Chapter 1

Thunder rolled through the distant mountains like the growl of a wild beast.

I stood before the mirror, the white wedding dress shimmering pale in the dim candlelight. I traced the lace at my chest with trembling fingers.

"Tomorrow I'll be Mrs. Peterson," I whispered to my reflection. "At least Caden is a good man."

Yes, Caden was a good man. Gentle, reliable, bringing me tea when I was sick, sitting quietly beside me when I was sad. But...

But when he kissed me, my heart never raced.

"Ella, get some rest! Tomorrow's the big day!" Mom called from downstairs, her voice barely containing her excitement.

The big day. I smiled bitterly, a voice suddenly filled my mind, deep as the night wind: "Wait for me to come back and marry you."

Eight years. The man who made that promise to me under the full moon had long since become dust and bones.

"A dead man's vow," I mocked myself, beginning to unfasten the dress.

The thunder grew closer outside, and the wind began to howl.

CRASH!

Lightning illuminated the entire room, followed by deafening thunder. I flinched, nearly dropping the dress.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

This time it wasn't thunder—it was the door. Someone was pounding frantically.

"Who would come in this weather..." I clutched the dress tightly, my heart beginning to race.

Dad's voice came from downstairs: "Who is it?! At this hour..."

CRACK!

The sound of splintering wood echoed clearly, followed by Mom's scream.

My blood turned to ice.

Heavy footsteps thundered up the stairs, each step like a blow to my heart. I stared at the door handle, my sweaty palms dampening the dress.

The footsteps stopped outside my door.

Silence.

Then the door slowly creaked open.

A tall figure appeared in the doorway, rainwater dripping from his black hair onto the floor in small puddles. A flash of lightning silhouetted him in the doorway, casting his face in shadow, but those eyes...

Those eyes I could never forget. Ice-blue, wild, cold as a predator's.

"Fenrir?" My voice was barely a breath.

He walked slowly into the room, followed by three equally imposing men. Their eyes all gleamed with inhuman light.

"You're alive?" I stepped back, my voice trembling. "How can you possibly be alive?!"

Fenrir didn't answer. His gaze fell on the wedding dress in my hands, his expression instantly turning dangerous.

"So," his voice was as deep as a call from hell, "my bride is marrying someone else?"

"Your bride?" My shock instantly turned to rage. "You disappeared for eight years! Eight years! I thought you were dead!"

"I never died." Fenrir stepped toward me, each movement threatening. "And you—from the day your father saved me—you've been mine. You can never belong to anyone else."

"No!" I gripped the dress tighter. "I waited for you for eight years! Eight whole years! Do you know what I went through? Every full moon I waited for you to come back!"

Tears began to blur my vision, but anger made my voice sharper: "Now you want to destroy my happiness? I'm marrying Caden! Tomorrow!"

Fenrir stopped in front of me, something flickering in those Ice-blue eyes before the coldness returned.

He reached out and grabbed my white wedding dress.

"Don't!" I screamed.

RIP!

The expensive lace tore apart, falling like snow to the floor. Watching those fragments, I felt my heart shatter with them.

"Now there's no wedding," Fenrir said coldly.

I stared at the ruins of my dress, tears streaming down my face. "You bastard! You've ruined my life!"

"I came to take back what belongs to me." He grabbed my wrist, his grip painfully tight. "Come with me."

"I won't go with you!" I struggled desperately. "Let me go!"

Caden's voice came from downstairs: "Ella! Are you okay?"

Fenrir's expression darkened further. "Seems we need some persuasion."

He gestured to his men, and the three wolf warriors immediately headed downstairs.

"No!" I tried to rush toward the stairs, but Fenrir yanked me back.

Caden's roar and sounds of struggle came from below, followed by a dull thud, then Mom's sobbing.

My heart was breaking. "Let them go! Please!"

"Come with me," Fenrir dragged me toward the stairs, "or watch this town turn to ruins."

When I saw the scene in the living room, I nearly fainted. Caden lay on the floor, blood trickling from his mouth, struggling to get up. My parents were pinned to the sofa by two wolf warriors, trembling.

"Caden!" I tried to rush to him, but Fenrir held me fast.

"Ella..." Caden weakly reached out. "Don't go... they're not human..."

The third wolf warrior stepped on Caden's chest, making him groan in pain.

"Stop!" I screamed, tears flooding like a broken dam. "Don't hurt him!"

"Choose," Fenrir whispered in my ear, his voice like death's summons. "Come with me, or let me slaughter this entire town. You know I have that power."

I looked at Caden's agonized expression, at my parents' terrified eyes, my heart aching.

I knew Fenrir wasn't joking. Eight years ago, he had already shown the terrifying power of his wolf form. Now, the coldness in his eyes told me he had become a true beast.

I closed my eyes, feeling the whole world collapse.

"I..." my voice choked, "I'll go with you."

"Ella, don't!" Caden struggled to stand.

"But," I glared at Fenrir with all my strength, "I will never forgive you. Never."

Fenrir's mouth curved in a cold smile. "I don't need your forgiveness. I only need you."

He threw me over his shoulder, ignoring my punches and kicks.

"Put me down! Bastard!"

"We're leaving," Fenrir told his men.

As I was dragged from the house, I saw Caden trying to crawl toward the door, blood streaming from his forehead, his eyes filled with despair and guilt.

"Caden..." I reached out, but the distance grew ever greater.

A black SUV waited in the rain like a sleeping beast. Fenrir shoved me into the back seat and sat beside me.

"Drive," he commanded.

The car started, windshield wipers moving back and forth. I watched my home disappear through the window, feeling dead inside.

Twenty-six years of life, completely rewritten in one night.

"Going home," Fenrir whispered in my ear, his warm breath making me shiver.

I closed my eyes, not knowing if what awaited me was heaven or hell.

But I knew that from tonight, my fate was forever changed.

Thunder crashed overhead, as if playing a prelude to this abduction.

Eight years I'd waited for my savior to return—only to find myself claimed by my captor.

The car drove toward the dark mountains, carrying me—this broken bride—toward an unknown destiny.