Chapter 1 The Night of Shadows

The night was alive with whispers of danger. Amanda's small hands clung tightly to her mother's skirt as the forest around them rustled with unseen movements. She was only six years old, but her heart pounded with fear as though it already understood the weight of the moment. Her parents' faces were tense, their eyes darting into the shadows as they hurried through the darkened woods.

"Amanda, do not let go of me," her mother whispered urgently. "Stay close."

"I am scared," Amanda whimpered, her big amber eyes filling with tears.

Her father bent down for just a moment, brushing her hair back from her face. His eyes were full of love, but beneath it, there was worry. "Be brave, little moonlight. We are almost safe."

The words were meant to comfort her, but Amanda could feel the tremble in his voice. Something terrible was happening.

Behind them, the sound of snarls echoed through the trees. Wolves, savage and relentless. Her parents picked up their pace, almost dragging Amanda between them as they ran.

Suddenly, the clearing opened, and Amanda could see the faint lights of a village beyond. But before they could reach it, shadows burst from the trees, blocking their path.

Her mother cried out, pulling Amanda close. Her father shifted, his body trembling as fur rippled across his skin. In moments he stood in his wolf form, tall and strong, his golden eyes glowing with determination. He lunged at the attackers, his growl shaking the air.

"Run!" her mother screamed, shoving Amanda forward.

Amanda stumbled, confusion and terror swirling inside her. She turned back in time to see her father clash with dark figures, his growls meeting theirs in a violent storm. Her mother's hands grabbed her again, dragging her away even as tears streamed down her face.

"Do not look back, Amanda! Keep running!"

But Amanda could not stop herself. She turned one last time and saw her father fall beneath the weight of three shadows. Her scream tore through the night.

Her mother's arms lifted her up and ran, but the attackers were fast. Amanda heard a cry of pain, and then her mother stumbled. The ground tilted, and Amanda was thrown forward into the underbrush.

She looked up just in time to see her mother surrounded, fighting with all her strength, before the shadows dragged her down.

"Mama!" Amanda cried. Her little hands clawed at the ground, but before she could rise, a heavy blow struck her head. Darkness swallowed her.

When Amanda woke, she was no longer in the forest. She was inside a grand house, lying on a cold bed in a strange room.

A woman with sharp eyes and painted lips smiled down at her, though the smile did not reach her eyes. "Ah, you are awake. Poor little thing, all alone. Do not worry, you are safe now."

Amanda blinked, her small body trembling. "Where is my mommy? Where is my daddy?"

The woman's smile tightened. "They are gone, child. But you are fortunate. My husband and I will take care of you now. You will live with us."

Amanda shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks. "No. They will come for me. They promised."

The woman's eyes hardened, and she gripped Amanda's chin with cold fingers. "Listen carefully. Your parents are not coming back. You belong to us now. Do you understand?"

Amanda sobbed, her heart breaking, but she could not fight the steel in the woman's voice.

That night she was taken to a small attic room. The walls were bare, the mattress thin, and the blanket smelled of dust. Amanda curled up, whispering to herself, "Mama said the moon always watches over us. The moon will find me."

Through the tiny window, she searched for the glowing orb in the sky, and when she found it, she held onto the fragile hope that her parents could still see her.

Amanda soon learned what life with the Sebastians truly meant.

Mr. Sebastian was a stern man with cold eyes, who rarely spoke except to command. Mrs. Sebastian was sharp and cruel, her tongue like a whip and her hand not far behind. And their daughter, Angela, was a spoiled child who despised Amanda from the very first day.

"Why is she here?" Angela had demanded. "She is dirty. I do not want her in my house."

"She is not here for you, darling," Mrs. Sebastian replied sweetly. "Think of her as extra help."

Angela's lip curled, but then her eyes gleamed. Amanda quickly became her favorite target

Days bled into weeks, and weeks into years. Amanda was given endless chores far too heavy for a child her age. She scrubbed floors until her knees bled, carried trays until her arms ached, and polished every corner of the mansion under Mrs. Sebastian's watchful eye.

When she faltered, she was struck. When she cried, she was mocked. And when she begged for rest, she was reminded that she owed them everything.

Angela delighted in tormenting her. She would steal Amanda's food, trip her in the halls, and whisper cruel lies into her ear.

"Your parents never wanted you," Angela sneered once as Amanda scrubbed the floor. "If they loved you, they would not have left you behind."

Amanda's eyes filled with tears, but she bit her lip. "They did love me. They will come for me."

Angela laughed. "No one is coming for you. You will always be nothing."

The words pierced Amanda's heart, but still she clung to her mother's promise about the moon.

By the time Amanda turned sixteen, she was no longer the bright-eyed child who had once run through the woods laughing in her parents' arms. She had grown into a quiet young woman, her spirit bent but not broken. She carried scars both visible and hidden, but deep inside her, the fire of her true bloodline still burned.

One night, while she sat by the attic window, Angela burst in without knocking. She was dressed in silk, her hair tied with ribbons, and her face smug as ever.

"You are staring at the moon again?" Angela mocked. "Do you think it will save you?"

Amanda did not answer. Silence had long become her shield.

Angela sneered. "You are pathetic. Tomorrow, Mother and Father are meeting with a man who wants to marry you. He is rich, and he is old. They say he will pay well for you."

Amanda froze, her heart hammering. "Marry me?"

Angela smirked. "Yes. You should be grateful. No one else would ever want you."

Amanda's breath caught. Fear, sharper than anything she had ever felt, clawed at her chest. She turned to the moon, her only confidant, her silent witness.

"Please," she whispered into the night, her eyes glistening. "Do not let them take me."

And far away, under the same moonlight, a wolf stirred.