The Wolf who owns the Night

Aria The first scream woke me. It was not the kind that came from a nightmare. This one came from outside. A genuine scream. Raw. Terrified. Then another. I sat upright in bed. For several seconds, I could not breathe. The village was supposed to be asleep. It was past midnight, and the only sounds I should have heard were the wind rattling the shutters or the distant howls of wolves beyond the forest. Instead, there was shouting. Running footsteps. Then something crashed outside. I threw the blanket aside. My heart pounded against my ribs as I crossed the room and pushed open the window. Smoke. Black smoke curled above the rooftops. Then I saw the fire. The house across from mine was burning. Someone was standing in the street. No. Something. A massive black wolf stood beneath the orange glow of the flames. It was enormous. Too large to be real. Its fur was soaked with rain, and its claws dug into the muddy ground. But it was the eyes that froze me. Silver. Bright, unnatural silver. The wolf lifted its head. And looked directly at my window. I stumbled backward. A crash came from downstairs. "Aria!" My father's voice. I ran for the door. "Father?" "Don't come downstairs!" Another scream tore through the night. Then silence. "Father!" I grabbed the handle. It would not move. Something had locked the door from the outside. My stomach dropped. "Father!" I slammed my shoulder against the door. Once. Twice. On the third attempt, the wood splintered. I rushed downstairs. The front door stood open. My father was gone. So was my mother. Only a trail of muddy footprints remained across the floor. My hands began to shake. "No..." I ran outside. The village had become a nightmare. Buildings were burning. People were running in every direction. Some were screaming for their children. Others were calling for help. But no one was coming. Because the creatures hunting them were not human. Wolves moved between the houses. Dozens of them. Their eyes glowed beneath the smoke. I backed away. One of them noticed me. It growled. Then it charged. I turned and ran. My feet slipped through the mud as I sprinted toward the forest. Behind me, claws struck the ground. Closer. Closer. I could hear its breathing. I was going to die. I knew it. Then— A howl exploded through the forest. Every wolf stopped. The creature behind me froze. I slowly turned. The enormous black wolf from my window stood at the edge of the village. The others immediately lowered their heads. None of them moved. The black wolf walked toward me. One step. Then another. I could not run. Something about him made my body refuse to move. He stopped only a few feet away. His silver eyes locked onto mine. And then— He shifted. Bones cracked. Black fur disappeared. A man stood where the wolf had been. Tall. Broad-shouldered. His dark hair fell across his forehead, and blood stained one side of his face. But it was his eyes that terrified me. They were still silver. He stared at me as though he had been searching for me his entire life. I swallowed. "Who are you?" He said nothing. Instead, he walked toward me. I stepped backward. "Stay away." He stopped. For the first time, something changed in his expression. Recognition. Fear. No. Not fear. Something much darker. He looked at me as though I were impossible. As though I should not exist. Then he whispered two words. "My Queen." My blood ran cold. "What?" Behind him, every wolf in the forest lowered itself to the ground. Knees. Paws. Heads bowed. All of them. The man in front of me slowly dropped to one knee. I stared at him. At the wolves. At the burning village behind me. Nothing made sense. Then the man looked up. His voice was quiet. But every word felt like a death sentence. "You're alive." I shook my head. "Who are you?" His jaw tightened. "Damon Black." The name meant nothing to me. But judging from the terror spreading across the faces of the wolves behind him, it meant everything to them. He reached for my hand. I pulled away. "Don't touch me." His eyes darkened. "You don't remember." "Remember what?" He stared at me for a long moment. Then he said the words that would change my life forever. "Twenty-one years ago, your bloodline was supposed to have been wiped from this world." He glanced at the burning village. "But tonight, they came back for you." A chill crawled down my spine. "Who?" Damon's gaze shifted toward the dark forest. "The people who know what you are." I looked at him. "What am I?" For the first time, the terrifying Alpha looked afraid. "You are the last Blood Moon." A howl echoed through the trees. Damon stood. And every wolf behind him lifted its head. "Run, Aria." I stared at him. "Why?" His silver eyes met mine. "Because the m******e wasn't the end." He looked toward the forest. "It was the beginning."