Prologue
The night of my sixteenth birthday was supposed to be simple. A run under the full moon. A small celebration with my pack. Maybe even a little teasing from my cousins about when my wolf would finally wake.
But nothing about that night was simple.
When the moonlight touched my skin, my bones cracked, my body shifted, and pain tore through me like fire and ice colliding. One second, I was on my knees, gasping for air. The next I knew, I was on all fours, claws digging into the dirt as fur rippled across my skin.
My wolf. She was here.
Finally, a voice whispered in my mind—soft, strong, and so familiar it made my heart ache.
I barely had time to process it before everything around me blurred. The forest melted away, replaced by silver mist and endless stars. And there, standing in the center of it all, was her.
The Moon Goddess.
Her hair shimmered like starlight, and her eyes glowed brighter than the moon itself. I froze, every nerve in my body screaming to kneel, but I couldn’t move. My chest heaved like I’d run a hundred miles.
“Why?” I whispered, my voice sounding too small in the vast space. “Why are you here?”
Her silver gaze pierced through me, but her smile was soft, almost sad.
“Because destiny is cruel, my child. And you are my weapon.”
I swallowed hard, my throat dry. “A weapon?”
“There is a storm coming.” Her voice echoed all around me, both inside my head and outside of it. “A war that will drown kingdoms in blood. And you, Evangelia, will stand at the center. My chosen Alpha. My flame against the darkness.”
My knees buckled. My heart thundered so loud I thought it might burst. “No… no, I can’t. I’m not—”
Her hand lifted, stopping me. Her touch was cool and light, like moonbeams brushing against my cheek.
“You doubt now. But you will not doubt forever. I have given you gifts—strength beyond wolves, healing that defies death, and sight that will pierce through lies. But remember this—” She leaned closer, her eyes burning with fire and sorrow. “Every gift comes with a price.”
And then she was gone.
The mist shattered. The stars faded. I jolted awake on the forest floor, gasping for air, my body trembling from both the shift and the vision. My wolf’s voice slid into my head, low and steady, stronger than I’d ever imagined.
Alpha.
One word. Heavy. Final. Unshakable.
And it terrified me more than anything else.
