Chapter 1: When I lost everything

Maddie

I still remember when we didn't even know werewolves existed. They lived among us, in our schools, on our streets, next door, and we did not know what they really were. Ignorance is indeed happiness.

They were usually strong and attractive… perhaps we assumed it was a matter of genetics. Then everything exploded: reports of wolf battles began to arrive from other towns, and the truth came to light.

At first, everyone was afraid. Over time, though, the wolves earned human trust.

"Maybe they can help us!" some said.

"They are strong and will defend us!" others insisted.

"They are our friends and neighbors," some believed.

They were wrong. I saw them for what they were: monsters.

It did not take long for me to be proven right. In my small town, people began to disappear. The wolves who had lived beside us said it was the work of enemies and urged cooperation. Those who fought lost, and slowly, a few of us realized the true danger.

"Dad, don't go… please," I begged, clutching at him as he shouldered his rifle and a few provisions. I was a girl then, trembling as he walked away.

"A group of us will scout ahead," he said. "Maybe we can find help from other towns. Maybe we can drive the werewolves out for good." He kissed my mother and left my older brother Mark in charge.

"I will take care," he promised. "You're growing up fast. I trust you, Maddie. Don't go near the werewolves. Promise me. Promise me!" He pressed his watch into my palm; it was antique and beautiful. It became my most treasured possession.

Those were his last words to me, because my father never returned. I never forgot him, never stopped searching for him.

Clashes between packs grew more frequent; rumors circulated that they competed for our lands. When I was fifteen, our lives changed forever.

"You have to leave here. Now!" the wolves told us when they came to speak. They were no longer cordial; it was an order.

"We can't leave our homes! Our lives!" my mother cried, but all we heard in reply was growling. We had a small farm; it was our livelihood. Without it, what would we do?

"Live wherever you can… that's not our problem," the wolves said. They belonged to the Moonvalley Pack, I remember the name. That damn name.

"We must fight! Who's with me?" my brother asked, and, with his friend Kevin, they formed a small human resistance. Humans versus wolves... you can imagine the result.

I always liked Kevin; he was smart and attractive. I wanted to fight, so I joined them, even though they said I was too young.

"Please, don't put yourselves in danger…" my mother pleaded.

"Mom, if we lose the farm, we'll have to move, change schools, if there even is a school. We'll have nothing, and all because of them," I snapped. I had already lost my father; I could not lose more.

"Stay alert," my brother warned as we crept toward the wolves' camp. "Maybe we can strike before they strike us."

I wasn't certain I could kill anyone, but desperation lent me courage.

"At least there are no women and children," Kevin whispered, with a small, reassuring smile. His blond hair and gentle face always made me sigh. I thought maybe he felt something for me.

"There never are," I replied. I had never seen them among the wolves; to me, they had been only men. That was weird, but our situation was pretty weird.

"Do you have your weapon, Maddie?" my brother asked. He was tall and strong, dark hair smoothed back, dark eyes steady as stone.

"I'm not little… and yes." I showed him the knife I had made. It was crude and not very sturdy, but its blade had been treated with wolfsbane we had gathered in the woods.

It was the only protection we had, the only defense humans could muster against those beasts. We have to help ourselves in the way we can.

What I learned that night was brutal and simple: wolves are not only powerful and handsome; they possess uncanny instincts and senses. We knew too little about them, and they knew way more about us. You must understand your enemy to defeat him. That ignorance wasn´t bliss... was our fatal mistake.

In no time, they had us.

"Run!" Kevin shouted.

"Maddie!"

"Brother!" I cried.

"Run, Maddie!"

I fled through the trees, heart hammering, until hands shoved me and I tumbled to the forest floor. Breathless, I looked up, and my stomach dropped.

No. It couldn't be. Of all the faces… did it have to be them?

"Well, well, well… look what we have here. Is that the nerd? The school's loser?" one of them sneered from the gloom. He was blond with brown eyes, ridiculous in his attractiveness. Kurt, I knew his name. I knew all their stupid names. They were triplets, famous at school for their looks and for excelling in sports; they were the football team's golden boys. They had returned to their pack to claim what they called their territory.

For reasons I never understood, they had always hated me. They shoved me in the hallways, stole my lunch, and called me names. People loved to watch them humiliate me.

"Is it true? The school's loser… what are you doing here, little mouse? Have you come to attack us, stupid human?" another snapped, his green eyes bright with malice, Dominic.

They had confessed what they were, and with that confession came no mask: their contempt was plain. We were weak, poor, worthless in their eyes.

"Is your name Madeleine? Do you think you're French? Think you're better than everyone else? You're just an ugly, weak girl," the eldest, Logan, snarled. He was the most terrifying of them all.

They called themselves the Three Dragons: supposedly, the most formidable brothers among the wolves. Triplets, equally handsome and strong, and for me, terrifying. The worst of all wolves, even other wolves were scared of them. They closed in as I crawled backward. I thought my life was over; I had fallen into the hands of my worst enemies.

I expected death. Instead, I found the beginning.