Prologue

Taelin-

“I can’t believe you Taelin! Do you know what you will be throwing away if you leave? You and Theo are perfect for each other. You could become Luna! He loves you and is willing to make you, his Luna.” My mother yelled at me, as I continued to pack my bags.

I was now sixteen, able to apply to join the royal guard. My mother was against the idea because she wanted me to become the Luna of the pack. Since the parasite was wiping out our kind, it has made it impossible for us to find our fated mates. We were supposed to find our chosen mates.

It wasn’t that I didn’t like Alpha Theo, he was a very handsome guy. He was a kind Alpha and more than capable of leading our pack. When Theo was barely thirteen, he became the Alpha of our pack, after his father was taken over by this unknown parasite.

We still didn’t know what was causing our kind to become ill, turning us into mindless Rogues. It started when I was ten and has been slowly making its way around. We aren’t even sure how it spreads, but so far, we have managed to keep it out of our territory.

Other than Theo’s father, no one else has contracted the parasite in the pack. Because of that, Theo had to kill his father or risk his father rampaging through the pack and killing all of us. Since then, we built a wall surrounding our territory, so we didn’t risk further exposure.

Now with Theo as Alpha, he was much different from the way he used to be. He was still the same kind of boy I knew growing up, but he wasn’t at the same time. It was like the weight of the world now rested on his shoulders.

Theo and I had been dating for a year before the incident with his father. Since he was the youngest werewolf to become Alpha, a lot of responsibilities fell on him. Technically, we were still dating, but I didn’t love him the way he loved me. I just felt like I was meant for more in my life.

It wasn’t as if I were guaranteed a place in the Alpha King’s warriors, I was aware that I could instantly be denied. The Alpha King didn’t have female warriors, but I was determined to try. For years I trained hard and tried to become the best in my class.

“I know what I will be giving up if I don’t leave.” I told my mother, not even bothering to look at her.

“Why must you leave and put yourself at risk like this? You are safe here. We haven’t had anyone affected in three years.” My mother said, moving to remove my clothing out of my suitcase.

“Stop!” I told her, pulling my suitcase out of her reach. “Look at me.”

When she looked at me, her eyes were red and swollen from the tears she had been crying. I loved my mother, which made this hard enough for me as it was. Seeing her cry though, made my heartache.

“It has never been a secret that I wanted to do this. Theo supports my decision and has agreed to let me go. He has even said he will wait for me regardless of whether I become a warrior or not. I need to do this. With everything going on, I want to do something that will make a difference.” I told my mother, taking her hands in mine.

“You can make a difference here.” My mother cried.

“You know I can’t. What can I do behind these walls? At least if I become a member of the Royal Guard, I can do my part to fight this parasite and find a way to make it safe for all of us again. They are even trying to find a cure. I want to help more than I do. By leaving, I can find a way to keep everyone here safe.” I told her, reaching up to wipe away a tear that fell down her cheek.

“You are too much like your father. How can you ask me to be okay with this after losing him for doing the same thing?” My mother asked through her sobs.

Four years ago, my father had left to enlist in the Royal Guard, he had been the best. He was the Beta of the pack and a well-known warrior amongst our kind. He was also the reason I was so well trained.

A little over a year ago, we received word that he was killed in action. My mother had thought that it would have been enough to convince me to turn down my dream of following in his footsteps. It never did, just made me more determined to train more until I became the best.

The only thing it did was, it kept me from bringing up my plans to my mother. Every time I did, it seemed as if I was only hurting her. I was fairly sure that she thought I gave up the idea, which I allowed her to believe. She seemed less broken after losing her mate if I didn’t bring it up.

“I promise I will be careful and will do everything I can to make it back safely, but I must do this mom. I need to do this.” I told her, keeping my voice firm, yet gentle.

Instead of responding, she fell into my arms and started crying. I held her, letting her cry for as long as she needed. It broke my heart, but I wasn’t about to turn back on the thing I believed I was meant to do. I just hoped that one day, she would forgive me.

My mother continued to cry, for what felt like hours, but I still just held on to her. I wished I could do more for her, to comfort her and convince her not to be upset with me. When she fell asleep in my arms, I gently laid her down on my bed and covered her up.

Theo was waiting outside for me, ready to take me to the airport. I didn’t want to wake my mother up, but I didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye. Quietly, I finished packing up the rest of my stuff.

