Prologue

Twenty. Twenty years, that's how long I lived this beautiful dream where everything was perfect in my life. I was that girl, the one with the ideal family, great friends, a fantastic boyfriend, and everything that others could only wish to have. Raised by the alpha family, I was always looked up to and treated with respect.

My name is Emilia Snow, the only daughter of Alpha Sam Snow and Luna Reina Snow. Reina was a beautiful blonde with chocolate brown eyes and a fiery attitude, while Sam had ginger-colored hair, amber eyes, and a gentle spirit. Some have said they complete each other perfectly, making up for each other's weaknesses with their respective strengths.

All three of my brothers looked identical to our mother, but their personalities varied. Cedric, the oldest, was as calm as the ocean on a sunny day. Winston, the second oldest, was just as fiery and outgoing as Reina. And Timothy, the youngest child, was the stereotypical jock type, always playing sports and never caring about anything outside of athletics and cheerleaders.

And then there's me... I have neither blonde nor ginger hair. In fact, my hair was long, straight, and as black as a raven's feathers. Just like my hair, my eyes were also different from my parents and brothers. "As white as the purest snow," as my mother likes to say. I was never the outgoing type nor was I considered to be calm, I was just me. Emilia, the only daughter of the Alpha.

I never thought much about how different I looked compared to my parents and siblings; I was always told that I took after my grandmother on my mother's side, so I never put much thought into the differences. Though… I've never actually seen pictures of this grandmother that many said I was the spitting image of.

I was always surrounded by friends and guards. We didn't have very many rules but two major ones were; never shift in front of anyone outside the pack and don't leave the territory without guards. I followed the rules as if they were my religion. I never left the territory, I never shifted in front of anyone outside of the pack members. Part of me always felt that these rules were a little bizarre. I mean… Why can't we shift in front of other wolves? It didn't make any sense and seemed really dumb to me.

At least... Until that fateful encounter on my twentieth birthday... That's when everything changed, and I realized that my perfect world was nothing like what I had believed… How was I supposed to know that a night out would go so wrong so quickly? I guess there's a reason that our pack has rules about leaving the territory without permission and guards. I just wanted to have a little fun… do something out of character for once… I wanted to feel free for just one night. "Actions have consequences and everything has a price." Now that old saying makes sense to me like never before.

But now I'm getting ahead of myself; in order to understand, I'll need to take you back to the beginning. Two days before, my life was flipped upside down, and the world slapped me in the face with a new reality...