“Daddy, please, listen to me, have mercy, you have to listen to me!"

I cried, my voice breaking with desperation. Tears blurred my vision as I gasped for air. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain, and before I knew it, I was lying on the cold floor.

For a moment, I struggled to focus my vision again and felt dizzy, everything was spinning around me, then, immense pain on my face, my head, my whole body was aching; my dad, my beloved father, had raised his hand against me, and with a movement of his arm, had thrown me to the other side of the room, after nearly choking me to death; to me? His only daughter, whom he proudly called the light of his life.

Everything happened so fast, I could barely process it. One moment, I was pleading with him; the next, I was on the floor, pain coursing through my body. And then, his words cut through the air, shattering my heart into a thousand pieces.

"Get out of here, ungrateful murderer! Take her away, I don't want to see her. If I see her again, I'll kill her! Take them all away, or I'll cut off your heads and feed the beasts with your hearts!"

"Run, Zana! Come on, run before the King changes his mind!" said Malina amidst sobs, just then I saw her approaching me from the other side of the fortress, at the same time my brothers protected us by silently surrounding us.

I can't believe they are the ones who must protect me from dad, and now because of that, they are doomed to the same fate. It's all my fault...

Zana's POV

I jolted awake, heart pounding. Just a nightmare, I reminded myself, the same one that haunts me every night for nearly five years. Every night, I relive that awful moment, and every night, it feels as fresh as the first time. I glanced at the clock. It's almost time...

Day after day, I continue with the same routine, “get up Zana, practice Zana, study Zana, kitchen Zana…” It's almost as if mom was still here; oh, I would give anything to hear her just one more time. I don't know why Lina insists so much on continuing to treat me like someone I no longer am, I'm no longer daddy's princess.

I leave my bed like every night before midnight and the only thing I have left is the hope that one day I can discover the truth.

“Enough Zana, concentrate!”

I say to myself to get me out of my thoughts. It's almost time.

Without wasting any more time, I take my ‘coyoles’ (anklets with bells), I hug them to my chest to silence the sound that emanates from them and without letting another second pass, I head towards the window of my room, taking care not to make any noise so as not wake up my nana, who is probably already sleeping in her room next to mine.

Under the cover of the night, I jump out the window towards the big tree, my best ally, my nightly accomplice. Moving cautiously to avoid alerting the guards or anyone else who might report to my father, I crept through the branches. I reached the garden wall and, after a quick scan to ensure the coast was clear, leapt over it in one swift motion. I ran silently towards my favorite place, my heart pounding with a mix of fear and determination. No matter what, I needed to do this, even if it was just one more time. “It's almost time, it won't be long now, I tell myself and continue walking through the shadows.”

Since she left, life has been very difficult, what used to be love, laughter and a united and happy family has now become insults, abuse, a look full of hate and a broken, divided family. It doesn't matter that I am the alpha's daughter; after all, he was the first to despise me, if only he had wanted to listen to me.

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I wipe away a tear that I didn't know had managed to escape, I quicken my pace, thank the goddess that all that training with my brothers keeps me in shape (not wanting to admit the fact that this is the same path I walk every night, I'm sure that even with my eyes closed, I could reach my destination). “Finally!”, after walking along the path of the road of the dead, I find myself at the foot of the pyramid, “just a few more steps!” I tell to myself encouraging, ignoring the hundreds of steps waiting for me to climb.

Xol's POV

The trip was longer than I imagined. It's been a couple of centuries since the last time I crossed a dimensional bridge. I hope that my Beta, Coy, has had enough time to make the necessary arrangements before my arrival.

I had forgotten the beauty of this place: the fresh aroma of the forest at nightfall, the stars adorning the black mantle of the night, and the beauty of the moonlight bathing the pyramid. It is good to be home; I think I will take advantage of the time to go for a run, take a bath, and rest. After all, tomorrow I have a long day full of royal duties.

“Coyotl, send Pili to my room to prepare the tub for when I get back. I'm going to stretch my legs.”

I tell my Beta through the mind link.

“Count on it, my LORD.”

He says stretching those words.

“I'll send Pili to have everything in order.”

Agh, I hate being called like that! Although I must admit that it was my fault for calling him by his full name.

In our culture, it is very common for royalty to name their offspring with the names of our ancestors, the gods of creation. We carry them with honor and pride and thus provide status. But in these modern times, and with only a few surviving clans, the names of yesteryear never go unnoticed, especially after a couple of centuries without stepping on this side of our reality.

I go out on the terrace, take off my clothes, and let them fall to the side. In the blink of an eye, my bones have rearranged, my body is covered with a thick layer of fur, and without thinking twice, I start to run. The moon shines above; it is a couple of days until the full moon, a couple of days until the celebration in the temple.

It took me only a couple of minutes to reach the base of the pyramid, and something made me stop in my tracks. From the top of the pyramid, the rhythmic sound of rattles escapes, and without realizing it, I begin to climb the steps, slowly, following the sound and reaching the esplanade. And there, in the dark, I saw her (one of the infinite benefits of being a Lycan, my senses are significantly heightened compared to mortals); a silhouette dancing in the dark, the waves of her long hair moving freely in the wind along with her movements.

Her body was partially covered by a thin dress of fine fabric, which in the moonlight revealed the pronounced curves of a voluptuous body. I wanted to get closer to see every detail of her, but I didn't want to exalt her; after all, I am in my true form.

I admired her for a couple of minutes in silence, as if hypnotized by the sound of the rattles tied to her ankles, while she danced with wild passion, as if she wanted to leave her soul with each movement.

She suddenly stopped, and I could clearly see the profile of her face: perfect eyes, big and luminous; a small nose; full, luscious lips; rosy cheeks like small apples from the intensity of the dance. There she was, with her eyes lifted to the sky, breathing deeply. But something was odd; was she crying?

Suddenly, I felt my blood begin to boil, my beast was enraged, it was as if it wanted to annihilate whatever it was that had hurt her, and without thinking, a low growl rumbled in my chest... too late to silence it.

She, startled, turned her body towards me; for a second, she seemed intrigued, but then her body tensed. I couldn't help but sniff the air that flowed against her, dragging towards me the most delightful fragrance I had ever smelled: a scent of gardenias and pineapple mixed with the aroma of the soil of the fields after a summer rain; sweet, fresh, mouthwatering. But I could also smell fresh blood; it was so intoxicating and overwhelming that I began to salivate.

Without giving me a chance to do anything, she started running away. I wanted to run after her, but she was probably scared to death, and in my human form, running naked after a woman wouldn't seem appropriate.

I walked to the place where she had been dancing with so much passion and noticed that, in the speed of her flight, she had left something behind: a "coyolli" with bells that adorned one of her legs and that had hypnotized me with its rattle. I took it and went back the way I had come, giving her time to leave without feeling persecuted. Who is she? And what was she doing here? Why was she crying?