Prologue Part 1

***11 Years ago***

Rhiannon's POV:

I woke up to yelling and screaming in the middle of the night. I was only 10yrs old; I saw flashes of light and fire coming from my window. I began to panic as one of the guards burst into my room telling me we needed to run. "Princess, we need to get you to safety!" He whispered as we snuck through the castle's hidden passageways.

"Where's mommy and daddy?" I asked terrified. He looked at me with sympathy as tears continued to sting my eyes. "I want my mommy and daddy, I'm not going anywhere without them! We need to go back for them!" I was finding it hard to breathe. I was having a panic attack and my mom and dad always knew how to settle them. I couldn't seem to stop crying either.

The guard crouched down to my level and asked me, "Rhiannon, do you remember a couple of years ago, when you found yourself lost in the woods? When we found you, what did your mother tell you?" I nodded, unable to find my voice. "She told you that no matter what happened just remember that she and your father will always be with you. She told you that you were very strong, and because of that a lot of people wanted you and would do anything in their power to get to you, but never forget they would always be there for you in some way or another... Right?" Again I nodded.

I started to see where he was going with this... "Mommy and daddy are coming are they?" I said, barely a whisper, more of a squeak. He didn't get a chance to respond as the sounds of the same people who attacked my pack began getting closer. The guard grabbed me and began running. We came to an opening, he set me down and told me to run as fast as I could. "I can't, I need you." I cried out not wanting to go by myself.

"Princess Rhiannon, I need to stay behind to give you a head start. NOW RUN!!!" I saw the shadows of the dangerous people getting closer. I looked at him one last time before booking it out of the small opening. I ran as fast and as far as I could! I came to a big cave as my legs began to give out. I did my best to get into the cave before I officially passed out.

As I entered I saw a big black wolf, but something about his presence made me feel safe. Last thing I remembered before everything went black, was this wolf coming over as I went down.

Vasiliy's POV:

It's been a week since the rogue attack on my pack; the one that killed my mother and father. I'm only 15, I wasn't supposed to become Alpha until I was at least 18. But alas, I'm stuck having to rush learning everything to be alpha at 15 so my pack can keep running and get stronger. I was out on my nightly run that I do when I get too stressed out. I had found this cave a few years back. It's my favorite place to hide, because it's quiet and I can enjoy the moonlight without anyone being able to find me. And since my first shift happened sooner than it was meant to, it gave me time to get to know my wolf. Most wolves don't shift until their 18th birthday, but I ended up having a forced shift a few weeks ago during the attack. It was very painful, and I was scared I was going to die, like most wolves who ended up having an early force shift due to trauma.

As I laid in my usual spot, enjoying the peace and quiet under the moonlight, I heard heavy breathing and running feet. I stood up ready to protect myself, when from the shadows came a little girl. She looked to be only 9 or 10. She had been crying and had fear and terror written all over her face. She froze when she saw me, but then she began to sway. I'm not sure who she was, or where she came from, but something told me to get her to safety. My wolf caught her as she passed out from sheer exhaustion.

We brought her further into the cave out of sight. We sniffed at her and could smell her wolf. She laid still, out of breath and energy. She was only a pup. My wolf, Jax, said we needed to protect her. So we got her covered so she'd be warm and protected, until we could return with more help. After we were satisfied that she'd be safe we ran back to the pack house in search of help.

It took an hour to get back to the packhouse, then an hour to get back, with about 30 minutes in between to gather the necessary assistance. When we arrived back at the cave the little girl was gone. I felt dread. I was worried about that poor pup, she had the same look of sadness and fear I had when I found out my parents were killed. I had my pack warriors spread out and search the forest for her... 'There's no way she could've gotten far on her own.' I thought to myself. My stomach dropped further when the warriors came back empty handed.

I need to find that girl. I'm not sure why, but my wolf and I feel so connected to her. Like we're meant to protect her no matter what. After 5 hrs with no results, I had the warriors head back to the pack house. I'm not sure where she would've gone, but I pray to Moon Goddess that wherever she had gone she'd be safe.