3

The night breeze blew gently, carrying the scent of pine that filled the forest outside the Silver Pine Pack’s territory. Aurora kept walking without a specific destination. The canvas bag slung over her shoulder felt heavier with every step. Her legs were starting to ache, but she kept forcing herself to keep moving.

If she stopped now, she was afraid she’d turn back. Afraid to see Alpha Ryder Thorn’s face. Afraid, too, to hear the laughter again of the people she’d always considered family. Tears began to flow once more, and Aurora couldn’t stop them.

“No. I’m fine. I have to be strong,” she whispered to herself. But even Aurora didn’t believe that lie.

Aurora had been walking for nearly two hours when a rustling sound came from behind the bushes. She stopped immediately.

“Who’s there?!”

There was no answer. Only silence. Aurora swallowed hard. She wasn’t a fighter. Her whole life, Aurora had held a kitchen knife far more often than a sword or any other weapon in the pack. Her hand slowly reached for the small knife tucked at her waist.

“Come out!”

Still no answer. Aurora breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe it was just a deer running by. She was just about to take another step when another sound rang out.

“Graaaarrr!!”

A rogue wolf leaped out from behind the trees. Its body was much larger than that of an ordinary werewolf. Its eyes glowed red. Drool could be seen dripping from its long fangs. Aurora immediately backed away, her legs trembling.

“No.”

Another rogue wolf appeared. Then, yet another. Now four rogue wolves were surrounding her. Aurora turned pale.

“Oh, Moon Goddess.” Why tonight? Why now?

One of the rogue wolves sniffed the air. “Hm...” A hoarse, masculine voice emerged from the monster’s mouth. “A female wolf.”

The other rogue wolves began to grin. “She’s alone in this forest.”

“We’re so lucky.”

Aurora knew. Rogue wolves didn’t just kill. They also kidnapped female werewolves to sell to other packs. Her heart was pounding wildly. Without a second thought, Aurora turned and ran as fast as she could.

Tree branches lashed her face. Her dress got caught in the bushes several times. Aurora kept running, gasping for breath. Behind her, the roars of the rogue wolves echoed.

“Chase that woman!”

“She won’t be able to run far!”

Aurora nearly tripped over a tree root. Her body was already too exhausted tonight. She’d spent the whole day cooking, and then she’d been humiliated. Now she had to run for her life. She was completely out of energy.

“Ugh!”

Aurora fell hard. Her knee slammed into a rock. The wound stung terribly, and blood began to flow. Before Aurora could get to her feet, the four rogues had already surrounded her again.

“You’re done running, miss.” One of the Rogues laughed loudly.

“No Alpha is coming to save you from us tonight.”

Aurora gripped her small knife with her hands trembling violently. She knew that little knife wouldn’t be of the slightest use against the four Rogues standing before her now. But Aurora didn’t want to die without putting up a fight.

“Come on. If I have to die tonight, at least I’ll put up a fight against you.” She whispered softly.

The largest Rogue stepped forward. “Come to think of it, you’re pretty.”

He licked his lips with a lustful gaze. “Too bad you’re a bit on the plump side.”

The four Rogues laughed loudly. It was always the same old line. Aurora closed her eyes. Perhaps this really was the end of her life. But suddenly, the entire forest fell deathly silent. Even the rogues stopped laughing, and they began to look at one another.

“Do you smell that?” one of the rogues whispered.

The largest rogue’s face immediately turned pale. “It can’t be.”

Shortly afterward, the ground began to shake violently.

Dum!

Dum!

Dum!

The sound of very heavy footsteps approached from behind the trees. Aurora slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was a pair of golden eyes glowing in the darkness. Then a giant black wolf emerged from the forest.

The giant wolf’s body was nearly twice the size of a typical Alpha. Its fur was jet black. A golden sheen adorned the tip of its tail. Its golden eyes glared coldly, yet with a deadly intensity. The rogues immediately took a few steps back in fear.

“T-that’s...”

“Impossible.”

“A-a Lycan.”

The largest rogue swallowed hard. “That’s the Lycan King.”

Aurora froze. ‘The Lycan King? Don’t the Lycans live far up north? Then why is their king here right now?’ her mind raced with questions.

