The earth cracked under the heat of roaring flames that consumed everything they touched. The Black Pack had attacked the Gray Pack -- the ones they called "filthy" for being neither white nor black. Under Alpha Tulio's command, they killed everyone in their path.

The Alpha was drenched in his victims' blood. He had been the most savage in the slaughter, leaving bodies strewn across the ground and burning, with no dignity or ritual, as was the practice among werewolves. According to their customs, without the proper rites, the wolves' souls remained bound to the earth.

A shaman chanted a mantra near the village, at the edge of the forest. No one could see her, thanks to a concealment spell. Her mantra was simple but powerful:

"Uniu-vos amb els mes joves i vinguenos"

("Join the youngest and avenge us")

The Alpha's command, however, was absolute and brooked no disobedience.

"Search everywhere. Don't leave anyone alive. This bloodline must end."

The wolves howled in response and scattered in every direction, hunting for survivors. When they found no one else, they began to regroup to leave.

Elias, one of the soldiers, was among the last to pass through. He walked by a burning cabin and heard the faint cry of a baby. He rushed inside, intending to snuff out that small life, but then he noticed she had just been born -- the umbilical cord hadn't even been cut.

He shifted back to human form and assessed the situation. The fire crackled all around him, and there wasn't much time to think. Around the bed where the mother lay, there were supplies, and he used them.

Cord to tie. Scissors to cut. Cloth to wrap the pup.

He tied off the cord, cut it, and wrapped the newborn in the fabric.

With a bedsheet, he swaddled the baby and tied her against his chest, then shifted back into wolf form and carried the pup with him, dangling from the makeshift sling.

His wife was at home, grief-stricken, having delivered their own child stillborn. It had happened before he left for the attack, and no one else knew. He took a different route home, slipping away from the rest of the troops.

His wife, Natalia, lay in bed weeping. He untied the baby from his chest, unwrapped her, and placed her in Natalia's arms.

When she saw the pup, Natalia cradled her close and immediately brought her to her breast, where the tiny female latched on with force and stopped crying.

"My baby girl. The goddess gave me back my baby girl," she murmured through her tears.

"Yes, she's a gift from the goddess. But you can't tell anyone about this, or they might find some excuse to take her from us."

"You think they'd do that? Why?"

"They'll say she's a sacred being and that we're not fit to raise her."

Elias had invented a lie to keep Natalia quiet. Otherwise, both of them could be killed, along with the child. He knew it wasn't right to deceive his life's mate, but it was the only way to keep them all alive.

"I understand. Our little Luana will be safe with us, and we'll raise her with everything we can give her," Natalia agreed.

Elias left her nursing the baby and went to the small cradle where he'd placed his stillborn daughter. He picked up the tiny bundle and slipped out the back door, looking in every direction. He ventured deep into the forest, dug a hole, and buried the cold little body.

"Forgive me, my daughter. But this is necessary -- for your mother's sake."

At the Alpha's house, everyone was celebrating and swapping stories from the night. The Alpha's firstborn, Henrique -- seven years old, called Henry by everyone -- bounced around excitedly, listening to the tales and trying to imitate the warriors.

Tulio was not a good man. Some would say he'd been forged by the cruelty of misfortune and had no heart. He raised his son teaching him to dominate through violence and to consider himself superior, never bowing his head -- not even to his own father.

The boy was growing up steeped in his father's violence, and his mother worried about this behavior. She asked her family for help. Her father, Alpha Julius, was a just and principled leader who kept his pack in order and decency. When he'd given his daughter to Alpha Tulio, he never imagined the savagery that would consume the man over time.

So Julius sent one of his younger sons and prepared his eldest for an attack, in case a rescue of his daughter and grandson became necessary. That was how Dimas came to the Black Pack, as his nephew's tutor. When he arrived, Tulio, in his arrogance, tried to turn him away -- but his Luna was no weakling and knew how to persuade him.

"Our son needs more than violence in his education," the Luna said.

"Are you calling me violent? Would you rather I were some weak, submissive fool?"

She moved closer and whispered in his ear, making him shiver.

"Only in bed, my love. And if you don't agree, I won't tie you up anymore."

His expression shifted. He grabbed her jaw and kissed her mouth with brutal force. When he pulled away, the Luna's lip was bleeding.

"Don't threaten me."

She smiled and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth with her finger.

"I don't need to, do I?"

He couldn't help but grin. His mate had been handpicked by the goddess -- he believed that with all his heart.

"Fine. He can stay. But if I catch my son turning soft, he's gone."

"Very well, brother-in-law. They'll be academic lessons in general culture," Dimas explained.

Henry had been listening from behind the curtain. He was glad to have his uncle there to teach him. Maybe he could live a little more peacefully, without having to pretend to be something he wasn't. The only problem would be proving he hadn't lost his violent edge -- and he had no idea how to manage that.

Then the next day came. Elias and Natalia went to present their daughter to the Alpha, and Henry made his plans -- none of them good for the little pup.

Elias approached the throne, leaving his mate Natalia two steps behind him, and bowed to Alpha Tulio.

