Chapter 01

Michelle Morripin – The Lone Wolf 

Snow piled in my hair as I wandered through the black forest, each step sinking into the soaked ground. The cold was a constant reminder of everything I had lost. Everything that had been taken from me.  

My name was no longer spoken in Neveryth. I was nothing more than a shadow, a wolf without a pack, a mistake meant to be forgotten. When I was exiled years ago, I was too young to fight against the decrees of Glen J. Baker, the Alpha who ruled the region.  

I was only six years old, but he didn’t care. No one did.  

He accused me of my father’s sins, proclaiming his betrayal in front of everyone. The man who raised me, who taught me to hunt and fight, was branded a traitor and executed without the right to defend himself—right before my eyes, just like the rest of my family.  

I watched his lifeless eyes staring into the snow before I was dragged out of the village. Banishment wasn’t enough for them—they wanted me to suffer.  

Maybe Glen felt pity, or maybe he just didn’t have the guts to kill a child. But to be honest? Surviving and witnessing it all was worse than death. It was true hell.  

I still remember the claws that tore through my skin, the fists that knocked me to the ground, and the humiliation of being spit on like trash. When I was thrown past the border and the pack’s barrier sealed shut behind me, I lay there—bloody, trembling, crying like the helpless little girl I was.  

But that was a long time ago.  

Now, I was a grown woman.  

A woman who survived.  

Life as a lone wolf had never been kind, but I learned to fend for myself. I hunted in the shadows, slept where the wind couldn’t reach me, and stayed far from claimed territories. I avoided patrols, but I always knew—one day, someone would find me.  

And today was that day.  

The scent came first. Musk and power. Too strong to ignore.  

I stopped mid-step, the hairs on my neck rising.  

I wasn’t alone.  

“You run well for someone without a home.”  

The voice was low, steady, dangerous—like distant thunder.  

I spun on my heel, ready to fight or flee.  

The man stood there, leaning casually against a tree, too at ease for someone who had just tracked me down. He was tall, strong, dressed in a black cloak that blended into the darkness of the forest. His amber eyes gleamed like a predator’s.  

“Who are you?” My voice was cold, but my heart pounded in my chest.  

“A messenger,” he said. “And I have something that might interest you.”  

He took a step forward, and my instincts screamed at me to move back.  

“I’m not interested in anything from Neveryth,” I snarled.  

“No?” He raised an amused eyebrow. “What if I told you there’s a way to go back?”  

My chest tightened.  

A part of me wanted to laugh at his audacity.  

The other part wanted to cling to that small promise—even if it was a trap.  

"You're lying."  

"No... But there's a price."  

The wind whistled through the trees, making the snow swirl around us. The man's gaze didn't waver as he spoke the words that would change everything.  

"If you bear a child for the Supreme Alpha, Matthew Dawolf, you will be granted forgiveness. You'll be allowed to return home."  

My breath caught in my throat.  

And for the first time in years, it wasn’t the cold that made me tremble.  

I blinked, trying to absorb the weight of his words. Then, a short, disbelieving laugh escaped my lips.  

"This is a joke, right?" My voice was sharp.  

The man in front of me didn’t so much as flinch. He simply watched me, patient, as if he had already expected my reaction.  

"It’s not a joke. It’s the truth," he said, his amber eyes gleaming in the dark. "Every pack is desperate for an heir to the Supreme Alpha."  

A shiver ran down my spine at his words.  

"That doesn’t make sense. The Supreme Alpha doesn’t accept anyone. I’ve heard traders say he doesn’t even look at a woman. That he never sleeps with anyone. That he’s either gay or... a eunuch."  

My voice was a harsh whisper, full of disbelief.  

Everyone knew of the Supreme Alpha’s reputation. He had no mate. He had never claimed a female. To some, he was a mystery. To others, a ruthless and untouchable king—more wolf than man. A primal being who cared for nothing but war and bloodshed.  

To conceive his heir? That was impossible.  

The man merely tilted his head.  

"Impossible or not, this is your only chance at redemption."  

I swallowed hard.  

My mind screamed that this was a trap—a dirty move by the Council to use me as a disposable pawn, a way to get rid of me once and for all. But another part of me—a dark, wounded, vengeful part—whispered that this was my only way back.  

I had already lost everything. No name. No home. No future.  

But if I returned...  

If I gathered proof of what they did to my father...  

If I got justice...  

Maybe it would be worth it.  

Even if it cost me my life.  

My purity.  

And my child.  

The wind howled around us, and the silence between us was swallowed by the sound of the trees swaying.

Now, all that remained was my decision.  

And I already knew what my answer would be.