PROLOGUE

Arabella's POV 

I sat in the garden with my mother, Olivia resting on the ground against the soft grass. 

The air blew gently against my face, mixed with the scent of flowers, which calmed the tension in my small body.

"My daughter." My mother Olivia said, her voice soft as she patted my head. 

"Mother." I responded, smiling gently at her face; the moonlight cast a shadow silver glow over the horizon as we sat quietly and watched the moon. 

She stared at me for a moment, her eyes filled with something, an emotion I couldn't describe, one that made my heart twist. 

Just then. 

The sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the garden. 

Mother stiffened beside me. 

“We must bring her,” one voice murmured in a thick, dangerous voice.

Silence washed between us.

Her eyes widened in panic as she recognized the voice in the shadows; her mind froze in horror.

“Arabella, run!” my mother screamed.

I dropped to my knees in the underbrush, my heart hammering as I crawled deeper behind the bushes. My breath hitched when five rogue wolves stepped into the clearing. They looked amused; their lips held a devilish smile. 

The one in front had icy blue eyes. He didn’t even glance around; his gaze was fixed on my mother.

“Where is your daughter?” He asked. 

My mother lifted her chin, but her voice shook with fear. “I don’t know.”

One of them raised a dagger to her chest. Her hands flew up, but she couldn’t stop staring at the blade. Her legs were trembling, her heart beating fast against her chest. 

“Since you have no idea where she is...” the man said, eyeing her from head to toe. “Then you’ll do.”

“What… what does that mean?” she asked, trying to step back.

He didn’t answer. Just flicked his fingers. “Check the area.”

The others spread out, sniffing the air, combing through the brush. I pressed myself against the dirt, praying I wouldn’t make a sound.

“She’s close,” one of them muttered.

The blue-eyed man crouched in front of my mom, close enough that she flinched. “You feel that?” he said, his voice calm. “It’s the scent of a lie. Tell me where she is.”

He grabbed her jaw, forcing her to look at him. The knife glinted in his other hand, and he dragged it lightly along her cheek.

“Please,” she said, barely above a whisper. “Spare me. Spare my family, I beg you.”

“You’re protecting her,” he murmured. “But tell me… when she watches you die, will she still feel protected?”

“I’m begging you,” she whispered, tears sliding down her face now.

He tilted his head. “Begging’s a waste. You had one job. Speak or bleed."

He held the knife to her neck, enough to draw a thin line of blood.

She didn’t scream. She just closed her eyes.

Stay hidden. Don’t move; her voice reached me through the link. 

No matter what happens. I love you.

“No,” I mouthed silently, trying to push back, trying to reach her mind again, but something blocked me out.

The rogue grinned. "Just think of it as a way of repaying our daughter's blood debt."

“What blood debt?” she asked suddenly, shaking. “What are you talking..."

Before she could finish her sentence, he shoved the blade straight into her stomach.

I bit down on a scream as her body jolted. Blood soaked through her dress instantly.

My chest writhed in pain with hatred burning through me as the rogue curled his lips in satisfaction.

“You should’ve spoken,” he said quietly.

She gasped, hands trembling as they tried to grasp the handle. “P-please…”

“You’re done,” he said, twisting the blade once before yanking it free from her stomach. 

She sagged to the ground, gasping for air.

One of the other men asked, “What about her body?”

“Leave it,” the leader said. “Let the vultures work.”

Then he grabbed her by the arm and dragged her toward the cliff. She was barely conscious.

“No!” I cried, but no one turned. No one heard me.

He tossed her over like she was nothing.

I couldn’t breathe. I opened my mouth to scream, but no sound came out. 

"Scour the whole area and bring Arabella to me," their leader ordered.

His men began combing all the corners of the forest, searching frantically for me like predators hunting their prey with a wicked glare in their eyes, which seemed to haunt my soul.

“We must find her as compensation to the rogue king for losing his left eye," the blue-eyed man said, and my stomach dropped.

“She is the ultimate bride suitable for the rogue king," another man chimed in with a wicked grin on the edges of his lips.

A low growl rumbled in my chest, causing me to freeze in horror.

“I can't wait to get my hands on her," he smirked; my body heated up as my eyes stung.

I froze at that moment, and my eyes widened as undefinable emotions coursed through my body from where I hid.

My hands dug into my palms; my knees felt weak as those words tumbled out of their mouths, which struck me like ice.

“Shit, we can't find her," the men reported to their leader after scouring the area for a long time and all their attempts being futile.

“Let's go; we will find her some other time," their leader ordered, and they began to disperse, their faces pale with furrowed jaws.

A hollow ache formed in my chest as they left, one that will haunt me forever.

“What compensation?" That was the question burning on my lips.

Once the coast was clear, I rushed to her side with my fragile body.

“Mom," I called, my voice hoarse, but her eyes were vacant like the wind with something metallic flowing like a crimson pool beneath her.

"Mom, please wake up," I screamed as my trembling fingers touched the hands that once held me.

I took her hands into mine, hoping there would be a sign of life, but I saw nothing.

My gaze became blurry, with grief and fatigue taking over my senses, swallowing me.