Chapter 1- escape
The night was thick, as dense as the sea. The fierce winds howled and rolled among the dark clouds, the sound a low growl that seemed to belong to a predator that was not human. The full moon, stained with blood, cast an eerie and ferocious red-blue glow.
She held her wild hair in place and ran wildly through the night. Behind her, the towering, fang-like castle, cruel and jagged, was left far behind in the cold darkness, as if it were opening its blood-red jaws, waiting for her return.
Her heart pounded like a drum.
Her hands and feet, numb from the biting cold rain, were ice-cold to the bone. But she had only one obsession—escape. Escape from this thorny land, escape from the prison that had held her captive for months, escape from that—terrifying and cruel Alpha.
There was no thunder. Only the cold, sharp rain, hitting the overgrown ground with a swishing sound. The splashing mud covered her delicate face, which should have been kissed by the sun. Dirt spread over her soft but disheveled body.
Her left shoulder ached with a tearing pain, and some force inside her began to stir. She knew that the wound was urging her to awaken—to fully become a wolf. But she desperately suppressed it, her nails digging into her shoulder, trying to prevent the wound from expanding any further.
She couldn't change. She couldn't let that man's curse come true.
As long as she escaped this place, the free air would be the best antidote.
The raindrops fell like daggers, faster and harder. The grass grew taller, pricking her skin painfully. Her target became clearer.
Just a little more... just a little more...
Once she reached the forest and crossed the straight boundary tree to reach the Black Water, she would find the ferry. As long as she could get to the Red Moon Pack, she would return to her true homeland, where she would find her kin to protect her.
She clenched her fist, the faint sea-blue glow visible between her fingers. It was a wolf-eye gemstone, engraved with ancient runes. In its blue light, a crimson hue seemed to swirl.
It was her last hope—also her last curse.
Earlier, he had gathered her flowing hair in his large hands, his fingers lightly entwining the strands, caressing them with an almost reluctant touch. His wolf-like fingers slid through her hair, as if a hunter stroking his prey, which had yet to struggle.
The warmth of his breath brushed her temple, teasing the strand of hair hanging over her forehead. That tingling sensation was like silver claws, carving invisible scars into her heart.
His deep, magnetic voice, like a lover's whisper, carried a chilling pressure.
"The culture of your Red Moon Pack is indeed profound and impressive."
He lifted her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes—those ice-black wolf eyes, sharp enough to pierce the soul, as clear as the purest obsidian, beautiful to the point of awe, yet cold enough to send a shiver down her spine.
When he slightly smiled, the curve of his lips carrying amusement, the gentleness and allure displayed on his sculpted, handsome face would have caused any woman on this continent to fall under his spell.
But she would not.
Not because she wasn't part of the Silver Moon Pack, but because she knew better than anyone that beneath this tempting facade lay a heart of an Alpha, cold and ruthless—most cruel, most bloodthirsty, most violent.
"What a pity, my Camille."
"You'll never return to your Pack."
His long fingers traced her delicate collarbone, sending a chilling sensation through her skin, as though marking her with a brand of eternal night.
"You will only be a little pup in my pack."
This was the gem he had given her, symbolizing the chains of her cage, which she loathed, but was forced to use as her ticket to escape.
She violently shook her head, shaking off the mesmerizing water droplets, as well as that blood-colored nightmare.
Finally, she saw the straight boundary tree—a row of upright apricot trees, like wolf sentinels standing guard at the border, silently watching ahead. Through the branches, a faint orange glow spilled down, resembling the first light of the sun, bringing the hope of a new dawn.
Her heart beat faster.
Wait for me... I'm almost there...
She moved her legs, now numb, pushing herself forward. Every muscle screamed in agony, every breath cut like a knife, but she could not stop—as long as she crossed this boundary, she would return to the Red Moon Pack, to her true homeland!
Boom—!
Suddenly, thunder cracked, one after another, as if the whole world was collapsing behind her. Her wide eyes fixed on the orange glow, not noticing the pale beam of light casting behind her.
Buzz—!
The air trembled, the grass swaying wildly, the swirling wind like the claws of a demon, tearing at her fragile figure.
One beam, two beams, three beams—
Bright beams of light shot down from the sky, as sharp as a hunter's sword, locking onto her black figure.
"Alpha, the target has been located, she's approaching the border!"
In the pitch-black shadows, a finger gently tapped the black armrest of the chair, making a deep, resonant sound.
"Heh... she managed to escape this far?"
The man's voice was deep like the night, laced with laziness, as if sighing, or perhaps mocking.
The report officer stiffened, lowering his head, his body trembling slightly.
The man in the shadow slowly stood, his towering figure exuding a suffocating pressure. Around him, everyone lowered their heads, showing respect as though they were beasts bowing before their king, waiting for the wolf king's command.
He was the Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, the supreme ruler—powerful, cold, holding absolute control over life and death.
And now his gaze was fixed on the giant screen—on the small woman, pushing her body to the limit as she ran forward.
"Tsk, fell again."
The man smiled slightly, his voice soft, almost as if pitying her. But everyone knew—the gentler his tone, the more bloodshed would follow.
"Looks like I'll have to bring my little wolf cub back personally."
His mountainous figure, as swift as a leopard, vanished in a flash behind the metal door.
The people left behind slowly raised their heads, their eyes once again on the screen, staring at the figure of the woman, struggling in such a sorry state.
Their eyes held an unmistakable pity—this time, what kind of cruel torment and control would the Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack impose on this little female wolf from the Red Moon Pack?