Chapter 1

Irene's POV 

"You have to hurry Irene!" The twigs snapped rapidly under my legs with each movement, but I still didn't feel fast enough. 

We were the only wolves living in a cottage deep in the woods. I always told Dad that we had to move into the city and stay with the other pack members but he never listened.

"Come on Dad, the wood is so isolated. Whenever I head to the city, people call me a freak, and I don't blame them at all. I mean, we live in the goddamn woods!" I would say.

"A werewolf should live in their territory, not outside," He would reply.

Now here I was, almost breathless from running for miles. I couldn't stop to catch my breath because I was worried—and for the first time in years, I was... Scared.

Familiar faces stared at me as light shone brightly on my face at the entrance to the house, the looks on their faces horrifying, but it couldn't be compared to Silas's, my little brother. He looked like he had seen something worse than a ghost.

Without talking to anyone, I rushed towards the cottage with nothing hindering my entrance as the door laid miles away split into numerous pieces. 

Sharp edges pierced my skin with blood oozing out of every wound, but the thought of Dad blocked my pain receptors, I just wanted to see him; I needed to see him.

While working overnight at the bar, I heard a few rumors from some people. Not like they said it to my face, they didn't have the guts to.

"I can't believe he betrayed the pack."

"I heard he also leaked the Pack's secret to our enemies."

"He is a traitor and deserves to be punished."

I heard them whisper as I walked past their tables.

This morning, I tried reaching Silas, but he wasn't picking up. That's when I panicked. I knew something was wrong.

The circle of men caught my attention as I stepped in, silver star crested on the back of each one's cloth and I needed no telling; they were the Alpha's men who had one purpose of being here.

My cuts couldn't compare to the ones my eyes were feeding on and I wondered how they remained standing, it was obvious that the fight had been a tough one.

My footsteps must have alerted their attention as they all turned to me in that moment, the glare on some of their faces pissing me off. But what broke me was the sympathetic look a few of them gave to me. 

I looked around, looking for those blue eyes that always stared at me as he called me his princess. Those familiar eyes that would glare with love whenever I wasn't able to throw a full punch, but they were nowhere to be found.

I noticed the guards stare in the middle of their circle. Bile rose to my throat as so many thoughts filled my mind. But I shook it all off. I couldn't conclude. Not yet.

I took a step forward, pushing through the guards; ut someone held me back. It was Gareth.

"You don't have to see it, Irene," He said as his grip tightened on my forearms. He was a regular customer at the bar who loved tipping me. But this wasn't the bar, and I wasn't his attendant. 

Without a warning, I sent a kick in between his legs.

"Fuck!" He yelled in pain as he crouched down, his hands holding his groins.

This time when I stepped forward, no one dared to stand in my way. Rather, they made a path for me, and that was when I saw it—the lifeless body of Dad. 

My hands flew to my mouth. He had been ripped to pieces, torn from limb to limb.

"No... No... No, No... This can't be real," I muttered as I reached down to touch him. His blue eyes were now covered in blood. 

I touched his ripped arm. Tears rolled down my eyes as I felt his sticky blood, my chest tightening.

"No!" I cried out. I rushed towards Gareth and grabbed the collar of his shirt. "How could you do this to him?! He is not a traitor, and you know this! Why did you do that to him?!" 

Gareth remained silent. He wasn't ready to give me answers, but I needed them. I needed to know why. 

My hands tightened on Gareth's collar. Just then, I heard someone yell, "Wait, Silas!"

My mind went haywire. I was torn between what to do—either get Gareth to talk, or go after Silas. Without giving it any more thought, I straightened up and ran out of the cottage. It hurt so much, but I had no choice. Dad was dead, but my brother wasn't.

Silas was walking towards the woods. 

I wiped my tears as I went after him. Right now, he needed his sister, not a crybaby.

All of a sudden, legs began to kick the ground rapidly.

"Silas!" I yelled out as I ran after him. Catching up to him, I grabbed him by the shoulder.

As I spun him around, I saw an image of the little boy I knew years ago. The one who ran to my room whenever it was raining heavily. The one who would run into my arms, screaming when he saw a bug. I saw Silas from ten years ago. His cheeks were stained by tear marks.

"Let go of me," He growled as he pushed my arm away. He tried to run again, but I grabbed his wrist. "Let me go, Irene!"

"Sure, I will, after you tell me where you're going." 

"Anywhere other than here. Anywhere other than this Moon Goddess forsaken cottage!" He yelled, a fresh wave of tears rolling down his cheeks.

I chuckled, trying to act strong. "Sure, and then what? What do you do next, huh?" 

"I'll end it all! " He yelled as he flung my arm away. I felt my heart squeeze in my chest. He crouched down, sobbing uncontrollably. "I deserve to die, Irene. It's all my fault."

I wiped the tear that ran down my cheek. "It's not your fault, Silas," I said as I reached for his arm, patting him.

"Yes, it is, Irene. It's my fault. Last night when you were at the bar, I fought with Dad and ran away. If I had been here, this wouldn't have happened."

I was about to say something when he scoffed as he stood up. "Who am I kidding? I'm nothing but a weak wolf. At least Dad put up a fight. If I had been here, he would have been so busy trying to protect me that he would have been killed a lot earlier. Or worse, I would have been killed—"

Before he could say anything else, I grabbed his shoulders and squeezed them softly. "Hey listen, kiddo. You are not weak. In a few months, you'll be eighteen, and you'll have your wolf; then we'll get our revenge," I assured him. He tried to look away, but I hardened my grip. "Listen, Silas. It's obvious Dad was framed. Dad loves this Pack so much and he would never betray the Pack. So we are going to find out what really happened and clear his name. Got it?"

He nodded, trying to act strong. 

I pulled him in for a hug. I felt the heat from his tears as they dropped on the opening of my neck. It broke my heart.

"Peris," Silas straightened up. 

I turned to find my mate walking towards us. My heartbeat fastened.

"Silas, can you head back to the cottage, I'll be there soon," He nodded as he walked away, giving us some privacy.

Without a warning, I ran into the arms of my mate, taking in his smell. A mix of sweat, cinnamon, and fresh leaves.

At that moment, I let myself break down, my tearwells breaking free, bringing down the walls I had put up in front of the guards and Silas. I had shown them a strong me, but deep down, I wasn't. My Dad had been killed, and my brother was thinking of killing himself. 

How could my life fall apart in just one night? Why was Moon Goddess punishing me? Good thing I had Peris. With him, I could let all my guard down.

"They killed him, Peris! They killed Dad!" I sobbed, my hands tightening around him. "They said he was a traitor, but we know him, he might be strong, but he was a softie. He would never do that." 

I waited for his touch, but it didn't come. I looked up to him. His hazel eyes stared down at me. I couldn't discern what they held.

"I know, Irene, I heard," He said. I tried to speak up, but he cut me off. "We have something important to discuss, Irene."

He pulled himself gently out of my hold. He didn't look happy; neither did I.

"Yes, we have something important to talk about. I can't let them get away with what they did to my Dad. We have to—"

"—There is no we or us, Irene!" He said. "At least not anymore."

I was confused. "I don't... I don't understand... What do you mean by that?" I asked.

He sighed. "I'm sorry this is happening now," He said as he took a step towards me. "But you can no longer be my mate.”