Prologue

Caspian - 15 years old

Andrea  - 12 years old

CASPIAN.

I was sitting on a boulder in a meadow, overlooking the whole territory that belonged to the Silver Moon Pack. I was here with my father to visit his friend, but since I had nothing to do, I decided to check the forest grounds and ended up in this place.

To say that the place was beautiful would be an understatement. It was magnificent. It reminded me of the hillside in our own territory, which I visited frequently. So, even if this place wasn’t ours, I felt at peace there. It felt like home.

My eyes were busy scouring the whole area when I heard movement from my back in the bushes a few feet away. Leaves rustled, and tiny footsteps thudded against the forest ground. I turned my head back, waiting for the owner of the little footsteps to emerge from the bushes behind me. It wasn’t long before a small figure appeared, panting from all the running she must have done.

Andrea.

Her big doe eyes widened at the sight of me, and I could see apprehension flashing in them. I offered her a welcoming smile, letting her know that she was in a safe place with me. 

“Hey! Come here! Are you okay?” I motioned with my hand, asking her to come over.

“What are you doing here?” She asked in a soft voice. Her gaze was everywhere except on my face.

“Hiding from the world. And you?” I chuckled, but it was the truth.

“Hiding from Riley. He wanted to play board games with me, and I said I didn’t want to, but he kept coming to me.” She let out a deep sigh before standing in front of me.

Riley is the son of the Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, and he would be the next Alpha of this pack. If Alia, my sister, was right, Riley was harboring a crush on Andrea. It was the only logical reason why he would always look for her and come after her.

“Is it okay if I sit there?” She asked politely, snapping me out of my thoughts.

My eyes shifted to the space beside me, where her little finger was pointing, and I immediately inched to the other side to give her space. “Of course, why not? I don’t own this place.”

“Papa said you’ll be the next Alpha of your pack, just like Riley, and I must be respectful around you.” I just chuckled at her words and didn’t say anything. I just patted the space beside me.

“Where is Alia? I was hoping to play with her today.” She asked as she sat beside me, but I noticed how she kept her distance from me. Her gaze was focused on the view before us as if she didn’t want to even glance at me.

“We couldn’t wake her up early, and we didn’t have time to wait for her, so we left without her. But I’ll tell her that you looked for her, and maybe she’ll wake up earlier next time.”

She just nodded her head and asked, “Is it nice in your territory?”

“Yes, I love it there.” My answer came from my heart.

“I want to go there... I don’t like this place. Maybe your territory will be more welcoming. Will you take me?” She asked innocently enough, and I couldn’t help but grin at her.

“I can’t simply take you. You need to go there with your parents.”

She pouted and crossed her arms over her chest, letting out a little huff, but she was still looking straight ahead. I was already wondering why she never even glanced at me. 

She opened her mouth to say something, only to close it when a loud voice erupted in the air. 

“Andrea! Andrea!” I knew that voice, and I just shook my head in annoyance.

Andrea’s eyes widened as she stood up from the boulder and started pacing back and forth in front of me. “Riley is coming...” she said in a hushed tone, and I wasn’t sure if she was saying it to me or herself.

“I need to hide,” she said in a hurried tone, and the next thing I knew, she was already beside a big, tall tree, trying to climb on it.

“You know, he can still smell you, even if you hide up there,” I told her in a low voice, watching as she attempted to climb with no success. “Unless you reach the top.”

She didn’t say anything, but she kept trying to climb, and when I couldn’t bear seeing her slide down too many times, I stood up and walked toward her.

I grabbed her small waist and pressed her body closer to mine. She let out a hushed gasp before she flung her arms around my neck, and the moment I lifted her body off the ground, her legs wrapped around my waist tightly.

I climbed the tree flawlessly, something I had done too many times during my Alpha training. I didn’t stop climbing until we almost reached the highest point, but it was far enough that our scent wouldn’t linger on the ground.

Her face was so close to mine that I could smell her sweet, cinnamon breath. I was trying to control my wolf, Zion. He kept growling in my head, wanting to surface. Like me, he was enamored by Andrea’s sweet scent.

Being the firstborn of pure-blood Alpha parents, I shifted on the last full moon before I turned 15. It was an ordinary occurrence for the next Alpha, and it was the same reason that I had to go far up in the tree.

Riley was already sixteen and the next Alpha of this pack. He already had his wolf and could smell us if we were nearby.

Andrea’s clutch on my neck tightened as the rustling of leaves and snapping of twigs were heard. It wasn’t before long that Riley’s form came into view below us. He was sniffing the air, and I had a gut feeling that he had caught our scents. I was just hoping it would be too faint for him to move on and search somewhere else.

