Chapter 1

Nora had been asleep when the alarm went off. Not the house alarm or something else. She heard something crash downstairs.

She opened her eyes and for a moment, everything was still.

Then she heard her mother scream. She ran.

The marble floor was cold under her feet, but she didn’t feel it. She felt nothing except fear.

The hallway was darker than it should have been. Smoke rolled along the ceiling like something alive. The lights flickered once before dying completely.

“Dad?” she called. Her voice felt small.

When she reached the staircase, she saw them.

Three figures dressed in black standing in the center of the living room. Heavy boots. Dark jackets. Faces half-hidden in shadow. Her parents stood in front of them.

He didn’t shout. Didn’t move toward her.

He only lifted his hand slightly. Stay back. Stay quiet. She understood. One of the men laughed softly.

“Where is she?” he asked. His voice was calm. Almost amused. Her father’s jaw tightened.

“You have what you came for,” he said. His voice did not shake. “Let my wife go.”

The man tilted his head. “That’s not how this works.”

Nora pressed herself against the wall, her heart pounding so hard she was sure they could hear it.

Her mother lifted her chin.

“She is not yours,” she said. “Stay away from her.”

The man’s smile widened.

“That child,” he said slowly, “is a threat.”

Threat.

The word made no sense. She was thirteen.

Her father stepped forward. “Lucian ,” he said quietly. “This ends with me.”

Lucian laughed. The sound echoed through the room.

Before Nora could understand what was happening, everything changed. Her father’s body shifted.

It happened fast and violently, bones cracking, shoulders broadening, muscles tearing through fabric. His eyes flashed gold.

She stared. Her mind refused to process it. Her father was gone. In his place stood a massive wolf. Large. Powerful. Terrifying. And still. She knew it was him. He lunged.

The living room exploded into movement. Claws. Snarling. Furniture breaking. Her mother screamed again. Lucian shifted too. The other two followed. Three wolves against one.

The sound of it she would never forget. The growls were deep and angry. The air felt electric.

Her father fought. He fought like someone who already knew he would lose. He pinned Lucian once. Twice. But the others dragged him back.

Claws sliced across his side. He stumbled.

“Bring her to me!” Lucian shouted. Her father growled, even as blood darkened his fur.

Lucian moved faster. He slammed into him, teeth sinking into his shoulder. The sound that came from her father’s throat was not an animal.

It was painful.

Nora pressed her fist against her mouth to keep from screaming. Her father fell to his knees. Lucian stood over him.

“Hand her over,” he said. “End this.” Her father tried to rise again. He couldn’t. The bite spread something dark beneath his skin. She saw its veins turning black under fur. An festering wound

Her mother knelt beside him. Their eyes met. There was no panic there. Only understanding.

Her mother’s lips curved into a small, broken smile.

Nora understood before she wanted to. They had chosen.

They would not beg. Claws tore into them again. And again. And again. They did not fight back this time.

Nora didn’t make a sound. Tears ran down her face silently. The men shifted back to human form.

Lucian wiped blood from his mouth. “See you in the afterlife,” one of them muttered casually. They walked out.

The front door slammed. Silence filled the house. Not normal silence. Heavy silence. Smoke continued to rise.

She stayed hidden longer than she remembers. Minutes. Maybe seconds. Time didn’t move correctly.

When she finally stepped forward, her legs felt weak. Parts of the building already collapsed from the fire

“Dad?” she whispered. No response. She dropped beside them. “Get up,” she said. Her voice sounded strange.

Her mother’s lips moved slightly. “It’s okay,” she breathed.

Those were her last words. Nora shook her father’s shoulder. He didn’t move. The world stopped

“This isn’t real,” she muttered. “This isn’t real.” She slapped her own cheek. The pain proved it was.

She screamed. The sound echoed through the broken house. But no one came. Then

The door creaked open again. A figure stepped in. The smoke made it difficult for her to see anything

“Nora,” the voice said softly. She looked up. Marcus elion Thorn stood in the doorway.

His shirt was torn. His arm was bleeding. His face streaked with ash. But when he saw her, relief flooded his face . “It’s over,” he said gently. “You’re safe now.”

She stumbled toward him. He caught her instantly. Hold her tightly.

“They’re not moving,” she whispered against his chest.

“Why aren’t they moving?”

His arms tightened. “They’re gone,” he said quietly.

“Who did this?” she asked. He pulled back just enough to look at her.

“The Shadow Night Pack.” She didn’t understand the words. But she understood the way he said them.

Like a curse.

“Don’t look back,” he whispered, brushing ash from her hair. “You must never look back.”

The flames grew stronger behind them. He carried her outside. She remembers his heartbeat. Steady. Strong. Unshaken.

As the estate burned behind them, he leaned close to her ear.

“Wolves can’t be trusted,” he said softly. “Never forget that.”

Her vision blurred. The last thing she saw before everything went dark was smoke rising into the night sky.

And the sound of sirens in the distance.