Prologue

The rain pours in torrential sheets, making it impossible for a person to see what’s in front. The forest looms in the inky shadow as the night grows colder and darker. 

The royal beta staggers still, his steps unsteady and vision blurry. The merciless clouds have eclipsed the moon, but would the moonlight be able to invade the thick foliage of the forest? Perhaps not. 

The beta leans against a thick bark for a moment before resuming his trek to find an exit, to escape the inevitable. He will not be defeated so easily. 

The beta wolf blinks through the haze, the action slow and languorous. His hand is soaked with blood oozing out from his lower right abdomen. Each step he takes is a herculean effort that only aggravates the gaping wound, but he has to reach his destination. Or Aysel…

Her thoughts give him some strength, but his body protests, and so does his wolf.

His wolf whimpers, a feeble presence now at the back of his mind. He ignores him and ignores the protests of his muscles. His focus is completely on the task at hand. If not Aysel, then the prince…

But will he believe him? Even though it took one and a half years to forge a semblance of friendship and earn the prince’s trust, the prince is still a person surrounded by a wall of mystery. 

He must tell either of them…

However, luck seemed to not be in his favor tonight as he trips on the path, a small pebble topples the formidable beta to the muddy forest floor. He hears a crack followed by a lancing pain on his left. Breathing becomes a difficult task, a conscious effort. 

The rain beats down on his back, adding more flame to the inferno of his pain. His eyes begin to droop while his heart fills with guilt. 

‘Looks like we won’t be able to fulfill the promise, Luca,’ he whispers to his wolf. His beast doesn’t respond. Defeated, disappointed, and dejected, he closes his eyes. This is it. This is his end. 

~~~~

“Kaizen Knight, the royal beta, is pronounced dead.”