Chapter One
Note: The first book in the series was updated in 2026. Older comments may reflect a previous version of the story and may no longer fit the chapters. This series is a darker werewolf series. This is a bound edition featuring books 1-10.
Warning: This story contains violence, death, betrayal of the mate bond, attempted s****l assault, and explicit s*x scenes.
Octavia
Howls filled the air, my heart pounding in my chest as I pushed past leaves and branches in my path. My feet dug deep into the muddy ground, kicking up pieces. Looking over my shoulder, I couldn’t see anything, but my sharp hearing easily detected their panting and low growls as they communicated with each other while hunting me.
Their pursuit only made me push harder, my muscles barely aching as they easily carried me on. Thunder made the ground shake just as a powerful growl echoed with it. My body reacted before I even thought, bending low and sliding over the ground as the rogue jumped over me, its jaws snapping at the air, almost catching my long braid.
With no time to rest, I pushed up from the ground, continuing to run as the rain poured down on me, making my clothes and bag heavy. Still, nothing would halt my plans tonight, not even a pair of rogues looking for their next prey to play with.
A loud crack of lightning tore through the sky, hitting a tree farther away. The wood creaked and complained before giving in to the massive force and fire. It began tilting, moving into my path. Panic set in as I pushed myself harder and harder, but the tree was falling too fast. The ground shook as it crashed down. The giant log was now in my path, presenting a difficult obstacle. I heard howls behind me—joyful sounds, as the rogues most likely thought this would corner me.
How mistaken they are, I thought.
Sending even more power through my body, I connected more strongly to my animal side. My wolf curled within me, providing me strength. My boots dug into the ground, my speed increasing by the second. Everything suddenly began to slow around me. As I neared the log, I launched myself from the ground, throwing my arms forward as I pushed through the air. Like I was flying, I moved toward the log’s upper side. My nails dug into the bark, pushing me higher as I leaped over the tree. With ease, I landed on the other side before continuing on. I threw a glance over my shoulder, not seeing the rogues. Continuing to put distance between us, I heard their angry howls signaling they had failed in their own jumps.
Laughing in triumph, I continued on, moving fast through the dense woods. The rain and darkening sky made it a bit harder to see far distances, but this was my home. I didn’t need my vision to get around. Still, shelter would be preferred. As if someone had heard my pleas, a lightning bolt cut through the sky, revealing a small path leading up to what looked like a cave. Stopping, I looked up at the stone that had formed a tilted opening, enough for a person to squeeze through. Surveying my surroundings, I checked for danger, but except for the thunder and rain, everything was quiet here in no-man’s-land.
Taking my chances, I walked toward the small cave, slightly elevated from the ground with a stone floor. I leaned a hand on one of the walls and peeked inside. There was nothing but darkness. Scenting the air, I caught the whiff of moisture and dry leaves, but no predator’s scent. I pushed inside before placing my belongings down. Finding tiny branches that must have been dragged or blown in, I gathered them together before taking out matches and lighting a small fire, just enough to hold my icy hands toward it and gain some warmth.
My heavy breathing filled the silence as I rubbed my hands together. My wolf curled once more but remained tightly held in mental chains. Her twisting reminded me of something, and I quickly grasped my bag, searching through it. Worry gripped me for a moment when I couldn’t locate what I sought, but then, at the bottom, I found it. Wrapped safely in a dark cloth, I pulled it out. Letting it rest in one hand, I unwrapped it, its beautiful silver blade reflecting the fire in front of me.
I felt a smile spread across my lips as I looked at the deadliest weapon on this planet, or at least for a werewolf. Even if you didn’t strike a fatal point with it, silver poisoning was one of the most brutal ways to die. Curiosity and excitement gripped me as I grasped the protective black handle, but even holding it, even being near it, made my body shake slightly. Whether it was from the silver itself or from knowing its purpose was hard to say.
I moved it around, inspecting it from all sides before my eyes fell on my bare, free hand. My gaze shifted between the blade and my skin. Slowly, I brought the blade closer, my heart pumping faster, my breathing deepening. My skin broke out in sweat even before the silver touched it. Then a seething sound reached my ears as I pressed the knife harder against myself. I could see smoke rising from me as I forced the blade down further. The pain was almost unbearable.
“Ah!”
I threw the knife away with force before it broke the skin, finally succumbing to the agony. I glanced at my wrist, now marked with fresh blisters and wrinkles, joining my large collection. I smiled as I looked at it. It would take time to heal, but the thought only made my smile widen. I moved further into the cave and, at the far end, found the knife. I slipped it into a holster at the back of my pants, leaving the hilt sticking out for easy access when I needed it.
I returned to the small fire. Digging into my bag again, I pulled out a map protected by a thin plastic sheet. Placing it in front of me, I studied the carefully drawn trail. Reaching down, I let my finger follow the red line all the way up to a large circle. Above it, it read: Alpha Michael’s territory.
From there, a small line was drawn to another bubble that said: Target. At 08:00 PM, meeting. A low rumble erupted from me as I pulled the silver knife from its holster again and drove it into the word target. My hand tightened around the handle, the plastic creaking under my strength.
“What a nice birthday gift,” I murmured to myself, feeling a sick satisfaction spread through me. “Perfect way to celebrate twenty miserable years on this f*cking earth.”
My voice was nothing but a whisper as I twisted the knife deeper, my anger and hatred rising with the motion, my rumble turning into a growl. Fury burst out of me in a terrible snarl that echoed through the cave before I abruptly pulled out the knife, seeing the mark I had left in the map. Pointing at the damage as if I could see him standing before me.
“This time, it will be me who stands over your corpse, celebrating.”
