CHAPTER ONE: ENDLESS RUN

ARIA POV

“Bond isn’t as bad as you all said. Maybe I should just marry him! I am tired of running!”

“You are a very stupid girl. What the hell is wrong with you? You will pack your things and follow us to the Nightwalker Pack, or I will disown you! Don’t you ever mention the name of that emperor again,” my dad warned. Waves of sorrow engulf me like a shield as I stare blankly into the sky.

Rays of the parting sunrise rest on the random path. We flee; aimlessly, we run, avoiding the pathways that lead to destruction.

In dismay, we ride not on oxen of hope, not on chariots of fire, but on legs of expectation, aspiring to thrive on the wings of fate and escape for our dear lives.

I whisper to myself: If we can't keep up when chased by footmen, how will we survive when overrun by horsemen?

My name is Aria, and I am a member of the Deviant Splinters. At least that’s what we call ourselves. We are a group of werewolves who escaped the pack.

My father is an Alpha. People called him Jerry the great, Years ago, he was invaded by the Lycan King—the strongest beast in the world, the emperor, and popularly known as the Eater of Worlds: Emperor Vselvav Lyr Bond. He was the son of the great Emperor Fenrir Vselvav.

He invaded my city and went after my father, killing many of the beta wolves and plundering properties. He left the city in ruins as my father escaped with my mother and me. We took a few belongings, and a few beta and omega wolves ran away with us.

Over the years, my father had been a pillar of hope, as omegas, rejected mates, and werewolves who were tired of pack life or unfairly treated would come to him for refuge. This had long been a custom, as many werewolves—obviously not part of my father’s pack—sojourned with us for months and only left when they found stability.

On two occasions, Emperor Vselvav Jr. had caught up with my dad and destroyed the werewolves that stayed with him. He had a particular interest in my father’s business.

My mother told me the emperor had issued a judgment against my father because he joined a crew of other Alphas who tried to kill the old emperor, Fenrir Vselvav—Bond’s father—and ruin his dynasty. They were freedom fighters who resented the Lycan King and his unhinged methods of conquering and killing Alphas who rebelled against him.

Later, I found out from the deviant wolves who came to camp with us that the Lycan King hated unjust killing. He only took over from his father and inherited his father’s corrupt empire.

I never got the chance to inquire if this news was true because we were always on the run. We never settled in any city. We lived like spies, and I was never truly free to interact with the natives of any region for fear of being compromised and exposing my father and the group of werewolves with him to the danger of the Lycan King.

Years passed, and we never stayed in a particular city for more than a month before my father ran again.

Then came the night everything changed.

…………

The night mourns like it lost a lover, the stars dance, but not with excitement. It is a full moon, and this full moon arrives with its own wishes and aspirations. It seeks to plunder any hope of redemption we gathered in this accursed city.

We hear rumours that the Lycan King has gotten hold of our location. Dad wants to elope as usual, but the night of the full moon is a dangerous night to flee.

Werewolf refugees who haven’t caught hold of the technique for control run wild, and we need to restrain them. It is the duty of my dad and some elders. I cross my hands and watch the chaos.

Then we hear whistles—the sound of vehicles tearing through the night.

Panic sets in as my mother announces the arrival of the Lycan King.

“Emperor Bond is kind; he won’t hurt us,” some whisper.

Then a mad beta takes some men with daggers laced with wolf’s bane and bolts out of the door. My mum calls them back, but they don’t listen.

They shape-shift, basking in strength and revitalised energy enriched by the full moon. We hear noises of attack, and within fifteen minutes, silence follows—an awkward silence that makes my skin crawl.

Then bang—our doors curl in submission to the kick of the Lycan King. Wood scatters all around the shelter and the walkway.

Then he walks in—the King of Alphas. His hands are soaked in blood—the blood of our rebellious comrades who refused to listen to my mother’s pleas and met their unfortunate end.

“Hand her over,” the Lycan King challenges my father.

Only then do I understand that this feud isn’t against my father alone. This man wants me.

I am a very stubborn teenager. I am seventeen, and in a year, my wolf should be mature enough to take the wheel, but I am currently weak; I can’t shape-shift, and I cannot take on the alpha even if I want to.

“My beef is with you, and my daughter has nothing to do with this,” my father protests.

“Is that what you tell yourself when you took those bastards and attacked my father?” the emperor replies.

“Your dad was a crazy Alpha—a tyrant ruler. He was going to destroy us all. If we hadn’t acted then, your father would have massacred every Alpha who didn’t share his beliefs. He needed to be stopped. You were only six when that happened. You wouldn’t understand.” My father speaks as he tries to reason with the Lycan King.

“Shut up, old man,” the emperor snaps. “My father’s dying wish was for me to crush all the Alphas who led the revolt. I’ve dealt with six of them. You are the last.”

“You have caused me so much pain these past few years, but I’ll drop the charge against you—if you comply.” He added.

He flexes his muscles, marking his territory. “Hand her over to me. I don’t even know why the Moon Goddess chose to punish me this way—by making the daughter of a deviant my fated mate. Hand her over now!”

I watch as my father refuses. The emperor growls in frustration, his brilliant blue eyes spark with anger.

“For years, you have been taking people who defy me under your care and custody. That alone is treason,” the emperor says in a deep voice. “Give her to me and leave with dignity. She’s too innocent for this life of running you’re putting her through. You never asked her permission before making her part of your Deviant Splinters.”

But my dad won’t budge. He growls deeply, anger erupting as he shifts under the energy of the full moon and launches an attack on the emperor. His sharp claws sink into the emperor’s chest.

They fight for barely a minute before the Lycan King bites through my father’s throat. I hear the sound as he tears my father to shreds. “No one challenges the emperor and goes scot-free,” he barks angrily.

I know I am in no shape to fight him. In the middle of the chaos, my mother grabs me and some beta wolves and bolts through the rear exit.

Just like that, we escape the emperor, barely holding onto our lives.

…………

“Aria, where are you? What is keeping you?” I hear my mum’s loud bickering. It’s been three months since we escaped the Lycan King and found a new city to settle in.

 I haven’t had a proper meal for almost three days. All the werewolves who escaped the assault have long abandoned us—they couldn’t afford to starve with us.

Mum calls out to me. We are going to search for greener pastures.

Since my father’s death, she suggests we return to the city where I grew up. But we need leverage—something to offer in exchange. Our lands were plundered, and the neighbours won’t accept us back into the pack unless we present something valuable.

We travel through the night. In the early hours of the morning, we enter another city. That’s where I met Layla. She asks about my identity, and when I open up, she reveals bitter but essential information. The Lycan King visited their city weeks ago and is still in the vicinity.

She also confirms the rumour I had doubted—that I, the daughter of the traitor who tried to overthrow the emperor, am the fated mate of the Lycan King.

The moment my mother hears of his presence, she puts me on her bike and rides crazily along the lonely road. We drive for close to fifteen minutes when road bandits attack.

My mum is shot fatally in the chest. Our motorcycle somersaults several times. My life flashes before my eyes. Then I feel something different—a strong demonic presence, marching toward us. My chest beats rapidly as I feel a sense of familiarity and safety within me.

The scavengers who shot my mother scatter like hyenas; fear etched into their faces as they abandon our belongings and flee for their lives. My mum lies across the road in a pool of blood.

My heart races unevenly. As I look up, I see three figures marching toward me—

And damn. It is him. My eyes are not deceiving me.

There, the Lycan King stands.