Page 1 of Fated to the Rogue

Prologue

When one’s ambition

becomes larger than reason

darkness overshadows light

To restore nature’s balance

the moon must welcome the sun

and two wolves shall fight as one

In a battle that will last

from dusk ‘til dawn

the fate of the world will be drawn

She stood on the balcony of her castle in the sky, from where she could see all. Her feminine figure was delicate and ethereal, yet her strong aura revealed her godly power. With immaculate skin that glistened like silver and white eyes bright as moonlight, her beauty was glorious.

The Goddess of the Moon had many names, as she was worshiped by a variety of cultures and races. The one she preferred, however, was her mortal name, Diana.

She was known for her serenity and poise, but tonight, worry stained her features. It was great enough to force her to descend from her kingdom and roam the earth. She had to witness the scene from closer, for she could not believe the high treason of one of her thousands of children, whom she loved beyond limits.

“I am back to claim what should have been mine from the start, brother.” The huge beast, dark as a moonless sky, had a sinister grin on his face. Even in animal form, he could speak human words.

“Brother?” The man standing in the clearing, a good thirty feet away from the demonic creature, wore a look of utter disbelief. Somehow, he showed no fear. “What have you done?”

“I sought the help of those who answer to no god and reject the one who has forsaken me,” the wolf clarified, his tongue sticking out as he circled the human like a shark.

“Demons,” his brother muttered under his breath. “You sold your soul…” he concluded, his bewilderment turning into disgust. “Why? Why couldn’t you accept the fate she traced for you?”

“Because why should she get to determine who I will or will not be?!” The monster’s growl echoed through the forest, shaking trees. “I want to write my own future, and I conquered the power to do so. My story begins now, with the end of yours!”

In a single jump, the soulless creature reached his brother. He was stronger than common wolf shifters, faster. One blow was all he needed to take away the man’s life. Howls cut through the night as the leader’s death was felt. The pack was now lost without the guidance of an Alpha, but not for long, as the demon wolf marched towards their territory to take what he thought belonged to him.

As he left, Diana approached the lifeless corpse, crouching beside it. She had observed the whole scene close by, yet her presence was never noticed. With a heartfelt sigh, she hovered her hand over the dead Alpha’s forehead, absorbing his essence to guide the two souls who once shared the body towards the Kingdom of the Moon, where she would watch over them for all eternity.

“Two of my children were taken by darkness tonight, but justice will be served,” Diana whispered. Rising back to her feet, she knew what she had to do next. “The balance between good and evil is broken. The scales must be evened.”

With just one step, the Goddess entered a room in a house located in a pack seven miles away from where she had been an instant earlier. Not only had she teleported through space, but also through time; in the mortal realm, a year had passed after the brutal event.

Diana turned her head to the left. As her hand rested on the wood crib, her gaze landed on a little baby girl - or better yet, a female pup. Looking to the right, her attention fell on a male pup sleeping in a different crib, in a different room, in a different land. Because she was omnipresent, she could stand in both places simultaneously, with half of her spiritual body in each of the locations.

The Goddess stared at one pup, then the other - the Chosen Ones. Both one-year-olds were dreaming peacefully, unaware of what destiny had in store for them. As she lifted her fingers up in the air, gathering her power, she felt a pinch of guilt for what she would put them through. It lasted less than a second though; she knew it had to be done.

Raising her head to the sky, Diana called upon the moon. In the blink of an eye, the two shifter pups were surrounded by an intense light. The next moment, the dormant wolf spirits left their respective humans’ bodies, traveling through space like she had done just minutes ago. They would remain asleep for the following seventeen years, until it was time for the final battle.

The day the future of the world would be determined.

“Prepare, my children.” She planted a light kiss on each of their foreheads. “Only you can stop him.”

With those final words, the Goddess turned her back to the infants. She would return to her castle in the moon realm,where she was to wait patiently for her prophecy to be fulfilled - hopefully, before it was too late.

1 | Leader

The thrill of the hunt sent adrenaline pumping through my veins. I could hear the paws of the dozen wolves thundering as they hit the ground. They were running in formation right behind me, but I wasn’t dedicating my attention to them. A low warning growl echoed through the trees, and I immediately knew it belonged to the second-in-command leading the group.

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