The Night I Lost Everything

Lyra

A piercing scream yanked me out of sleep.

My eyes snapped as the sound echoed through the resort walls—raw, sharp, and filled with unbearable agony.

For a moment, I lay frozen in bed, my heart pounding heavily against my chest.

What was going on?

I jumped out of bed immediately and tied the sash of my robe with trembling fingers.

Was the resort under attack?

No.That didn’t make sense. Nobody would dare attack my father’s resort.

The entire territory was heavily guarded by wolves loyal to him. Security patrolled every section of the grounds day and night. We were isolated deep within the mountains, far from most packs and hidden from humans.

So what could possibly…

My bedroom door burst open so violently that it slammed against the wall. I gasped and stumbled backward.

“Mother?!”

I felt relief for exactly one second before fear replaced it entirely.

My mother looked terrified.

I had never seen her like that before.

Her usually composed expression had completely shattered. Her dark hair was messy and partly falling from its braid, and there was blood smeared across the sleeve of her dress. Behind her stood two guards holding weapons, their faces pale with panic.

“Mother, what's going on?”

She rushed toward me so quickly that I barely had time to react before she grabbed my wrist tightly.

“We have to leave the resort right now.”

What? Leave the resort?

This was my home. I had spent almost my entire life here.

The resort wasn’t just some temporary place we stayed, it was everything I knew. My father built this place long before I was born. Every hallway, every room, every hidden corner of the mountains surrounding us carried pieces of my childhood.

I rarely even traveled outside the resort grounds.

And when I did, it was only because I begged endlessly until Father finally gave in, but never without guards surrounding me the entire time.

“Mother, what’s happening?”

But she didn’t answer me. Instead, she dragged me toward the door. The moment I stepped into the hallway, the question died in my throat.

A body lay on the floor… Or what was left of it.The limbs had been torn apart brutally, pieces of flesh scattered across the blood-soaked hallway. One arm lay twisted several feet away while deep claw marks had ripped open his chest.

Blood covered the walls and pooled beneath him, but it was his face that shattered me completely.

His eyes were gone… ripped out.

The empty sockets stared upward so horribly that my stomach twisted violently.

A scream tore from my throat instantly.

Mother clamped her hand tightly over my mouth before the sound fully escaped.

“Quiet!” she whispered harshly.

I couldn’t breathe.

My entire body started shaking violently as she pulled me away from the horrific scene.

Who or rather, what would have butchered someone in such a horrifying way? The only thing that came to my mind was… Feral Rogues.

No…

No, no, no.

Not here.

Growing up, I had always known about rogues.

I was one.

My parents were rogues too.

Though they rarely spoke about the pack they once belonged to, I knew they had left years ago to build a different life here at the resort. I had never questioned them much about it because I always believed they had their reasons.

Maybe they were betrayed.

Maybe they wanted freedom.

Maybe they simply wanted peace away from pack politics.

Whatever the reason was, they had created a safe life here for us.

But feral rogues were different.

They weren’t simply wolves who chose to live outside a pack. They were monsters.

Corrupted wolves whose human minds had been completely consumed by their wolf spirit. Wolves driven insane by bloodlust and death until nothing human remained inside them anymore.

As a child, I used to hear stories about them whispered among servants late at night. Feral rogues kill for pleasure. They rip people apart.They don’t stop.

I used to think they were exaggerated bedtime horrors meant to scare children into obedience.

Now I knew they were real.

Another howl echoed through the resort.

Closer this time.

I nearly stumbled.

I didn’t even realize tears had started streaming down my face until my mother pulled me forward again.

“Keep moving,” she whispered urgently.

I forced my legs to move even though they felt weak beneath me.

The two guards followed closely behind us as we hurried through the hallways. Everywhere I looked, there were signs of destruction.

Blood smeared across walls, shattered glass covering the floor, the scent of blood was so strong it made me nauseous.Then somewhere nearby, someone screamed in agony before suddenly going silent.

I flinched so hard I almost fell.

Mother pushed open a hidden panel behind one of the tapestries and a narrow stone passageway revealed itself behind it.

