Chapter 1. A dawn of sorrow

Willa’s POV

I moaned as he glided into me.

Kael, the love of my life, was the first man to ever touch me intimately. Under the full moon, I loosened myself to his ministrations, us alone in the woods.

His groans were music to my ear, until they turned into sudden coughs. Something wet and warm splattered on my face. I touched it and under the pale moonlight, I saw that it was blood.

“Kael?” I pushed his shoulder.

He had stopped moving, rigid and tense. Panic climbed into my throat, erasing any hint of pleasure that lingered by.

“What's wrong—”

He coughed again, pushing himself off me. The sight was one I could never forget. Not in a million years. Not after the mountains have been ground into dust, and the woods are dry and barren. Nothing could have prepared me for this.

Kael was bleeding from every orifice on his face. He was choking, trying to say something but all that poured out was more blood. The sounds that left him were gurgled animal sounds.

Like a beast for slaughter.

I screamed, scrambling up from the floor.

“Kael! What's going on? Please, hold on…I need to get someone! Help! Help me! Someone please help us!”

My voice echoed through the woods, but there was no help in sight. We were too deep in.

He slumped into the dry leaves, jerking and grabbing at his throat. I followed him down, frantically wiping at his face with my discarded clothes. I was sobbing, trembling, and panicking. I tried to lift him, but he was three times my weight. I was too weak.

I didn't know what to do.

His eyes, which had once lovingly gazed at me, were completely red and unfocused. His jerking motions were becoming sluggish, still, his hand found mine, holding on tightly.

“Willa…”

I scrambled to my feet, looking around wildly, “I'm going to get you help! Please hold on, hold on! Please…my love, please..”

“I’m sorry…” He whispered.

His hand slipped from mine and fell into the leaves. He was still choking, weakly grabbing at his neck like there was something in there he was trying to get out. It hurt my soul to leave him there, but I could not help him on my own.

Naked, I ran back in the direction of the pack, with tears and Kael’s blood running down my cheek.

The moment I broke through the treeline, guards on patrol turned away from the bonfire. At the first whiff of fresh blood, they lunged at me, claws out.

“Intruder!”

“No, it's a woman!”

They froze, eyes round as they took in my state. Naked, my skin cut from running through vines and thorns in the forest, and drenched with blood.

“Willa? She's injured!”

I collapsed at their feet, trembling. “No, it's not mine! Please help me! Kael— Help…”

I was unable to speak properly through my shuddering breaths, but I already made so much of a spectacle that a crowd was quickly forming. A pair of rough hands grabbed my shoulders, shaking me violently.

“This is my brother's blood!” He was the first son of the Beta family, Kael’s older brother. “Where is he?! What happened, Willa? Speak to me now!”

“He started bleeding…! I tried but I couldn't …I couldn't do anything! Please help him..” My voice was a garble of sobs and sounds. I was pointing towards the tree line. “Please hurry! Hurry! Save him!”

“I need the fastest men with me now! Follow his scent!” Colyn yelled, moving away from me. “Alert the physician now!”

People were scattering about in panic and confusion. But I could only watch, crumpled on the floor as the men charged into the forest. I grabbed the soil under my hands, crying and praying for the goddess to spare Kael’s life.

I had never asked for the goddess’ help with this much desperation. Not even when my parents were slaughtered on their thrones, by an enemy that infiltrated our pack. I was only eight, and I thought I knew pain.

Pain knew nothing of what I felt, with my lover’s life hanging in the balance.

Someone covered my nakedness with a blanket. Another pair of soft hands placed a bowl of water before me, washing the blood off my skin with a towel. There were old pack mothers, familiar with pain, and quietly sharing in mine.

The moonlight created a silver sheen on the surface of the water, with my reflection rippling at me.

My pale hair and skin were smattered with blood and dirt. The scar on my chin throbbed in time with my frantic heartbeat. It was completely healed since the night my parents were murdered, but it always came alive in terrible situations. Like now.

Tears drowned my amber eyes. I was the picture of hopelessness.

“They're back! They're back, make way!”

Clamors and shouts filled the night sky long before the men broke out of the treeline. When they did, all I could see was Kael lying limply in their arms. Blood trailed after them.

“Kael!” I grew hysterical, breaking away from the women tending to me.

My blanket fell off, but I barely noticed. I was running after the men, latching on to my lover's hand desperately. He was unconscious. He wasn't moving. The bleeding wasn't stopping.

My heart was tearing apart.

“Please wake up! Look at me, Kael … why isn't he moving?! Why isn't he responding to me?” I had no idea how loud I was screaming at that moment, but losing my voice afterward was an indicator.

Colyn roughly shoved me away. “Hold this hysterical woman back! And for the goddess' sake, cover her up!!”

I stumbled and fell, and hands caught up to me, tying a cloth tight around my body.

I watched them take Kael into the nearest house, where the physician was already waiting. After a great deal of screaming and struggling, I finally broke free.

When I stumbled into the room, there was a chill in the atmosphere.

I froze in my tracks, noting the somber expressions on everyone's faces. Colyn, his older brother. Faruc, his second older brother. And the other men. They were all covered in his blood, and their eyes were stony.

Slowly, I looked back at the physician. She was shaking her head, muttering words that I wished I could unhear.

“I have done all I can. He could not be saved.”

“What happened to him, healer?”

“I cannot tell. He had bled too much, the exact cause cannot be ascertained.”

My gaze fell upon Kael. I did not feel my legs moving, but I was suddenly by the side of the bed, my shaky hands checking for his pulse. There was nothing. No sign of life. That heart that was beating wildly for me just a memory ago, was now still.

“No…” I whispered in disbelief. “This can't be… no… Kael?”

I sounded broken, calling his name, waiting for him to answer.

His face was still, peaceful, despite the violent way he died. That handsome face was pale, drained of his blood. He gave it all, bled till there was nothing left of his essence. Those loving eyes were shut permanently against me. His soul was gone, leaving behind an empty, cold shell of a body.

A body that once burned hot and virile in desire for me.

He looked so scared. In pain. Struggling. And I had left him alone, in the cold woods. I didn't comfort him, wrap him in my arms, and say my goodbyes. I didn't get to, yet his last words to me were an apology.

I should be apologizing. My eyes were dry, because even my tears were too afraid to face what lay in front of me.

I grabbed his hand, shaking in utter denial and disbelief, waiting for him to stir. The physician had to be mistaken. She was incompetent, and he was still alive. A sign of life… something…anything—

“Where is my son?!” A woman’s voice screeched.

I was so engrossed in my anguish that I was shocked when a hand grabbed me and spun me around with surprising force. I stumbled back, faced with Kael’s mother. Her face was red with rage and hate.

“What have you done to my son?!” She demanded. Always hated me.

Before I could react, her arm swung, landing a paralyzing slap across my face. The force of the blow sent my head against the wall. A ringing sound exploded in both of my ears, jolting me back to the present.

“Haa…haa…”

I shot my eyes open, shaking free from that terrible memory. My body took longer to realize it was no longer in the past —not that the present was any better— my heart was pounding, tears streaking down my dirty cheeks.

The ringing in my ears had morphed into the clinking of the heavy shackles around my wrists and ankles. I hissed in pain, feeling the iron further aggravate the sores formed by the rough chains.

It had been months after Kael's death, and my situation had only gotten worse.

I felt hands jostling me up, cursing and spitting at me. I forced my dangling head up, feeling my skin scrape and scab against the dirt. The sudden light was too bright for my eyes, and I squinted up at the two men manhandling me.

“Move it! Cursed wench.”

Guards.

They were dragging me out of the dungeon.