"Tell me, Elias -- male or female?"

"Female, sir."

"Bring her closer. I want to present her myself."

The Luna descended the stairs and went to take the little one in her arms. She missed having a female pup; after Henry, she'd never gotten pregnant again. Perhaps it was for the best, she thought, since Tulio was growing more savage by the day, seemingly losing his mind.

Natalia handed her pup to the Luna and stood beside Elias, grateful that the Luna had stepped in ahead of the Alpha.

"She's so tiny and beautiful, Tulio!"

"Let me see her." He extended his hands to take her.

"Be careful -- she's very young and delicate. Not rough like the males," the Luna cautioned, passing him the baby gently.

Anyone watching the Alpha handle the pup so tenderly would never have guessed he was the same bloodthirsty savage who had wiped out the village she came from, killing her parents in the process. He set her on his legs, unwrapped her blanket, and held her beneath the arms, turning her to face the crowd.

"What shall the daughter of Elias and Natalia be called?" he asked in a loud voice, rising to his feet.

"Luana!" the parents replied.

"I present to the Black Pack -- Luana, daughter of Elias and Natalia!" He held the little female up for all to see. "What have you come for, child?" he whispered to her.

For a split second, her eyes blazed an intense blue and a faint wave of dominance radiated from her -- subtle, but felt by everyone present. The Alpha flinched and passed the pup to the Luna.

"What was that, Tulio?" the Luna asked, taking Luana and wrapping her back in the blanket.

"She seems strong. She has a very special wolf. Let's keep her close -- preferably inside the palace."

At that moment, Henry decided to demonstrate his strength as the future Alpha.

"If she comes to live in the palace, I won't let her bother anyone. I'll make sure she's not impertinent, and if she doesn't obey me, she'll get a taste of my whip."

The Luna opened her mouth to scold her son, but the Alpha burst out laughing and said, beaming with pride:

"That's my boy! I hereby announce that from today, Natalia will serve the Luna and bring Luana to keep her company. Elias will join the palace guard and protect our family. Let's celebrate!"

The Luna came down with the baby, and Natalia stepped forward to take her.

"Go home and pack your things -- only the essentials. You'll receive everything new. You'll live in the palace. You'll be my personal attendant, and this little beauty will stay close by."

From that day on, little Luana's life was protected, but she also began to suffer under Henrique's cruelty. He displayed his savagery by tormenting the girl to please his father. Time passed, and Luana turned three. She would dash through the house in terror and hide whenever she heard the young Alpha's voice.

When he noticed she'd gotten clever about avoiding him, he started concealing his movements. He managed to catch her under a table. He dragged her out by her feet, gripping her ankle, and took her down to the cellar. He'd already prepared his tools and tied her to a chair. She screamed and begged for help without stopping.

Slap, slap.

He struck her little face, which swelled and turned red instantly.

"Shut up, you stupid Omega. You don't fool me -- there's nothing special about you."

He clamped down on her jaw and squeezed until he heard it crack.

"Now you can't talk anymore."

Tears rolled down her swollen face, and only a weak whimper escaped her lips. He picked up a pair of scissors and cut the beautiful locks of her hair until she was completely bald. Laughing at the image of the child, he reveled in his handiwork.

"Now everyone will think I'm really tough. You filthy Omega."

He urinated on her back to leave his scent, then untied her and sat in her place, laying her facedown across his lap. He lifted her dress, pulled down her underwear, and with his closed fist, beat her bare bottom until it was so red it would surely bruise later.

Luana lost all her strength. She couldn't even whimper anymore, and her eyes had dried out from having no tears left. The smell of blood mixed with the damp mold of the cellar and the young Alpha's sweat made her nauseous, and she knew it would stay in her mind forever.

After dressing her again, he threw her over his shoulder and went up to the kitchen, where her mother and the other servants had been searching for her. He tossed the little girl's body onto the table and said:

"Take care of your pup, you useless servant! Don't let her cross my path again."

"My goddess! What did you do to her?" Natalia gasped.

"Nothing much. If she's as special as they say, she'll be fine in no time."

Henrique walked away as if none of it mattered and didn't look at anyone. Everyone stared after him, horrified by the cruelty of the young Alpha, who hadn't even turned eleven yet.

Natalia rushed to examine her daughter, finding that her jaw was dislocated, her lip was split, and her small round bottom was bright red -- she must have been in terrible pain. She took her to the clinic, and Dr. Clecio treated her.

Henrique entered the study after a shower, and his uncle, who already knew what had happened, sat down to talk with him.

"Why did you do that, Henry?"

"I feel something strange around her -- an urge to hurt her. But that's not really why. It was a way to show my father I haven't gone soft."

Dimas knew his nephew wasn't cruel by nature. They'd discussed it before.

"Was she badly hurt?"

"It looked pretty shocking, since I shaved her head down to the scalp. But she'll be fine soon enough."

Dimas shook his head. The boy was far too young to carry such a heavy burden on his shoulders. He would need to speak with his sister and explain everything, because little Luana was the Luna's darling, and she would certainly not accept what her son had done.

