Three Years Later

I stood across from two massive men and smiled.

Around us, a crowd had formed a wide circle in the center of the training grounds, their voices blending into the dry afternoon heat. Weeks without rain had turned the dirt beneath our feet into loose sand that shifted with every movement.

Perfect.

I could use that.

The two men facing me looked me over with obvious arrogance.

Paolo, the bald one with shoulders like a mountain cracked his neck before rolling his arms confidently.

“You sure about this, princess?” he mocked.

Marco snorted beside him.

“Just scream if it starts hurting.”

A few chuckles rose from the crowd, though most stayed silent. They knew better than to underestimate me.

Marco clearly didn’t.

His gaze dragged slowly over my fitted leather jacket and the dark bustier beneath it.

“I’ll be happy to help you out of that outfit afterward, sweetheart.”

I nearly rolled my eyes.

Goddess.

I sincerely hoped they fought better than they flirted.

At the edge of the ring, Alessandro folded his arms and gave a single nod.

Permission granted.

Finally.

I waited a moment, giving them the chance to attack first.

Neither moved.

Cowards.

Or idiots.

Maybe both.

Fine.

I lunged forward.

My boot slammed directly into Marco’s face while my fist drove hard into Paolo’s stomach almost simultaneously.

Marco staggered backward with a curse.

“Bitch!”

I blew him a mocking kiss.

Paolo recovered quickly, charging toward me with a roar that shook the training grounds. His heavy footsteps thundered against the dirt as he rushed me head-on.

Too aggressive.

Too predictable.

At the last second, I dropped low and swept my leg beneath him.

He crashed onto his back with a grunt.

Marco swung for my jaw the moment I turned.

Too slow.

I dodged easily.

Honestly, I almost pitied them.

Almost.

Paolo suddenly grabbed me from behind and slammed me into the ground hard enough to send sand exploding around us.

Now we’re getting somewhere.

I grinned despite the impact.

Marco rushed forward, trying to pin me while I was still down.

Pathetic mistake.

I grabbed a fistful of loose sand and threw it directly into his eyes.

He howled in pain.

Using the distraction, I twisted free and drove three brutal strikes into Paolo’s jaw, chest, and ribs in rapid succession.

He collapsed instantly.

Marco had barely cleared his vision before my fist smashed into his face hard enough to knock him unconscious.

Silence fell for exactly one second.

Then the crowd erupted.

Cheers.

Laughter.

Whistles.

I dusted sand from my pants before walking calmly toward Alessandro.

“That’s the best you’ve got?” I asked dryly, gesturing toward the two unconscious men sprawled in the dirt.

Alessandro sighed heavily.

“We’re losing fighters faster than we can train them.”

My amusement vanished immediately.

I glanced back at the fallen men.

“They’ll die out there.”

Alessandro’s jaw tightened.

“They know that.”

Something dark flickered across his expression.

“But they’d rather die fighting than kneel to Matteo.”

The words settled heavily inside my chest.

Three years.

Three brutal years.

And somehow, the war had only gotten worse.

Still… despite everything, I had never regretted joining the resistance.

Not once.

Alessandro had given me something no one else ever had before.

A choice.

A purpose.

A future that belonged to me.

I looked around the training grounds as warriors passed by, nodding respectfully in greeting. Some smiled. Others bowed their heads slightly.

Respect.

Real respect.

The feeling still startled me sometimes.

The resistance wasn’t made up of powerful Alphas or legendary warriors.

Most of us were wolfless.

Broken.

Rejected.

Forgotten by the world.

But we fought anyway.

Because someone had to.

Alpha Matteo’s army spread across the continent like a plague, destroying entire packs beneath the excuse of “unity.” Villages burned. Families vanished overnight. Wolves either submitted to him or died screaming.

And leading his armies was the monster whispered about in every territory.

Alpha Stefano.

The Black Beast.

Even after all this time, I still remembered the red eyes of the wolf from the lake.

Sometimes I wondered if he remembered me too.

Alessandro had tried recruiting other packs to the resistance.

Most refused.

