I trembled as my body tore itself apart with the pain that shot through every cell of my body. I let out a groan as the pain persisted, I gritted my teeth and refused to cry out in pain. Sweat dripped from my face as I tried to fight off whatever was happening to me.

I could hear the whispers of a thousand ancestors who went before me. They wanted, no, they demanded to be let free they demanded to taste blood. Their crazed and madness was like an abyss. I fought the whispers I shook my head to rid myself of the torture. But how could I. I was too weak against the clan.

How was this happening anyway it'd been centuries. The old ways had died with the birth of the new generations. The growth of cities and the civilization. We had mingled with humans although we kept a tight kin. We were the last our generation every shifter knew that.

It had been half a century before the moon goodness choose one worthy to be alpha. But something had shifted in all the realms and every shifter could feel it. I was no exception and my moody side had been hard to keep in check over the last month. I wasn't the only one I knew that from the way the adults tried to keep us under watch. It had nothing to do with keeping us safe because if our dwindling numbers as usual, this was different. It was as if they were keeping us from lossing control of our wolf.

Nobody kept an eye on me as I was fourteen and everyone shifted at sixteen. I had rage issues and everyone knew that but nonetheless that didn't phase anyone. I was an angry kid anyway.

The night was different. I could feel it from the deepest part of my soul. Maybe it had something to do with the red moon that happened once a decade. Every shifter was on their toes hoping to let their wolf free. But just like any other red moon and full moon of the last few decades they knew the bitter truth, yet they waited hopefully. Their wolves whimpered in sorrow and they sat in groups as usual willing themselves to rid themselves of the loneliness that they couldn't get used to. The loneliness that could take them to their graves sooner than usual.

I didn't have my wolf yet but I had always felt the loneliness every full. A red moon had happened when I was four as it happened once a decade. I was too young then to know the pain it caused. But as I sat on the rocking chair at the furthest corner of the room as always, a place where I watched everyone come together to fight the loneliness, I wondered whether everyone heard the whispers or felt the pain with as much intensity as I felt.

Every pack was made of the alpha, the luna, who was the alphas mate, the beta, a wingman and first line of defense to protect the alpha, not that alphas required protection but the beta was his ears and eyes and to offer support when needed. The alpha is the head of a pack and was gifted with mystical power to connect with every wolf of his pack. He was the string that kept the pack together and safe. Without the alpha a pack was as well as lost. But that was not the worst part, The alpha mystical power and strength kept the pack strong and in perfect sync with their wolves and without him the shifters can not connect with their wolves and if they did, they are too weak to shift during the full moon and even more painful and torturous during the red moon. Eventually some shifters lost their connection to their wolves and that was a fate worse than death.

Most shifters died shortly after they lost their wolves. That is what happened to my mom or at least that's what grandma tells me. She also told me a couple of times that our last alpha died five decades ago when she was young and pretty. The alpha had fallen in love with a human and he mated and marked her selfishly. The moon goddess had punished him by taking his mystical power that he couldn't turn into a wolf and the alpha was never seen again. Since then the moon goddess had refused to grant the pack another alpha and that was how the greatest pack of the South, The Xulmac southern park was plunged into misery.

It was forbidden for a shifter to mate with a human and it was a taboo. I shuddered at the thought of falling in love with those fragile creatures. Killing humans was also forbidden and I hated those rules. Humans were the reason we didn't have an alpha and why my mother had died. Filthy creatures.

Suddenly the pain was too much to bear it was like I had been thrust into a fire and every cell of my body was being torn apart one by one. My skin my was on fire. My bones felt like jelly and I couldn't feel or see anyone anymore as the pain went from raging to excruciating in less than a second. I didn't even recognize the foreign voice that emitted from my body. I could hear my own scream above my pain as everyone turned to look at me. That was the last thing I saw my grandma running to my side as everyone's face filled with horror and surprise. Then everyone disappeared together with my pain and all I could hear were a thousand whispers and what they wanted. No. What they demanded.

Blood!

Blood.

Everything was silent. And that is how it began.

The begining of the start of the end.

Here goes nothing. Welcome to the prologue of the start of this book

"The Alpha's Den"

Hope you love it because it's about to go down dear beloved reader.

Author: Eglahbev