Chapter 1 - The Alpha's Death

Daciana's P.O.V

I stood at the edge of the hill, buffeted by gusts of salty sea air. It was colder than I expected, and my fingers trembled slightly as I readied myself for the fight.

My father stood across from me, grinning confidently. His eyes never left me, noting each subtle movement before it could become a strike. He had always been too fast for me; no matter how hard I tried, I could never catch him off guard.

“Your movements are too rigid and controlled," he said, his voice carrying over the wind like a fatherly lecture. "You have to learn to be more flexible and natural in your actions."

I rolled my eyes humorously despite my frustration. “Maybe if you spent less time talking and more time fighting, I could have hit you at least once!"

With a confident yell, I sprinted forward and lunged towards him, my arm extended towards his cheek. He moved out of the way with remarkable dexterity and grace, but not before grinning.

I charged at him again, having no notion of how formidable an opponent he was. His body shifted into a low stance, and he placed his right hand behind his back as if to pull out a weapon.

“You underestimate me, dad!” I shouted as I launched myself at him.

He stepped aside like water around a rock, and I barely kept my balance from the sudden turn of momentum. My father grabbed my wrist, and in one swift motion, he twisted it behind my back and pinned me to the ground, sending jolts of pain through my arm with every movement.

His sharp claws dug into the nape of my neck, and I winced in agony. “You win, dad! Please don’t force your claws into my neck again," I pleaded.

A soft chuckle reverberated from within him;

“Daciana, you never listen to my advice.”

I stood to my feet and shook off the leaves clinging to my clothes.

“You always win,” I grumbled. “I should train with people I can beat instead of you.”

My father threw his head back and laughed, tears streaming down his brown cheeks. “What good is it if you just practice against opponents who are weaker than you?” he asked.

I mulled over his words, though I was not willing to admit it, but deep down, I knew he was right—I had fought against him a hundred times and lost every single time.

My father took a deep breath. “You're more capable than you realize, Daciana," he said. “And I won't stop until you reach your full potential.”

I smiled and replied sarcastically, “Stop being so corny, Dad. Mom will make us sleep outside if we're late for dinner tonight." With that, I jumped onto his back for a piggyback ride out of the forest.

Halfway out of the forest, a faint whistle caught my attention and set me on edge.

"Dad," I announced nervously, "I think we're being followed."

He chuckled at my paranoia. "It's just the Forest playing mind games with you," he said.

But I could sense something powerful looming in the distance, getting closer with each passing second—hurried footsteps and an unfamiliar energy radiating from behind us.

"No, Dad," I pleaded, fear gripping my insides. "Something is coming."

We continued our slow walk, and I felt a heavy hand rest on my shoulder. I turned just in time to see the silhouette of what could only be the most feared creatures of the forest—rogues. Fear cemented me in place as its glowing yellow eyes locked onto mine.

“Rogues!” my father shouted, and more appeared from behind us.

One of them swooped me up onto its back and dashed away with me while my father fought off the others. I frantically squirmed in its grip, trying to grab any part of its body that I could reach, but nothing worked.

The rogue was faster than my father - or at least it was until dad emerged from behind it with his claws deep into its chest. As he ripped out a howl of rage, I felt the creature's heart beat decline, and I recoiled immediately, freeing myself from its grip.

“What sort of training is this?” I asked my father, confused by his intensity. His eyes were blazing red with anger, and I could sense his desire for retribution in his fierce gaze.

“This is not a training!” My father roared as he nimbly dodged an approaching rogue from behind. Though I tried to fight beside him, exhaustion quickly sapped the strength from my body.

My father battled like a madman, but the rogues kept coming in greater numbers until they outnumbered us two-to-one. In desperation, he yelled at me: “Daciana, run back to the pack and get help!”.

I stumbled backward before sprinting away. Even though every step was painful, I pushed myself forward, hoping that help would arrive in time.

Just for a second, my father's gaze left the rogues he was fighting, as if to check in on me. In that moment of vulnerability, one of them moved with lightning quickness and struck him with its hand, sending him flying through a nearby tree. I screamed his name in terror.

“I'm fine Daciana,” he reassured me, even though it looked like he could barely stand on his two feet after taking such a hit from the rogue.

He smiled at me reassuringly, almost as if this kind of danger was something he dealt with on a daily basis. While I admired his inner strength and wished I could be half as resilient as him, I was still mad at him for not being more careful.

“Daciana! Get out of here now!” he ordered.

My feet sunk deeper into the soft earth with each step as I ran through the forest, desperately searching for the clearing that would lead me to safety. I had promised my father I would come back for him and I was determined not to let him down.

A rogue suddenly sprang out of nowhere right in front of me, blocking my path to the village. Its eyes glowed with hatred as it lunged towards me, claws extended and ready to rip into my flesh. Father had killed one already and I knew if I wanted us both to make it out alive, I wouldn't hesitate another second.

I flung myself onto a nearby tree branch and leapt above it, barely avoiding its grasp. In one motion, I snatched up a thick limb from the ground and drove it through the creature’s chest with all my strength. It roared in agony as I shouted “That is for attacking my father!”

Satisfied with my work, I raced along the path without ever looking back. Branches scraped at my face as I stumbled over fallen logs, all while trying to keep steady on my feet until finally I reached the entrance of the forest.

I burst out of the dense forest, gasping for air. As I stumbled into the village, a bead of sweat rolled down my temple, and my heart thundered in my chest.

Where were the sentries?

Panic clawed at my throat as I searched for anyone who could help. Suddenly, I collided with Caleb, my father's beta.

"Ciana?" he said, concerned. "Why are you panting like that? Where is Nathan?"

I struggled to compose myself. "Father... the alpha... the forest."

Caleb's eyes widened. He took me by the shoulders. "What happened in the forest? Where is your father?"

I felt dizzy, and my words came out jumbled. "Rogues," I muttered finally, before everything went black.