CHAPTER 1

Prologue  

The night is bright as the full moon casts its light over the city, the darkness fleeing from its beams and clinging to corners where it can hide from the light. It is indeed a beautiful night. The quiet of the night begins to fade as the echoes of rain start their reign, but that isn’t the only noise. They’re at it again. The rogue alphas twist the blessing of the moon goddess to create their own with a bite, turning it into a curse. The screams of innocents, who know nothing about our world, echo alongside the rain as their freedom to choose between the ordinary and the supernatural is whisked out of their hands with a bite. The screams grow louder as Hugo, the alpha of the Bloodline pack, races through the trees toward the city with his Beta, Jon, running beside him, barely keeping up with the alpha’s speed. They have to get there on time; maybe they can save them, even if it is just one life. By the time they arrive, the screams have disappeared. The floors are littered with the bodies of failed transformations, the successes already gone, compelled by the alpha's power to enforce their will on pack members and anyone too weak to resist the alpha's command. They never last long; the alphas kill them once they’re strong enough, with the alphas’ powers increasing exponentially from taking the lives of their own. A hunger for power that cannot be quelled while they live. The city weeps for the loss of its innocents as the rain intensifies. Hugo’s defeated heart is suddenly jolted by a message from the midwives back at the pack house through the pack link: his mate has gifted him his first fruit, a beautiful baby girl, a bright light amidst the darkness of his world. He wastes no time as he turns from the gruesome scene, saying a silent prayer for the departed souls while bolting into the woods to meet his daughter, his silent Beta following suit with no questions asked. “¡Ya vengo, mi luz!”

Chapter 1: Alpha Mornings & Marriage Proposals

Liosha’s POV  

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!  

There goes that annoying sound again. Sometimes I wish it were a nuke that would just explode and take the whole Earth with it; at least that way, I wouldn’t have to get up and face my never-ending responsibilities. Oh well, I’ll get up in a minute, just one more minute.  

“Rise and shine, señorita!”

Ugh, I know that cheery voice all too well; it’s Isabella, my best friend and right-hand lady.

“It’s a beautiful day to rise and do alpha things.”  

“Ugh, just one more minute, Izzy!”

I groan as I bury my head under the thickness of my comforting duvet. She rips it off.  

“Don’t be a sour pup; you know how your daily routine goes.”  

“Ughhh! I’m taking a day off.”  

“Wait, can you do that?” she asks, more curious than confused.  

“I’m alpha; I can do whatever I want.”

I still don’t want to move from my sweet spot on the bed.  

“Not yet, you aren’t. Keep up that attitude, and I’ll never let you be alpha.” She’s tugging at my leg now; what a pest.  

“UGHHHH! Alright, alright, I’m getting up!”

I push myself off my back as I sit up, trying to find some motivation from the cosmos. I rub my eyes and try to get my vision working again.  

Everywhere is still dark. Of course, it is; it’s barely past 5:30 in the morning.

Oh well, that’s not considered early on this side of the world; that’s exactly on time. By 6:30, everywhere should be busy with pack members going about their daily duties. I suppose I can no longer run from mine. I psych myself up with a slap to both my cheeks and jump off the bed.  

“That’s the spirit! You go, girl!” Izzy cheers.

So cringe, but she did manage to steal a chuckle from me. “So, what do we do first?”  

“For starters, I should thank the higher power for giving me the strength to jump out of that bed and also for not jumping back in.”  

Izzy’s chuckle fills the room. “Amen to that,” she squeezes out.  

I smile and walk into the bathroom before I get infected with her usual chuckle fever.  

I undress and step into the shower to freshen up so that I don’t look like my problems. I bathe quickly, fix my hair into a messily done ponytail afterward, and brush my teeth. When I step out, I find Izzy lying tummy down on my bed, flipping through a romance novel I was reading last night. She hears me come in.  

“So, this is what kept you up all night?” She wiggles her eyebrows at me like some kind of perv.

“Shush. I wasn’t up all night.” Of course, she sees right through my guilty face.  

“Right… and I’m a seven-foot platypus.” Her sarcasm forces an eye roll out of me, but I can’t help but crack a little smile.  

“Get off my bed! We have a pack to run,” I say to her.  

“Right, alpha stuff.” She jumps off my bed, all perky, and runs to me, dragging me out of the room behind her. Who's ever this excited and energetic by six in the morning?  

We trot down the stairs to see my dad already sipping his coffee while sifting through what I assume are reports.

He’s dressed in his tank top, sweatpants, and running shoes, his normal fit for our morning run and patrol. I give him a quick once-over; he looks surprisingly good for an old man.  

“I’m not that old, honey.” His bass voice pulls me out of my thoughts.

How does he always know what I’m thinking? I could swear I didn’t use the pack link just now. He doesn’t look up from what he’s reading, but I can still see the smile playing on his lips.  

“Good morning, Mr. H!” Izzy pipes up beside me.  

“Good morning, Izzy. Nice to see your parents raised you right.” Ugh! Subtle, Dad.  

“Good morning, Papa,” I force out, overemphasizing my words and adding a dramatic curtsy to it. Yeah, I’m petty like that.  

“Mi Hiha. Come here, you little rascal.”

He’s looking at me now, his smile wide enough to compete with the Grand Canyon. I can’t help but smile back; it’s so infectious.  

I saunter over to him and walk into his embrace. So warm. To the rest of the pack, he is a strict alpha, but to me, he’s always been a big softie. Although a part of him died when my mother passed away while giving birth to my little brothers, he still always had a way of brightening the whole house, never letting us feel alone.  

“Ouch!” I yelp as I feel a pinch on both my arms, forcing me to let go of my dad. I look around for the culprits, only to find them snickering away while munching on the muffins on the table.

