CHAPTER ONE: FOUND HIM.

RORY'S POV

"How does it feel to have a wolf side, Elara?"

I asked my sister, Elara, who seemed more confident and stronger ever since she turned. Her hair color brighter, and her eyes sparkled with a fierce inner light.

"This is the hundredth time you've asked Elara that, and I'm sure more of it is to come,"

my mum chuckled, pulling me closer to herself. The forest seemed to have had only the three of us in it, as only the birds could be heard. We were on an evening hunt, hoping to get some dinner before the day ran out.

"I wish I had a wolf too," I said, looking at Elara with a mix of admiration and longing.

I heard Elara sigh, and I could feel her roll her eyes. My sister was probably just as frustrated as I was about my transformation taking so much time. Everyone in the pack had already turned, even before they turned twenty, but there I was, twenty-one but stuck in my human form. I felt isolated when they unleashed their wolves. My mum stopped abruptly and pulled me back to face her; Elara stopped too, looking at us.

"But you do, every werewolf has a wolf in them," she said, with a smile spreading across her lips.

"It’s in here," she said, pointing to my heart.

"Then why hasn’t she turned yet, Mum?"

Elara asked, shoving the bag onto her shoulder before moving further away.

"She only needed one thing," Mum said, looking at me with so much certainty.

"What was that?" Elara and I asked in unison, our curiosity piquing.

"A proper trigger."

Before I could process my mother’s words, a heavy wind blew across my face, shoving me to the other side. The smell of the forest, a strong mix of pine and damp earth, felt harsh on my nose.

"Mum?" I called out, trying to stand on my feet, but there was no response. Everywhere seemed so quiet.

"Elara!"

I yelled even louder, my heart racing with panic. I’m wolfless and unable to defend myself. Elara and Mum were nowhere to be found.

"Mum, please!" I cried out.

The wind came again, heavier than the first time, blowing me to the ground. My knees knocked hard against the trees, and I could feel my bones cracking. I screamed in agony, but all I could hear was my own echo, as there was no response.

"Elara, please come here, my knees are hurting,"

I said, shivering from both pain and fear. I sensed something coming closer, its fists stomping on the ground heavily. I was shaking with fear before I remembered my mother’s words about a proper trigger, and this might just be it.

"Werewolves are strong, and they own the whole Serene land; no one can bring me down,"

I said, standing to my feet and trying so hard to conceal my fear. But the next thing I saw almost brought me back down to the ground. A swarm of skarvs was approaching me. Mum had always told us that skarvs were twisted creatures, accompanied by fierce, heavy winds. They were the scariest things that existed in the forest, but I would have been able to fight them if only I had my wolf. The wind that accompanied the skarvs had separated me from Mum and Elara; now they couldn't hear me or come to my rescue.

"No, no,"

I said, limping backward. They came charging towards me, with their twisted bodies.

"Don’t come closer, I’m a wolf!"

I said, trying to charge at them, but they seemed more fierce than I, and my fear was overwhelming.

They came rushing and tackled me to the ground. I closed my eyes because the skarvs were all over me, but before they could start tearing me apart, someone or something began slashing at them with a knife. Now I heard packs of skarvs slumping to the ground, their dark, armored bodies cracking open as their thick, greenish blood splattered everywhere.

"Woo!"

A whisper escaped my mouth. Whoever or whatever that was has just saved me from being devoured. If this was the trigger Mum was talking about, then I have failed miserably at fighting them off. I would probably never be a wolf.

"Are you okay?"

The person who had just killed the skarvs appeared, and for a moment, my heart stopped beating. My lungs also seemed to stop breathing. I felt like I was choking. He walked majestically towards me, his knife still clutched in his hand, his chest bare. He was just a few feet away, but I could perceive him clearly - he smelled like sandalwood. His blond hair rested gently on his shoulders, and his piercing grey eyes seemed to bore into my soul.

"Forgive the skarvs,"

He said, helping me stand. My eyes rested on his chiseled chest; his nipples seemed hard, and I felt an overwhelming urge to touch him. Yet, despite his human appearance, there was something angelic about him. His voice had a musical quality.

"You don't speak?" he asks with a grin, his gaze piercing mine.

He lifted me effortlessly to my feet. At that moment, I wasn't even thinking about Elara or Mum. I didn't have the wolf yet, but I knew a human when I saw one, and it was highly forbidden by Alpha Renzo to be seen with humans. I tried to take a step backward, but I almost fell. He quickly grabbed me by the waist, drawing me close to himself.

“I can speak,”

I said, trying so hard not to stutter. He smiled, his grey eyes twinkling.

"Don’t hurt yourself,” he said. He was so close to me now, his breath all over my face. His scent replaced the heavy smell of the forest. I was shaking, trying to hide my shivering body from him, but I was obviously failing.

"You are human, I can't be seen with a human," I blurted out, my voice shaking. I watched as he scoffed silently, a wry smile spreading across his face.

"Alpha Renzo…"

“Same human that just saved you,”

His hands now on my face tracing my jaw line. My heart is throbbing so hard. I have never had a man so close to me in my entire existence. I tried touching his chest but decided against it.

“I'm not harmful,”

His voice has a certain quality that captivates me. Something in me longed for him. I felt an overwhelming need to stay in his arms.

“I am Prince Ryker, the human Prince,” he said, his eyes roaming all over my body. I have heard about the human prince, but I have never met him. He is everything anyone has ever described.

“I am Rory, a werewolf,”

I said,my voice quivering.

“Your spirit is as fierce as the starvs. Let's meet in this part of the forest any day you can. I will always wait for you,”

he said, his lips just a head shake away from mine.

“I don't want to run into those skarvs again, though,”

He chuckled with a grin. He leaned towards my ear, and I could feel him caressing my earlobe. It felt like I had caught a chill, and my legs shook slightly.

“And I will be here to save you again,”

he whispered. I lifted my hands to touch him again, my hands shaking heavily as he stared at me. But then, in an instant, someone struck him from behind. He fell to the ground, blood spilling from his mouth. I had never seen that coming. I watched in horror as he fell, my heart shattering into a million pieces.

“NO!”