Chapter 1: Prologue

***A man sat on a rock and watched the fire slowly extinguish; they had been in the forest for a while, they were hungry and tired. But he made a vow to take that small group of people to a safe place.

“Throughout the years, Alpha Roharu Lancaster was always known to be fierce and powerful but also fair. He came to the new world and conquered lands, spreading peace in those places where others thought there would never be. His main wife, the Luna, helped him through each battle and accompanied him until the day she died. Her death, a mystery until today unsolved…” The man lowered his voice as he said those last words, looked behind his back as if afraid anyone who wasn’t supposed to be there was listening to him, then turned his head back to his small audience. “But there are rumors that some of the other wives of the Alpha plotted to get her killed…”***

---*---

He held her in a warm hug, like usual, while all their friends chatted and laughed. Nothing seemed to bother them; it was just another great day in their eternal youth. Like most days, they had run through the fields as wolves first, with the two humans laughing and watching them play. Then after that, they would go back to the Manor and relax, spending some time together.

At some point, she got up to bring some snacks for everyone, and after placing them in the center of the table, she went back to sit next to him. She tripped and almost fell, but with his natural quickness, he caught her in time. She blushed and giggled. He shook his head and sighed.

“One of these days, cutie, you will really hurt yourself,” he said and leaned closer to her. Their eyes were locked and she felt her heart skip a beat as he seemed to burn her with his gaze. She blushed more as they both heard the others laugh, and then she turned her head to look away. If she kept looking, he was going to turn her to ashes.

They sat together again on the floor; he had his knees slightly lifted for her to lay her head on them, his arms wrapped around her. They all joked and made plans for the weekend, some together, some apart. After the rest had left, just like always, both of them remained together watching the sunset, talking about random things. This time, however, he was quieter than usual. She felt it, but his arms were still around her, so she didn’t worry.

Only when it became dark and she felt a bit chilly, did the silence become too uncomfortable. She sat up straight and he looked at her intently. “What is wrong, Ro? Something has been bothering you…”

He seemed to get a bit angry, again his eyes showed this to her, and he looked away. “Nothing…”

She frowned at first, then giggled. The mere act brought his frustrating eyes back at her. “You are bad at faking, you know that.”

He frowned back at her and growled lowly. She almost jumped, frightened, but he held her close. “Earlier today, I had you… I was going to kiss you… and you looked away…” Her eyes widened at his words and she blushed deeply. She was lost for words, but her heart was beating fast and hard. “You are not my property Sienna, but that hurt me…”

It was the way he said it, the proud anger in him, that made her hold her breath and lean in, pressing her trembling lips on his. But his arms instantly wrapped around her and the kiss became deeper; he didn’t hesitate at all, she couldn’t believe what she was doing, but she never, in her young life, felt better, happier, brighter. He became everything to her.