The moon hung high above the forest, bright and watchful.
It should have been a peaceful night.
But Selena Nightbane couldn't shake the strange feeling crawling beneath her skin.
The Moonfang Pack village rested deep within the Blackwood Forest, protected by towering pine trees and ancient wards carved by generations of wolves.
No enemy had breached their territory for decades.
Yet tonight…
The wind carried a scent that did not belong.
Selena stood at the edge of the training field, her silver eyes scanning the dark forest beyond the wooden borders of the village.
"Selena!"
She turned as her friend Lila jogged toward her, brushing dirt from her training clothes.
"You're still out here?" Lila asked. "Everyone else already went inside."
Selena folded her arms.
"You don't smell that?"
Lila sniffed the air.
At first, she frowned.
Then her expression slowly changed.
"Blood," she whispered.
Selena nodded grimly.
"And something else."
Both girls looked toward the forest.
A moment of uneasy silence passed.
Then—
The warning horn sounded.
A deep, echoing howl rang across the entire village.
Selena's heart slammed against her ribs.
That horn meant only one thing.
Enemy attack.
"Vampires!" someone shouted from the village gate.
The peaceful night exploded into chaos.
Warriors rushed from their homes, shifting partially into their wolf forms as they grabbed weapons.
Selena sprinted toward the front gate with Lila beside her.
"What are vampires doing here?" Lila asked breathlessly.
"They haven't attacked in years!"
"I don't know," Selena said.
"But something tells me this isn't random."
When they reached the gate, dozens of Moonfang warriors had already gathered.
Selena's father, Alpha Marcus Nightbane, stood at the front.
Tall, broad-shouldered, and terrifying in battle armor.
His golden Alpha eyes glowed in the moonlight.
"Selena," he said sharply when he saw her. "You should be inside."
"I can fight," she replied stubbornly.
The Alpha studied her for a moment.
Then he sighed.
"Stay behind the warriors."
Selena didn't argue.
Because at that moment—
The forest exploded with movement.
Dark shapes burst from the shadows.
Vampires.
Dozens of them.
They moved faster than human eyes could follow, their crimson eyes glowing like embers in the darkness.
The first vampire leaped over the gate.
A Moonfang warrior tackled it midair.
Both crashed into the dirt.
Fangs flashed.
Claws tore through flesh.
The battle had begun.
Selena didn't hesitate.
She shifted.
Bones cracked as her body transformed into her massive silver wolf.
The world sharpened instantly—every scent, every sound, every heartbeat.
She lunged into the fight.
A vampire rushed toward her.
Selena slammed into it, sending both of them crashing into the ground.
The creature hissed, baring long white fangs.
"You wolves are weaker than I expected," it sneered.
Selena ripped its throat out.
Ash scattered across the battlefield.
But for every vampire they killed…
Two more appeared.
Selena's heart pounded as she fought through the chaos.
This wasn't a simple raid.
It was an organized assault.
"Hold the line!" Alpha Marcus roared.
Moonfang warriors formed a defensive circle around the village.
But the vampires kept coming.
Fast.
Silent.
Deadly.
Selena knocked another vampire aside and looked toward the forest.
And that's when she noticed something strange.
The vampires weren't leading the attack.
They were following orders.
Someone was controlling them.
A sudden chill ran down her spine.
Then the battlefield fell eerily quiet.
The attacking vampires suddenly stopped.
One by one…
They stepped back.
Forming a path through the burning battlefield.
Selena slowly returned to her human form, breathing hard as she watched the dark forest.
Heavy footsteps echoed from the shadows.
Someone was coming.
The air itself seemed to grow colder.
A tall figure stepped into the moonlight.
He wore black armor and a dark cloak that moved with the wind.
His pale face was calm.
His crimson eyes glowed with quiet power.
Every vampire immediately bowed their heads.
Selena's heart dropped.
She had heard stories about him.
Everyone had.
The ruthless heir of the vampire empire.
Prince Adrian Valerius.
The Vampire Prince.
His gaze slowly moved across the battlefield.
Then it landed on Selena.
For a brief moment…
His expression changed.
As if he recognized her.
Selena felt anger explode inside her chest.
So this was the monster who dared to invade their home.
She stepped forward, claws extending.
"You picked the wrong pack to attack," she said coldly.
The vampire prince watched her silently.
Then a faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Did I?"
Before Selena could move—
A sharp pain struck the back of her neck.
Her vision blurred instantly.
Poison.
Vampire poison.
Her body collapsed to the ground.
Through fading vision, Selena saw the vampire prince walking toward her.
The last thing she heard before darkness swallowed her was his quiet voice.
"Interesting…"