Chapter 1: The Night Everything Burned

Shadowhaven City never truly slept. Street lights glowed soft yellow all night long, rain made the roads shine, and every dark alley held its own secrets. Beneath the busy streets, old families with special powers fought quiet battles—some could turn into wolves, some could do magic, and some ran dangerous gangs that controlled the night.

Kael Vaelor was only ten years old when his whole life fell apart.

It was a stormy night. Thunder boomed and rain hammered the windows of the big family house on the hill. His dad, Thorne Vaelor, was the leader of the Silverfang clan. They were wolf shifters with silver eyes and strength that made people respect and fear them.

But that night, fear came knocking.

Kael was supposed to be asleep, but he crept to the top of the stairs to listen. His mom, Elara, was talking worriedly with his dad in the large living room below.

“They wouldn’t dare attack us here,” his dad said, his voice deep and sure. “Not in our own home.”

His mom sounded scared. “Thorne, the Crimson Shadows don’t follow rules. Vortigern wants everything we have. He wants us gone.”

Kael didn’t understand all of it, but his stomach felt tight with worry.

Then the front doors burst open with a loud crash.

Men and women dressed in black rushed in, their eyes glowing red from dark magic. Knives flashed. Spells lit up the room like red lightning.

Kael’s uncles turned into huge silver wolves, growling and tearing into the attackers. His aunts put up glowing shields to protect everyone. But there were too many enemies. They carried chains coated in silver poison and threw curses that made the wolves weak and slow.

Kael stayed hidden in the shadows, his little heart beating so fast he could hear it in his ears.

His mom looked up and saw him. Even with danger all around, her eyes found his. She moved her lips without sound:

Hide. Run.

He wanted to scream, to run down and help her. But he couldn’t move.

A knife flew straight at her. It hit her chest. She dropped to her knees, silver blood spreading across her dress. Her gentle eyes stayed on Kael until the light in them faded away.

His dad let out a roar that shook the walls. He changed into the biggest silver wolf Kael had ever seen, fur shining like moonlight. He fought like a storm, biting and throwing enemies across the room.

But then the leader stepped forward.

Vortigern.

Tall, cold, with a deep scar on his face and a black sword that seemed to drink the light. One swing of that sword made Kael’s dad stumble. The second swing brought the great wolf down. He changed back to human as he fell, eyes open but empty.

One by one, everyone Kael loved was gone. Cousins crying. Aunts and uncles fighting until they couldn’t anymore. The beautiful house filled with smoke and fire.

Kael finally ran.

He slipped out the back door into the pouring rain, tears streaming down his face. He ran through the streets until his legs gave out. He hid in dark corners, cold, hungry, and completely alone.

He was the last Silverfang left alive.

Twelve years went by.

Kael grew up tough on the streets. Now twenty-two, he was tall and strong, with messy black hair and gray eyes that carried too much hurt. He took any job he could—bouncer at bars, fighter in secret rings—always listening, always watching. He never forgot the name Vortigern. The hate burned inside him every single day.

And then, when he least expected it, he met her.

Liora.

She worked as a waitress at a bar called Midnight Howl, right in the middle of the dangerous part of the city—the area the Crimson Shadows controlled. Kael started working there as a bouncer so he could get closer to them, learn their plans.

The first time he saw Liora, she was carrying drinks through the crowded room, smiling kindly even when customers were rude. She had long black hair that fell like silk, bright green eyes, and the softest smile he’d ever seen. She didn’t seem like she belonged in such a rough place.

One busy night, a drunk guy grabbed her arm too hard and wouldn’t let go.

Kael didn’t even think—he just moved. He grabbed the man by the shirt, lifted him clean off the floor, and tossed him out into the street.

Liora looked up at him, eyes wide. “Thank you. You really didn’t have to do that.”

“Yeah,” Kael said, his voice low and rough from not talking much. “I did.”

She smiled then—a real, warm smile that made something inside his chest feel light for the first time in years.

“I’m Liora.”

“Kael.”

That was how it started.

They began talking after her shifts. Small things at first—favorite foods, funny stories from work. Then longer talks walking home through quiet streets. Liora listened when he let tiny pieces of his past slip out. She never pushed, just held his hand and made him feel like maybe the world wasn’t all bad.

One rainy evening, after the bar closed, they stood under the awning outside. Rain poured down around them.

Kael looked at her, heart beating fast. “You make this city feel less dark.”

Liora’s cheeks turned pink. She stepped closer. “You make me feel safe, Kael.”

He couldn’t hold back anymore. He cupped her face gently and kissed her. Soft at first, then deeper when she kissed him back, her hands sliding up his chest.

They ended up at his small apartment. The door barely closed before they were kissing again, hungry and desperate, like they’d both been waiting forever.

Kael lifted her easily, her legs wrapping around his waist as he carried her to the bed. He laid her down gently, eyes never leaving hers.

He kissed her neck, her collarbone, then slowly pulled her shirt over her head. His hands traced her skin, warm and soft. When he cupped her breasts, full and perfect in his palms, she gasped and arched toward him. He brushed his thumbs over her nipples, feeling them harden under his touch, and she moaned his name.

“Kael…”

That sound undid him.

Clothes came off fast after that. Skin against skin. His mouth on her breast, sucking gently while his hand slid between her thighs, finding her already wet for him. She tugged at his hair, pulling him closer, begging without words.

When he finally pushed inside her, slow and deep, they both groaned. He moved steadily at first, watching her face—eyes closed, lips parted, completely lost in him. Then faster, harder, her nails digging into his back.

She wrapped her legs tighter around him, meeting every thrust. He grabbed her breasts again, squeezing as he drove into her, her cries getting louder until she came apart beneath him, pulling him right over the edge with her.

Afterward, they lay tangled in the sheets, breathing hard, her head on his chest.

“I think I’m falling in love with you,” she whispered into the dark.

Kael’s heart felt too big for his chest. He kissed the top of her head. “I already fell.”

For the first time in twelve years, Kael had hope. Liora was his light. His future. Maybe even the one who could help him build a new family one day.

But tomorrow night, everything would change.

He’d finally gotten word Vortigern was coming to a warehouse deal near the cliffs. After all these years, revenge was close enough to taste.

Kael held Liora tighter, not knowing that the biggest betrayal of his life was sleeping right beside him.