My father once told me it was an emergency escape route. I never thought we would actually use it.

We hurried into the passageway, and the hidden door shut behind us.

The tunnel was cold and damp, lit only by dim torches attached to the walls. My breathing echoed loudly around me as we rushed forward. Above us, faint crashes and snarls vibrated through the stone.

I don’t know how long we ran through the tunnel. Minutes felt like hours, but Mother never slowed down.

Finally, we reached an opening at the end of the passageway. Cold night air hit my face instantly.

A black vehicle was already waiting in the clearing beyond the trees with Samuel standing at alert.

Samuel had worked for Father for years. He taught me how to drive when I was younger and used to sneak me extra desserts whenever Father wasn’t looking.

“Lyra,” he said quickly as we approached.

Mother turned toward me and grabbed both my hands tightly.

“You need to leave with Samuel right now.”

I blinked at her.

“What?”

“He’s taking you to the Stormfang Pack. The Alpha there will protect you.”

“What about you?” I asked quickly. “What about Father? Where is he?”

The moment I asked, something broke in Mother’s expression. Her eyes filled instantly with tears she was desperately trying to hold back.

“Your father is dead.”

Everything inside me shattered so violently I staggered backward.

Dead? No.

That was impossible.

My father couldn’t die. He was the strongest wolf I knew. Nothing could kill him.Tears blurred my vision instantly.

I couldn’t breathe. It felt like someone had ripped my heart out of my chest.

Mother grabbed my face firmly and forced me to look at her.

“Lyra, listen to me! You have to stay strong. Do you understand me?”

I couldn’t think. Couldn’t process anything. My father was dead.

“You cannot let fear control you,” she continued urgently. “Remember everything your father and I taught you. Remember your training.”

Training. Fighting. Survival.

All the lessons Father forced me through even when I complained endlessly. Broken sobs escaped my lips as I nodded weakly.

Mother reached into her pocket and pulled out a sealed letter.

“Give this to Alpha Kael Draven of the Stormfang Pack,” she said, pressing it into my trembling hands. “Do not lose it.”

I stared at the unfamiliar seal on the envelope. My hands shook so badly I almost dropped it. Then Mother quickly removed the silver amulet from around her neck.

She never took that necklace off. Ever.

Without hesitation, she slipped it around my neck instead.

“Mother…”

“Keep it safe,” she whispered.

Suddenly, growls echoed through the clearing.

The sound froze my blood instantly.

The two guards stepped protectively in front of us while mother grabbed my arm.

“Get in the car. Now.”

“No, Mother!” I clutched her tightly. “Come with me! I can't lose you too!”

“There’s no time.”

Another snarl ripped through the air, then they emerged from the forest.

Two enormous feral rogues stepped into the clearing, and every ounce of warmth left my body instantly.

They were horrifying.

Their fur was matted with blood, their eyes glowing with something empty and monstrous. There was no humanity inside them… only death and hunger.

I couldn’t move.

The two guards immediately transformed into their wolves and lunged toward the ferals.

But even I could see the difference.

The feral rogues were much larger, much stronger. The collision between them was brutal.

“GO!” Mother screamed.

Before I could react, she shoved me toward the car with all her strength. I stumbled into the backseat and the door slammed shut behind me.

“Drive now!” Mother yelled at Samuel.

The locks clicked immediately.

“No!” I screamed, throwing myself against the door. “Mother!”

The car sped forward. I pounded against the window desperately as tears streamed uncontrollably down my face.

“Stop!” I cried hysterically. “Samuel, please stop! We can’t leave her!”

But Samuel kept driving. Mother stood in the clearing watching us leave, then I saw a tear slip down her face.

I clawed frantically at the door handle, trying to force it open, but it wouldn’t move. I looked through the rear windshield desperately, and my entire world shattered.

One of the guards was already dead.

His wolf lay torn apart across the ground.Then one of the feral rogues lifted its head, its glowing eyes locked onto my mother.

“No…” I whispered weakly.

The beast lunged, and in absolute horror, I watched it pounce onto my mother’s back.

“NO!!!!!!!!!!”