Prologue Part 1

Zoe couldn’t miss opportunity to come home for a bit during semestral break. The familiar scent of pine and fresh bread enveloped Zoe as she walked through the front door. Her heart lifting at the sight of home. Her mother’s warm smile and her father’s easy laugh reminded her just how much she’d missed the comforts of family. The entire evening felt like a long hug - her brother teasing her about her “fancy witch school,” her father proudly grilling her on her training, and her mother glancing at her with that familiar, knowing look.

After they cleared the table, her father and brother retired, and Zoe found herself alone with her mother in the living room. Her mother set out a woolen blanket on couch and two mugs of tea on the coffee table, her hands moving deftly but with a soft tremor that Zoe noticed for the first time. They settled into the couch, the comforting silence between them lasting only a moment before Zoe’s worries came spilling out.

“Mom… something happened at Nighthaven.” She held her mug tight, trying to find the words. “I had this… dream. Or maybe it was a vision? It came from the Moon Goddess and Nyx.”

Her mother’s face grew thoughtful, her eyes full of questions and a flicker of pride. “A vision… And did they tell you what you’re meant to do?”

“They did. Sort of .” Zoe said, fidgeting. “It was strange. Nyx said I have some kind of destiny, choices I have to make, and powers to wield. They showed me… all the elements merging together. But there was something more, something dark.”

Her mother reached over, brushing a strand of hair behind Zoe’s ear, her gaze warm yet serious. “You’re special, Zoe. Our line has always been blessed, but you’re the first to have the Goddess direct touch. Your powers - earth, water, air, fire - they’re a gift, but with them comes a great responsibility. When the time comes, you’ll have to trust your instincts. Trust yourself.”

Zoe swallowed hard, feeling the weight of her mother’s words. “But what if I’m not ready? I will fail ? What if… it’s too much?”

Her mother wrapped her arms around her, pulling her close. “You’re stronger than you know. No matter what happens, you’re never alone. We’re with you - in spirit, in strength, and in love. And when the time comes, the Goddesses will be too.”

They sat there, holding each other in the dim light, a quiet bond of love that seemed to wrap around them like a shield. After a while, her mother brushed a kiss across her forehead. “Now, go rest. It sounds like you have a lot ahead of you. And remember, we’re always here, no matter how far you go.”

With one last lingering look, Zoe headed to her room, comforted yet feeling the weight of something unknown pressing on her. She lay down, thinking of her mother’s words and the power that coursed through her veins, wondering if she could ever be strong enough to face what was coming.

As she drifted off, her dreams turned dark, twisting into a vivid, feverish nightmare. She saw her home, her family, but there was something wrong. Flames flickered around her, the scent of ash replacing the familiar warmth. She stood frozen as she watched Ironclaw warriors invade, their movements shadows in the firelight. Her father stood defensively before her, his snarl fierce, but he was no match for Alpha Philip, who advanced with dark, terrible magic crackling at his fingertips.

In a silent scream, Zoe watched as her father was struck down, her mother next, crumpling to the ground as her hand reached for her pendant. Her brothers wolf layed on the ground in puddle of blood, his neck was twisted in weird angle. Zoe tried to run to her, but her feet felt glued to the ground. The nightmare seemed endless as she witnessed her family fall, one by one, and her own helplessness consumed her.

Then, she woke, gasping for breath, drenched in a cold sweat. But the terror lingered, a feeling that something was horribly wrong.

And she was right.

She heard faint sounds outside, an unnatural silence hanging in the air. Throwing on the first clothes she could grab, she ran to her parents’ room, shaking them awake. “Mom, Dad! I think there’s someone outside - something feels wrong.”

In that moment, her mother’s eyes mirrored her own fear, but she reached over and squeezed Zoe’s hand, giving her a look that said it all: Stay strong. Zoe run to Ethan’s room. „ Wake up!” She yelled. „Ethan, someones outside our house. We need to go. Quickly.”

The nightmare was only beginning.

The cold night air prickled Zoe’s skin as she and her family moved cautiously outside, the ground beneath her feet was damp with morning dew. Shadows shifted in the tree line just beyond their house, a heavy, ominous silence blanketing the forest. Zoe’s mother moved beside her, her eyes flashing with fierce determination, while her father stood protectively in front, his gaze sharp and ready.

Then, stepping from the darkness, Alpha Philip emerged, his form hulking, radiating power and wrath. His eyes, once dark, now gleamed an unnatural, eerie red as he zeroed in on Zoe, his glare twisting with unmasked rage and something else, something unsettlingly primal and dark.

“You’ve betrayed me, Gabriel,” he spat, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade. “After all I’ve done for this pack, you dare covet my place as Alpha?”

Zoe’s father, Gabriel, took a step forward, standing tall. “I’ve served you loyally, Philip. My family has done nothing but honor you and this pack. Whatever you think you know, it’s a lie.”

But Philip only smirked, his voice dripping with malice. “Loyalty? Don’t insult me. I see through your pretense - through her.” He pointed directly at Zoe, his gaze narrowing as if she alone was the source of his hatred. “You’ve bred a mutant, Gabriel. A girl tainted by unnatural powers. Did you think I wouldn’t notice? That I let her live freely? ”

Zoe’s heart pounded as Philip’s words cut into her. Her mother’s hand found hers, squeezing reassuringly, and she could feel the trembling strength in her mother’s grip. But Philip wasn’t alone. Behind him, twelve Ironclaw warriors in their wolf forms prowled forward, their eyes glinting with anticipation, their enormous bodies poised to strike.

“You’re blinded by your own madness, Philip,” her father growled. “Zoe is my daughter. She is a blessing, not the curse you try to paint her as.”

“Enough!” Philip’s voice thundered, his red eyes blazing brighter as his anger rose. The air around him grew thick with dark energy, pulsating with something unnatural. “You’ve schemed long enough, Gabriel. Your daughter and your witchling wife are stains on our kind. And tonight, I’ll cleanse this pack of your corruption.”