girl’s face twisted. She wasn’t used to no, I could tell. Her eyes narrowed, and she stepped closer, almost pressing against him. “Come on, don’t be shy. Dance with me.” Lucas shook his head again. “Really, I’m okay. Thanks though.”

She grew aggressive fast. “You must dance with me!” she snapped, her voice rising. The music was loud, but people around us started noticing. Lucas held up his hands. “Look, I said no. Please, just enjoy the show.”

One of our friends, Riley, stepped in. “Hey, lady, let it go. He’s not interested.” He tried to sound casual, but there was an edge to it. We all felt the tension building.

Her eyes flashed red—literally, like some kind of alpha rage kicking in. I’d heard about wolves like that, ones with powerful bloodlines who could shift emotions quick. She huffed, turned on her heel, and stormed off through the crowd, pushing people aside.

We tried to shake it off, get back to dancing. “What was her deal?” Mia whispered to me. I shrugged, but my stomach twisted. Something felt off. Lucas just laughed it off. “Weird night, huh?”

But she came back. Minutes later, with two burly guards flanking her. They were huge wolves in black uniforms, badges shining under the stage lights. “Arrest him!” she shrieked, pointing right at Lucas. “He assaulted me!”

My world stopped. Assaulted? That was a lie! Lucas hadn’t touched her. We all froze for a second, then hell broke loose. “What? No way!” I yelled. “He didn’t do anything!”

The guards didn’t hesitate. In a minute, they grabbed Lucas, twisting his arms behind his back. He struggled a bit, confused. “Wait, this is a mistake! I didn’t—”

“Shut it,” one guard growled, cuffing him roughly.

We were all shouting now. Mia tugged at a guard’s arm. “It’s a lie! She asked him to dance, he said no. That’s it!” Jax was on his phone, trying to record. Riley blocked their path. “You can’t just take him! Call the real cops!”

But they wouldn’t listen. The girl stood there, arms crossed, looking so satisfied. Her red eyes gleamed with victory, like she’d won some twisted game. Who was she? Some spoiled VIP who thought she could ruin lives for fun?

They started dragging Lucas away, toward the exits. The crowd parted, some whispering, others staring. Tears burned my eyes. My brother—my only family besides Mom. What would happen to him? Jail? For nothing?

I pushed forward, crying now. “Let him go! Let my brother go!” My voice cracked, raw with panic. Sobs shook me as I reached for Lucas’s sleeve, but a guard shoved me back.

One of the guards eyed me, his face hard. “Hey lady, if you don’t stop fighting us, we will take you too!”

I froze, heart hammering. The music pounded on, but it felt distant, like a nightmare. Lucas looked back at me, his eyes wide with fear. “Hazel, stay back. It’ll be okay.”

But it wasn’t. They hauled him off, disappearing into the shadows. The girl smirked one last time before vanishing into the VIP crowd.

I sank to my knees, tears streaming. Mia hugged me, but nothing helped. How could this happen? In one night, our escape turned to hell.