Chapter 1

"Someone get the water!” My father’s voice roared nearby. Chaos erupted around me as everyone scrambled to put out the raging fire. I just stood there, frozen, unsure of what to do.  

“Move out of the way!” My brother Mark shoved past me, buckets of water in both hands. Only someone like him, strong as a mountain wolf could carry so much at once.  

I couldn’t move. I couldn’t think. I just stared at the flames devouring our farm, our year’s worth of hard work.

Ashes rose into the air, and guilt took over me at that very moment. This was my fault. I was on watch duty. If I hadn’t been so tired and fallen asleep, the enemy wouldn’t have slipped past our defenses and set the fire.  

My father always had problems with the farmer who grew crops across from him. The trouble started when my father poisoned all of the farmer’s crops out of jealousy and a need for more land. The farmer got back at him months later by setting his farm on fire, especially at this sensitive time of year.

“Don’t just stand there, you little demon! Grab a bucket and help!” Mark’s voice snapped me out of my daze.  

Blinking back tears, I grabbed a bucket and ran to the stream. The water was cold as I scooped it up, my hands trembling. Back and forth, I joined the others, dousing the fire until, finally, it died out.  

But it was too late. Everything was gone. The crops, the tools, the harvest everything we needed to survive. It was all my fault for sleeping and now my family was going to fall into trouble.

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“What will we tell the Lupari when they come for supplies?” my father demanded later in the night, pacing the room. His anger filled the air like smoke from the fire. I shrank into the corner, wishing I could disappear.  

“I don’t know, Father. Those beasts aren’t easy to reason with,” Mark muttered, his tone grim. “If it were the Argentai, we might have a chance.”  

I bit my lip, trying not to cry. My hands fiddled with the hem of my clothes as I stood silently.  

Then my father turned on me. His voice cut through me like a blade. “I blame you, Sarah,” he spat, calling my late mother’s name. “For birthing me a female. If you had been a boy, you wouldn’t have made such a mistake.”  

His glare pinned me to the spot, his words filled with anger. He cursed my dead mother for giving him a daughter instead of a son. I lowered my head,  his disappointment crushing me.

“You should have married her off, Father. Now, because of her, we might die at the hands of the Lupari,” my brother snapped, glaring at me. He stormed toward me, grabbing my hair roughly. I winced in pain, tears stinging my eyes. “I should smack some sense into you, little demon.”

“Leave her be,” my father said coldly, his eyes full of anger. “She’s no good to us dead. Maybe we can sell her for a few silvers later and hope that helps with the Lupari.”

My brother glared at me one last time before shoving me away, letting me go with a final push that made my head jerk back. I held my aching head, tears still dripping down my face.

Our kingdom, Moonsdawn, was made up of three wolf tribes, each with their own strengths. There was the lupari, which were the strongest tribe and had the strongest wolves and led the kingdom.They were absolute beasts in battle, not to be trifled with. Their strength in form and the power of their wolves were enough to make anyone cower in fear.

Then there was the Argentai, who weren’t as strong as the lupari, but brought wealth to Moonsdawn. And then there were the Venari—the tribe I belonged to. We were at the bottom. We didn’t have strong wolves, just regular ones, making us easy targets for bullies. But what we had was farming. We were the ones who fed the kingdom, the ones the other tribes relied on for food.

But now, everything we had was gone. The Lupari, the strongest and most feared tribe, were coming to collect their harvest from each Venari household like they always do every year, and we had nothing to give them in our own household. No food, no supplies. And it was all my fault.

“What do we do now, Father?” my brother asked. My father didn’t answer. He stood there, lost for words.

Before he could speak, a sharp knock on the door made him freeze.  

“Who’s at the door?” my brother called out.

The answer came, and it chilled us to the bone.

“It’s the Lupari! We have come for our supplies!”

My heart thudded loudly in my chest. Tears ran down my face as I shook, unable to stop the fear crawling up my spine.

“Are you going to open the door, or should we break it down?” came the voice again, deeper now, filled with rage.

My father’s face was pale, his expression unreadable as he slowly walked to the door. When he opened it, we were met by a giant of a man. His body was covered in battle scars, his gaze hard and cold as he growled, “Where are our supplies?”

My father stood before the Lupari soldier, his head bowed, his body trembling. “We… we don’t have it,” he stammered.  

I felt my brother shuffle closer to the corner where I stood, his fear almost noticeable. It made my stomach churn.  

“You don’t have it?” the Lupari soldier growled, his voice low and dangerous. He turned to his men, and they all burst into laughter.  

“Perhaps you think we are in the mood for jokes,” he said, his tone deceptively calm. “We have  had a long day of battle, protecting this kingdom from harm and we want rest. So, I will ask again. Where are the supplies?”  

“We really don’t have them,” my father repeated, his voice barely above a whisper.  

“Repulsive!” the soldier roared, and before I could blink, he sent a brutal kick to my father’s chest. The blow sent him flying backward, and he landed hard on the ground, coughing violently.  

“Father!” I cried, running to his side. My heart pounded as I turned to the soldier. “Don’t you dare touch him again! Our farm burned down—”  

“And how is that my concern?” the soldier interrupted, shoving me aside. He grabbed my father by the collar and hoisted him up effortlessly. “You either give us what’s owed, or you die.”  

“But… I don’t have anything,” my father pleaded, his voice shaking with fear.  

The soldier’s face twisted in rage as he drew his axe. My brother, now pale as a ghost, scurried further into the corner, trembling. I tried to step forward, but another massive man grabbed my arm, holding me in place.  

“What’s stopping me from killing you right here?” the soldier snarled.  

Then, out of nowhere, my father’s trembling voice broke through the chaos. “Take… take my daughter!”  

Everything froze. The words echoed in the air like a curse.  

“What?” I whispered, my stomach dropping.  

“She’s… she’s beautiful,” my father stammered, pointing at me with shaking hands. “A virgin. The Lupari warriors love virgins, don’t they? Take her as a peace offering. Let her serve you. Give us three months, and we will have a fresh harvest ready for you!”  

I stared at my father in disbelief. He couldn’t be serious.  

“And what would I do with a whore?” the soldier spat, narrowing his eyes.  

One of his comrades stepped forward with a sly grin. “It might not be such a bad idea, Commander Kael. We have got plenty of supplies from the other households. A Venari virgin could make for… interesting entertainment after such a long day.”  

Commander Kael turned to look at me, his cold, calculating gaze sending a chill down my spine. “Perhaps you are  right,” he said, releasing my father and stepping toward me.  

I instinctively stepped back, but my retreat was cut short as my back hit the wall. Trapped.  

He loomed over me, his shadow swallowing me whole. His rough hand reached out, grabbing my chin, tilting my face up to meet his. His piercing eyes scanned me, like a predator sizing up its prey.  

“Perhaps it’s not such a bad idea,” he murmured. “To bed a Venari  virgin… for the night.”