Chapter 1
Ember's POV
Rain mixed with blood splattered across my face, each drop freezing cold. I knelt in the mud, frantically trying to stop the bleeding on my thirteenth patient, my fingernails caked with gore.
This DAMN battle had been raging for three hours.
"Ember! More wounded over here!"
My packmate's shout cut through the rain. I grabbed my herb pouch and ran toward her. The sight made my stomach lurch—severed limbs, shattered bones, exposed organs everywhere.
Moon Devourers. Those monsters from ancient legends had gone completely insane tonight, attacking our Blood Moon pack. Their massive silver-gray bodies moved through the storm like houses with legs, claws that could slice through steel like butter.
I kept telling myself not to be scared, but my hands wouldn't stop shaking. As the lowest-ranking wolf, I was stuck with this dirty work in the rear. Everyone knew I was a defective werewolf, but at least my herb skills were useful.
Suddenly, a howl tore through the rainy night.
My heart SLAMMED against my ribs. That was his voice.
Alpha Darius Flameclaw.
I looked up through the rain toward the front lines, and that silhouette made me forget how to breathe. Even surrounded by dozens of monsters, he was still so... mesmerizing. The red wolf blazed like fire in the darkness, single-handedly holding off countless Moon Devourers while his pack retreated to safety.
God, he was incredible. I watched him rip open one beast's throat, blood spraying everywhere. Another lunged from the side—he moved like lightning, driving his claws straight through its heart.
But there were too many. More and more monsters closed in around him.
"No, at this rate..." My voice trembled.
Three Moon Devourers attacked simultaneously. He dodged two, but the third's claws raked deep across his left shoulder. Blood flew, his body swayed, nearly collapsing.
Tears instantly blurred my vision. He was fighting desperately to protect all of us, but... he couldn't hold out much longer!
When a fourth and fifth monster joined the assault, he finally went down.
"NO! Darius!"
I frantically searched for backup, but the battlefield was chaos—our strongest warriors were trapped by their own swarms, completely unable to break free.
Fuck!
I stopped thinking and sprinted toward the battlefield. Screw being low-ranking, screw the danger—only one thought filled my head:
I absolutely COULD NOT let him die in front of me.
Rain blinded me, but I knew where he was. Those damn Moon Devourers still circled him, ready to deliver the killing blow any second.
I clenched my fists, razor-sharp claws extending from my fingertips. I hadn't fully shifted, but these claws were deadly enough.
"GET AWAY! ALL OF YOU, GET AWAY!"
I charged like a maniac, claws bared. Something weird happened—those monsters actually backed off a few steps. Maybe my crazy attack startled them?
I dove beside Darius. Blood covered his entire body, his breathing barely audible. The moment my hand touched his cheek, that familiar warmth nearly brought me to tears.
"Alpha Darius? Wake up!" I patted his face. "Please, wake up..."
Damn it! No response. His face was terrifyingly pale.
The Moon Devourers closed in again—I had to get him out NOW. That place... there was a secret cave I'd discovered nearby. We could hide there.
Gritting my teeth, I hauled him onto my shoulder. Christ, he was HEAVY! I nearly collapsed, but I couldn't give up.
Step by step, I dragged him toward my remembered sanctuary. Angry howls echoed behind us—they were following. My legs had turned to jelly, but survival instinct kept me going.
Finally, I spotted the rock crevice.
I practically tumbled into the cave with him, then used every ounce of strength to pile stones across the entrance. The Moon Devourers clawed at the barrier for a while before eventually leaving.
Safe. I collapsed, gasping and trembling all over.
The cave was pitch black, but I remembered stashing some firewood here. Fumbling around, I lit a torch—weak light illuminated this tiny space. My secret hideout that I'd never told anyone about.
Darius was still unconscious, his wounds deep and bleeding. I had to stop the bleeding immediately.
I pulled out bloodroot and healing salve from my herb pouch. When my hand touched the deepest gash across his chest, he winced in pain.
"Sorry, I know it hurts..." I whispered while working. "Almost done..."
Somehow, a small cut on my finger brushed against the salve. A few drops of golden-red blood mixed in, glowing strangely in the firelight. I was too focused on bandaging him to notice this detail.
After finishing the bandages, I sat quietly beside him, studying his pale face. Even injured and unconscious, he was still so beautiful, still made my heart race.
Looking at him, I couldn't help remembering that afternoon seven years ago that changed my entire life.
I was only ten then, alone in the forest gathering herbs. I was so focused that I didn't notice danger until three beasts had me surrounded.
I thought I was dead.
Then he appeared.
Thirteen-year-old Darius—his red wolf form was magnificent. He snapped one beast's neck with his jaws while the other two fled in terror.
He told me, "Hide! Get behind that tree!"
Just those words. That simple command completely changed my life. His voice carried a reassuring strength, and... protectiveness.
From that day forward, my world contained only him.
I studied herbs obsessively, trained relentlessly, desperately tried to make myself worthy of him. But my "sickly shifts" made me the pack's laughingstock. The agony of each transformation convinced everyone I was defective, a worthless failure.
They didn't know how badly I wanted to be normal, to stand beside him.
I gently touched his cheek—still warm, breathing relatively steady.
"Since that day, I've only thought about you..." I whispered, my voice softly echoing in the cave. "So please don't die..."
Rain continued outside, but the cave was quiet except for occasional torch crackles. I watched over him all night without sleeping.
Near dawn, I heard a soft groan.
Darius was waking up.
His eyes slowly opened—those deep brown irises first confused, then quickly alert. When he recognized me, his gaze instantly turned cold.
"What happened..." He struggled to sit up, still weak but radiating that inherent authority that made me instinctively step back.
He surveyed the surroundings, realizing he was alone with me in this small cave. His brow furrowed, eyes filled with displeasure and suspicion.
"Tell me," he demanded coldly, "what's your agenda? Why did you save me?"
His sudden interrogation left me stammering. "I... I don't have any agenda..."
"No agenda?" He laughed bitterly. "A defective low-ranking wolf risking her life to save me? Speak up—what do you really want?"
His words stabbed like knives. I knew I was just background noise to him, but hearing him say it still hurt like hell.
"I..." I struggled to find words. "Seven years ago, you saved me. In the forest, when those beasts attacked... You told me to hide, then saved my life. I just... I just wanted to repay that kindness."