Andrea was still clinging tightly to me until she lowered her head into the nook of my neck. Her breath was running against my skin, and I was doing everything I could to restrain myself from taking advantage of our position. She was only twelve. And yet, she made me feel something I had never felt before.

I closed my eyes and tightened my grip on the branch I was holding while my other hand kept her steady in my grasp.

It was then that I realized how perfectly she fit in my arms as if she belonged there as if she belonged with me.

“Is he gone?” Andrea’s soft voice snapped me out of my thoughts and made me open my eyes. She stared at me as if her life depended on me.

“Let’s wait a couple of minutes before we go down.” She just nodded and rested her head on my neck again.

I let out a deep sigh before asking her. “Are you comfortable, or do you want me to adjust our position?”

“I’m okay, Caspian. It actually feels good here.” She answered in a sweet voice, and I couldn’t help but smile widely while my heart fluttered with happiness.

¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨

Caspian - 18 years old

Andrea   - 15 years old

CASPIAN.

“Caspian, please! I don’t want to go!” Her voice followed me as I walked down the stairs, treading my way to the living room.

I didn’t dare look back because I knew once I did, I would lose my stance and might give in and let her stay with us.

A few weeks ago, our pack was attacked, and my father, the then Alpha, was killed alongside his Beta. His Gamma was currently in the hospital, fighting for his life. With no other option, I was thrust into the position of an Alpha, together with my Beta and Gamma, Paul and Carlos.

We’d been trained for these positions all our lives, but it still didn’t make it any easier when everything was wiped out in front of our eyes in just one night. We were struggling, trying to survive our pack while mourning behind closed doors. 

And having Andrea around me wasn’t making it easier.

Her father, a former warrior and a good friend of my father, died in the attack as well, leaving Andrea under my guardianship. It would have been easy if she were just an ordinary girl. But she was not.

She was special. At least in my eyes.

And whenever she was around, I kept losing control. 

I had a whole pack on my shoulders, and some days, I just wanted to give in to the temptation to let myself get lost, which meant Andrea would be in danger. I didn’t want to lose control when it came to her. 

Small footsteps followed after me, and not long after, a small hand wrapped around my wrist, tugging on it for me to look back.

“Alpha Caspian...” Her voice was breaking, and it was shattering my heart into pieces. “Please...”

I closed my eyes for a moment before turning to face her. I found her kneeling on the ground, her tear-stricken face tilted up, her eyes looking at me, pleading.

“Stand up, Andrea...” I controlled my voice so that it would not break. I wanted to pull her into my arms, but I knew better.

“No, please, Alpha. Don’t send me away. I’ll do better. I will help around here. I will work. You... don’t need to pay me. I will do everything. Everything. I can clean... the pack house. I can wash clothes... and dishes...” She was stuttering in between her sobs, and I couldn’t take it anymore.

I pulled her up from kneeling and cupped her face, my eyes boring deep into hers. “Andrea, just a few years. Just be patient with me. And then I will take you back. They will keep you safe, but I will take you back one of these days.”

“Please, Alpha... I’m begging you... Let me... stay...” Her tears were streaming down my hands, and the walls I had built were slowly melting. 

“Andrea, enough! You need to go!” I raised my voice because I didn’t know how long I could stand seeing her like this. She needed to leave.

Her body started to shake before she slapped my hands away from her face. 

“I hate you! I hate you! I thought you cared for me! But you were just showing off! Now that your father and my father are gone, you’ve shown your true colors! You don’t care about anything but being an Alpha!” She shouted those words and the hatred in them was shattering my heart into pieces. If she only knew. 

I watched as she ran towards the entrance and out of the packhouse as my hands coiled into fists. I was trying to restrain myself from following after her.

This was for the best. I kept reminding myself.

After a few seconds, my Beta, Paul, came inside the house. “She’s in the car now. We’re leaving. Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?”

I shook my head, my lips pursing. “Go. I have already talked with the headmaster at the boarding school. They’re expecting her, and they’ll take care of her. Drive safely.” I turned around and walked away without waiting for his reply. 

I was about to head to my office when I saw Alia, my sister, leaning against the walls of the hallway.

“Are you sure you want to do this, Caspian? She just lost her father, too, and you’re sending her somewhere where she doesn’t know anyone. We need each other right now.” She said in a soft voice, her eyes still puffy from crying.

“I already made my decision, Alia.” I dropped my gaze away from her and continued walking.

“She’s going to hate you for this.”

“I know,” I answered with a defeated voice.

But I don't have a choice. I have a pack to manage. And I was falling in love with her.

I needed to keep her away from me, or I would lose myself in the process if she stayed.