The Storm's Fury

Serena backed away from Lucian Draven, her black fur bristling. The Alpha of the Nightfang Pack watched her with those calculating amber eyes, not afraid like the others.

"I have no quarrel with you," Lucian said, stepping closer. "An Onyx wolf could be... valuable to my pack."A howl pierced the air—Silver Ridge wolves, getting closer. Serena's former family hadn't given up the hunt.Lucian's head snapped toward the sound. "It seems Caius Vale wants his daughter back." His smile was cold.

"Though I doubt it's for a family reunion."Panic surged through Serena. Trapped between two enemies, with nowhere to run."Come with me," Lucian extended his hand.

"I can protect you."Something in his eyes made Serena hesitate. This wasn't kindness—it was hunger. He wanted something from her.The howls grew louder.

Serena made her choice.She lunged past Lucian, darting between two surprised Nightfang wolves and sprinting deeper into the forbidden forest.

Behind her, chaos erupted as the Silver Ridge hunting party clashed with the Nightfang wolves."Find her!" Lucian's voice boomed over the snarls and growls. "Bring the Onyx wolf to me—alive!"Now two packs hunted her. Serena pushed her tired legs harder, racing through unfamiliar territory.

The trees here were ancient and twisted, nothing like the friendly forest of Silver Ridge. Strange smells filled her sensitive nose, confusing her.

Dark clouds gathered overhead, hiding the fading crimson moon. The air grew heavy with the scent of rain.

Serena had never ventured this far from home. As a human, she would have been hopelessly lost, but her wolf senses gave her some guidance. Still, this new body felt strange. Her legs were longer, her muscles stronger, but controlling them was difficult. She stumbled often, unused to her own power.The first drops of rain hit her black fur as thunder rumbled overhead. Within minutes, the sprinkle became a downpour. The storm was a blessing and a curse—it would wash away her scent, confusing her hunters, but it also made the forest floor slippery and treacherous.

Lightning flashed, illuminating the path ahead for a brief moment. Serena saw she was approaching a ridge. If she could get to higher ground, maybe she could spot somewhere safe to hide.

The rain came down harder. Her purple eyes, so sharp in darkness, struggled to see through the sheet of water. Her paws slipped on mud and wet leaves.Another flash of lightning revealed shapes moving through the trees behind her—wolves, though she couldn't tell which pack they belonged to. It didn't matter. None of them were friends.

Serena pushed herself up the steep hill, her claws digging into the muddy earth for purchase. The ridge was higher than she'd thought, its side growing steeper as she climbed.

A howl cut through the storm's noise—much closer than she'd expected. They were gaining on her.Panic made her scramble faster. Her paws clawed desperately at the hillside.

Almost at the top—the ground beneath her front paw suddenly gave way. Mud and rocks crumbled, leaving her scrambling for a hold that wasn't there.

Serena slipped, her body sliding back down the hill. She tried to dig her claws in, but the rain had turned everything to slick mud. Her back legs went over the edge of what she now realized was a cliff, not just a hill.For one horrible moment, she hung suspended, front paws still gripping the edge.

Then those, too, slipped.

Serena fell, tumbling through darkness. Her body slammed against rocks and tree roots jutting from the cliff face. Pain exploded everywhere. She couldn't even howl—the breath was knocked from her lungs.After what seemed like forever, she crashed to the ground far below.

The impact sent fresh waves of agony through her body. Something in her left front leg snapped. Her vision blurred as pain threatened to pull her into darkness.

"Get up!"

she commanded herself. They're still coming!But her body wouldn't obey.

The wolf form that had felt so powerful now lay broken and useless. Serena focused on shifting back to human, hoping her injuries might be less severe in that form.

The transformation was agony. Broken bones and torn muscles protested as they reshuffled. When it finished, Serena lay naked and shivering in the mud, rain pelting her human skin. Her left arm was definitely broken, twisted at an unnatural angle. Cuts and bruises covered her body.

Lightning flashed again, revealing a small opening in the cliff face nearby—a cave, partially hidden by bushes. Shelter.Serena dragged herself toward it, biting her lip to keep from screaming as pain shot through her broken arm. Each movement was torture, but the howls above drove her forward. If they found her like this, helpless and injured, she wouldn't stand a chance.

After what felt like hours but was probably only minutes, Serena reached the cave entrance and pulled herself inside. The space was small but dry, extending back into darkness. Using her good arm, she pulled some of the bushes across the opening, hiding her shelter from view.

Only then did she allow herself to collapse, shaking with pain, fear, and exhaustion.

"What am I going to do?" she whispered to the darkness.

Twenty-four hours ago, she had been Serena Vale, beloved daughter of the Alpha, future Luna of the Silver Ridge Clan. Now she was nothing—a cursed outcast, hunted like prey, broken and alone in a storm.

Tears mixed with the rainwater on her face. Everything was gone. Her home. Her future. Even Elias had turned against her.

Elias. The memory of his face twisted in fear and disgust made her chest ache worse than her physical injuries. How could he reject her so completely? They had grown up together, trained together, and promised to rule the pack side by side. One night had erased all of that.

Above the cave, howls echoed. The hunters were searching the ridge, but the storm worked in her favor, washing away her scent. As long as she stayed hidden, they might pass by without finding her.Serena huddled deeper into the cave, trying to warm her shivering body. The adrenaline that had kept her going was fading, making every injury throb with renewed intensity. She needed to set her broken arm, find food and water, and treat her wounds—but she had no idea how to do any of that. She'd always had the pack to rely on.

"I can't do this," she whispered, despair washing over her. "I can't survive out here alone."Something stirred in response—that strange power she had felt when confronting her father. It pulsed within her, almost like a second heartbeat. Warm energy spread through her limbs, focusing on her injuries. The pain in her broken arm lessened slightly.

Serena gasped, looking down at her arm in the darkness. Was she imagining it, or had the bone shifted straighter?

The energy faded as quickly as it had come, leaving her exhausted but slightly less pained. What was happening to her? Was this part of being an Onyx wolf?

The curse must be purged, Elder Thorne had said. But was it really a curse? This power—it had helped her, not hurt her.Outside, the storm raged on. Inside the cave, Serena's mind raced with questions no one had answers for. What was an Onyx wolf, really? Why had her transformation triggered such fear? And what had Elder Thorne meant about her mother? Isolde Vale had died when Serena was just a baby—at least, that's what she'd always been told.

A flash of lightning illuminated the cave entrance, revealing something Serena hadn't noticed before: scratches on the cave wall. Not random marks, but symbols—crude drawings of wolves and moons, and something that looked like writing in an alphabet she didn't recognize.

She wasn't the first to shelter here.

Reaching out with her good arm, Serena traced the markings with her fingers. They seemed old, the edges worn smooth by time. One symbol caught her attention—a drawing of a wolf with glowing eyes, standing beneath what looked like an eclipse.

An Onyx wolf, like her.

Her heart beat faster. Was this a message? A sign?

Another howl, closer now. Serena froze, holding her breath. Heavy paws padded past the cave entrance, so close she could hear the wolf's breathing over the storm.

The bushes concealing the entrance rustled. Serena pressed herself against the back wall of the cave, praying the darkness would hide her.

A massive shadow blocked what little light filtered through the entrance. A wolf stood there, water streaming from its fur, its shape blackened by the night behind it. Serena couldn't tell if it was Silver Ridge or Nightfang—only that it had found her.

The wolf's head lowered, sniffing the ground where Serena had dragged herself inside. Then, slowly, it raised its muzzle and looked directly to where she huddled in the darkness.

Glowing amber eyes met hers.

Lucian Draven had found her.