Chapter One: The Night Everything Changed

Selene’s POV

A Normal Night

The wind carried the scent of pine and damp earth as I walked through the Bloodmoon Pack’s village, my boots crunching softly against the dirt path. The bonfire in the center glowed warm and golden, flickering against the darkened sky. It was a peaceful night—one of the last I’d ever have.

I just didn’t know it yet.

"Selene!" My best friend, Naia, jogged up beside me, her long blonde hair tied in a loose braid. She gave me a knowing smirk. "You’re brooding again."

I sighed, tucking a stray curl behind my ear. "I’m not brooding. Just… thinking."

Naia snorted. "Which, for you, usually means brooding."

I elbowed her, and she laughed, but the heaviness in my chest didn’t lift.

Something felt off tonight.

The celebration was for my father—Alpha Matthias Moreau—and the successful negotiations he had finalized with neighboring packs. It was supposed to be a night of unity, of strength. But even as laughter filled the air and warriors passed around mugs of ale, I couldn't shake the unease curling in my gut.

I glanced at my father, standing near the bonfire with his Beta, Darius. He was a strong man—broad shoulders, dark hair silvering at the edges, sharp hazel eyes that missed nothing.

He caught me staring and lifted a brow. You good?

I nodded, but he wasn’t convinced. His gaze lingered a second longer before returning to his conversation.

I wanted to go to him. To ask if he felt it, too—that quiet wrongness creeping through the night.

But I didn’t.

And I regretted it more than anything.

The First Signs of Danger

I sat on the wooden fence near the training grounds, watching Naia flirt with one of the warriors. My childhood home stood behind me—a sturdy log cabin nestled between tall evergreens. The pack village was quiet now, the younger pups having gone to sleep, but I could still hear the murmurs of celebration drifting from the bonfire.

A cool breeze made me shiver.

Then—

A low growl.

It came from the darkness beyond the tree line.

My body stiffened. My wolf, restless beneath my skin, let out a warning pulse.

"Naia," I called, sliding off the fence.

She turned to me, still grinning, but when she saw my face, her smile faded. "What is it?"

I scanned the treeline. Silence. Stillness.

Maybe I imagined it.

"Nothing," I murmured, forcing a breath. "I just thought I—"

A scream.

Not from me. Not from the village.

From the trees.

The world seemed to freeze. Then—

Chaos.

The first wolf lunged from the shadows, sinking its fangs into one of our sentries before he could even react.

More followed.

Snarls. Claws ripping flesh. Blood spraying against the ground.

Naia grabbed my arm. "Selene—RUN!"

But I was frozen.

I watched as warriors rushed forward, but the attackers were faster, stronger. These weren’t ordinary rogues. Their eyes glowed red.

I turned, shoving Naia toward the cabins. "Find my father!"

She hesitated, fear flashing across her face, but then she ran.

I turned back just as my father stepped into the battlefield.

"Defend the pack!" he roared, shifting mid-stride. His massive wolf form was a blur of dark fur and flashing fangs.

I ran toward him, shifting **partway—claws elongating, canines sharpening—**when a heavy weight slammed into me from behind.

Pain exploded in my ribs as I crashed into the ground. A rogue loomed over me, snarling, his claws raised—

I kicked out, knocking him back. Then I slashed, claws cutting deep into his chest.

He staggered, blood pouring from the wounds. But before I could strike again—

A shadow moved behind him. Faster than I could register.

Then—a blade through his neck.

I gasped as my father’s Beta, Darius, yanked the sword free, letting the rogue’s body drop.

"Selene!" he barked. "Get to the Alpha—NOW!"

I turned, searching for my father, but—

A silver arrow pierced his shoulder.

I screamed.

He dropped to one knee, his wolf form flickering as he struggled against the poison laced into the silver.

I sprinted toward him. "Father!"

He looked at me—not in pain, not in fear.

But with rage.

"RUN!" he ordered.

"NO—"

A second arrow. Straight through his chest.

The world shattered.

I lunged for him, but arms locked around me, yanking me back.

Darius.

"Selene, we have to GO!"

I fought him. Screamed. My father collapsed to the ground, choking on his own blood—

"I love you," he rasped. "Run."

Darius threw me over his shoulder and ran.

And I could do nothing but watch as my father—the strongest man I’d ever known—took his last breath.

I didn’t stop screaming.

Not when Darius carried me deep into the forest.

Not when I heard the sounds of my pack dying behind me.

And not when the shadowy figures caught up to us.

A blur of motion—a dart in Darius’s neck. He stumbled, his grip on me loosening.

Then—pain. A sharp sting in my side.

I gasped, my limbs going numb. The world tilted.

I saw the figures emerge. Their leader—a tall, dark-haired man with cruel eyes.

Then—darkness.

I woke up in chains.

My wrists ached from the silver cuffs. My throat was dry.

I was in a cage.

A dimly lit stone chamber. The scent of wolves, sweat, and blood.

I wasn’t alone.

Other cages lined the walls. Inside them—wolves from my pack. Naia. Darius. Warriors, Omegas.

The remnants of Bloodmoon.

I swallowed hard, nausea rolling through me.

We had lost.

Footsteps echoed.

A figure approached—not one of my pack, not a rogue.

A man in a dark suit. The auctioneer.

"Good," he mused, glancing at me. "You’re awake."

His lips curled into a smirk.

"You’re the most valuable one here."