She's the last of her kind. He's the Alpha doomed to die. Their bond wasn't written in the stars-it was carved into blood. Ruelle Vaughan was never meant to survive. On the night of her first shift, her entire pack is slaughtered and she's left with nothing but blood on her hands and a burning sigil on her skin. A sigil tied to an ancient curse-one that has claimed the life of every Alpha born for generations. Now cursed with a power no werewolf should possess, Ruelle is hunted by the Lycan Council, feared as an abomination. But instead of killing her, they send her to Konan Devran-the most ruthless Alpha alive, cursed to die on his 31st birthday. With one year left, Konan sees Ruelle as the only chance to break the curse. As the Blood Moon rises and secrets unravel, Ruelle must choose: surrender to the curse that wants to claim her... or embrace the darkness within and rewrite the fate carved into her blood.
Chapter 1 Beginning of the end
Ruelle's pov
As pain ripped through my spine like a thunderbolt, I could see my life flash before my eyes.
It started with a crack, and then a loud scream-my loud scream.
"Mama!" my voice howled through the trees. I tasted something metallic in my mouth-blood.
I bent down, gripping the grass as the dirt penetrated my fingernails which had been transformed into claws.
My body twisted, and turned as my bones began snapping like twigs. My skin tore open as it gave way to something wild, ancient and beautiful.
I got my first shift-my wolf.
It was beautiful.
As I transformed, my Wolf, Vixin, came into sight, and she was beautiful. She had a silver coat and silver eyes.
Everything was going perfectly-for a moment. Then, everything went horribly wrong.
A scent carried by the wind hit my nose-It was metallic, and sharp, mixed with wet leaves.
I was quick to identify the scent-it was blood. So much blood.
Then, my wolf hearing picked up something-screams!
"Ruelle." I heard my brother running towards me, his eyes widened, and his chest moving fast as his heart beats hard within his rib cage.
"They are here! Run!" he screamed, but it only got me more confused.
"W...wh..who?" I asked with a cracked voice, getting more scared by the minute.
My brother did not answer me, as he shoved me into the thick bushes, and that's when I saw them.
Huge figures-they wore black armour with masks covering their faces. Their eyes glowed red, like blood.
They moved with the speed of light-fast, too fast. No wolf could move like that, nor humans.
"Run, Ruelle." Dren roars brought me back to life, as I watched how a blade sliced through his side.
He did not scream-he just collapsed on the floor with blood bubbling on his lips.
That's when the danger hit me.
I did not stop to think-I bolted.
The branches in the wood whipped my face, thorns ripped through my skin. I kept running till my lungs began to hurt.
My wolf, Vixin, whimpered inside me as she begged me to turn back, and fight but I couldn't listen to her.
I was young, and weak.
As I ran, I came into a clearing in the pack. The place where I played with all my friends.
It looked like something straight out of a horror movie.
Bodies littered everywhere--Alpha Harold, my mum, my little cousin, Eli.
They were all covered with blood, their eyes lifeless.
"No......" I whispered, my knees hitting the floor, "No, no, no-"
As tears clouded my eyes, something caught my attention.
A faint glow beneath my mother's body.
I looked closely at it and it looked like a sigil. Like an ancient rune.
It was pulsing like a heartbeat. I could hear it calling to me. Something inside me reached for it before I could stop and think.
"Don't touch it." I could hear a voice whispering, from the trees.
Too late.
My hands touched it. One second I was completely fine, and the next, I could feel a painful burning sensation.
I screamed as something burnt through my wrist. It looked like a twisted mark of a wolf which was entangled with thorns.
The black ink clung to my skin and sipped into my soul.
"YOU ARE THE BEGINNING AND THE END!"
The voice wasn't in my ears but it echoed in my mind.
I gasped.
"Who-what are you?" I asked in a low voice, but no answer.
Just then, the air turned cold. My wolf picked up on a sound, and I could smell danger in the air.
That's when I saw them--one of the masked warriors.
The person stood still, watching me with no movement. Just a blank stare in his eyes.
Why wasn't he attacking?
My wolf snarled, and my instincts kicked in. I turned around, and ran as fast as I could.
As I ran, my wolf hearing picked up a whistling sound behind me, and I was quick to duck down as a dagger hit the tree with a force.
I gasped, but did not wait a second before I continued to run.
They did not chase after me. I don't think they needed to.
Whatever happened tonight had marked me.
****************************
I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, my heart pounding against my rib cage. The darkness was closing in around me, and I could still feel the burning sensation of the sigil on my wrist.
I couldn't dare look back for any reason. I was scared of what I might see.
Finally, I saw a little cave at a distance, and it was completely out of sight. I ran to it, as I crawled inside. The cave was small, with rough stone walls, and very low ceilings.
I collapsed on the ground as my body shook with exhaustion and fear.
After a while, the image of my dead family flashed in my eyes, as tears flowed down my cheeks.
They were gone.
I stood up and looked at the sigil in my wrist. It seemed to be alive, and for some reason, I felt different.
I did not know what it meant or why my pack was wiped out, but I knew I couldn't stay here.
I had to keep moving or else I could end up like my family-dead. I couldn't die, I had to avenge them.
I stood up, my neck bent a little, as my eyes scanned the cave. The cave goes deep, and I decided to follow it to see where it leads.
I came out to a huge stream and waterfall inside the cave. It was beautiful.
I immediately felt thirsty, and I walked to the stream to drink from it. When I bent down, I saw my reflection in the water.
I looked wild-my face smeared with blood and dirt. I couldn't recognize the person staring at me. My features had changed. My brown hair was glowing silver and my eyes were a golden color.
I looked at the sigil which had been glowing, but for some reason, I felt shivers run down my spine.
Suddenly, I picked up a faint sound that came from the depths of the cage.
I froze. My heart was pounding hard in my chest.
Had they found me?
I waited, my newly wolf sense on high alert as the sound grew louder. Just then, a figure emerged from the shadows.
It was a woman, her face lined with age and experience. She regarded me with a piercing gaze, her eyes seeming to see right through me.
"You're the one," she said, her voice low and gravelly. "The one with the mark."
I nodded, my voice caught in my throat.
She suddenly turned around and whispered something I couldn't make out. Before I could ask who she was, she was gone-like she was never there to begin with.