Chapter 1

Thwack! My fist hit the punching bag, tearing a hole in the worn fabric. It had become a habit to practice fighting in my human form.  Immediately after waking up, I would head to the makeshift gym to blow off steam. For a reason I couldn't explain, I was always angry. It made no sense. I had gotten revenge by killing Marcus a year ago, so logically, I should feel happy or at least satisfied. Instead, I feel empty and lost.

"You ripped another one already?" Jared asked incredulously, walking in. I gave him a sheepish grin as I pulled the bag down and tossed it aside.

"Sorry about that. I got lost in my thoughts again."

He laughed, "It's fine." His smile dropped as he continued speaking. "Terrence brought someone who wants to talk to you. He's a member of the Moonstone pack." He motioned forward with his hand, the door to the training area opened, and Terrence walked in with a man I'd never seen before. The man wore jeans and a gray sweater, the hood pulled low, obscuring his face. He stepped forward.

"You are Ian Walker, correct?"

"I am. Who are you?" I replied.

"It doesn't matter who I am. I'm just here to deliver a message from Alpha Drake. He has challenged you to a duel- to the death. If you choose to decline, a hunting party will chase you down. Do you accept or decline?" he said.

I stared at him, confused. Why would an Alpha I've never met want to challenge me? I've never even been to Moonstone's territory before. I opened my mouth to decline when I realized the threat he'd made. Hunting parties consist of trackers and warriors and have permission from their alphas to enter rouge territory. Most rouges will avoid hunting parties if they cross paths with them. If they hunted me, I wouldn't stand a chance. Not even Jared would willingly help me- and even if he wanted to help, he couldn't. In other words, I don't have a choice but to accept. It's the only chance I have to survive.

"I accept Alpha Drake's challenge," I replied, my mouth dry like I'd swallowed cotton. "What day is it?"

"Come to Moonstone territory on Monday morning. You have one week to prepare and say your goodbyes."

I nodded as he turned and walked out of the building, disappearing into the treeline. Feeling numb, I headed back to my tent. I had one week before my life ended.

On the day of the duel, I made my way to the Moonstone Packs border immediately after waking up. As soon as I crossed the border, several wolves surrounded me, growling, warning me to turn back. A dark gray wolf crouched down to attack me, but before he could, a man radiating power came running up, shouting at them to stand down.

"Go back to your border patrol. I'll take care of it," the man snapped before turning to me. "I'm Lucas, Drake's Beta. You are Ian, correct?"

"Yes," I replied.

"Good. Follow me; the duel is near the packhouse. Drake's already waiting for you," he said. 

I nodded, slowly walking after him. As we walked, I noticed him staring at me, studying me. My confusion about why Drake challenged me grew with every step I took, and I began to consider the possibility that the duel was nothing more than a ruse, a way to get me onto pack land, so killing me would be easy. It didn't help that Lucas's gaze was sharp and unsettling. After about ten minutes of walking, we finally reached a clearing where at least a hundred people were standing, a little over half of the pack. All eyes immediately turned towards me, a few curious looks, some filled with pity, but most were hateful. They were angry that I had killed the Silverstone pack's Luna and cost them their Alpha. After his mate died, he had completely fallen apart, having wild mood swings going back and forth between anger and sorrow. Completely forgetting he had a pack to run, he descended into despair and stopped eating or caring for himself. I knew this because my friend Jared kept an eye on them. The new Alpha was Liam's younger brother, and his inexperience made the other Alphas nervous. So naturally, they resented me. All seven of the pack's Elders were standing next to some healers and the Luna, who was wringing her hands nervously.

One of the pack's elders, an older man with graying hair, stepped forward, beckoning a younger male forward. Pointing to the young man, he spoke.

"Alpha Drake has challenged you to a duel to the death. Do you accept or decline?"

"I accept," I said while wishing I could be anywhere but here. I didn't want to die, but neither did I want to be part of a pack again, let alone the leader. Whoever beats an Alpha in a duel takes over his position. That's also true for other high-ranking members, like the Beta or Delta. I quickly glanced at the Alpha, surprised by his youth. If I had to guess, he's at least five years younger than me. He had black hair and sea-green eyes. For some reason, he looked familiar. I shook my head, mentally scolding myself. There's no way I've met him before; I'd remember meeting him. Every Alpha has a powerful presence that's impossible to miss.

"Alright. Everyone here will serve as witnesses to this duel. Please step forward on either side of me," he paused while we moved. "Okay, once I step back into the crowd, begin."

The elder stepped back, and the crowd collectively held their breath, waiting for someone to make the first move. Alpha Drake started walking sideways, studying me, circling me. I took a step back as I turned, watching him. He suddenly lunged at me, extending his claws and swiping at my face. Dodging, I dropped to the floor while he finished shifting and lunged at me again. He wanted this to be a quick fight. I rolled forward underneath him and shifted, scrambling to get my paws under me. Everyone gasped when they saw my wolf, but I ignored them. Turning to face him, I felt a searing pain in my shoulder as he bit down. He had leaped towards me while I was shifting. Howling, I tried to pull away, but he bit harder, tearing a chunk of flesh from my left shoulder. The pack cheered, confident their Alpha would win. Now that I only had three good legs and was losing a lot of blood, the odds were not in my favor. Not that I had much of a chance with four good legs. He attacked again, raking his claws across my face and then my belly, splitting it open. My shoulder injury slowed me down too much to dodge his attacks. I fell to the ground weakly, blood pooling around me. He began to trot around the circle of witnesses as if the fight was already decided, no longer paying me any attention. This isn't how I imagined my life would go. I was supposed to live a long life with my mate, have pups, and be happy. Instead, I got rejected by my mate, betrayed by my pack, and became a rogue and killer, losing everything. And now I'm going to die when I'm only twenty-five. I blinked, my vision becoming blurry as my life faded. Anger flooded my veins as I lay on the ground, humiliated while watching the Alpha, and suddenly, I remembered what Jared had told me before I left. He'd told me to make sure that if I was going to die, to bring my opponent as close to death with me as I could. Anyone, especially a rogue, would think that way in a duel. So I gathered my strength, and when the Alpha came near, I pushed off the ground and jumped, locking my jaws around his neck. We both dropped to the ground as the elders, his Luna, and the pack healers rushed forward. I couldn't tell if he was still alive, but it didn't matter. I knew I wouldn't make it to the hospital. One of the elders knelt over me, speaking, but I couldn't hear him. Everything faded, and I welcomed the darkness that enveloped me. I hope I can finally have peace in death, even if I don't deserve it.