The giant black wolf didn’t look in Aurora’s direction at all. Instead, his gaze was fixed solely on the rogues. One step, the air turned tense. Two steps, the pressure of his aura filled the entire forest. Three steps, one of the rogues immediately knelt in submission before him.

“Your Majesty.” He didn’t even dare to lift his head. “Please forgive us.”

His reply was only a low growl, one that sent shivers down Aurora’s entire body. Then, in the blink of an eye, the black Lycan vanished with blinding speed. Aurora didn’t even have time to see his movement.

Crack!

All that could be heard was the sound of the first Rogue’s neck snapping. The Rogue’s body was immediately hurled into a tree with tremendous force. Before the other Rogue could react, a giant claw ripped open the second Rogue’s chest, causing his scream to ring out loudly.

The third rogue tried to escape. But of course, it was a futile effort. The Lycan pounced on the third rogue again, one bite, and it was over. The third rogue died with a gaping hole in its body. The last rogue trembled violently, overcome with fear.

“F-forgive me, Your Majesty. I beg you.”

The Lycan stared at the last rogue without the slightest hint of emotion. Then, the Lycan growled softly. The rogue immediately fainted from sheer terror. Aurora covered her mouth. She had never once seen a creature this powerful in her entire life. In a matter of seconds, the four rogues were wiped out.

Silence once again enveloped the forest. Aurora took a step back. She knew that Lycans were predators, too. What if she became the next victim? The black wolf slowly turned its head. Their golden gazes met. For some reason, Aurora didn’t see any bloodlust in those eyes.

Instead, what Aurora saw was a sense of relief, as if the creature had been searching for something for a very long time and had finally found it. The Lycan began to walk toward her. Aurora grew even more nervous.

“I-I…” She took another step back. “Thank you for saving me.”

But the Lycan kept walking toward her. The distance between them was closing now. Until finally, they were just a step apart. Aurora could feel its warm breath. Her heart was racing uncontrollably now.

“Are you going to kill me too, just like they did?” Aurora whispered softly.

That question immediately made the Lycan’s golden eyes widen slightly. As if startled, something strange then happened. The giant black wolf slowly bowed its head, not to attack, but to pay respects.

Aurora froze. “What…”

Before Aurora could finish her sentence, a black light began to envelop the Lycan’s body. The giant wolf’s form slowly transformed. Its fur vanished, its legs lengthened, and the figure of a man now stood before Aurora. The man was tall, broad-shouldered, with jet-black hair and the same golden eyes.

The man’s face was so handsome it almost seemed unreal. Aurora immediately looked away when she realized he wasn’t wearing a single piece of clothing after his transformation. The man also seemed to be aware of this.

“I-I’m sorry..” Aurora instinctively looked away.

With a calm motion, he took the long black cloak tied to the saddle of his horse, which was standing not far away, and put it on. After that, he looked at Aurora again. Neither of them spoke. He simply stared. Something inside him had completely lost its composure. His wolf.

His wolf had been silent for centuries. Now it pacing wildly inside him. ‘Mate!’

The word echoed again. ‘She’s our mate!’

The Lycan King clenched his jaw. Impossible. Lycans had almost never been blessed with true mates. Yet, the instinct refused to be ignored.

Aurora could only stare at him, her breath caught in her throat. “W-who are you?”

The man gave a faint smile, the first smile to appear on his face in hundreds of years.

“My name is Cassian Ravenshade. I am the Lycan King of the Moonveil Dominion.”

Aurora froze. Then she stepped back, because she was afraid. Cassian realized this. Then he took half a step back instead.

“I won’t hurt you.” His voice was calm, almost gentle.

Aurora blinked. He had just slaughtered four rogues. Yet now, he was deliberately keeping his distance. Cassian lowered his head briefly, as showing respect to Aurora.

“It seems...” He paused. “The Moon Goddess has an interesting sense of humor.”

Aurora frowned. “I don’t understand.”

Cassian looked at her once more. The instinct inside him screaming again. ‘Mate!’

Every fiber of his being wanted to reach for her. To make sure she was safe. To stay by her side. Instead, he folded both hands behind his back.

“My wolf believes, that you are my fated mate.”

Aurora’s eyes widened. “What?!”

Cassian gave a faint, almost helpless smile. “I understand if that’s difficult to believe. To be honest, it’s difficult for me as well.”