People walked around the streets of New York completely unaware that the supernatural existed. Over hundreds of centuries, werewolves have wandered these lands without being discovered. They hide in plain sight as regular employees, lawyers, doctors, cops and even drug dealers. In this secret society of werewolves there's also a hierarchy, and no matter where one went on this planet, a hierarchy always called for trouble. The shifter world is ruled by the strongest alphas, and their packs have been following them since beginning of their creation.

However, for this system to run smoothly, all the alphas must follow a code which was created by their ancestors. And no one knew that better than the Centauri pack. They were the last original family that has the pure blood from the first werewolf ever created by Maya- the moon goddess. She is the deity all werewolves- evil or good worshipped. If someone ever wondered why a wolf howled towards a lonesome moon? It's because that beautiful beast knows that Maya would always listen to his prayers.

The Centauri family has been a strong threshold for all werewolves to follow as an example. Gabriel Centauri was the eldest son and the most ruthless alpha known today. He, alone raised his siblings to be honourable warriors and righteous protectors. Their territory was the safest and largest; women could walk alone at night and kids could freely play without having to look over their shoulder.

However, Gabriel Centauri wasn't alone on this throne. He had his fighters who enforced his rule greater than anyone ever had in this time. Even though they hid in the shadows, they were beside this great alpha since the very beginning. There were two in particular that the world did know about and they were the Drakov brothers. The Centauri name wouldn't be where they are now without these two fighters, but it wasn't a forced alliance. Many believed that the friendship Gabriel had with the Drakov twins was unlike any other they had seen before. No one had seen two people more willing to die for their alpha than River and Ryder Drakov.

The Drakov twins had no family, no relation to anyone since they were born except with each other. They learned at quite a young age that no one was on their side, they only had themselves to take care of and look out for. Orphans from the beginning, they didn't have any parents nor any pack to lose. They were lone wolves living in orphanages and shelters and they went to a rundown public school, that accepted kids like them.

However, that raised many questions and the world wondered how exactly these two boys met Gabriel; a pure-blood Centauri and win his trust.

Many who saw this bond with a scornful gaze only cursed at it and insulted them. Many would say that it was fear that drove the Drakov twins to follow Gabriel. Others said they were hiding their true intentions to take over once Gabriel turned a blind eye. No one thought that maybe, just maybe, the twins would die for their alpha because they had an unbreakable bond built on love and trust.

They pledged their loyalty to the Centauri pack at a young age and no matter what happened they had Gabriel's back. They would lay down their lives for him without hesitation and without a single ounce of regret. However, how dangerous were River and Ryder Drakov? Everyone conjured many ideas of what they would do to anyone who would try to hurt the people they loved. The ruthless reputation these two had was already built from a young age and it continued as they got older.

The Drakov twins were Gabriel's dangerous shadows who stayed in the dark to protect the light Gabriel used to guide his pack.

Manhattan's weather was at its worst. Snow covered every corner and the roads were a slippery mess. There were hazard signs blinking brightly at every turn warning people to slow down and expect delays. The citizens crossing the streets held their hoods over their heads and made sure to wear gloves and boots. Everyone was eager to be in their warm homes away from this horrid nightmare called winter.

Zoya Knightley left the company doors and instantly regretted exchanging the warm building for the icy-cold streets of Manhattan. She snuggled into her white coat that was lined with fur but she could still feel her nose go red from the bitter breeze. Leaving Greece, Santorini was one of the worst ideas she ever had just to come back to this city during this dreadful time.

Although, apart from the horrific weather, the streets were sparkling with golden lights that covered every tall tree. Christmas wasn't even here yet, but every store was ready for the holiday rush. Her stores were all ready for the holiday too because who didn't love getting married during the holidays.

A winter wedding was Zoya's dream too and after designing thousands of gowns and tuxedos for her clients, she was ready to make a special one for herself. However, her dream to get married was still just a dream. No man stayed in her life longer than two weeks, since that's how long her interest in them lasted. Apparently, it was hard for men to accept an independent, self-made billionaire to have an opinion about everything. Well, she didn't need them. A visa without a limit and a new pair of Manolo's were enough to keep a girl happy.

Zoya carefully crossed the road making her way towards the car, that was parked on the other side of the street near the river, which was fairly frozen. She could feel the sharp air drifting off from the river and towards her direction. She hurried over to her car and was reaching into her purse for her keys, which she should've done earlier because her fingers were about to fall off.

The street was quite loud with the classical carols playing through the speakers, but Zoya was a wolf. She was able to hear what humans would miss without a doubt. While she dug through her purse, there was a low whimpering sound coming from the car that was parked ahead of hers. She would've ignored it, but the distressed crying was the result of something being in pain. Zoya swallowed her discomfort of being cold and looked for the source of that crying.

