Chapter One

Prologue 

The full moon shone down on the forest, casting its pale light over the trees. The wind was still, and the leaves rustled only slightly in the breeze. The only sounds were the chirping of crickets and the occasional hooting of owls.

Torrez was on patrol. His sharp senses were on high alert as he prowled through the underbrush, scanning the woods for any sign of danger. He had been feeling very uneasy ever since Lucas, his alpha left for an urgent meeting leaving him in charge of their territory. 

The forest was Torrez's home, and he knew every inch of it. He had spent his life here, growing up with the pack, learning from his elders. He had always felt safe in the forest, protected by his pack and the natural order of things. 

He mused about how his fellow packmates teased him relentlessly for not sealing the bond with his mate, Freya. Smiling slightly to himself, he hoped she understood that he was trying to be a gentleman. He didn’t want to just claim her like a wild animal, he wanted her to get to know him.

After being lost in thought for some time, he suddenly noticed something very odd; silence. The forest which had been buzzing with the sounds of the nightlife was suddenly eerily quiet. His hair stood on the back of his neck as he slowly shifted into his wereform, like a coil spring ready to snap.

Suddenly, he heard an unfamiliar howl, a menacing sound that made his blood run cold. One that carried with it the stench and promise of death. His heart pounded in his chest as he suddenly started darting through the forest back to the camp at breakneck speed. His only thought was of Freya.

As he emerged through the trees, he saw them: an unfamiliar pack of rogue werewolves, emerging from the shadows like wraiths. Their wereshift was larger than normal, with their fur dark and matted, their eyes glowing with a fierce, unnatural light as they snarled and approached on their hind legs.

He lunged at them with all the strength in his bones. He and the Blackwood pack fought with all the ferocity they could muster, but the rogues were too strong, too brutal. The air was filled with the sound of howls and snarls as they tore through his packmates like they were nothing. There was pandemonium everywhere. 

"Torrez!" He heard Freya's panicked voice but he couldn't get to her as he was surrounded. "Freya! Get out of here!" He screamed at her and prayed she would be able to escape. 

Torrez fought with everything he had, his teeth bared and his claws slashing through the air. He mentally counted that he'd killed at least six of the rogue pack but their numbers still looked unaffected. He fought for his mate, for his home, for his life. He saw his packmates falling around him, their torn limbs and blood staining the forest floor. But he refused to give up, to let the rogues win.

As the battle raged on, Torrez saw the rogue alpha standing aside, away from the attacks with a wicked grin on his face. Torrez knew he was the alpha because he was unnaturally bigger than the rest of them.

A piercing scream brought his attention back to the fight as he turned around just in time to see Freya's throat getting ripped out. Letting out an inhuman roar, he lunged at her killer and ripped him to shreds with his teeth and claws. 

Broken and whimpering, he crawled over to Freya's body and saw her lying in a pool of her blood with her eyes open and unseeing. Her mouth was open in the scream of the final sound she made.

He looked around him, eyes red with rage and saw that they were badly outnumbered as his packmates were dropping like flies but he refused to go down without a fight. He lunged at the rogue alpha, and was met with a sickening blow that threw him across the clearing causing him to shift back to his human form. He tried to lift himself up but the air had been sucked out of him and he was sure his ribs were all broken from the impact of the blow. 

Panting and spluttering out blood, he thought to himself. Who was this wolf? He was too strong, too skilled. As the world began to fade to black, Torrez saw the enormous rogue alpha approach him and leaned in close to whisper in his ear. 

His eyes bulged at the revelation and he let out a loud growl at the alpha until his head was stomped into the ground. 

Then, everything went silent as he passed out.

When Torrez came to, he was alone in the forest. His packmates' bodies were scattered all around him in various mangled shapes. The last thing he remembered was the sound of the rogue pack's howls as they left the bloody scene, a sound that echoed through the forest like a warning.

Tears mixed with blood was streaming down his face as he stared at the moon, wondering what they had done to deserve this. Faintly, he could still hear the rogue pack in the distance and felt an overwhelming rage course through him.

Praying to the moon goddess to grant him strength for the very last time, he let out one final howl as he slowly rose, clutching his torn chest as he made a mournful sound that echoed through the trees. He was going to chase after the rogue pack and make them pay for what they had done. He would not die peacefully until he had avenged his fallen packmates with his dying breath.

Drawing in a huge breath of air, Torrez slowly shifted back to his wereform screaming in pain as his bones were making sickening crunches. He stood on his hindlegs one last time and sprinted into the forest, his paws pounding the ground as he followed the howls. He could feel the anger and hatred burning within him, a fire that threatened to consume him. He knew that he could never forget the sound of the rogue pack's howls, a sound that would haunt him until he died.

As Torrez ran, he thought about his packmates. He remembered their faces, their howls, their strength. They had all been family to him, a community that had supported and protected him. And now they were all gone.

Torrez's heart raced as he came across the rogue pack who seemed to have stopped after hearing him approach. He could feel his muscles tense as he faced the rogues, his eyes fixed only on the alpha. The alpha stood tall, a menacing figure, surrounded by his packmates.

"You killed my pack," Torrez growled. "You killed my mate. And now, I'm going to make you pay!"

The rogue alpha snarled in response, his eyes flickering with dark amusement.

"Well, well," he said. "The little beta has come to seek revenge. How cute. I'm impressed you can still stand after the fight."

Torrez bared his teeth and lunged at the alpha, but the rogue was quick, dodging out of the way with ease. He could feel how slow his movements were because of the blood loss and knew his life force was already leaving him. The two of them circled each other, growling and snarling.

"You think you're so tough, a Blackwood beta," the alpha said. "But you're just a little pup. You're no match for me."

Torrez ignored the taunts, focusing all his attention on the alpha. He was struggling to keep his eyes open and was already seeing double. He could see the rogue's muscles tensing, preparing to strike and knew he stood no chance against him if he wasn't smart.

Torrez leapt forward, pretending to aim for the alpha's throat. The rogue twisted out of the way as expected, and Torrez managed to catch him with a glancing blow that clawed out his face. The rogue stumbled backwards, a sharp look of sunrise crossing his face before he quickly recovered, angrily launching a fierce counterattack.

The two wolves collided in a final, fierce battle. Torrez was fighting on adrenaline and hate-filled rage but the alpha seemed to be toying with him, and soon enough Torrez found himself letting out a blood curling scream before dropping on the ground after the alpha tore out both his arms from his shoulders, ripping the limb out of his socket.

As he lay there, Torrez could only hear the sound of the rogue pack tearing into what was left of him and ripping him apart. It seemed he had transcended the point of pain because he couldn't feel anything anymore. He had fought with everything he had, but in the end, it had not been enough. He closed his eyes, feeling his life slip away.

It was true, what they said. About your whole life flashing through like a movie before your eyes when death was close. He saw Freya's smile, heard her laugh, and saw his best friend's shy look after he was announced as the next alpha. A small sad smile slowly crept across his face as he thought of Lucas. These wolves were going to suffer brutally for what they did. This was his very last thought until he could think no more.