Kira's POV
Today was my fourteenth birthday. If I were lucky, I'd finally meet my wolf. I was both excited and anxious. The fourteenth birthday is one of the most important milestones in the werewolf clan; it's the day we shift for the first time, meet our wolf, and begin communicating with them. I had been dreaming about this moment for weeks and couldn't wait to experience it.
Taking a deep breath, I stepped away from the mirror and bathed. Afterward, I slipped into the new dress my mother had bought for me. As I dressed, a strange unease settled over me. It was as if the air carried a warning, but I shook it off, telling myself it was just nerves about the shifting.
After styling my hair into a neat bun, I headed downstairs. I found my parents seated at the dining room table, waiting for me. They both beamed as I entered.
"Happy birthday, Kira!" they chorused in unison.
"Thank you, Mom and Dad," I said, leaning down to kiss my father's cheek and then my mother's.
"Are you excited?" my mother asked, her tone warm. I nodded with a shy smile.
I was about to sit when suddenly the door burst open. Four warriors from the pack house stormed in, their sudden presence freezing us all in place. Confused, I furrowed my brow, but before I could ask what was happening, two of the warriors seized my father while the other two grabbed my mother.
My father growled fiercely, his eyes flashing dangerously as he came close to shifting into his wolf. "What is the meaning of this? Are you insane?" he roared, his voice shaking with barely contained anger.
Simeon, the head of the pack warriors, stepped forward. "Beta Morris, Alpha Phillip demands your presence."
My confusion deepened. Something didn't feel right.
"I demand to know what this is about!" my father roared, his voice carrying the authority of a Beta despite the chains already being wound around his wrists.
My mother, looking both bewildered and worried, spoke up. "What is going on? Why are you grabbing us like criminals?" she asked, but the warriors didn't respond. Instead, they began to drag my parents away.
Something was very wrong, and the uneasy feeling in my gut only grew stronger. I followed the warriors out as they hauled my parents away. Luckily, the pack house wasn't far from our home; it was just a few blocks away. Worried, I walked behind my parents, noticing the bewildered looks of the pack members we passed. Like me, they seemed stunned to see their Beta and his mate treated like common criminals.
Suddenly, the pack bell rang, and my breath hitched. Whenever that bell rings, it signals an emergency, requiring all pack members to gather in the hall immediately.
With a racing heart, I met eyes with my mother. She stared back with pure panic. Just like me, she knew something was wrong.
"Kira, run," she whispered urgently. "Something isn't right."
My heart raced. Run? From what? I couldn't leave them. Not now. Not ever.
I shook my head in refusal. "I'm not leaving you," I said, my voice trembling with fear.
As we neared the pack house, the air felt heavier, suffocating. My legs trembled, and a voice in my head screamed at me to run, but I couldn't leave my parents. By the time we reached the pack hall, the atmosphere was stifling. The moment we entered, everything seemed to slow down. The room was packed with wolves, their faces etched with fear and grief. Whispers and muffled cries filled the room, but my attention was immediately drawn to the center of the hall.
There, on a stretcher, lay Luna Vivienne. Her body was still and unnaturally pale, her round belly heavy with the child she had been carrying. Blood stained the soft fabric of her dress. My chest tightened as I took in the horrific sight, my breath hitching painfully. She wasn't just the Luna—she was family to all of us, a kind, loving woman who made everyone feel seen and cared for.
Standing beside her was Alpha Phillip. His face was carved from stone, his jaw tight, and his eyes blazing with barely contained rage. I'd never seen him like this.
My parents were shoved forward, and I followed. The crowd parted as the warriors dragged my father and mother toward the front of the hall. I stayed a few steps behind, my feet moving on instinct while my mind struggled to piece the scene together.
Then I saw them. Two men knelt on the ground, their wrists bound in heavy iron chains. Their faces were bloodied and their clothes torn, with bruises and cuts littering their skin.
"What's happening?" I whispered, my voice trembling.
"Kira, don't look," my mother said quickly, her voice strained, but I couldn't stop. I couldn't tear my eyes away.
Alpha Phillip raised a hand, and the murmurs in the hall fell silent. Every breath was held as he stepped forward, his eyes burning with anger and pain as he surveyed his pack.
Alpha Phillip's loud, commanding voice echoed through the rafters. "Last night, my Luna and I were taking a stroll near the pack's border when an arrow came out of nowhere and struck her," he announced. Cries filled the hall once more, but he held up his hand, silencing them. "The warriors pursued the attacker while I rushed my Luna back here for treatment, but… she didn't make it. The arrow was poisoned."
Some wolves clutched each other, tears streaming down their faces, while others stood frozen in disbelief. Alpha Phillip drew a shaky breath, his chest rising and falling as he fought to maintain his composure. I could see the raw pain etched on his face, but he refused to let it consume him. An Alpha does not show vulnerability, even in the face of unimaginable loss.
"The guards captured these men," Alpha Phillip continued, pointing to the two chained figures kneeling on the floor. "After being threatened with death, they revealed the truth. They told us…" His voice trailed off, a dangerous pause hanging in the air as his furious gaze landed on my father. "They confessed that my Beta orchestrated the plan. He hired these assassins to kill me and my Luna. Beta Morris and his mate are traitors—spies for our rival pack!"
Gasps rippled through the crowd, followed by whispers of shock. My heart clenched, my mind racing to process his words. My parents, traitors? It couldn't be true.
"No!" My father's voice thundered through the hall, cutting through the noise. His wolf's growl was barely restrained as he fought against the warriors holding him. "This is a lie! I have been loyal to you, Alpha Phillip. I would never harm you or the Luna!"
