

"The night the blood dyed the bright moon crimson remained an eternal nightmare haunting Elara. She was the most powerful ancient Queen of the wolf clan in ten thousand years, blessed with an unparalleled bloodline that overawed all beasts and ruled the entire nocturnal realm. Yet she fell victim to the one she had trusted above all others. Kane, the elite warrior she had personally promoted, the confidant she had trusted with her back and nurtured with all the clan’s resources, drove his blade straight through her heart at the peak of their clan’s prosperity, when all beings bowed in allegiance. The piercing agony of the blade paled in comparison to the collapse of her heart. She watched the young man who had once knelt before her with utter devotion, his eyes now cold and ruthless. She witnessed him lead the rebel army to massacre the sacred wolf temple, and watch the once glorious wolf clan collapse overnight, its lands drowned in rivers of blood. With her dying breath, she heard his low, indifferent voice, devoid of the slightest affection, carrying only icy command: “Slay the Queen, secure the realm.” Boundless hatred engulfed her soul, burning her to the core, yet her vengeful resolve never wavered. Fate granted her a second chance, reborn from blood and embers. When she opened her eyes again, Elara shed her domineering ancient wolf royal bloodline, suppressing all her sharpness and supreme majesty. She transformed into a frail, humble human girl. Hiding the raging blood feud in her eyes, erasing every trace of her former queenly identity and taming her unyielding pride, she disguised herself as an ordinary, timid mortal, lingering on the fringes of the wolf territory now fully under Kane’s control. The Kane of today was no longer the dependent warrior who had once relied on her. He had seized her throne and risen as the undisputed Alpha Lord of the entire wolf clan, ruling over vast territories with absolute power of life and death over all his kind

Before turning 25, the pack elders use the mind-link 99 times to forcibly summon me. I have to bond with a mate before my 25th birthday or face an arranged marriage to serve the pack. When I tell Jacob Fulton, our patrol captain, he just scoffs. "I've never heard of any pack having a rule like that. Wendy, you don't need such a pathetic tactic to test me. I was going to mark you, but seeing how desperate you are, I've changed my mind." He tosses the protection necklace I hand-crafted for him to his childhood friend, Yelena Shaw, and walks off without a second glance. Yelena blushes as she offers the necklace back to me. A triumphant glint flashes in her eyes. I step back, refusing it with a soft voice. "You can keep my trash." Ignoring her sudden paleness, I turn and walk away. I don't want the necklace anymore, and I don't want Jacob, either. What Jacob doesn't know is that I'm the sole heir to the Darkmoon pack. Once I turn 25, I must return to fulfill my duty—to take my place as Alpha Female and bond with a mate. Only this time, Jacob won't be the one I choose.