Prologue

The fresh morning air purifies the air in my lungs. I take a deep breath and sink into the woods that have belonged to my family for generations. The ground is loose, my paws sink into the ground and turn the earth. All the surrounding sounds reach my ears, the chirping of birds, the rustling of the wings of different insects, the lapping of the river that runs through the woods about a kilometer from my position.

I rush into the woods, jumping over the stumps of dead trees that were present in my path, avoiding at full speed the few stags and does making their rounds of the forest. A strange smell forces me to stop in my tracks. LAW. Its smell comes from the right.

Prudently, I then headed as discreetly as possible towards her in order to identify the individual who dared to enter our territory. The wind being in my direction, it cannot spot my presence.

As I approach, a black wolf blocks my way. His eyes are minnows, one emerald green and the other golden like amber. Hypnotized for a few seconds by that look, I pull myself together and put myself in a defensive position. He's on my turf, so I have to find out what he's doing there and get him out.

When he starts to approach me, I take a few steps back and growl at him, telling him that if he goes any further, I'll attack. He stops, then stares at me. His eyes light up, then he starts walking towards me. I growl again in warning, he takes a deep breath and heaves his body in an attempt to impress me. Too bad for him, my father is one of the most feared Alphas on the continent. I jump on him, mouth wide open and as my fangs are about to close on his throat, he pulls away quickly and grunts in turn. I then repeat my attack which does not miss this time. He lies down on the ground reluctantly, as a sign of submission. While a feeling of pride is felt, a voice heavy with reproaches resounds in my head.

"Emilie, let him go immediately!"

Doubt and incomprehension make me doubt, I then look at the black wolf curiously then slightly lessen the pressure of my teeth on his throat.

“Why would I? He's on our territory, without permission.

“He doesn't need it. He's an Alpha.

Surprised, I let go of him immediately as he gets up. An Alpha... I just assaulted an Alpha! When he looks at me again, fear and distrust creep viciously through me and my heart starts pounding. I must not be intimidated. I will be an Alpha myself in the years to come, so it is certainly not a young Alpha who will impress me!

- He may not need permission, but politeness requires that we warn before coming.

My father's laughter echoes in my head, then his presence leaves my mind. I regain my composure, sit down and look up at the Alpha, who looks at me curiously. My father joins us in wolf form a few minutes later, accompanied by my mother. The enormous gray and white wolf that is my father approaches the black wolf while a magnificent she-wolf with a sandy coat beckons me to join her. To my delight, I inherited my mother's sand-colored hair, with a few white spots from my father's. My mother takes me further while the two Alphas talk and shows me a bag of clothes. I transform into a human and ride on my mother's back, then the four of us return to the modest mansion that is our family home.