Prologue
Scarlett’s standpoint.
“Please, I'm begging you—just give me the antidote!” I screamed, my voice cracking as I fell to my knees in front of them.
The rogues merely stared down at me, their eyes cold and indifferent, their sneers etched with cruelty. The moonlight reflected off their sharp features, casting eerie shadows across the ground. The wing howled around us, carrying with it the scent of Earth and death, an unsettling reminder of what was at stake.
Caleb lay in front of our home, convulsing, the poison eating away at him from the inside. His skin, once warm beneath my touch, had turned a sickly pale, and his breathing grew shallower with each passing second. I could feel the vibrations of his shuddering body against the dirt, the sharp sting of his pain reaching me with every breath I took.
I clutched his hand tighter, the weight of his suffering crushing my chest, suffocating me. I wasn't going to lose him. Not him too. Not like this.
“You think we're here to negotiate, cursed wolf?” One of the rogues sneered, his voice dripping with venom as he took a step closer, towering over me. “You should know by now—everything you touch turns to ashes. Including him.”
His words sliced into me, a reminder of everything I'd lost, a nightmare I could never wake up from. Caleb's body jerked violently, and I glanced back at him, desperation swallowing me whole. I saw the Fer in his eyes, the silent plea that he couldn't voice aloud. He didn't want to die. And I would rather not watch another mate of mine die.
“Please…” I whispered, feeling the tears stream down my face, hot and heavy. I looked back at the rogues, my eyes searching for even a flicker of sympathy. “Please.”
But there was nothing.
One of them kicked dirt toward me, his face twitched with disgust. “He's as good as dead. You might as well give up.”
I heard them laughing, their footsteps growing fainter as they retreated into the night. Their laughter mingled with Caleb's ragged gasps, the sound embedding itself deep within me, like a thousand knives carving away at whatever hope I had left.
I turned to Caleb, cupping his face in my hands, trying to force a smile despite the sobs that wracked my body. His brown eyes, once so bright, now stared me, glassy and filled with pain.
“S-Scarlett…” He choked, his lips trembling, barely managing to form my name.
“I'm here,” I whispered, my voice cracking as I brushed a strand of his hair away from his forehead. I could feel him slipping away, his warmth fading. “I'm right here. Please… don't leave me.”
He tried to smile, but it looked more like a grimace, his eyes closing, the last of his strength fading. His body went limp in my arms, and I felt it—the final exhale, the moment his spirit left him.
Caleb was gone.
The weight of his lifeless body in my arms sent me crashing down. I collapsed, my heart shattering, my screams echoing through the night, drowning in the howling wind. I clung to him, wishing, praying that somehow, he'd come back. That this was all just a horrible nightmare.
But no matter how much I wished, I knew. He was gone.
And so were the others.
Caleb's death, here in my arms, became a catalyst —a dark doorway opening in the back of my mind, a reminder 9f every loss I'd endured the memory of the others swept over me like a suffocating tide, each one stabbing into my chest, each one pulling me further into despair.
Liam.
I saw his face as clear as if he were right there before me—those kind eyes, always full of warmth. I remember the way he'd reached for me that night, his body bloodied and shot.
The woods were quite, a deceptive calm under the moonlight, and the air carried the scent of damp Earth. Liam and I had wandered too far, the euphoria of being together binding us to our surroundings. The vacation had been a dream—just us, nor responsibilities, no one else. But that dream shattered when we realized we had crossed into another Pack's territory.
The first arrow struck without warning, embedding itself in a tress trunk, inches from Liam’s shoulder. He pulled me behind him, his body tense, shielding me from what came next. Growls echoed through the darkness, shadows emerging between the trees —wolves, their eyes filled with fury, closing in.
“We have to go, Scarlett,” Liam whispered, his voice tight with urgency. He pushed me forward, his eyes locking with mine. “Run.”
I hesitated, fear gripping my chest, but he grabbed my hand, pulling me into motion. We ran, our feet pounding against the forest floor, the sounds of pursuit growing closer. Then came the sharp c***k of a gunshot.
