Chapter 1

**Chapter 1****Aria’s POV**They often say that freedom has a distinct flavor.For me, it tasted like blood mingled with ash, a bitter reminder of everything I had endured.The heavy iron gates of the werewolf prison screeched open, and I stumbled out into the cold world, my ragged clothing clinging to my skin like a second layer of sorrow. In my arms, I cradled my little pup, Lana, the only thing that held any significance for me in this unforgiving reality.The chill of the air struck me like claws raking across my back, right over the half-healed lash marks that marred my skin. My wolf whimpered from somewhere deep within me, weak and battered, a shadow of the fierce creature she once was. She had been my strength, my ally in moments of darkness. Now, she felt as broken as I did.I pulled Lana closer against my chest, trying to shield her from the biting wind that howled around us like a mourning pack, a chorus of sorrow echoing through the empty streets. In a world that had turned so cruel, she was my only source of warmth, my fragile beacon of hope.