Chapter One – Zara's POV
The Night of the Hunt
The wind cut like ice against my skin, slicing through the thin fabric of my torn dress as I sprinted through the forest. My bare feet barely made a sound against the hard ground, but every breath felt like a scream in the silence.
I ran.
Branches clawed at my arms, tearing through my skin as if the forest itself wanted to hold me back. But I didn't stop. I couldn't. Not with them so close.
A voice rang through the night, deep and commanding.
"Zara! Stop running! You can't escape this! Come out and we might stop hunting you down."
Killian.
The Beta of the Nightshade Pack. My father's second-in-command.
His voice sent a shiver down my spine—but not from fear. Not of him, at least.
The real fear lived inside me.
Beneath my skin, my wolf stirred, hunger sharpening with every breath.
"Let me out." The voice slithered through my mind like a shadow, thick with rage and power. "You know what will happen if they catch us."
I clenched my fists, forcing her back.
No.
I wouldn't let her take control. Not again.
A howl sliced through the night, followed by the crunch of leaves. They were spreading out, closing in.
Killian's voice came again, this time laced with false sympathy.
"Come now, Zara. The Alpha will show you mercy."
I almost laughed.
Mercy?
My father didn't believe in mercy.
He was the Alpha of the nightshade pack, so mercy is far from him.
That night—the night I lost control—he called me a monster. My mother lay dead at my feet, and he hadn't hesitated. He cast me out, let the pack hunt me down like a rabid animal.
Now, pressed against the rough bark of an oak tree, I forced my breathing to slow.
Think.
I couldn't outrun them forever.
From my hiding place, I watched as Killian motioned to his men. "Take the northern path. She can't have gone far."
My pulse pounded in my ears. They were splitting up. I had seconds before one of them found me.
Moving swiftly, I slipped from the shadows, keeping low as I darted in the opposite direction. The forest stretched endlessly ahead of me, but every path felt like a dead end.
"You're wasting time." My wolf's voice curled inside me like smoke. "Fight, or we die."
I ignored her.
But I felt it—the pull, the power clawing its way up my spine.
No matter how fast I ran, I couldn't outrun this.
I wasn't afraid of Killian.
I was afraid of myself.
I was afraid to lose control of my wolf again.
Then—
Crack.
A single snap of a branch behind me.
I whirled, heart slamming into my ribs.
Killian.
His smirk was slow, predatory, his dark eyes gleaming under the moonlight. And he wasn't alone. Behind him, his men were already forming a circle, sealing off my escape.
"There you are," he murmured, amusement thick in his voice. "Did you really think you could outrun us forever?"
I didn't move.
I wasn't afraid.
But I should have been.
Killian took a slow step forward, hand outstretched. "Come willingly, Zara. I don't want to hurt you."
Liar.
All lies.
I glanced at the others—each one armed, silver glinting at their belts.
They weren't here to bring me back.
They were here to put me down.
The pressure inside my skull grew stronger.
"Let me out." My wolf pushed through trying to take control.
No.
Killian sighed, tilting his head. "Still stubborn, I see. Well since you don't want it the easy way then we can make it the hard way."
He gave a sharp nod.
A man lunged for me.
I twisted, barely dodging, but pain tore through my skull—a searing agony that stole my breath.
I staggered. My vision blurred.
No. Not now.
My wolf was too strong. The shift was coming.
Killian's hand clamped around my wrist.
And I snapped.
A raw surge of power exploded from within me.
Killian flew backward, crashing into a tree with a sickening crack. The others hesitated, fear flickering in their eyes.
But it was too late.
The shift overtook me.
I barely had time to scream as my bones cracked, my body stretching, reshaping. Fur erupted along my skin. My fingers curled into deadly claws.
I wasn't me anymore.
I was the thing they feared.
The first man didn't even have time to scream before I lunged.
My teeth sank into his throat.
Blood.
I watch as I rip him apart, but no matter now I try to stop my wolf I just can't.
The others tried to fight. Silver blades flashed. Arrows sliced through the night.
But I was faster. Stronger.
They fell. One by one.
Some ran. Some begged.
I didn't stop.
Somewhere deep inside, I was screaming. But I couldn't reach the surface.
And then—
Pain.
A sharp, white-hot agony ripped through my back.
At first I thought it might be dull to the struggle of me trying to take control back but I was wrong.
I choked on my own breath, staggering forward.
I turned.
A man stood there, tall and unmoving. His presence swallowed the air itself.
His sword dripped with my blood, gleaming under the moonlight.
The air around him pulsed with dominance.
Even through the pain, I already knew who he was.
Even after all this time, I recognized the face that once looked at me with love.
Now, there was only cold, unyielding rage.
My lips parted, the word barely a whisper.
"…Father."
Then, everything went dark.