Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1 PRINCESS AKIRA.

 SEVENTEEN YEARS LATER.

“Have a nice holiday, Akira!” a voice called from outside the bus. 

“See you next semester,” another added, waving at Akira. 

Princess Akira turned from the wagon, forcing a smile as she waved back. But it was fake. She wasn’t happy.

This would be her first time returning to her home pack in a very long time. More than a decade since she saw her family.Years since she last touched her Hounds, hugged her friends, or walked among the familiar faces of her people.

She had always spent the school holidays at her aunt’s in the Southern pack. But this time, she was done. Fed up. She was going home, whether anyone liked it or not. Just because she respected her father didn’t mean she believed him.

Something wasn’t right. She could feel it. But no one would say a word. They kept her hidden in foreign lands so the Grand Northern King wouldn’t come for her.

It’s been seventeen years, and still, they didn’t trust what he might do. So Akira was kept away, isolated, and lied to.

She leaned back, her shoulders hitting the hard wood of the wagon. Her fingers gripped the side for balance as memories rushed back. The miserable life she’d lived.

An Alpha’s daughter, forbidden to come home. Forbidden to make choices.

They forced her into an all-girls school. Forced her to wear frilly, feminine clothes when everyone knew she was a tomboy. Worse, they separated her from her Hounds. And not a single one of her six brothers had shown up the day she got her wolf.

Once—just once—Akira wished she belonged to the Western packs. At least then she could mind link with her family, reach out to them whenever she wanted. But no. Her bloodline was the purest wolf kind, and they couldn’t mind linking but heal faster.

To her, that was a worthless privilege. She wanted more. With that, she unzipped her backpack and pulled out two photos. The first showed her with her Hounds; Rocco and Snoopy. She traced their faces with her thumb, smiling softly.

“One more hunt with you guys,” she whispered, blinking back tears. She had missed them.

The second photo was of her family: her parents and six older brothers. It had been taken ten years ago, when she was just nine.

Akira blinked down at it. Her fingers trembled slightly as she traced her mother’s smile, Her father stood tall, his strong arm resting protectively on her shoulder. Her brothers stood behind them in the photo loud, protective and proud..

She blinked again trying to hold back the tears but the tears fell anyway.

“I miss you all,” she whispered.

She closed her eyes, drawing in a shaky breath as the ache in her chest deepened. So many years apart. So many memories buried.

Little did she know why. No one told her, not even her brothers. They’d all been warned not to say a word to her, she must not know they're walking on broken glass for the past seventeen years hoping the Grand King's silence means he's forgotten.

A few minutes later the wagon gave a low groan and stopped at Eastern Pack territory. Akira opened her eyes and wiped her cheeks quickly before glancing around. They had arrived.

Akira leaned forward, narrowing her eyes. The sky looked... wrong.

A bluish-grey haze to the edge of the horizon like smoke. Something felt off. She couldn’t explain it, but every nerve in her body was on alert then, there came the whispers.

“Is that smoke?” someone murmured as they stepped off the wagon. 

“I heard it started at Eas—” The name snapped Akira’s attention, Eastern pack. Her hometown.

“No, no. Someone said the Northern Knights were there.”

Akira’s heart jolted. It raced faster. Panic slowly crept in as her gaze narrowed, her curiosity piqued.

“What happened?” another girl asked. “Rogues? Or... wait, was it the Western Prince’s wedding?”

Her breath caught in her throat at once. Her brother’s wedding?..... And she didn't even know. She hated being away. She can't imagine missing any of their weddings.

‘Fuck you dad, fuck you mom for not telling me one of them is getting married. ‘

“My cousin said the Grand King gave a secret order,” one girl whispered. “He sent the Iron Wolves out today.” 

Akira’s blood ran cold immediately she heard the mention of iron wolves. They never moved unless it was war... or the extermination of a family in the werewolf kingdom.

They were infamous for their brutality—wielding weapons and burning talismans to shift into their wolf forms. When they did, they went feral, though not all of them survived after going feral, most people say it's a curse.

A chill raced down Akira’s spine as the buzz in the parking zone grew louder.

“They’re attacking... Someone said it’s a purge.”

“A purge?—Of whom?”

“The Eastern bloodline.”

Akira couldn’t breathe. That was her people. Her family. Her brothers. Her friends. Her pack. Her bloodline. She pressed a shaky hand to the window, heart still pounding in her chest. Her wolf stirred inside her, frantic, though unable to speak. 

Were Rocco and Snoopy safe? Her parents? Her brothers? Those were the thoughts in her head.

“Oh my goodness!” one girl suddenly screamed, eyes wide as she stared at the darkening sky. “That’s not natural fire!” she revealed.

“Moon fire,” someone whispered. “Moon goddess help us. No werewolf can survive that.”

Akira froze upon hearing the moon fire. Moon fire isn't any kind of fire, it weakens wolves and burns them without the chance to escape or put it out. Her mind couldn’t grasp it. Her family... her home... Her hounds, all dust now, for defying the Grand King seventeen years ago.

“They’re here!” a terrified voice cried out, snapping everyone's attention. 

“Who?!”

“The Iron Wolves—run!” Screams exploded in the air as armoured soldiers stormed the clearing. Tall. Dressed in black steel. Warrior outfits and high knee boots. It's the Iron Wolves. 

Without warning or questioning, just brute force they began dragging everyone. The first soldier reached a nearby bus and yanked a girl out by her hair. Her scream pierced the sky. Another tried to run, but a silver chain wrapped around her neck and slammed her to the ground. Akira jumped up, heart pounding but the back exit ripped open before she could move.

And there he was.

Prince Dominus. The Grand King’s first son.The most feared across the four axes of the werewolf kingdom.Even though He could shift without going feral. He also wielded a sword like death itself. He is most ranked for the numerous noble heads he's killed.

Two more armoured wolves stormed in behind him. Akira tried to fight. She punched. Kicked. Bit. But she was no match. One seized her wrist. Another backhanded her and Pain burst through her cheek before she finally hit the ground, knees scraping against gravel.

“Let me go!” she screamed struggling to breathe. The next second one of the men took out his whip giving Akira a taste of it. White-hot pain seared across her back and she gasped, choking on dust, face pressed to the ground..

“No!” Prince Dominus growled. “Don’t flog her,” he ordered and they quickly obeyed. They bound her wrists in silver cuffs and yanked her to her feet like she was nothing.

Her vision blurred. Her wolf raged, but the silver... the pain it caused her was unbearable as they dragged her, However, the last thing she saw before being shoved into the slave truck was Dominus’s eyes.

It was filled with lust.