Chapter 1. Slaughter

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.

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