The night before my final vows was supposed to be peaceful.
Sister Maria had told me that many women felt nervous before dedicating their lives to God. She said it was natural to fear change. Natural to question the path you were about to choose.
But the fear crawling through my chest that night didn't feel natural.
It felt like a warning.
The monastery was silent except for the whisper of the wind brushing against the tall stone walls. Candles flickered along the narrow corridor outside my room, casting trembling shadows across the ancient floor.
I sat on the edge of my bed, my fingers tightening around the small silver cross hanging from my neck.
Tomorrow morning, I would become a bride of the church.
A life of devotion.
A life of obedience.
A life away from the sins of the outside world.
At least, that was what I had been taught.
But something inside me refused to settle.
It had started earlier that evening during prayer.
A strange feeling.
A pull.
Like invisible threads were tugging me toward something I couldn't see.
Something outside the monastery walls.
I shook the thought away and stood up.
"Just nerves," I whispered to myself.
The cold stone floor sent a chill through my bare feet as I crossed the room and pushed open the wooden window. Moonlight spilled into the small space, silver and soft.
The forest beyond the monastery stretched endlessly into darkness.
Ancient trees.
Black shadows.
And the full moon hanging high above them.
It looked… different tonight.
Larger.
Brighter.
Almost red.
I frowned.
That was when I heard it.
A sound drifting through the forest.
Low.
Deep.
Haunting.
A howl.
My breath caught in my throat.
Another howl followed.
Then another.
Soon the night filled with them.
Dozens.
Maybe hundreds.
My heart began to pound.
"Wolves…" I whispered.
But something about those howls didn't sound normal.
They sounded… angry.
Hungry.
The monastery bells suddenly began to ring.
Loud.
Urgent.
My stomach twisted.
The bells were only used in emergencies.
Footsteps echoed in the hallway outside my door. Sisters hurried past, their voices hushed but frantic.
"What's happening?" I asked as I stepped into the corridor.
Sister Maria rushed toward me, her face pale.
"Lucia, go back to your room."
"But—"
"Now."
Her voice shook in a way I had never heard before.
Fear crept into my chest.
"What's wrong?"
She grabbed my shoulders.
"The gates have been breached."
My blood ran cold.
"By what?"
Before she could answer, a terrible crash echoed through the monastery.
The ground trembled beneath our feet.
Then came the screams.
Not one.
Many.
Men shouting.
Wood splintering.
Glass shattering.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
"What is that?" I whispered.
Sister Maria looked toward the chapel doors at the end of the hall.
Her lips trembled.
"They're here."
A roar suddenly exploded from outside.
Not human.
Not animal.
Something in between.
The sisters around us began praying desperately.
I stood frozen as heavy footsteps approached the entrance of the monastery.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Like whoever—or whatever—was coming knew no one here could stop them.
The massive wooden doors at the end of the hall burst open.
Moonlight flooded inside.
And through the broken entrance stepped a tall figure.
He was enormous.
Broad shoulders.
Dark clothing.
Long black coat brushing the floor.
His presence filled the entire hall like a storm.
Behind him stood several men, equally dangerous, their eyes glowing faintly in the dark.
But it was the man in front who stole all the air from the room.
His gaze slowly swept across the terrified sisters.
Cold.
Predatory.
Golden.
Not human.
My pulse stopped.
His eyes suddenly locked onto mine.
The moment it happened, something strange exploded inside my chest.
A sharp pull.
Like an invisible chain snapping tight.
The man inhaled deeply.
His expression changed instantly.
Shock.
Then something darker.
Possession.
He took one slow step toward me.
Sister Maria moved in front of me.
"You cannot take her," she said firmly.
The man didn't even look at her.
His golden eyes remained fixed on me.
Then he spoke.
His voice was low.
Dangerous.
Ancient.
"I'm not asking."
Sister Maria grabbed my hand.
"Run, Lucia."
But before I could move, the man crossed the hall faster than my eyes could follow.
One second he was ten steps away.
The next…
He was standing directly in front of me.
My breath caught.
Up close, he was even more terrifying.
Tall.
Powerful.
His presence made the air feel heavy.
His gaze moved slowly over my face like he was studying something precious.
Or claiming it.
"You…" he murmured.
I tried to step back.
My legs refused to move.
"What do you want?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
His lips curved slightly.
Not a smile.
Something darker.
Then he said the words that shattered my world.
"You."
My heart pounded.
"Why?"
His golden eyes burned into mine.
"Because," he said quietly, "you belong to me."
The room erupted in chaos around us.
Sisters screamed.
Men shifted into monstrous forms.
Bones cracking.
Wolves emerging from human skin.
My mind spun in horror.
But the man in front of me never looked away.
Then he leaned closer.
And whispered something that made my blood run cold.
"My wolf found you."
My breath trembled.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
He smiled again.
Slow.
Dangerous.
"You will."
Before I could react, he lifted me effortlessly into his arms.
I struggled.
"Put me down!"
But his grip tightened.
Unbreakable.
He turned toward the shattered doors of the monastery.
Moonlight bathed the hall in silver.
And just before we stepped outside, he looked down at me and spoke one final sentence.
The words that would destroy everything I thought I knew.
"Welcome to the werewolf world, Lucia."
My heart nearly stopped.
Then he added softly—
"And to your fate."