News about Luana reached Alpha Tulio first. He went to see what his son had done and found her in the clinic. He couldn't stop laughing -- his boy was excellent at roughing up the pups, and he found his methods extremely effective.

"Dr. Clecio, how is she?"

"She looks terrible on the surface, but otherwise she'll recover soon. He dislocated her jaw so she couldn't speak, but it's already been set and has nearly healed. Her buttocks were also badly beaten, but there shouldn't be any lasting marks."

"Good. Otherwise, I'd be howling at the moon, because my Luna will kick me out of the bedroom."

"It might be wise to have a talk with Henrique. He's growing, and his strength could do much worse damage next time."

"Let the boy play. He's probably jealous of the attention his mother gives her. I'll send him to the arena with the older fighters."

"You think that's wise?"

"He's not a child anymore. If he's left idle, he'll keep doing this to little kids. Let's see how he handles himself against an adult."

In trying to impress his father, Henrique had created a bigger problem for himself. Training with the older fighters would force him to focus on combat just to avoid getting broken. When he learned what his father had planned for him because of what he'd done to Luana, he deeply regretted using the girl to show off.

They began the next day, though his luck was that the instructor decided to build his muscles first. He had Henrique run deep into the forest, weaving between trees and leaping over obstacles -- in both human and wolf form.

The Luna couldn't do anything about Henrique, because Tulio had taken his son's side and told her Luana hadn't been hurt that badly, that she was nearly recovered, and it wasn't worth fighting with the boy over it. He also accused her of neglecting their own son, caring only about someone else's daughter.

The Luna didn't like what she heard, but she held her tongue. There was a line she couldn't cross with her mate. He was extremely violent, and lately his mind seemed unsteady -- one moment he'd be perfectly fine and pleasant, and the next he'd turn vicious and cruel.

Months passed. Henrique grew stronger. The pack launched another attack, wiping out an entire pack of red wolves. It wasn't a large group -- that type of wolf was extremely rare -- and not even the protection of the gods had saved them.

When they returned, Henrique was there watching and listening to everything. He didn't like hearing that such beautiful wolves existed only to be wiped out, that there would never be another wolf of that kind. But then he spotted a figure in the corner, hiding, eavesdropping -- and he went over and dragged her out by the hair that was just starting to grow back.

"What are you doing here, you nosy little brat?"

"Let me go! Let me go, Rique!"

"No way. You came here because you want more spankings, don't you?"

"No, Rique, no..."

He was dangling her in the air when she kicked him hard in the shin. Then she bit his arm, and the shock made him drop her to the ground. She managed to crawl away and get to her feet, running straight to the kitchen where the Luna was preparing dinner.

"Luna! Luna! Rique--"

She hid between the Luna's legs and waited for Henrique to arrive. It didn't take long. He appeared and glared at his mother with fury, seeing that she was shielding the brat.

"That little pest kicked me and bit me, and you're defending her? Why?"

"Stop it, Henrique. She's still a baby. Instead of hitting her, you should be teaching her."

"How do you teach a little terror?"

"You're like a big brother to her. Please -- protect her, and stop hitting her."

He stormed out of the kitchen in a rage and joined his father's celebration with the men. They'd started wrestling and sparring with one another, and they included him, turning him into the adults' punching bag. From that moment on, he made a decision: he would become very strong and very brave. He would train harder than anyone, and one day he'd be an Alpha far greater than his father.

Keeping the promise he'd made to himself, three more years passed, and he was powerful -- still just a boy, but he already looked like a young man. It was at this point that he noticed Luana had grown too. She was six now, still that same little girl. Her hair had grown back and formed golden curls. She looked like an angel.

"Luana!" he called when he saw her running through the middle of the hall.

She didn't stop. She never stopped for Henrique, because she knew he'd torment her. She headed straight for the kitchen. But Henrique ran after her and caught her by the shoulder, knocking her to the ground hard.

"Ow! Stop it, Rique."

"I called you and you didn't stop. You need to learn to obey me. I'm going to be the Alpha of this pack, and you'll have to serve me."

Luana knew that all too well. To avoid more trouble, she picked herself up off the ground and bowed to him.

"What can I do for you, Rique?"

"That's more like it. Tomorrow morning, be at the arena. You're starting combat training."

The little female stared at him with wide eyes, wondering why she'd need to learn to fight. Only the males went into battle -- there was no reason for her to learn.

"Females don't learn to fight. What would I need to learn that for?"

"Because I'm ordering you to. You need to learn to defend yourself. What if we get attacked one day and you can't fight -- who's going to protect you?"

"The pack's warriors. They're the ones who protect the women and children. The Luna taught me that."

He grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked until he lifted her off the ground.

"Ow! Let go, Rique!"

"I'm ordering you to be at the arena tomorrow at sunrise to learn to fight. I don't want to hear another complaint." He let go, and she dropped to the ground again.

He watched her crawl away, then turned and left with a smirk. He'd teach the little pest to fight and defend herself, even if it cost him time and effort.