Cowards clinging desperately to false peace while Matteo’s forces closed around them like a noose.

Others joined Matteo willingly.

Power attracted monsters.

And Matteo rewarded loyalty with blood.

I hated them for it.

Because innocent people would suffer for their weakness.

Livia still lived inside Black Blade territory with Niccolo and my father. I had begged them countless times to leave and come to Alitos.

But Livia refused to abandon her home.

She still believed things could change peacefully.

I knew better now.

War was already here.

It just hadn’t reached them yet.

“We need more fighters,” Alessandro muttered.

“We need stronger ones,” I corrected.

My elite squad had once consisted of fourteen members.

Now only eight remained.

Eight survivors with abilities unusual enough to give us an advantage against stronger wolves.

Enhanced reflexes.

Heightened senses.

Impossible speed.

As for me…

I possessed all three.

Which was precisely why Alessandro had placed me in charge.

“Alessandro! Gianna!”

A terrified voice cut through the training grounds.

I turned sharply as a small boy came running toward us.

Samuele.

My stomach dropped instantly.

His clothes were stained with blood.

Fresh blood.

I rushed forward and grabbed his shoulders.

“What happened?”

His entire body shook violently.

“We were attacked,” he choked out between ragged breaths.

The color drained from Alessandro’s face.

“When?”

“This morning…”

Samuele collapsed to his knees, sobbing.

“They killed my brother.”

Pain twisted sharply through my chest.

I immediately pulled him into my arms while his tiny body shook against mine.

Alessandro cursed under his breath.

“I thought we had more time.”

Cold dread spread through me.

Samuele came from the village near Cherry Mountain.

The village closest to us.

Closest to Black Blade territory.

“Enrico and Bruno were there last night,” Alessandro said grimly. “Helping reinforce defenses.”

My pulse quickened.

“We need to move. Now.”

---

The ride down the mountain felt endless.

Nero thundered beneath me as I pushed the massive black stallion harder across the rough terrain. Wind lashed against my face while dread coiled tighter inside my stomach with every passing mile.

Then I saw the smoke.

Dark.

Thick.

Endless.

“No…” The word barely escaped my lips.

Please no.

I urged Nero faster.

But the moment we reached the village outskirts…

I knew we were too late.

Everything burned.

Homes collapsed beneath roaring flames while black smoke swallowed the sky above us. The stench of blood and burning flesh hit me so hard I nearly gagged.

I jumped off Nero immediately, grabbing my bow and quiver.

Bodies covered the streets.

Men.

Women.

Children.

Everywhere I looked, there was death.

The dirt roads had turned red with blood.

I pressed a trembling hand over my mouth, fighting the nausea rising inside me.

Goddess…

My hearing sharpened instinctively as I searched desperately for signs of life.

Nothing.

No voices.

No fighting.

Only crackling fire and silence.

“Enrico!” I shouted.

No answer.

“Bruno!”

Still nothing.

Then I saw her.

A little girl who couldn’t have been older than five.

Her small body lay motionless in the dirt, her throat torn open so brutally I could see bone beneath the blood.

Something inside me broke.

Why kill children?

What kind of monsters slaughtered children?

My knees hit the ground beside her as tears blurred my vision.

Gently, I reached forward and closed her lifeless eyes.

A low growl suddenly rumbled through the smoke.

Every muscle in my body locked instantly.

I rose slowly, grabbing my bow in one smooth motion before nocking a wolfsbane arrow.

The growl came again.

Closer.

Deeper.

Predatory.

Smoke curled across the ruined street as something massive moved within the shadows.

Then I saw it.

A giant black paw stepped forward.

Then another.

My breath caught.

The enormous black wolf emerged from the smoke like death itself, crimson eyes glowing against soot-black fur.

Power rolled off him in suffocating waves.

Alpha.

Not just any Alpha.

Him.

The wolf from the lake.

The beast from my nightmares.

My fingers tightened around the bowstring as my heart slammed violently against my ribs.

And somehow… despite the terror flooding my body…

I recognized him instantly.

“It’s you,” I whispered.