Chapter 1

Celine

Where do I go?

That was the only thought in my head. Over and over again like a drumbeat, louder than the sound of my paws hitting the wet ground. I didn’t know where I was going, didn’t know what part of the woods I’d already passed, but I kept running. I had to.

I couldn’t let them take me.

No—I wouldn’t.

The cold air whipped past my fur, sharp and cutting. Branches tore at my legs. The tiny bushes scratched at my sides, slicing into my skin like they were trying to hold me back too. I barely noticed. My lungs were burning, but I kept pushing forward, paws digging into the muddy earth beneath me.

It was dead in the night, but the forest wasn’t silent. Not tonight.

Howls. Screams. Crashes. The distant sound of someone begging.

Our pack was under attack. Again.

But this time, it wasn’t just any enemy.

It was the Nightshade pack.

An hour ago, they tore through our borders like they weren’t even there. Everyone knew who they were. Every territory had heard the whispers—their Alpha was hunting Omegas, capturing them like cattle. Like we were fucking breeding stock. And not just any Omega… no. He was looking for one. The one who could give him an heir.

Some stupid prophecy. Some “special Omega” the moon had apparently chosen.

Bullshit. All of it.

And now he thought she might be from our pack.

My chest heaved. I didn’t stop. Couldn’t stop.

I won’t be that Omega. I won’t be a body for someone to use and discard. I won’t be locked in some cell with a swollen belly while a monster watches me grow the heir he thinks he deserves.

My legs buckled a little, and I almost stumbled, but I kept going. I could hear them behind me—footsteps, snarls, the sound of pursuit getting closer. My body was giving out. My vision blurred. My paws were slipping on the wet leaves.

Omegas aren’t strong. We’re not built to outrun other werewolves or fight them off. We’re smaller, weaker, more sensitive to scent and sound and touch. I hated that. I hated that no matter how much I ran, I couldn’t outrun the reality of what I was.

“Don’t tell me you can’t catch a weak wolf!” a voice bellowed from behind, making my blood run cold. “None of you come back without her. She must not escape!”

I choked back a cry, ears flat against my head as I pushed harder.

“I can smell her along this route!” another one shouted.

Panic gripped me tighter than their claws ever could. Goddess, please. Please hide me. Don’t let them find me. Don’t let this be how my life ends.

I had one thing—one chance. The pouch tied around my waist bounced with every step, holding the key to a tunnel my mother told me about. A hidden path only she and I knew. If I could make it there, I could hide. I could survive.

But just as I tried to leap over a thick fallen branch, something yanked me mid-air. Pain shot through my hind leg. I crashed hard into the ground, my body skidding on the wet soil.

What the hell was it?

I looked down and saw a root—thick and twisted, sticking out of the ground like it had been waiting just for me. It had looped around my foot like a snare, tightening every time I struggled.

I thrashed, growling in frustration. The more I pulled, the tighter it held.

I had no choice. I shifted.

Pain rippled through my bones as I shifted back into human form, my limbs trembling violently. I was cold, soaked, naked except for the tattered silk gown I’d tied around my waist before I ran. My fingers fumbled as I tried to loosen the damn root.

I could barely see. My hands were shaking. My teeth chattered from the sudden rain pouring hard around me.

“She's close!” someone yelled.

Fuck. Fuck.

My breath caught. Rain mixed with sweat on my skin. My heart slammed against my chest like it was trying to escape. Move it, Celine. Move it!

I cursed in my head. Please, gods, just this once… help me get the fuck out of here.

And then—

A blinding light slammed into my face.

I froze.

It was so bright I couldn’t see. My eyes burned. I couldn’t even tell if I was still upright or lying on the ground.

“You little weak thing,” a voice sneered, full of mockery. “You really thought you could outrun us?”

The light moved slightly, and I saw them. Three of them, at least. I couldn’t make out their features right away, but their shadows were massive, towering over me. My limbs were too weak to run. I couldn’t even crawl.

“If it wasn’t for this dumbass root, you’d never have caught me,” I spat, my voice hoarse.

He didn’t like that.

One stomped forward and smacked me hard across the face. My head snapped to the side. Pain exploded in my cheek.

“Don’t hit her, idiot!” one of the others barked. “What if she’s the one Alpha chooses?”

The bastard who hit me grunted and bit the inside of his cheek. “We’ll say she fell while running. Fuck it.”

Strong hands yanked me up, and suddenly, like magic, the root let go.

Was it fear that kept me from noticing how easily I could’ve stood up? Was it exhaustion? Or was that root just another curse?

Either way, I was caught now.

“No! Let me go!” I screamed, thrashing against them. I clawed, kicked, bit—anything. But their grip didn’t budge. One held each of my arms like steel cuffs, dragging me between them while the third stayed behind me like backup.

I screamed again. “Let me go! I’m not going with you!”

But they didn’t care. I was just a job to them. Just another prize for their Alpha.

They dragged me through the trees until we reached the clearing behind my home—the back of the house I’d just run from not even two hours ago. I’d escaped through that back door. I never thought I’d be dragged back like this.

As we turned the corner, my knees nearly gave out.

My family.

My mother.

Held by three more of those bastards.

My mother’s eyes locked on mine. Tears streamed down her face.

I could see it on her face—she had prayed I got away, even if it meant she’d be punished. Even if it meant they’d be taken.

“She's feisty,” one of the guards said behind me. “So we made sure to grab the family.”

And then another man appeared. Taller, colder. Definitely their leader.

He stepped forward slowly, looking me up and down like I was meat.

“I advise you to behave and come with us,” he said, his voice low, calm. Too calm. “Or your family will suffer. And even if they die—we will still take you.”

His voice was familiar. The same one I’d heard barking orders in the woods.

I clenched my fists. My eyes met my mother’s again. I could see the pain in hers, the silent apology. The silent plea.

I had no choice.

No fucking choice.

I turned.

I followed them.

We walked for a while, no one saying anything. And then I saw it—the trucks.

They were filled with Omegas.

Caged. Terrified.

My stomach turned.

Maybe… maybe if I tried again—

I slipped my hand from the warrior holding me, heart racing.

But then—

A sharp pain slammed into the back of my neck.

Everything went black.