Prologue

Hi everyone! 💙

This is my first ever story. I actually started writing it about six months ago, but I never finished it and ended up abandoning it for a while. Recently, I've been revising the chapters and giving the story a fresh start, so I hope you'll enjoy the journey with me!

The first part of the story is mostly a slice-of-life romance with plenty of cute moments. Then, somewhere along the way, everything descends into organized chaos.

A quick content note: this story isn't heavily explicit, though it does contain some suggestive and romantic scenes. Later chapters also explore horror themes and darker content, so I'd recommend it for readers around 15-16+.

Feel free to leave comments and let me know what age rating you think fits best once you've read more of the story!

Anyway, have fun, and thanks for giving my story a chance! :)

—

They called it the Devil's Triangle, a cursed stretch of sea where compasses spun wildly and ships vanished without a trace.

To humans, it was a mystery.

To the werewolves who lived beneath its fog, it was sanctuary.

For thousands of years, the pack had survived there: fishermen, sailors, and villagers bound to the tides. Hidden beneath shifting mist and restless waves, they built a world the surface was never meant to discover.

The storms that rolled through the Triangle were not accidents. Neither were the disappearances. They were warnings, illusions created by their ancestors, who had once fled from a world that hunted them.

The fog became their shield.

The sea became their law.

And the Triangle became their home.

But every home had rules.

Children were raised with salt in their veins and tradition carved into their bones. They were taught one truth above all else:

The ocean gives, but it also takes.

And those who dared betray it... never returned.

—

"Mick! Hurry up, or your father's gonna leave you!"

"Be there in a second, Mom!"

Micah burst out of his room, a hat far too big for his head and a small toy fishing rod clutched in his hand. His grin stretched wide as his tail flicked with excitement.

His mother, a blonde woman in her mid-thirties, smiled warmly as she watched him. "I can't believe you're eight already," she said, ruffling his hair. "It feels like just yesterday you were fresh from the crib. No matter how old you get, you'll always be my baby."

"Mom! I'm not a baby anymore! And I have to go!"

"Alright, alright. Have fun."

"Okay!"

Micah darted out into the warm summer air.

The breeze carried the strong taste of salt, sharp and familiar, yet almost comforting. He sprinted through the village at the edge of the shore, where houses were built from driftwood and salvaged ship timber. No two looked the same, as if each family had shaped their home from whatever the sea decided to give back.

The smell of drying fish filled the air, fresh and homey.

Old Ben was asleep in his rocking chair as usual, still pretending to watch the harbor. Next, Micah passed two men in their late twenties, known as the Knot Brothers, arguing over who could tie a knot better.

"Your knot is too loose. Try my way."

"Pfft. Please. I've been tying knots since before you knew how to transform."

"I think it's the other way around."

A breeze whipped through Micah's dark hair, drying the sticky salt on his skin.

"Micah, I thought you'd sleep until winter!" a fisherman walking by called.

Micah laughed and yelled back, "I would never on my birthday!"

He was practically vibrating with excitement as he passed an elder's house. He ran his hands over an old plank taken from the sacred oak tree. Before he could leave, an old woman reached out and pinched his cheeks.

"Happy birthday, little fish!"

"I'm not little anymore. I'm a big boy!" Micah puffed out his little chest, his tail swaying with pride.

She laughed, the corners of her eyes crinkling. "Your family should come over today, dear. My son caught a seven-foot-long sea viper!"

Micah's eyes widened with delight. "Really? That sounds so good!"

"A special treat for you!"

Micah bounced on his heels, pumping his fist into the air. "Okay, bye, Grandma Mae!"

Micah continued on his way toward his father. The sun shone brightly above as a group of children holding wooden swords passed by him.

"Micah! We're playing pirates later! Join us!" a red-haired werewolf called out.

"I'll be there soon!"

Micah quickened his pace, finally leaving the village and reaching the bustling docks filled with fishermen preparing for their trips. Each one touched the water before stepping into their boats.

He never knew why they did it. He never asked questions because it was tradition.

Ahead, his father stood beside a canoe, studying it like it had personally offended him.

Two fishermen stopped to tease him gently.

"Don't drop your father overboard today."

"I won't."

"Nah, the chief's too heavy for that."

The nearby fishermen burst into laughter, and even the chief joined in. Micah sprinted over to him.

"Hi, Dad!" Micah called, his voice bright with excitement.

"My boy!" His father's resonant voice carried across the shore.

Micah ran to him and was lifted high into the air with ease before being placed back down.

"Ready for your first fishing trip, boy?"

"Yes!"

Together, they pushed the canoe into the shallow water. It resisted at first, then slid forward with a reluctant scrape before floating properly.

"Today," his father said proudly as he climbed in, "you're getting a VIP lesson from yours truly."

Micah's eyes sparkled. "Okay... so like this?"

His father chuckled, his eyes full of pride. "You're already getting the hang of it. Making me proud already."

They fished in silence, broken only by the sound of waves and the occasional instruction.

Then—

"Dad! I think I caught something!"

Micah pulled hard on the line, his eyes wide with triumph. A small fish flopped onto the canoe floor.

"Amazing! But you need to—"

Before he could finish, it wriggled free and splashed back into the sea.

"Aww, man..."

His father let out a booming laugh. "Don't worry, son. First time. I was worse than you."

Micah leaned back, staring at the endless horizon. Then he spoke in a much quieter, more curious voice.

"Hey, Dad?"

"Yes, son?"

"What happens if we keep rowing... past the border?"

The air changed.

His father looked toward the distant fog line where sea and sky blurred together. When he spoke again, his voice was almost solemn, as if he were remembering something painful.

"Son... we never go past the border."

Micah frowned, tilting his head. "Why not?"

"Because humans are dangerous."

A pause.

"But what if—"

"Remember this," his father interrupted, his voice more serious now. "The ocean gives, but it also takes. Never forget that."

Then, just as quickly, the moment softened. He ruffled Micah's hair.

Micah blinked, then smiled.

"So... if I give the ocean a piece of candy, will it give me a gazillion more?"

His father let out a full laugh. "No. That's not what I meant..."

—

I never understood what he meant.

Not until that day.

My nineteenth birthday.