Chapter 1

Celia

Tonight was the most horrible night of my life. The lightning was thundering and the black clouds looked as gloomy as my life and my pack was being torn to shreds.

Our lives had been peaceful earlier but ever since the Lycan King had cast his gaze upon the southernmost part of his territory, where my pack resided, things had gone downhill.

Werewolves were his pawns and alphas bowed to him. Under his rule, even the mighty alphas cowered in fear.

And now, as the rain poured down on me, I was sitting on the ground, unable to move…unable to think.

“Ma…please don’t leave me”

She had lost blood…lots of blood.

Her gaze flicked to the pups that were cowering under the small shade and trying their best to hide from the attackers.

“Go, save the pups”

My mother ordered as I saw a werewolf lunge at us. I was too stunned to even move but my mother turned around and deflected his sharp claw that would have slashed through my abdomen.

She saved me but she took the brunt of the attack as the claw ripped through the fabric of her dress, making blood blossom through her already blood soaked white dress.

“Nooo”

I took a step ahead but my mother’s eyes were glued to the pups.

“Save them”

She ordered again. 

My mother tried to valiantly protect me from the werewolf who slashed out with his long claws at my mother for the second time. I helplessly watched her fall to the ground and my eyes widened in horror.

I wanted to run to her but her gaze told me what she wanted me to do. As the daughter of a beta, my first responsibility was towards the pack.

Not my immediate family but the pack. 

I was Celia Klaus, daughter of beta Valeric Klaus and his mate Grace Klaus of the Brightwood pack. We had been attacked for the third time this week.

Our pack members were already injured and weak due to the back to back battles. And that is why Alpha Kyle Declan of the Whitestone pack had decided to attack our home when we were at our weakest.

The Declan pack was known for being cruel and cunning and their alpha was notorious for playing wicked tricks to snatch women and able warriors of other packs.

My father had fought valiantly and bought the alpha and the luna along with their newborn pup some time to find shelter. But, he had been too late to return for his own family.

Meanwhile, the werewolf’s gaze flicked to the pups and terror dug its ugly fangs deep into me.

My heart was thudding wildly and I knew that this was possibly the last time I would see my mom. But, she ordered in a stern voice,

“Go”

I had no choice but to take the pups and run toward one of the bunkers.

The sound of growling and screaming was all that I heard as I took them to safety. Instead of bolting straight for the bunker, I ran around a bit so as to throw the werewolf off the track, should he pursue me.

It was a risk but I had to take it. Holding the pups in my hand, I ran through the muddy waters and circled around the bunkers before entering it.

A few other females were hiding in too and they immediately took hold of their pups while asking me to sit with them. Some of them were elders and others too young, just like the pups I had rescued. 

“Wait, don’t go outside!!”

Elder Lina said grabbing my hand and shaking her head.

She was looking at me with a lot of worry and concern. Her pale wrinkly hand would probably not have much strength to carry the pups to some other place, should the attackers find out the bunker.

I also could not fight the werewolves all by myself.

But, I could not let my mom fight alone. I could not let her die.

I was in a dilemma and paced through the bunker, not knowing what to do. I was worried sick about my mother and immediately mind-linked with her.

“Mom, are you okay?”

She answered in a weak voice, “Yeah, I am doing fine. The werewolf didn’t follow you, right? Did you get all the pups to safety?”

“Yes I did. Hang in there, I am coming”

I said and took a step forward when Elder Lina spoke again.

“If you go out they will kill you too.”

She was right. They had killed almost everybody. 

I did not worry about my life but I had to be practical, I could not let the old and the weak die if I ran after my mother and gave away the bunker’s location.

The werewolves of the Declan pack were everywhere. I could hear their voices amidst the pitter-patter of raindrops.

So, I sat in the bunker, pacing up and down through it as I kept connected with mom using my mind-link.

“Did reinforcement arrive?”

I asked her and I could hear her struggle to speak.

“No, but they should be here anytime soon. Your father has taken the alpha, luna and their newborn pup to a safe place.”

Mom informed me as I felt her voice weaken with every spoken word.

I wanted to step out but then I heard a few footsteps sloshing through the water, approaching us. I quickly crouched back and adjusted the layer of leaves above the entrance of our bunker.

It was hard to hear anything because the roaring sound of my heartbeat drowned out every other noise around me.

Calming my wildly beating heart, I placed my ear on the earthen wall of the bunker and tried to eavesdrop on their conversation.

“Are there any female survivors left? Alpha Kyle has asked us to take every single female back to the palace.”

Palace? Why would alpha Kyle’s warriors take women to the palace? Did it not belong to the Lycan king?

I wondered and grew interested in the conversation.

The other warrior spat and answered, “I can’t see any. I wanted one or two for myself but looks like alpha Kyle has to make up for his earlier mistake.”

His comrade guffawed like a maniac and replied, “Yeah, the good ones always go to the king. The leftovers go to the princes. And if we are lucky, we get to pick through the trash, if even Prince Jasper doesn’t want anything.”

My body gave an involuntary shudder when I heard that. 

Prince Jasper.

The evil prince of the Lycan king who everybody feared but nobody could say a word against him. He was despised by all and I had heard rumors that even the King was wary of him.

“Hey, if there is nothing left to do, come on. We have to dispose of the corpses”

Another voice called them out from a distance and snapped me out of my thoughts as they turned around and left.

All the others in the bunker took a breath of relief but my breath hitched.

Mom.

The voice had said ‘corpses’

No it couldn’t be true. I had to go and find her. I had been so engrossed in listening to them that I totally missed noticing that the mind link had been severed.

They walked away from the bunker and I could not hold myself back any longer.

So, I simply ran outside the bunker and straight to the spot I had last seen her.

Mom was lying in a puddle, leaning against a thick tree trunk. The rain had stopped but I could see the water getting mixed with the blood.

My knees quaked and I felt my vision blur as a cold dread began to claw at my heart again, twisting it in knots. 

“Ma!!”

Tearing out a piece of fabric from my blouse, I tried to tie it around her wounds.

But there were too many wounds, all of which were bleeding profusely.

“I will find the pack healer, hang on,”

I said but she weakly grabbed my hand.

“It is too late for that.”

“Noo…please don’t say that. Dad will be here shortly, you will be okay. Just stay with me.”

I begged but mom only said,

“You are strong, remember that.”

I was crying as the two warriors I had eavesdropped on earlier reached me and laughed deviously.

“Looks like we found a sneaky little bitch”

Their eyes raked me from top to bottom as they licked their lips.

“Oh sweetheart, don’t cry. We will look after you”

One of them said while the other crouched down on the ground to take a better look at me.

“Hmm. She is not too gorgeous so maybe the King and alpha will not want her. What say let us keep her for ourselves?”

The other man rubbed his hands together as they held my hands from either side and began dragging me, away from my mother who gave one last shudder before going deathly still.

“Give us a nice time, baby”