A L I N A

Let me pose a question for you, hm?

What do you get, when you mix the modern world with millennia of history, culture, power and... oh...

Werewolves...

Vicious, deadly and primordial, Werewolves.

Four-word answer.

The Kingdom of Lycania.

This is the ancestral land of all Werewolves and... Lycans.

However, it's not just any kingdom... it is an enigma. A land so powerful it is even now recognised by the human world. Lycans reign supreme, Lycans being a race of pure-blooded Werewolves with undiluted genes, as opposed to regular Werewolves whose blood has been diluted with Humans over the centuries. As a result, Lycans were seen as nobles, and royalty in all Lycania, while Werewolves were of a lower, yet respectable class. Lycan bloodlines trace back to the earliest ages, their power unmatched by anything this world had ever seen. Stronger, faster, and more resilient than the Werewolves who share our world. Unlike ordinary Werewolves, Lycans possess unique qualities, abilities, and longer lifespans, and can only live up to 300 years, while Werewolves can only reach 80 - 100...

I, am a Lycan.

There are 6 noble families of Lycania, 6 kingdoms that became united as one, after the Lycan Wars were fought hundreds of years ago. These are the Houses Draknys, Morvayne, Vorathiel, Avarnys, Rhaelyor, which is the ruling family of Lycania, and finally Xalveria...

My family.

My name? You might ask, is Alina... or, if you want my more official title...

Lady Alina of the House Xalveria, daughter to Lord Alinos and Lady Kaela Xalveria.

Quite the mouthful it is, but even still, my names carry power.

The Houses were once considered tribes or even races and nationalities of Lycania, but after the numbers diminished over the years, the tribes were now recognised as Houses. This meant that Lycans were only allowed to marry within their House to make sure the bloodline is undiluted by the other Houses. And before you question, this was not considered incest seeing as House Xalveria has had millions of people within the same bloodline.

House Xalveria is ancient and powerful. My house. We are the white wolves, the rarest of our kind, born with abilities that others would kill to possess. Members of the house Xalveria are known for our snow white and platinum hair, melanated skin tones ranging from dark to brown, and grey, blue or silver eyes. Our House is one of strength, though however powerful, does not come without cost. The world around us is dangerous. With the existence of Werewolves out in the open, Hunters—humans who've mastered the art of our destruction—now pose a threat to our survival. They prowl in the shadows as well as other supernatural factions—Vampires, Witches—all of them waiting for their moment to strike. Even under the most powerful house, the royal House of Rhaelyor, the kingdom remains a powder keg of ambition and bloodlust. Peace is a fleeting illusion in a world built on power, and there's no such thing as neutrality in Lycania.

In this world, you either conquer or you fall. And I was born to conquer...

That now brings me to the present...

I wake up in a panic, my body lurching forward as I take in a few panicked breaths to control myself. I bring my hand to my chest, feeling my heart thump harshly, too harshly for my breathing to keep up with, right before running my fingers through my pure white hair. The night feels off. The kind of off that clings to the air and settles in your bones before your mind catches up to the danger. I sit up in my large bed and look around my chambers, seeing that the only light coming into my room comes from the full moon, seen clear through the large windows of my chambers. A frown now forming on my face once faint scent of smoke brushing against my senses like a whispered warning...

And then I hear people screaming, loud and terrified... and that's when I realise...

Castle Xalveria is under attack. There is no question.

A knock sounds on my door, sharp and urgent, breaking my thoughts and immediately forcing through my feet as I rush forward, feeling the cold tiles tingle underneath me, my silver robe and night dress flowing along with my movements.

“Enter,” I order, keeping my fists clenched at my sides, being more than ready to face the person on the other side of the door. Soon the doors open, and two guards step through the door, their faces pale, their movements tense and panicked as they stand before me...

“My lady,” one begins, his voice low but trembling with urgency, right before they both bow before me. “The castle is under attack...”

Just as I had expected.

They only confirm my suspicions and it forces a deep exhale through my lips just as I step forward and look at them questionably. No matter what happens, I need to keep myself calm.

“By whom?” My voice is calm, though my wolf stirs, bristling beneath the surface, eager to be let out and deal with this threat.

They exchange uneasy glances. “We don’t know. They wear no colours, no banners. They’ve breached the outer gates,” the other guard lets out and I grit my teeth angrily, trying to keep myself together, but that is already proving impossible.

'Stay calm... no matter what...' I hear the voice of my voice. She, out of everyone, knows what might happen if I don't keep myself together...

My attention returns to the guards and what they've told me about the intruders. No banners. No colors. A deliberate choice. Whoever they are, they want us blind, fumbling in the dark.

I push past them into the corridor. “Secure the inner keep,” I order. “Find my parents. Protect the guests. No one is to be left unguarded...” I say.

The guards hesitate, their loyalty pulling them between their duty to the stronghold and their instinct to keep me safe. I don’t give them a choice.

“Go.” My tone is stern, letting them know that every second they waste, means life or death.

They bow and disappear into the shadows of the hallway, their footsteps fading into the chaos growing around me...