The Black Wolf

Prologue

Dearest gentle reader, this is not your typical tale of an Omega falling in love with an Alpha and becoming Luna. This is no fairytale. You are about to step into a world brimming with werewolves, fallen gods, demons, trapped souls, and magic unlike any other.

In this realm of wolves and wonder, every pack is bound to ancient myths, unique traits, or elemental forces. Each Alpha carries within them a Heartstone, a sentient crystal embedded near the heart. It holds their power, memory, and spirit.

When an Alpha dies, the Heartstone vanishes and reappears in the chest of their successor, either by the will of the Heartstone itself or seized through conquest. Yet if the chosen is unworthy, the Heartstone may resist them, or worse, destroy them.

Among these many packs was one known as Sable Howl, steeped in legends of the moon and black wolves. It was in this pack that a girl was born to a common werewolf named Malrik.

He named her Vireya, meaning 'Wild beauty' for she was breathtakingly unlike any other, one would say she was crafted out of the moon itself. Though Vireya lost her mother at a tender age, she was deeply loved by all. They ensured the weight of her loss never fully reached her heart.

She grew into a vision admired by every man and envied by many women. Young men, enchanted by her charm, vowed to claim her as their mate once she turned eighteen and her wolf emerged, bond or no bond.

She was lavished with gifts and affections, none more persistent than Rhydan, the Alpha's son. It was widely believed he would be the one to mark her.

Vireya's life was blissful, until the night she turned eighteen, and the darkness came for her...

Chapter 1: The Full Moon Birthday

Vireya's POV

I stirred awake to the soft hum of activity coming from the living room. Groaning, I pulled a pillow over my head, reluctant to leave the warmth of my bed, until a sudden realization jolted me upright.

It's my birthday, my eighteenth birthday. A smile broke across my face as excitement surged through me. Without a second thought, I sprang out of bed and padded into the living room.

There, Siora, our ever-dutiful omega, was busy arranging boxes and baskets, her small frame bustling with energy.

"What are all these?" I asked, wide-eyed.

"Oh, finally you're awake!" she chirped, barely glancing up. "What do you think they are? Gifts, of course! It's your birthday, and half the young men in the pack have sent something."

I blinked, taking in the mountain of packages scattered across the room. "Wow," I breathed, a soft laugh escaping me.

Siora turned to me with a knowing smile. "Rhydan sent quite a lot, my dear."

My lips curved. Of course he did. Rhydan, the Alpha's son, has been watching me closely for moons now, hopeful that the fates will bind us as mates.

We began opening the parcels together, revealing an array of elegant dresses, sparkling jewelry, delicate shoes, and all manner of beautiful things. It was overwhelming, in the most delightful way.

By noon, I was readying myself for the banquet at the castle. After all, tonight wasn't just my coming-of-age, it was also a full moon. A blessing, some would say, a sign of fate, others might whisper.

I chose one of Rhydan's gifts, a breathtaking emerald ball gown that shimmered as I moved, its silken fabric trailing gracefully with every step.

The bodice hugged my figure like it was made just for me, and I adorned my dark hair with delicate gold clips that caught the light. When I glanced at my reflection, even I had to pause. I looked... enchanting.

When Father returned home, his eyes lit up with pride, and, as always, he showered me with praises. But we left before him, eager to reach the castle on time.

Siora and I arrived just after lunch had begun. The great hall was alive with chatter and clinking forks, but as soon as I stepped inside, silence rippled through the hall like a wave.

All eyes turned to me, some widened. My beauty had always drawn attention, but sometimes it felt less like a gift... and more like a burden I had to carry.

Rhydan caught my eye and waved, gesturing to the seat saved beside him. I walked toward the table with measured grace, fully aware of the gazes following my every move. Siora slipped away to join the other omegas as I took my place beside Rhydan.

He leaned forward and took my hand gently, brushing his lips over my knuckles. "You're as stunning as ever, Vireya," he murmured.

"You're too kind," I replied with a polite smile.

"I can't wait for your wolf to emerge," he said. "When it does, I'll make you my Luna. The other males will lose their minds, and I might have to start a few fights."

I laughed softly. "Oh please..."

But my amusement faltered when I looked across the hall and met his eyes. Sevarion. For a moment, the world around me faded, Rhydan's voice became a distant hum.

Sevarion and I held each other's stare, locked in a wordless exchange that lasted only seconds but felt like lifetimes. I blinked and looked away, but my heart betrayed me with a restless flutter.

Every time I saw him, I felt it, that strange sensation in my chest, familiarity, curiosity, longing. As though I knew him from a dream I couldn't remember.

Sevarion had joined our pack a few years ago, though no one knew from where. He kept to himself, always quiet and alone. Yet he was impossible to ignore.

Tall, with broad shoulders and a sculpted frame. His jaw was sharp, his cheekbones noble, and his rare green eyes gleamed with something ancient. He looked like a god carved from moonlight and shadows.

The only time we ever spoke was months ago, when I tripped near the brook. He caught me before I hit the ground, and the sound of his voice, deep and smooth, stilled every breath in my lungs.

Since then, he's kept his distance. Unlike the others who hovered near me like moths to flame, Sevarion never tried to win my attention.

And yet... tonight, I could've sworn I saw a flicker in his eyes, a flash of something like jealousy. Or maybe I was imagining it.

"Are you okay?" Rhydan's voice snapped me out of the trance Sevarion's gaze had cast over me.

"Huh? Yes... I'm okay," I murmured, offering him a quick smile I didn't quite feel.

After lunch, Rhydan wanted me to stay longer, to walk the castle gardens or share a drink. But I declined politely, promising I'd meet him at the arena when the full moon reached its peak.

Once home, I collapsed into bed and drifted into a shallow nap. When it was time, I dressed in something simple and warm, tucking an extra coat beneath my arm. I knew I would need it once the shift was over.

The arena buzzed with excitement as the games concluded. I arrived with my father, my heart pounding in my chest. Tonight was the night I would shift for the first time, and everyone was waiting for it.

The air felt thick with magic, the full moon shining like a silver eye overhead. Others who were shifting for the first time began their transformations. Bones cracked, bodies twisted, and their wolves emerged one by one with triumphant howls.

But I just stood there, silent. I had never heard my wolf speak to me, not once, she had never answered, even when I whispered to her. Yet I could feel her now, she was stirring.

Rhydan watched me with pride and hunger in his gaze, his arms folded as though already certain of the majesty I would reveal. Around us, all eyes burned into my skin, waiting.

Then it happened. A snap, sharp and sudden ripped through my body. I screamed as pain surged through me like fire. My bones cracked, my spine twisted, my fingers bent into claws. Every nerve ignited with agony.

It was nothing like the stories. I felt myself pulled under, drowning in the storm of the transformation. It was like being caged in my body, watching through someone else's eyes, helpless.

My wolf had taken over, and she wasn't calm. With a violent snarl, she lunged, tearing into someone near us injuring their wolf, screams echoed through the arena. Then another figure was thrown to the ground, mauled beneath her fury. My wolf was on a rampage, panic erupted like wildfire.

"Please stop!" I cried through the mind-link, desperate. "Please listen to me!"

She didn't hear me, or she didn't care.

"Vireya!" My father's voice rang in my head. "Vireya, try to control it! You can control it!"

I tried. Moon above, I tried, but I had no reins, no power, I was a prisoner in my own mind.

Then I felt it, my wolf's claws slicing deep, blood splattered across the stone floor, the world seemed to slow.

Gasps filled the air, when my wolf turned, my soul shattered. My father lay in a pool of blood, unmoving.