My mother stepped forward, her blue eyes blazing with anger and desperation. "Alpha, we've served you faithfully for years! Whatever those men have told you is false. We would never betray you or this pack."
Alpha Phillip's expression darkened, his jaw tightening. "Loyalty? Is that what you call it, Beta Morris? Then how do you explain this?"
With a sharp nod, one of the warriors stepped forward, holding a bloodstained scroll. The warrior handed it to Alpha Phillip, who unfurled it for the entire pack to see.
"This," Alpha Phillip began, his voice laced with venom, "is a contract between my Beta and the assassins. It clearly states the terms of payment for the death of my Luna and me. Signed and sealed by Morris Grayson."
The crowd erupted into cries of outrage. My father's face twisted with disbelief.
"That's not mine!" he roared, his voice hoarse. "You know me, Phillip! You know my handwriting—compare it! This is a setup!"
Alpha Phillip raised a hand to silence the crowd once more. His eyes were sharp and furious. "Do you think I haven't already done that, Morris? The handwriting matches. The seal is yours. And we found this…"
He motioned to another warrior, who stepped forward with a diamond pendant. Its hilt was engraved with intricate designs I recognized all too well. It was my mother's—a family heirloom passed down through generations.
"This pendant," Alpha Phillip continued, "was found in the assassins' possession. They claimed it was an advance payment from you."
My mother's face paled, her hands trembling. "That necklace… it was stolen weeks ago! We reported it to the pack warriors. You must remember!"
Alpha Phillip's expression softened briefly, but his demeanor quickly hardened again. "A convenient excuse," he spat. "You'll say anything to save yourselves now."
Tears pricked my eyes as I stepped forward. My voice shook, but I forced it to stay steady. "Alpha Phillip, please. My parents wouldn't do this. They love this pack. They love you and Luna Vivienne. Please believe them."
His gaze softened slightly as he looked at me, but his grief and anger quickly overshadowed the moment. "Kira," he said softly, "I understand this is difficult for you. But the evidence is undeniable. Your parents betrayed us."
"No, they didn't!" I shouted, my desperation bubbling over. "Someone is framing them! You have to see that!"
"Enough!" Alpha Phillip's voice cracked like a whip, silencing the room. "I have given my judgment. Beta Morris and his mate will pay for their treason with their lives."
The warriors began dragging my parents toward the center of the hall, where the executioner waited, his axe gleaming.
"No!" I screamed, rushing forward, but a guard stepped in front of me, blocking my path. "Please, don't do this! They're innocent!" I cried out.
My father's voice boomed over the commotion. "Kira, listen to me!" His eyes locked onto mine, filled with love and desperation. "No matter what happens, remember who you are. You're strong. You're brave. You will find the truth and prove us innocent."
My mother's tear-streaked face turned to me as well. "We love you, Kira. Never forget that."
"Execute them. Their heads will be buried along with my Luna," Alpha Phillip ordered, his voice cold and commanding.
My father growled. "We deserve a trial! This is unjust!" he yelled, but his words fell on deaf ears.
The warriors continued dragging my parents toward the executioner's block. My legs felt like they were glued to the ground, my voice caught in my throat as I watched the people I loved most being led to their deaths. This couldn't be happening.
My mother's desperate shout broke through the chaos, sharp and filled with anguish. "Kira! Don't look! Turn away, my love!"
Her voice cracked, but it wasn't enough to break my paralysis. My feet were frozen, and my breath was shallow, as if my lungs were being squeezed. Tears streamed down my face as I darted my gaze around, looking for some way to stop this—some way to wake up.
The crowd seemed blurred, their faces blending into a sea of grief and rage. But then my eyes locked onto them—the triplets. Alpha Phillip's sons.
They stood on the opposite side of the room, their faces pale and their red-rimmed eyes swimming with unshed tears. They were mourning their mother, their gazes dark and heavy. But when their eyes met mine, something shifted. Instantly, their sorrow turned into something terrifying, something colder. Anger. Hatred. A promise I could feel in the marrow of my bones.
The unspoken words in their piercing gazes were loud and clear: You will pay for this.
I wanted to scream, to tell them this wasn't true, but no sound escaped my lips. A heavy thud brought me back to the painful reality, and I turned my gaze just in time to see my father being forced to his knees. His head was placed on the block, and the executioner raised his axe high into the air.
"No!" I screamed, my voice breaking, but the sound was swallowed by the sobs of the crowd.
My mother's voice rang out again, desperate and pleading. "Kira, look away! Don't watch!"
I tried to obey—I really did. I wrenched my head to the side, but something made me pause. My gaze was drawn back to the triplets. They hadn't moved, their eyes boring into me with an intensity that made my stomach churn.
And then it happened.
With a sickening sound, the axe came down. My father's head rolled to the ground, and the crowd gasped.
"No!" I choked out, my knees buckling. My vision swam as the executioner turned to my mother.
She didn't resist. She stood tall and proud, her chin high despite the tears streaming down her face. As they forced her to kneel, she turned her head to find me one last time.
"I love you, Kira," she mouthed.
The axe was raised again. This time, I squeezed my eyes shut, unable to watch. But the sound of the blade cutting through flesh was loud, and I knew it would haunt me forever.
I felt the world spin, my legs giving out as darkness rushed in. The last thing I saw before I lost consciousness was the triplets, their eyes still locked on me. The hate in their gaze was seared into my soul, a promise that this was only the beginning of my nightmare. And in that moment, I understood. I hadn't only lost my parents. I had just gained three enemies.