Prologue - Sins of the past ...

In the werewolf world, males were possessive and powerful men. They were arrogant, ruthless and cruel. In the kingdom of the Black Valley, the king went to extreme lengths to make sure his people stayed loyal by any means necessary. With the use of fake prophecies and even faker legends about the world and its creatures outside the kingdom, he controlled everyone.

Females were viewed as lesser creatures that were only there for pleasure or procreation. When the news of a new princess found its way to him, he made sure that she would never grow up. It was bad enough when the rogues chose a king. The last thing the king of the Black Valley needed was a young rival! A female no less!

In the kingdom of the Black Valley, turmoil was brewing, and the females were always losing, it seemed.

On the night that Alison disappeared it was a dark and gloomy night. The stars hid behind dark clouds as if they couldn’t witness what was about to happen. The man snuck in and out of the castle as if he was never there. With the small bundle in his arms, he made his way into the forest, breathing a sigh of relief as soon as he reached the border.

He didn’t want to do what the king ordered him to, but he had no other choice. Either he killed the little pup in his arms or the king would kill his own daughter. He was the best assassin in the kingdom. Nobody knew who he was. Nobody but the king. That was what he used against the man! As he made his way deeper into the Black Valley, he found himself unable to do what he had been ordered to do.

He knew that if anyone ever found out, his entire family would pay the price, but he just couldn’t do it. The little girl in his arms smiled, and it broke his heart that their king was so cruel. It was pouring rain by the time he stood in front of the orphanage. He knocked and as soon as he heard someone coming, he left the little girl on the steps. Hiding around the corner, he waited until someone came to the door and took her away.

She would be safe there. Whenever someone found a wolf pup that had been abandoned, they were left there or if the pup’s family had been killed on the border, they were brought to the orphanage. As he made his way home, he promised he would check in on the girl as often as possible. In the morning, he would give the king the little baby’s blanket that he would cover in blood as proof that he had done what he was ordered to do.

His own daughter would be returned to them, and they would be able to move on with their lives.

ALISON GREW UP IN the orphanage all her life. The only thing she knew about herself was that someone left her at the door. The kids in the orphanage would always sit around and dream about their parents coming to save them, but she never did. Being abandoned like that was enough to convince her that if her parents didn’t want her, she sure as hell didn’t want them.

Life in the orphanage was tough, and they had to attend school with the ranked pups, but they still had to come home and do their chores while the ranked pups could go out and play. Unlike the others in the orphanage, Alison didn’t mind. Doing her chores kept her out of the streets where some of the males looked at her funny. Life was hard for females in their pack. She had no idea what the males did with the females, but she knew that she didn’t want to end up in one specific house in town.

The females that lived there sent a shiver down the back of Alison’s spine. No, all she had to do was work hard and make it through the rank trials. If she was lucky, she would rank up. If she wasn’t, she only had one hope left to stay out of that house! She had to find a mate that would protect her.