Fated to the Alpha

The forest was never quiet at night, but that night… it screamed. Ariana clutched her stuffed wolf as her father slammed the cottage door shut behind him. His chest heaved, his eyes—usually kind—were wild with fear. “Stay hidden,” he whispered, dropping to one knee. “No matter what happens, don’t come out until I come for you. Do you understand?” She nodded, tears already spilling down her cheeks. Her mother kissed her forehead, lips trembling. “You’re special, baby. No matter where life takes you, remember who you are. Remember this feeling—our love.” Then everything broke. Glass shattered. Growls—deep, feral, inhuman—filled the room. Her father roared a name she didn’t understand as claws raked across the wooden walls. Her mother screamed, shifting mid-air as a black-furred wolf slammed into her. The world spun in red and silver. Ariana crawled into the cupboard. Her little heart pounded so hard she thought it might burst. Through a crack in the door, she saw the glowing eyes of monsters. Then silence. Footsteps. Heavy, commanding. A deep voice, calm like a storm, filled the burning remains of her home. “Take the woman. Kill the man. The child… there’s no trace. Burn it all.” The cupboard door never opened. Not that night. Fifteen years later, the little girl who survived that night wakes up drenched in sweat, claw marks on her back, and a dream full of howls. Her body is changing. Her blood is calling. And her past is hunting her down.