Prologue

Willow

My name is Willow Anders, and this is my story.

It does not start out happy, but I must remain optimistic for the future. This cannot be my life. I refuse to believe that this was what Luna had in store for me, in spite of the lack of evidence to the contrary thus far.

I used to dream of the day when someone, anyone would rescue me from this horrid existence and the truly vile Alpha Zeke of the Southern Province, but I had given up on that pipe dream a long time ago.

It didn’t used to be like this. I reminded myself of happier times when the encroaching storm clouds got to be too heavy to bear, back to when my parents were still alive.

Luna, I was so naive back then.

Although things weren’t perfect, my father had shielded me from the worst of it, leaving me happily unaware of the harsh veracities of the world that we lived in until the bucket of ice water was tossed over my head, opening my eyes in a flash.

I had known that the bears were infringing on our territories, but, on our family farm, I had been able to pretend everything was alright, at least for a little longer while I lost myself in discovering the mysterious secrets of the nature that encompassed me.

That was, until the day that everything changed; the unthinkable happened.

I shuddered as a chill raced down my spine, remembering that dark time as if it had occurred only yesterday. I’d returned home from exploring the nearby caves, eager to share my discoveries with my parents, but I’d found my home invaded and my parents murdered, instead.

To this day, I still saw their panic-stricken eyes where they had laid, mutilated on the bloodied ground. The picture permanently affixed itself in my mind while I fled the scene for the sake of preserving my own life.

Shifting into my wolf mid-stride, the pain of transformation was near obsolete with my adrenaline pumping, and I continued at the same punishing pace, barely managing to evade capture, or something far worse as I made my escape.

The bears violently roared at their near miss, but I didn’t pause to look over my shoulder. Ensuing, the sound of their lumbering footfalls faded away with the more distance that I placed between us, my tread outstripping theirs before much time had elapsed.

I kept running for what felt like days, but, in all actuality, was probably only several hours. The thundering of heavy paws on the soft earth behind me had disappeared long ago, but I had pushed myself onward until my wolf was about ready to collapse.

The trees and surrounding foliage began to all converge into a green and brown mass of bleariness as my steps faltered. It seemed the adrenaline was finally waning, and I was about to crash back down into reality.

I began to ascertain my surroundings more thoroughly and started to look for a safe place to rest before my limbs stopped responding to my commands altogether.

I had allowed my senses to roam while I sprinted through the forest, so I knew that I had been alone for some time, but the image stuck to my eyelids had me constantly keeping one eye open, despite my perceived safety.

My paws ached something fierce, and I was reaching the point of exhaustion.

All the same, I persisted to trudge forward, never letting my guard down, but I did notice that I had slowed to a near walk due to my fatigue.

After a few more minutes, the stream that I had been utilizing as a guide and to hide my scent led to a scenic waterfall that took my already short-winded breath away.

The water rushed down from about fifty feet above me and cascaded into rivulets that had long ago been carved into the rocks it flowed over. I scanned the gorgeous view in front of me until I located the opening that I had suspected was hidden within plain sight.

It was barely detectable, and no one but a wolf would have noticed the small opening that was concealed in the rock face behind the silvery water.

I wasted no time in searching for the safest route to the entrance and commenced the daunting climb to my temporary sanctuary without any further delay.

As I sloshed through the water and ascended the rock face, I counted myself lucky again that I was so familiar with the hidden caves beyond some of the waterfalls, found only in the Northern Province.

I could safely rest here while I decided on my next best course of action. I had plenty of fresh water, and my wolf could hunt for any sustenance that we might need. Realistically though, I knew this safe haven would only briefly provide me respite.

These caves were supposed to be a secret that only a select few guarded ferociously, and I felt confident that it would remain that way. Nonetheless, the bears that had overrun my home would be close behind me.

I may be faster, but if my father could not overcome the sheer number and brute force of the bears on his own, then I didn’t have a chance in hell of succeeding. Really, I only had one choice left: to the Southern Province I went.

The trip took me about a week. I was not sure how long it should have taken, but I had to be careful to travel when the forest was less occupied. I knew that I could not trust anyone, and I did not want to have another encounter with the bears again.

I decided to stay in my wolf form for the most part, mainly because she was less needy if I was being honest, and the unrelenting wave of anger and grief seemed easier to handle while in that shape.

Wolves coped with loss differently, and I had never been so thankful to have my wolf with me than I was during that lonely transition period.

She had provided a way for me to endure the heart-rending ache while I traveled to safety.

I had reasoned that I would break down later when my life was no longer in danger, but I knew I was only putting off the inevitable. Every step forward reminded me that this was it. My last hope. My family and home were gone now.

However, I wasn’t sure that I would have made the arduous trek had I known what awaited me, but then again, I did not have much of a choice. I was seventeen when I had arrived, heavily bleeding and running for my life.

The trip had been dangerous, especially for a young girl all alone. The key to my survival had been staying obscured when others were around and using my wit to remain two steps ahead on my journey, but it appeared that my luck was about to run dry.

I thought I would make it. I was so close to the boundary of the Southern Province. Unfortunately, the bears were also much closer than I had anticipated.

One bear hurtled out from the undergrowth on the right directly in my line of sight. I pivoted in response, attempting to stay out of range, but the pain radiating out from my hind leg on my left side told me that I had been too slow to evade the bear's massive paw.

I yowled in pain, swiftly dodging the next blow and darting in the other direction. A second bear appeared out of nowhere, endeavoring to steer me back towards my original assailant.

Twirling ninety degrees, I winced in pain at the abrupt motion and took off for the Southern Boundary, hoping there would be someone there to assist me when I arrived with the pair of bears hot on my heels.

I heard the bears snarl in frustration and anger as they stampeded through the thick forest behind me. I ran full-out with the last of my strength, but I knew they were gaining ground, my injury having slowed me down.

Branches cracked from all around me, and the only thing I could think to do in the moment was pray the bear shifters weren’t about to finish me off.

Without warning, I felt blinding agony spiraling out from my right side, which, in turn, caused me to tumble into a heap on the forest floor, regardless of my best efforts to keep upright. The pain was too intense.

My wolf retreated, leaving me lying unclothed on the forest floor as my blood seeped into the dirt. I did not have the wherewithal to care that I was naked in front of Luna only knew who, but I was aware enough to grasp the compromising position that I had been left in.

My last vision was of half a dozen wolves closing in around me before I lost consciousness, the sound of growling fading into the ether as I was dragged under into a thankfully blissful darkness.