“That wasn’t funny, guys,” I say, already pissed.  

“It kinda was,” Marco says with a shrug and a snicker right afterward, Martin snickering beside him. They each have a muffin in hand, and their mouths are full from the bites they just took.  

“You little pieces of shit!” I growl out while stomping toward them.  

“Hey, hey! Kids! This is no way to start the morning,” my dad booms, moving to stand in front of me.

His aura is enough to make all of us cower a bit.

“Mi Hiha, you need to let loose every once in a while; a little bit of tomfoolery never hurt. It keeps you sane,” he says softly to me.

“And you boys need to show your sister some respect; she’s the next alpha, for God’s sake! Liosha, you shouldn’t forget that as well. You always have to keep a cool head to make the right decisions. Now, no more time wasting, we have duties to attend to.”

The whole room is silent now, his loud steps cutting through the stillness as he makes his way to the exit; no one says a thing as we follow suit. 

“Hugo! What’s good, my man?” Mr. Mathews, one of the older warriors about the same age as my dad, greets him in an unusually informal manner, even for old acquaintances. 

“Matt! You’re up early. How are you?” my dad greets him back.

He looks a bit flustered; weird. 

“I was just so excited I could barely sleep!".

Had to come out for a breather, try to get my knickers straight, you know? He bursts out laughing right afterward and hits my dad rather clumsily on the arm. I don’t need special goggles to see the discomfort in my dad’s eyes; this makes me snicker a bit. 

“Now, Matt, you’re not getting any younger; you can’t be losing sleep like that over such matters,” my dad retorts. 

“Nonsense! What kind of father won’t be happy to see his son get married? And not just to anyone, but the…” 

“OKAYYY! Good talk, Matt; I’ll catch you on the next run. Bye-bye now!” my dad quickly shooed him away. 

“That was weird. Carlos is getting married? To whom?” I ask, my love for gossip refusing to sit still. 

“That’s a good question. I’m sure you want the full details of the story,” my dad says, with that mischievous glint in his eyes. 

“Of course I do,” I say, a bit skeptical. 

“That’s good. Let’s see how bad you want it, race you to the edge of the woods!” he quickly says and starts bolting. 

“Wait, what?!” I scream, not giving my brain time to process my confusion; I quickly sprint, my feet acting on instinct, kicking hard against the dirt that propels me forward, fast. But he’s still ahead, plus he’s a bloody alpha! Well, I have alpha blood too. I lock in and increase my pace, raising dust with each step I take. I feel so free as I bolt through the woods, weaving between trees and easily jumping over roots. It’s so liberating! I know I can go even faster, but my legs argue with my brain, and they’re winning. 

“You’re gonna have to do better than that if you wanna beat your old man, Bebita!”

I hear his voice through the pack link, and I can just imagine the smirk on his face. Argh! I have to beat him. Today is the day I wipe that smug grin off his face! I push myself even more. We’ll soon run out of woods, but I don’t care; it’s all or nothing. So I give it my all. I can see the distance closing; I’m finally catching up! Then, in one quick move, he spins around and lifts me in the air by my arm, spinning me around to break the momentum, and he places me gently on the ground. Then he bursts into hysterics, clutching his belly and laughing hard. Before I know it, I’m doubling over, laughing as well.

“You're a natural, Loisha,” he says, the laughs slowly dying out.  

“I know, right? I almost caught you this time,” I try to defend myself.  

“Yeah, but you didn’t,” he teases.  

“Well, you got a head start, and you’re an alpha!”  

“You're pouting. Not so hardcore now, are you?” I pout harder, if that’s possible. “You’re so grown now, Mi Luz.”  

He looks at me, his eyes softening.  

“Of course, Dad. I wouldn’t stay a kid forever,” I try to joke, but his words got to me. Ew. Emotions and whatnot.  

“Yes, but you’ll always be my little girl,” he pats my head.  

“Always, Dad,” I smile.  

“You know, your mum always said you’d make a great alpha someday,” his smile falters a bit.  

“She said that?”  

“Sure! Who do you think put this whole idea of breaking tradition into my head?” We both chuckle. His smile slowly fades. “I just wish the pack were as open-minded as I am.”  

“They'll come around, Dad. I have done a lot to prove my worth here, and I can do a whole lot more. Believe me, I know I can.” The fire in my spirit spills out all over the place. I’m determined to be the best alpha this pack has ever known.  

“I believe you, hun, but I still need a way to ease the worries of our pack.” he looks like he’s already found a way.  

“You look like you’ve already found a way,” I squint my eyes to try to pierce into his soul.  

“Maybe I have.”  

“Are you gonna tell me?” He’s thinking now; I can see his face harden as it does whenever he’s deep in thought.  

“I want you to get married, Liosha,” he finally says, looking me dead in the eyes. My jaw drops.  

“Get married? How does that work when I haven’t even found my mate yet?” I argue. Marry? I can’t do that, especially not just on a whim.  

“Mi hija, I know it’s sudden, but it’s for the good of the pack. As the next alpha and leader of the pack, sometimes you have to make sacrifices for the good of the pack.” I can hear the concern in his voice, and I can certainly understand his reasoning. I guess it’s one of the tough choices that comes with being alpha. Plus, my dad never really had a track record of being wrong, making it so easy to trust his judgment.

“Even if I wanted to, how do I find someone in such a short time?”

“I already have a proposal, if you’re willing to accept it.” My mouth goes dry. He’s found someone already?

“Who?” I ask, my brain sending violent shivers down my spine

“Carlos,” and that does it, my brain goes blank, and my legs threaten to give out. He wants me to get married to Carlos Delgado.