Liam stumbled, his grip on my hands faltering. I turned just in time to see the blood blooming across his chest, his eyes wide with pain.
“No!” I reached for him, but he shook his head, his expression fierce.
“Go, Scarlett. I'll buy you time,” he said, his voice strained. He tried to smile, though it barely reached his eyes. “I'll meet you soon. I promise.”
Tears blurred my eyes as I hesitated, his eyes hardened, his lips parting in a snarl. “Go!”
I turned and ran, the sounds of his struggle fading behind me, my heart shattering with every step I took. I wasn't to believe him—that he would find me, that we'd be together again.
But deep down, I knew.
Liam was gone.
Ethan.
I felt a fresh wave of agony crash over me as I remembered the day Ethan fell. We had gone hunting together—he insisted on it, wanting to help me clear my mind. He was strong, confident, always there to protect me, to lift me up when I felt the weight of the world crushing.
“Stay close to me, Scarlett.” He had said, his smile wide, and his eyes glinting with mischief. “I don't want you getting lost out here.”
We were tracking a deer, Ethan moving with such grace through the forest. But then he slipped—a patch of loose ground giving way beneath him and I watched in terror as he tumbled over the edge of the cliff.
“Ethan!”I had screamed, my heart pounding as I scrambled to the edge, my hands clawing at the dirt. I caught a glimpse of him, his eyes wide, his body falling into the darkness below, his voice calling out my name before it was drowned by the roaring waters below.
The world had gone silent then, the sound of his screams echoing on my ears long after he disappeared. I remember the emptiness, the hollowness that settled in my chest as I realized he was gone.
Peter.
I had thought I'd learned to live with loss, that I'd built walls around my heart strong enough to withstand the pain. But then came along Peter—strong, fierce loyal Peter, who had fought for me with everything he had.
We had been ambushed, a rogue pack unlike any I had ever seen before. They were ruthless, their eyes filled with hatred as they attacked. Peter had thrown himself in front of me, his claws flashing, his growls echoing through the forest.
“Run, Scarlett.” He had shouted, his voice breaking as he fought them off. Hit I couldn't leave him—I couldn't let him die.
I fought beside him, my heart pounding, my breath coming in ragged gasps. But they were too many of them. I saw the moment they overwhelmed him, the way his eyes widened in shock as their claws pierced his chest.
“Peter!” I had screamed, reaching for him. Their laughter ringing on my ears as they left his lifeless body on the floor, they left me with nothing but a blood—stained face on over good memories we had before then.
And now, Caleb. Sweet, gentle Caleb, who had wanted nothing but to protect me, to love me. Now dead in my arms, his body cold, his smile gone forever.
A sob tore through me, my hands trembling as I cradled his face. The world felt like it was collapsing around me, a dark, twisted cycle that I could never escape. I could almost hear the whispers of the pack, the way they called me “the cursed wolf,” the way they avoided me, fearing that whatever dark force surrounded me would take them too.
They weren't wrong. Everyone I loved died. Every fated mate the Moon Goddess had gifted me had been rolled away, leaving me alone, drowning in loss.
But then, in the midst of my grief, a thought flickered—Liam. The memory of him, of his eyes, his smile —it all came rushing back, more vivid than ever. The way he had died, the way he'd sacrificed himself to save me. But for a reason, in that moment, one of the rogues' faces flashed across my eyes. His eyes seemed… familiar, like Liam’s. As if somewhere, somehow, Liam was still out there.
No. It couldn't be. Liam was gone, I felt it in our mate bond.
But the thought lingered, a dark shadow at the back of my mind. And with it came another, more sinister thought: what if all of this—all the deaths, the tragedies —what if they weren't just coincidences?
What if someone had orchestrated it all?
I shook my head, trying to push the thought away. It was impossible. Liam was gone. The others were gone. This was just my curse —my punishment for daring to love.
I pulled Caleb closer, burying his face in my chest, trying to block out the world, attempting to forget everything. But the thought wouldn't leave me, gnawing at me, whispering at me.
And then, I heard it—a familiar voice, faint, a voice that sent chills down my spine.
“Scarlett, why do you keep running from me?”