Prologue

Olivia's POV

“Happy birthday, my dear Olivia,” I heard my mother's usual cheerful voice pierce through my sleep, jolting me awake. Blinking my eyes open, I saw her seated beside me on the bed, her charming smile lighting up her face, her sea-blue eyes — the same ones I inherited — brimming with happiness and love.

“Happy fourteenth birthday, my darling.” Mother's smile widened, and I smiled as I tried to sit in bed. “Good morning, Mother,” I greeted, rubbing my face with my hands.

“Morning, my darling. Are you excited to get your wolf?” Mother asked, and I swallowed nervously, which she noticed.

“You don’t have to be scared. If you don’t get your wolf today, you still have a chance on your eighteenth birthday when you might also find your mate,” she reassured me. I nodded, comforted by her words.

“So, I want you to dress up and come downstairs; everyone is waiting for you.”

“Alright, Mother,” I nodded while she kissed me before leaving my room.

After she left, I stood to my feet and went over to the mirror. Standing before the mirror, I smiled at my reflection. Today was my fourteenth birthday, and if I was lucky, I might get my wolf. I was so excited and anxious at the same time.

Taking a deep breath, I left the mirror and took my bath. After bathing, I got dressed in the new dress Mother had gotten for me and then packed my hair in a bun before leaving the room.

Arriving at the sitting room, I met everyone at the table: Mother, Father, and my elder brother James. They all smiled at me. “Happy birthday, Olivia,” they chorused in unison. “Thanks, everyone.” I placed a kiss on Father’s cheek and then on Mother's before moving to James. “Are you excited?” James asked, and I smiled and nodded.

I wanted to take my seat but noticed my favorite juice wasn’t on the table, so I excused myself and went to the kitchen. After picking up the can of juice, I heard loud voices coming from the dining room. Confused, I peeped through the kitchen door, and my breath hitched in my chest when I saw three masked men pointing guns at Father, Mother, and James.

“Who…” Before my Father could speak or shift to his wolf, the men fired countless shots at them, and my family dropped dead.

My legs became weak. I wanted to scream, but my voice failed me. “Check if they are dead,” the one who seemed like the leader spoke, and with teary eyes, I watched the men check on them and confirm they were dead.

“Good!”

The man I assumed was the leader pulled up his sleeve as he checked his wristwatch, and I noticed a scorpion tattoo on his wrist.

“We should go,” he ordered the two men, who obeyed and followed him out.

After they left, I stumbled out of the kitchen, rushed to Mother, and shook her. “Mother!” I cried but got no response. I went to Father and did the same thing but got no response from him. With panting breath and tears streaming down my face, I stumbled towards James, hoping against hope that he would wake up. “James, please,” I whispered, shaking his shoulder gently, but there was no movement, no response.

The reality of the situation crashed down on me like a tidal wave, overwhelming and suffocating. My family, my world, was gone in an instant. Numbness spread through my limbs, and a dizzying sensation swept over me. I clutched at the edge of the dining table for support, but it felt like the ground was slipping away beneath me.

The room began to spin, the walls closing in around me. I struggled to breathe, the air thick with the scent of fear and blood. Darkness crept into the edges of my vision, threatening to engulf me entirely. With trembling hands, I reached out for something, anything to hold on to, but my strength failed me.

As the world blurred into shadows, the last thing I remembered was the scorpion tattoo on the masked man's wrist.