PROLOGUE

The night was supposed to be the most joyous night for the Shadowcrest pack, as their Luna, Mirabelle, had been confirmed to be pregnant. Alpha Lain was the happiest man on earth, as they had never been able to have another child after the birth of their first daughter, Elaira. But instead of celebrating this joyous occasion, the pack was bleeding and crying as blood flowed everywhere.

The Shadowcrest pack was under attack by pack of rogues. An attack they had never for once expected as they had distanced themselves from any fight or argument that happened between other packs. They stood alone in the deep wood without meddling in anyone’s business and was known as one of the most peaceful pack around the globe, but now, they were suddenly under attack.

Howls of terror and the clash of claws echoed through the pack as the Shadowcrest pack were being overcome by the rogues. The cries of pain and agony could be heard as they were all being massacred without a hint of Mercy. All their enemies were in their wolf form, but the Shadowcrest pack’s could not transform as their species could only transform on the full moon. 

They were known as the weakest werewolves because they could not change anytime they wanted, but can only draw out their claws, fangs and also their werewolf ear and a full transformation on an normal day without the full moon in the sky was something the Shadowcrest pack had never witness in their life time. 

But there was something in them that made them special, something that made the rogues attack them and seek their only daughter, Elaira.

Despite everything, Alpha Lain and the pregnant Luna Mirabelle fought with every ounce of strength within them, trying to protect their pack. Lain and his beta fought side by side, slashing through rogues with their claws, while Mirabelle's heart pounded heavily as part of her fight and the other part was actually with her daughter, Elaira, who was hidden in the nearby in the house.

Elaira, a twelve years old girl, trembled in fear as she peeped outside the window and saw her packmates being killed right in front of her. She saw the horror and agony and her heart sank and she felt totally useless for not being able to defend her own pack which she was supposed to lead one day. She wanted to join them, to protect their pack as well, but she had been instructed by her mother to stay hidden and never come out.

But she couldn't obey her mother's order for a long time as she saw her best friend being hunted down right in front of where she was hiding. Elaira disobeyed her mother's warning and stepped out of the house. Her gaze landed on a piece of wood nearby her and she pick it up, lunging at the wolf that was attacking her friend. Eliara hit the  rouges very hard on the head. But after her actions, regret followed, as the wood didn’t hurt the wolf but only made it angrier at her.

Elaira stumbled backward and  her friend already having run off, leaving her alone to face the angry wolf. She fell on her butt as the wolf kept moving closer to her as if drawn to her. In the blink of an eye, the wolf lunged at Elaira and her heart pounded heavily in her chest as she thought she was on the verge of being killed.

Elaira stood there frozen and shut her eyes in fear, waiting to be killed, but surprisingly, she felt no pain and she slowly opened her eyes, only to see her mother right in front of her with blood streaming down the corner of her mouth. 

Tears streamed down Mirabelle's face as she knew that she would not be able to protect Elaira any longer.

“Run!” Mirabelle screamed out despite being in pain.

The rogue’s fangs sank deeper into Mirabelle’s body and she screamed out in agony while Elaira's heart ached at what her disobedience had caused. She tried to grab hold of her mother, to save her from the wolf, but her mother was dragged away by the wolf.

“Mother!!” Elaira screamed as she tried to run after the wolf dragging Mirabelle away, but she was suddenly pulled back by Lain, who had seen everything that had happened.

“Come back to your senses and run. Don't look back!” he bellowed, his voice mixed with command and plea, but Elaira refused as she tried to find her mother.

“No, I need to find mother. That wolf took her!”

Lain wanted to go after the wolf more than anyone else and save his mate, but he couldn’t as he needed to defend his pack. The battle was getting more intense and Elaira still insisted on going after her mother. This made Lain had no other option than to emotionally blackmail her.

Grabbing her by her shoulder Lain looked directly into Elaira's eyes with an angry gaze,

“All this happened because of you! You killed your mother and If you don't want to kill me too, then run and survive!”

Tears streamed down Elaira's face as her father's harsh words pierced through her like a sharp knife as she had just been labeled as the one who killed her own mother. She knew he was right but hearing it directly from him hurt more. Unable to withstand her father's blaming eyes, Elaira ran with all her might, heading into the dark woods, but some wolves chased after her.

Lain tried to go after them but was attacked by another wolf. Seeing that his daughter had already escaped, Lain continued defending his pack until he became the last one standing, as all his packmates had been killed. A series of claw marks had been inflicted on his body and he was bleeding profusely, but still, he didn't give up. He had just lost his mate, his unborn child, and also his pack, so he refused to stand down and surrender.

Lain was overcome and fell to his knees. The wolves surrounded him, ready to take his life as they were commanded not to leave any survivors except the Alpha's daughter.

Then, two wolves burst from the shadows and suddenly started attacking the rogues. One was a huge black wolf, twice the size of all the other wolves, and the other was a brown wolf. The huge black wolf’s eyes gleamed red, symbolizing that he was an Alpha, but that wasn't what made the rogues fear him—the mark on the wolf's face made them recognize him as Alpha Kayden and without waiting, they all took to their heels.

Alpha Kayden's wolf, Ryder, eyes gleamed with deadly light as he chased after them, tearing into the enemies' ranks and crushed their bones with his massive jaws. Ryder and the brown wolf were able to kill a large number of the rogues, though some managed to escape, pursuing Elaira.

Lain fell to the ground, gasping for breath as he could not hold on any longer. Slowly, the two wolves approached him and turned into their human forms. The fur receded and bones reshaped. The black huge wolf was revealed to be Alpha Kayden, the legendary Alpha, feared by all for his cruel rule, while the brown wolf was his beta, Magnus.

“Take him to our pack and have him treated,” Alpha Kayden commanded his beta, then turned to Lain. “Now I owe you nothing.”

As Magnus moved closer to Lain, Lain coughed out blood. 

.“No! It's too late for me,” he rasped. “But please save my daughter, Elaira.”Alpha Lain pleaded, as the only thing he wanted was for his daughter to be saved. He knew he would not survive since his mate had died, but Alpha Kayden was a man of his word with his own rules, and he could not break them no matter what.

Alpha Kayden's eyes darkened as he looked down at Lain, who was still struggling to keep his breathing steady. “I owe you, Lain, not your daughter. So I can't save her.”

Lain’s hand gripped Kayden's left leg with his last strength. “Please, I beg you. She is the last bloodline of the Shadowcrest pack. My bloodline cannot be eradicated. So please save her.”

Kayden's eyes softened as he looked around at the ruins, realizing there didn’t seem to be any survivors of the pack. He recognize those wolves that attack and knew they were not rogue but came from another pack. He was alos aware that they were after something but had no idea what they were seeking, for them to eradicate a whole harmless pack.

But that didn’t mean he would break his rule for him. “If I agree, there will be a condition. You know my rules.”

Lain didn’t even think twice as he was very desperate to save his only daughter because he knew the reason they were after her, and only Alpha Kayden could protect her.

“Anything,” he whispered, his voice weakening, “you can ask for anything, as long as you save her.”

Kayden leaned closer to him and whispered into his ear, “Then, she will belong to me once she turns eighteen. Do you agree?”

Lain hesitated for a while but knew there was no other choice, so he agreed. “I agree,” he said, taking off his Alpha signet and gave it to Kayden as a transfer of command to him, since he had promised to protect his daughter. He was willing to sacrifice anything.

Thunder clapped overhead and rain began to fall, washing away the blood and pain of the Bloodmoon pack. Lain stared at the heavens, seeing his beloved mate and his smiled, taking his final breath.

“Prepare him for burial. I will find the girl,” Alpha Kayden commanded.