Chapter One

F L O R E N C E

“Harder. Keep your eyes on the target, and never miss a beat.”

My own words as a trainer echo in my head as I deliver another hard blow to the punching bag in front of me. It’s already pretty late at night, but I want to stay here in the arena and train instead of going home to rest.

I know I have an early class for the young ones tomorrow, but I want to teach myself.

I’m the daughter of Alpha Amos from the Blood Moon Pack, one of the biggest and strongest packs in the state. He’s known as the Enforcer, because he dedicates his life ridding the state of all perils and he keeps everyone in line.

Next week, I will turn eighteen, which means that my father has to crown me as his heir.

Which also means that for the next years, I will be the main center of attention for all the criticism and judgment from my people.

This is why I have to remain to be the strongest warrior in this pack.

With a loud growl, I swing at the punching bag and watch with satisfaction as it falls from its hook. I was about to cheer when suddenly the door of the gym swings open.

I flinch and turn around, which is a cowardly move, only to find my father standing by the doorway. I exhale. “You scared me. I didn’t--”

“There’s no time for that,” he says in his usual strict tone. “Come with me.”

My blood goes cold. “Did I do something wrong?”

I run towards him and peer at his face, trying to see his expression. But his face, which is half hidden in shadow, betrayed no emotion. “Just come with me and ask questions later.”

I nod and follow him as he starts to walk, but my knees are suddenly shaky. Am I in trouble for sneaking around at night to train? Surely he would understand that kind of pressure I’m in, considering that he is possibly the best fighter known in the state, and I’m living under his shadow.

Taking deep breaths to calm myself, I just trail behind him as he leads me to the packhouse, all the way up to the topmost floor where his study is. Although I’m his daughter and we’ve always been pretty close, I have never gone up here.

This is exactly the reason why my nerves start to fray as he opens the door and leads me in.

I brace myself for the worst, praying it won’t get in the way of my future ruling.

But the only thing I find inside the office are two familiar faces.

I immediately sink into a bow. “Alpha Isaac, Luna Vera.”

“Rise, my dear,” Alpha Isaac says, motioning me to get up.

I obey, and I see that his beautiful wife is sobbing on his shoulder, holding a photograph of who I recognize as their young boy James.

They’re from Moonstone Pack, which is our ally from all the way to the opposite side of the state. They’ve always been friendly with us, and they would often visit our pack with their son. Seeing Luna Vera crying and clutching the photo is making my heart compress.

“What happened?” I ask, taking the seat in front of them. “Did something happen to James?”

Since Luna Vera is too upset to speak, Alpha Isaac took her place. But the shakiness and distress in his voice are not hard to miss. “We . . . lost him.”

My stomach drops all the way to my feet. I remember the sweet boy and his curious antics, the way he would try to play with me and ask me about my weapons. “Since when? What happened?”

“He went out to play with some of the little boys in the pack, and we didn’t know he got away so far,” he says, holding his wife closer to him. “The boys returned, but James is no longer with them.” His voice breaks and he pauses, looking at me and my dad. “We need your help. We’ve been looking for him since this morning and my pack has limited people. If you can spare a small force for us, we would appreciate it with all our hearts. . . .”

Alpha Amos paces the floor. “Where was the child last seen?”

He swallows hard and stares at his feet. “The Sacred Grounds.”

The temperature in the room drops considerably. A cloud of silence settles over us. The mere mention of that place alone sends chills down my spine.

The Sacred Grounds is the center of the state, where all the pack borders meet. They say some sort of magic is in there, something more supernatural than Werewolves. Because of its malevolent power, all the Alphas and Lunas have agreed to never go there. There are forces there that have never been discovered, dangerous things that wrote chaos in blood all over our history.

If we volunteer to look for James, we would break the pact.

Not only that. We may also encounter something darker, something that might just bring ruin to us and our pack.

And who knows that kind of trouble that will bring?

I glance at Alpha Amos, who is still pacing the floor. I can almost hear the question in his mind: Is James still even alive?

My pulse is racing for some reason. My mind is conjuring all the stories I heard about the Sacred Grounds, about the people who went in there and never made it out alive.

Every thought seemed more eerie with Luna Vera’s cries.

“We are afraid we cannot offer much help,” Alpha Amos begins to say. “We are all aware of the pact. We don’t wish to bring the wrath of the other packs upon us if we cross the lines--”

“Please,” Alpha Isaac whispers. I look over to him and see that he’s now crying too. “We need our son back. He’s too young. We can’t lose him...”

My throat closes up. I can’t help but think of my mom, Luna Serra, who we lost when I was just eight. All my life we’ve longed for her, especially my dad, who still blames himself up to this day.

I don’t think I can just sit here and watch another family endure the same pain we felt.

“I understand that,” Alpha Amos begins to say. “However, there are circumstances that we have to--”

“No.” I get up from my seat and look at the couple. “I will go, and I will bring back your son.”