Prologue - April

Last Year

There was an unseasonal chill in the air as I left my house to meet up with my friend Mila for guard duty. We had been assigned to the night shift again. At this point, I had been on night shift so often that it seemed it may be more beneficial for me to become completely nocturnal.

I didn't mind, though. The pack needed to be guarded constantly after the kidnapping of Luna Amirah, and I knew my duty. Sparkle Hollow was tense as we waited to see what would happen next. Everyone was on edge. Between the fear of an attack and the thought that one of our own might turn spy for the enemy, every wolf in town was prepared to do whatever needed to be done to keep the pack safe.

As I was an able-bodied and unattached she-wolf, it only made sense for me to take on the shifts that others were hesitant to take. It would hardly be fair for the elders or those with young pups to be out so late at night.

Not only that, but there was something peaceful about the wilderness when the sun had gone down. Sometimes, I preferred to be alone with the stars. It was a nice reminder of my connection with the moon goddess—my favorite wolf deity.

During the day, I was surrounded by members of the pack. I had never felt like I fit in with them and could never have claimed to be popular. My compassion and even temper had made me well-liked by my friends, but I was far from being the life of the party. I had gotten used to being overlooked while still being included in pack activities. Night was a reprieve from my loneliness.

In the absence of other wolves, I could forget that I hadn't yet found a mate and simply enjoy my own company.

Unlike me, Mila was single of her own accord. She and her boyfriend had been on-again, off-again for a while. They both loved to party, and apparently felt their lives were more exciting if they could fight and make up every few weeks.

I rapped my hand on the smooth wood of Mila's front door, and it opened immediately.

"Hear me out," Mila said without any preamble.

"What is it this time?" I asked, unsurprised by her greeting. She often spoke as if she were continuing a conversation instead of starting a new one.

"I know we're supposed to be guarding tonight, but Ben is having a bonfire—"

"Mila, no," I groaned. "We are not skipping patrol to go to a party."

"Oh, come on, April! Everyone is going to be there," she argued.

This was not the first—or even second—time that Mila had wanted to ignore Alpha Lex's order to spend time with her boyfriend. I prided myself on my patience, but even I could only repeat myself so many times. Mila seemed hell-bent on making me reach my quota.

"You might want to grab your jacket, it's a little chilly," I told her. If she wanted to run off with Ben, that was her business, but I wasn't about to entertain her conversation about it. We had a job to do, and we needed to get going.

Mila sighed and popped back inside to grab a jacket before coming back to join me. She rolled her eyes at me as she shut the door and followed me off the porch.

"I'm just saying," she grumbled, jamming her arms into her jacket as she walked. "This party is going to be amazing."

"Then we're going to hear some really fun stories tomorrow," I replied brightly, choosing to ignore her whining.

We were supposed to head north, but I always took the road out of town before turning in that direction. I looked at my watch as we took the east road out of Sparkle Hollow.

"We're running a little bit behind schedule," I pointed out.

"I don't think five minutes are going to make that much of a difference," Mila said. "It's been quiet for months. What are we going to miss?"

She wasn't wrong. The Moonstone Pack hadn't made any attacks since the move against Luna Amirah.

"Still, we should try to make up some time," I told her.

Mila came to a halt at the edge of town. "You know what, April?" she said. "This is a waste of time. If you want to trudge through the dark to go look at nothing, be my guest. I'm going to that bonfire."

"I'm not going to cover for you if anyone asks," I warned her.

"That's fine!"

Before I could say another word, Mila turned to the south and jogged away. I sighed and decided to continue. There was no point trying to stop her. Nearly half of our shifts ended with Mila leaving me to guard alone. We were never supposed to be alone anymore—not since Theo became a spy for the Moonstones—but Mila was my friend. I couldn't fault her for thinking these patrols were pointless.

I had been telling the truth when I said I wouldn't cover for her if asked, but she also knew I wouldn't volunteer the information. I didn't want to be the reason she got in trouble.

When I had been walking for a few minutes, I heard voices—voices that shouldn't have been out here at this time of night. I slid off the road and crouched down slightly, staying low enough that the weeds and bushes hid me from view.

I crept forward, scanning from left to right to make sure I wouldn't miss anything as I stepped carefully over twigs and rocks.

"I don't think you're in much of a position to decide what you will or will not be doing," a man's voice said. He sounded pleased with himself, as if the conversation he was having was light-hearted. But based on the threatening undertones of what he was saying, I could tell it was anything but innocent.

I peeked through the bush ahead of me and saw two men sneaking up on a young woman about forty yards away. It only took me a moment to realize it was Madi, a fellow Sparkle Hollow she-wolf and the assistant to Luna Grace. Before I could warn her, one of the men stuck a syringe filled with red liquid into her neck and depressed the plunger.

My words of warning died in my throat as I saw the attack, unsure of what I should do. If she was incapacitated, then I would be facing the assailants alone.

"Get her in the car," said the dark-haired man facing Madi.

Madi slumped over in the men's arms, and I sprang into action. I couldn't allow them to take her unchallenged, no matter what that might mean for my own fate. I jumped out from behind the bush and ran toward the group as the two men flanking Madi picked her up with ease and carried her to a car hidden on the side of the road.

Do you smell that? My wolf, Rae, had been quiet all evening, and her sudden interjection caused my steps to falter slightly. The wind had shifted as I ran, and a new scent filled the air. I couldn't immediately place it, but there were definite notes of cedarwood.

I'm a little busy at the moment, Rae , I pointed out. I was still twenty yards away from the men kidnapping Madi. They must be from the Moonstone Pack. Who else would be in Sparkle Hollow territory?

April, stop, Rae said. She didn't sound scared but excited. He's here.

Who's here? I asked, slowing to a jog as I processed her words. I wasn't ready to give up on saving Madi, but Rae's hesitation was making me question what I was actually seeing.

Our mate.

Her words brought me to a halt. Fated mates were rare, but not completely unheard of. At the age of twenty-eight, I had not expected to ever have one.

We don't have a mate, I pointed out. Which one are you talking about?

The man who had ordered the other wolves to move Madi turned to face me. As our eyes met, I felt it myself, and I no longer needed Rae to confirm that this Moonstone wolf was fated to be my mate. His deep, storm-blue eyes seemed to pierce into my heart. I felt trapped in his gaze.

His mouth was open slightly as his eyes narrowed. It was clear that he was surprised by me, and I wondered if he and his wolf were experiencing the same revelation as Rae and I were. I inspected his features, wondering what had caused the long scar that ran the length of his face.

We stared at each other for a few seconds until I saw disgust and anger replace the shock on his face.

"Who are you?" I asked him.

"I am nothing to you," he replied. The words cut me, leaving me feeling broken in ways I couldn't express. But he wasn't done. "It would take more than a lowly she-wolf from Sparkle Hollow to be mated to me."

I couldn't speak—could barely breathe—as he turned his back to me and climbed into the passenger seat of the car. Rae was more affected by the rejection than I was, and I felt her retreating into my mind to assuage her grief at the loss.

It wasn't until the car was out of sight that I realized I hadn't done anything to prevent Madi from being taken. Shame and terror filled my heart as I turned and ran as fast as I could toward Sparkle Hollow.