Chapter 1 Prologue – The Cursed Alpha

Twelve years ago

Ronan Duskbane knelt in the snow, bleeding out, while the wolves who once swore loyalty to him circled like vultures.

The high cliffs of Blackthorn Keep loomed behind him, the scent of burning wood and blood thick in the air. His father, the Alpha King, lay dead at his feet his throat ripped open by the very pack who had once sworn to protect him.

Betrayal.

The word burned through Ronan's skull as the elders stepped forward, their faces carved from ice.

"You have broken our laws, Ronan Duskbane." The High Elder's voice was cold, final. "Your blood is cursed. Your soul is damned. And from this night forward, you are no longer Alpha of the Bloodmoon Pack."

Ronan clenched his teeth, feeling the burn of the silver cuffs biting into his wrists. They thought they could break him. They were wrong.

He lifted his gaze, locking eyes with the wolves who had once been his brothers. "You think you can kill me?" His voice was raw, dark with something more than pain. Something ancient.

The High Elder sneered. "No. But we can banish you."

And then, under the full Blood Moon, the elders cursed him.

Pain like fire tore through his veins, burning his body from the inside out. His vision blurred, his bones cracked, and something inside him snapped. His breath turned ragged, his throat raw from a silent scream until suddenly, it was gone.

All of it.

The pain. The rage. The ability to feel anything at all.

When Ronan opened his eyes again, the world was hollow. Empty.

The elders stepped back, satisfaction gleaming in their ancient eyes. "From this day forth, your touch will bring only pain. Your heart will know only hunger. And your mate-"

They smiled, cruel and knowing.

"-will die by your hands."

The curse settled into his bones, deep and unbreakable.

That was the night Ronan ceased to be a man and became the monster they had always feared.