Chapter 1
Alpha Terrell's POV
I made camp three miles from the Hound pack's village. I purposely chose that spot because I wanted to be close enough to strike at dawn, but far enough that their scouts would find nothing but darkness and wind.
Inside my battle tent, maps were sprawled across the wooden table, weighed down by daggers at each corner. My generals stood in a semicircle, their faces set and hard, awaiting my command.
They always waited. No one spoke before I did.
I traced a finger along the map, following the path my warriors would take through the valley. The Hound pack had no idea what was coming. They actually believed me when I'd agreed to their pathetic proposal for peace. Peace. The word didn't exist in my vocabulary. Olak, that fool of an Alpha, had practically wept with relief when I'd nodded and clasped his hand, sealing what the Hounds thought was a truce.
Idiots. All of them.
I'd leased them that land fifteen years ago - fertile soil, good water, perfect for their little farming operation. The deal was simple: pay tribute every harvest season, and they could stay. For a decade, they'd kept their word. Then the tributes stopped coming. No explanation. No apology. Just silence.
When I'd confronted Olak about it, demanding he takes his people and leave my land, the man had the audacity to argue. "The land may be yours, Alpha Terrell, but everything we've built on it belongs to us."
As if planting seeds gave them ownership of my territory.
Olak had begged for another chance, promised the tributes would resume. But I'd learned long ago that second chances were just opportunities for people to disrespect you twice. I'd smiled, told Olak I'd consider it, and sent him home thinking the matter was settled.
The matter was settled. Just not the way Olak imagined.
"We leave at dawn," I said, my voice cutting through the silence. My generals straightened immediately, eyes locked on me.
I looked at each of them in turn - Gareth, my second-in-command, who'd been at my side for twenty years; Bellick, whose scarred face told the story of a hundred battles; young Kade, hungry to prove himself; and the others, all hardened warriors who'd seen enough blood to fill a river.
"I only need one thing from you at the battlefield."
They leaned in slightly, though none of them moved their feet.
"Kill everything on site."
"Yes, Alpha," they chorused, their voices a unified growl.
Gareth shifted his weight, and I caught the slight hesitation in my second's eyes. I'd seen that look before - a look that tells when someone was about to ask a question they shouldn't ask.
"Something on your mind, Gareth?"
His jaw tightened. "The women and children, Alpha. Do we…"
"Everything," I repeated, my tone becoming more dangerous. "Or do you need me to define the word for you?"
Gareth's face went blank. "No, Alpha."
******
Angel's POV
I lay in my small bed, staring at the ceiling as the first hints of dawn shone through my window. I stared at the faded lines in the ceilings - lines I'd memorized over the past three years.
Five thirty-seven. Twenty-three minutes left.
My heart hammered loudly as I counted down the seconds. Today was finally here. The day I'd been waiting for, praying for, dreaming about since I'd first walked through the convent doors.
Today, I would become a full-pledged nun of the Catholic Church.
I beamed with joy. Here, within these walls, I belonged. Here, no one ridiculed me. No one mocked me because of my size. No one whispered cruel things when they thought I couldn't hear.
The bell chimed - six loud, beautiful notes rang through the morning air.
I threw off my blanket and jumped out of bed, my feet hitting the cold stone floor. My hands trembled as I reached for my ceremonial white dress, the one Mother Superior had specially made for me. I couldn't stop smiling, couldn't contain the joy bubbling up inside my chest.
Today, I would also see my parents.
It had been three years - three long years since I'd last hugged my mother, since I'd heard my father's laugh. They'd promised to be here for my ceremony, right after they visited my elder sister Agnes. Agnes, who'd married into the Hound pack. Agnes, who'd just given birth to the heir, second in line to the throne.
I'd heard he was the most handsome baby you could ever imagine. I couldn't wait to hear all about him, to see the joy in my mother's eyes as she described her first grandchild.
My family were the only people in the world who loved me.
Everyone else avoided me like a plague. They claimed I was fat and ugly, that being seen with me would ruin their chances of finding a husband - preferably a werewolf husband.
It wasn't a secret that every girl in our little human village wanted a werewolf for themselves. They were handsome, protective, possessive. And the few girls who'd been bold enough to take werewolf lovers had confirmed, in hushed and giggly whispers, that they were incredible in bed.
I'd given up hope of ever finding a husband long ago. Let alone a handsome werewolf who'd look at me the way those males looked at the pretty girls in the village. So I'd dedicated my life to serving the church instead, to being useful, to finding purpose in devotion rather than in someone else's arms.
A sharp knock interrupted my thoughts.
"Angel, dear? Are you ready?" Mother Superior asked through the door.
"Almost!" I called back, fumbling with the buttons on my dress.
When I finally opened the door, Mother Superior stood there with that warm smile that had welcomed me three years ago when I'd arrived, broken and desperate for somewhere to belong. She looked at me the way my mother did - with kindness, with acceptance.
"You look beautiful," she said softly.
I didn't believe her, but I appreciated the lie.
She offered her arm, and I took it, my hand trembling slightly. "Like it's your wedding day," she said with a gentle laugh, and we began walking toward the church.
As we approached, I could hear the murmur of voices inside. The entire village was required to attend - because left to their own choices, no one would have stepped out to support me on this journey.
"Are my parents here yet?" I asked, trying to keep the hopeful tremor out of my voice.
Mother Superior smiled. "I'm sure they're on their way, dear."
The church doors opened, and we stepped inside.
Silence filled the room.
Every head turned. Every eye glared at me. I kept my gaze forward, my hand firmly wrapped around Mother Superior's arm as we began our march down the aisle.
But I could still hear them. I always heard them.
Better this than to die alone, girl.
She never would've found a husband anyway.
Who would want a fat, ugly girl like her?
I heard she's never been kissed.
Would you kiss those ugly lips if you were a man?
She's tainted our village enough. It's time she hides behind those convent walls and stays hidden forever.
Maybe finally the werewolves would look our way when they notice the ugly duckling in our midst is gone.
Thank goodness.
At one time, those words would have shattered me. I would have run from this church in shame, tears streaming down my face, because every word was true.
But I smiled instead.
I was so used to their cruelty that their words meant nothing anymore. They were just noise, background chatter, as meaningless as the buzzing of flies.
We reached the altar, and Mother Superior helped me kneel on the velvet cushion. The priest stood above me, his prayer book open, ready to begin the ceremony that would change my life forever.
Then Sister Catherine rushed in from the side entrance.
Her face was pale, her habit askew as if she'd been running. She leaned down and whispered something urgent into Mother Superior's ear.
I watched Mother Superior's expression change - watched the color drain from her face, watched her eyes widen in shock.
Then she looked at me.
Tears began streaming down her cheeks.
My heart stopped. "What is it?" I asked, suddenly scared. "Mother Superior, what's wrong?"
She knelt beside me, taking my hands in hers. They were shaking. "I'm so sorry, dear. About… about your family…" she whispered, her voice breaking. "So, so sorry."
"Sorry for what? What happened?" Panic clawed at my chest. "What happened to my family…"
"There's been an attack," she said, and the words seemed to come from very far away. "On the Hound pack's village. Early this morning."
Everything disappeared instantly - the church, the stares, the whispers - the only thing I could feel was numbness all over my body.
"Agnes," I breathed. "My sister. The baby…"
Mother Superior's grip tightened on my hands, and the look in her eyes told me everything I needed to know before she even spoke.
"I'm so sorry, Angel. They were all killed in the attack."