They said she was born cursed—a wolf too wild, too broken, too dangerous to ever be loved. So they chained her like a beast, forced her to fight for scraps and survival, until even her name was forgotten. For two years, she was nothing but a weapon in a pit.
But fate doesn’t forget.
Because five years ago, the only boy who ever looked at her like she was more than a monster made a promise—to come back when he was strong enough to protect her.
Now he’s returned.
Not as a boy.
Not even as a man.
But as an Alpha with blood on his hands… and fire in his eyes.
And the girl he left behind?
She’s no longer waiting to be saved.
She’s ready to burn the world down.
Only one question remains: will they rise together—or destroy everything trying?
Chapter 1
The cold stung my skin like needles. I could barely breathe with the tight silver collar digging into my neck. Heavy chains clinked every time I moved, keeping me locked in place like some wild animal. My fur was patchy now, falling out from stress and fear, and the icy wind offered no mercy. I hadn’t eaten properly in days, and water—if you could even call that dirty mess water—was a rare reward for surviving another fight.
They never let us shift back to our human form. It was like we were nothing more than beasts to them. Worthless, dirty wolves chained outside like stray dogs. And maybe, to them, that’s all we were.
The snow under my paws crunched as I moved in tight circles, trying to keep my muscles from freezing. My shoulder still burned from a bite in the last fight. I’d won. Not that it meant anything. The prize? A sip of filthy water and maybe a rotting scrap of meat if they were feeling generous.
But I was one of their “favorites”—if being dragged into blood sports made you a favorite.
I’d been trapped in this hell for nearly two years. There was only one other wolf who’d been here almost as long as I had. I never saw her face, just heard the men’s laughter after her fights. Most others never lasted that long. They came, they bled, they died.
The only other wolf I could see now was a copper-colored female far off in the distance. She looked weak, her body trembling from cold and fear. I could already tell she wasn’t going to make it.
Suddenly, I heard the heavy footsteps crunching the snow. I lifted my head, ears alert. Butch. He was a large, rough man with no sympathy in his bones. He always escorted me to the fight grounds.
“You know the rules. Try to run, and I’ll kill you,” he growled, unlocking the chain from my collar.
He grabbed me by the scruff of my neck, making my raw skin sting in pain. I gritted my teeth but didn’t fight back. It was pointless. He dragged me through the trees until we reached the blood-stained field they called an arena.
The snow here wasn’t white anymore. It was dark red, soaked in dried blood from all the fights that came before.
Butch shoved me into the center of the circle. The men surrounded us, laughing and jeering. Some slapped me, others tugged on my ears or punched me in the side. They treated me like a joke.
I walked forward until I was in the middle. Across from me stood a large brown wolf, clearly once well-fed, now covered in blood and dirt. Her fur was clinging to her in patches, her body tired but still standing strong.
“All bets in!” one of the men yelled. “Old against old! Let’s see who breaks first!”
They were putting money down on who would die tonight. I stared at the brown wolf. She stared back. Neither of us wanted to fight. But we both knew the truth—only one of us would leave this field alive.
Then the whistle blew.
She lunged at me before I could even think. Her weight crushed me into the snow, her jaws snapping at my throat. I kicked up with my back legs, slashing at her belly. She yelped in pain, blood dripping down onto my fur. The men cheered.
Sick bastards.
I shoved her off and circled, growling low. My body ached, but I couldn’t show weakness. She came at me again, rearing on her back legs and swinging her claws. I ducked, bit into her paw, and made her howl. Her claws scraped down my ribs, slicing my side. I didn’t stop.
We rolled across the snow, biting, tearing, snarling. She left her throat open for one second—and I took it.
I sank my teeth into her neck and didn’t let go. Her blood flooded my mouth, warm and metallic. She struggled, but I pinned her down, crushing her beneath me. The cheering grew louder, but I blocked it out.
I didn’t want to kill her. I never wanted any of this.
But it was either her or me.
With one last twist, I snapped her neck. Her body went limp.
I let her fall, her blood soaking into the snow beneath us. The men laughed and cheered, yelling about their winnings. I didn’t care. I didn’t hear them.
All I could feel was the guilt.
I hadn’t just survived. I’d taken another life to do it.
But in this place, that’s the only way to stay alive.