Going to my desk, I pulled out a piece of paper and pen. Sitting down, I began to write my mother a note. I knew she was going to be upset with me, but I didn’t know what else to do. She couldn’t keep me from leaving, but that didn’t mean that she couldn’t make me feel guilty for doing it.

“To my dearest mother,

I am sorry that I couldn’t be the daughter you wanted me to be. As much as you hate it, it is true, I do take after my father. It breaks my heart that you can’t support me in my decision, but this is something I need to do.

When my father left, you told him that you would always support him in his decisions, as well as be here to pray to the Moon Goddess for his safe return. I know you are upset with me, but I hope you will find a way to do the same for me.

I love you more than there are stars in the sky. As long as the Goddess is looking over me, I will come home to you. Remember, I am not alone. Samantha is with me, and she is very strong. You know just as well as I do, my wolf will not let anything happen to me.

Love always, Taelin.”

“Sign my name too.” My wolf voice filled my head.

Doing as she asked, I folded the paper up and then placed it under my mother’s hand which lay flat on my bed. With one last look at my mother and around my room, I picked up my suitcase and made my way out of the house. I was careful not to make a sound.

“About time. For a minute I thought you had changed your mind. Not that I would have minded.” I heard Theo say before I shut the front door to the house.

“Shh!” I said, quickly shutting the door, and then listening for any sign of movement.

When I heard nothing, I let out my breath. Turning towards Theo, I noticed he was dressed in a nice button-up white shirt and black slacks. It was much different than his usual attire, but it suited him. There was a part of me that wished I could love him in the way he loved me, but I wasn’t sure if I ever would.

It wasn’t that he didn’t know how I felt, but it didn’t bother him. Even if I didn’t love him the way he loved me, I was still going to choose him as my mate. First, I just needed to chase my dreams. He understood that, which made me think that one day I could fall in love with him.

“I guess that answers my next question.” Theo said, keeping his voice just above a whisper.

“Let’s just get out of here, okay?” I asked, picking up my suitcase from the porch and heading to his truck.

Theo raced over to me and took my suitcase from my hand, then placed it in the back of his truck. Once we were both in the truck, we didn’t say anything else until we reached the airport. After leaving my mother as I did, I felt physically ill.

“Before you go, I want to give you something.” I heard Theo say, as soon as he put his truck in park.

“I thought we both agreed we weren’t going to make a big deal of this?” I asked, turning in my seat to face him.

“You said, I didn’t agree to anything.” Theo said.

“Theo, I…” I began but Theo interrupted me.

“Before you say anything, just hear me out. I know we have talked about this already, but I wanted you to know I am serious. I will wait for you until you return. There isn’t a doubt in my head that you will return to us and when you do, I fully plan to make you mine. I know you don’t feel the same way about me that I do, but I know that someday you will. Once we are mated, things will be different. We have been together for a few years. Things aren’t the same as they used to be now that we will probably never find our fated mate. You know I never believed in the whole fated thing though. So, I wanted to give you this.” Theo said, then pulled a small black box from his pocket.

Before I could even ask what it was, he opened it up. Inside the box was a beautiful diamond ring. My hand flew to my mouth, and I felt as if I were going to cry. Not because of what he was giving me, but because I wished I could give him what he wanted.

“With this ring, I want it to be a promise that I will wait for you until you return to me. I want it to be a reminder to come home safely and to remember that you are loved and missed.” Theo said, taking the ring out of the box and slipping it on my finger.

“Thank you.” I told him, unable to think of anything else to say.

It was a beautiful ring. Even if I didn’t have the same feelings for him, I still intended to return here and become his mate. We have both talked about it. He didn’t believe in the fated mate, while I just didn’t believe I would ever find mine. Whatever was killing off our kind, I was almost positive that whoever my fated mate was, was either dead or will be before I found him.

After I accepted the ring, Theo pulled me into a hug and kissed me passionately on the mouth. He pulled away before I could respond, but I was glad because I wasn’t sure how to respond now. Getting out of the truck, I turned around to wave at him, before grabbing my suitcase.

With the suitcase in hand, I walked into the airport. I tried to push away the thoughts of Theo, my mother, my father, and everything else. I was getting ready to embark on a journey that I have been working on my entire life. First thing was first though, I had to prove that I was capable of joining the Royal Guard.