CHAPTER ONE : THE FALL
The smoke hit my throat before I even saw the fire.
One second, I was sitting on the windowsill in the main hall, watching the afternoon light fade over Silvercrest. The next, a horn split the air—a sharp, desperate sound that cut off abruptly.
Then came the howls. Wild, ragged, and filled with bloodthirst.
"Aria!"
My mother, Luna Elena, burst into the hall. Outside, glass shattered, and screaming echoed through the streets. Wolves rushed past the windows, scrambling to shift, while warriors snatched weapons off the walls. Families ran blindly toward the inner vaults.
"Mom, what’s happening?" My voice trembled.
"Rogues," she said, her voice tight as she grabbed my shoulders. "Too many of them. Aria, stay right beside me. Do you hear me?"
I nodded, my stomach dropping into a cold pit. Unlike everyone else running past us, I didn't have a wolf. If a rogue came through that door, I couldn't shift. I couldn't fight. I was completely defenseless.
"Elena! Take Aria to the back!"
My father, Rowan, strode into the hall. His presence instantly changed the air in the room. He was one of the strongest Alphas in the realm, a man whose name made enemy packs hesitate. He looked at me, his eyes firm.
"Rowan, they breached the northern wall already," Mom said, her fingers digging into my arm. "It doesn't make sense."
"It doesn't matter," Dad said calmly. "I'll push them back. Get the non-combatants secure."
Watching him step toward the front doors, a brief wave of relief washed over me. He was Rowan Vale. He didn't lose. He stepped into the courtyard, shifting mid-stride into a massive, dark wolf.
Through the shattered doors, I watched him fight. He was incredible, tearing through the rogues, clearing a path, and giving our pack hope. For a second, I thought we were going to be okay.
Then, the impossible happened.
Dad was forcing a group of rogues back toward the gates when he suddenly staggered. It wasn't a powerful blow that stopped him. He just... faltered, as if his legs had given out. A shadow moved behind him—fast and unnatural—and Dad went down.
I didn't hear a roar. The strongest Alpha simply collapsed into the dirt, surrounded by snarls.
"No!" I screamed, but Mom yanked me back.
"Don't look, Aria!" she cried.
I froze, my mind completely blank. Dad was supposed to be invincible.
"Aria, look at me!" Mom snapped, grabbing my face. Blood dripped from a cut on her forehead, and her eyes held a desperate realization. "Listen to me very carefully."
"We have to help him!" I begged, tears slipping down my cheeks.
"He's gone, Aria," she whispered, her grip iron-tight. "And if you stay here, you will die too."
"I'm not leaving you!"
"You have to. Your father and I lived to protect this pack, but my final duty is to keep you alive. You run, Aria. You run and you don't look back."
"Where?" I sobbed.
"Crystal Moon," Mom said, pushing a small midnight-blue pendant into my hand. "Their pack is strong. Their borders are secure. Go to them. Ask for protection."
"Go!" she yelled, shoving me toward the back exit just as rogues crashed through the front doors.
I ran.
I burst out into a nightmare. Silvercrest, the only home I had ever known, was burning. Buildings crumbled, fires danced on rooftops, and the air was thick with ash and blood.
I sprinted through side alleys, my chest burning with every breath. Guilt tore at me with every step. I was running away because I was wolfless, useless, a weight my mother had to worry about in her final moments.
Survival isn't about pride, my father's voice echoed from an old lesson. It's about living to see tomorrow.
I forced my legs to move faster, slipping out through a hidden breach in the southern fence and throwing myself into the dark forest.
I ran through the night, terrified to stop.