A black mustang was parked ahead of hers and it had darkly tinted windows, which made it impossible to see inside. She went around the car and saw nothing, but the noise continued from the front of the car. She stepped off the ledge and her heeled foot was caught in some snow. Her skin tingled and the snow quickly turned to water slipping under her foot making her colder than she already was.

"Oh, Zoya, what are you getting yourself into?" she whispered to herself as her warm breath fogged in front of her eyes.

Zoya then heard the sound again and bent to the ground when she saw what was making the sound. A puppy with black fur sat in a cardboard box beside the large tire of the car.

"Oh god," she felt her heart squeeze. The puppy was shivering in the small box and had teary blue eyes looking up at her.

Zoya stretched down for the box but she couldn't reach it. She knew she had to get on her bare knees on the rocky pavement.

"What are you doing?" A deep voice startled her.

She hadn't let out a scream, but her knees gave up on her when she tried move back. She felt her tall heel slip on the snow and she was about to hit the hood of the Mustang. However, she hadn't hit the car and cost herself her own face. A pair of strong arms were holding her up and she had hit a hard chest instead. Her hands instinctively held onto the stranger's arms and she felt his muscles flex beneath his thick leather jacket.

She let out a breath of relief that she hadn't broken her nose or any other part of her body. However, she had another problem now. Instead of moving away from this stranger, she drew closer to this raw heat she felt ensnared in. Her body that was cold had melted to a slick flame that made her forget everything around her.

"I won't ask again," that voice again; it brought back the ice to her body. Zoya quickly moved back but the man grabbed her hand. "Be careful," he warned strictly.

Zoya forgot all about the busy street behind her, because now all her eyes saw was a man like she had never seen before. Icy blue eyes- that were intelligent and overwhelmingly dangerous. He stood to a powerful height in a rugged leather jacket, that definitely wouldn't keep anyone warm but this man seemed rather comfortable in it. His dark unruly hair was raked back and wasn't styled like other guys she knew. This man had thick black hair which was undoubtedly combed with his thick fingers. She couldn't help but admire how the leather clung to his shoulders, that weren't made from going to the gym. This man's physique was natural, his heavy bones alleviated him with a frightening figure.

There was a sharpness in his gaze that probably forced many people to drop their eyes from his, but not her. She faced him and drank in the sight of him. Maybe it was the cold air, but she couldn't breathe anymore.

"There was something under your car," she said swiftly trying not to get caught staring.

The man's frown deepened. "My car?" he spoke with a hint of confusion. Zoya pointed to the tire before she bent down and so did he.

The man's attention went to the bottom of the car and she tried so hard not to breathe his scent in. The notes of amber spice and masculine intensity made her heart race, she'd never smelt anything as fragrant as this. How was this man even real? she astounded.

"What the hell?" his voice intensified as he saw what was in the box. He pulled it out in one sweep and got to his feet.

Zoya did too and she saw the puppy shivering to death in the box. She unbuttoned her coat and slipped off the cashmere scarf from her neck and laid it over the animal hoping it'd warm him up. The dog's shivering lessened and she saw his blue eyes close in relief.

"Who would leave a puppy like that?" she didn't realize she said that out loud instead of thinking it because this stranger curtly answered her.

"Assholes," he grumbled.

Zoya couldn't help but agree. She looked down at the puppy and saw no collar or tag on him, so it must've been abandoned and not lost.

Suddenly, a phone went off and it wasn't hers.

The man in front of her answered his phone and his voice grew softer. "I'm waiting for you outside," he said.

That's Zoya's luck for her. The first decent guy she meets and he's already taken. Of course, time to get moving young lady, she thought to herself.

"I'll take the puppy," she alleged grabbing the box from him.

The man looked at the dog then her. "He'll need to be taken to a vet as soon as possible," he said.

"I know, that's where I'll head over to now," she told him as she passed him towards her car.

Zoya opened the door and got in putting the box on the passenger seat beside her. She shut the door and left the cold out there, even that man's enticing and hot scent. She turned on the car and blasted the heat as fast as she could. She was so glad that she got a car that had heated seats, her legs were thawing in the warmth. Her eyes hadn't left the puppy and his condition had gotten better right away. She then noticed the small paws and floppy ears; his tail was curled around him and his belly was pink.

She took out her cellphone and searched the closest vet, but before she could a knock interrupted her. She looked out her window and that man stood out there. She rolled her window down and he leaned down to her level, he leaned with his hands on the door and his eyes locked onto hers.

"There's a vet two blocks from here," he told her. "Take a right on Finch and it's the first building."

"Oh," she couldn't hide her surprise that he guessed she didn't know. "Thanks."

He then took a step back and let her close the window before he returned to his car. But he didn't get inside until she drove out of the lane onto the road with the other cars.

Zoya stopped at the red light before taking the right turn like she was told. She looked over at the sleeping puppy and smiled. "You're cute," she said. That man was more than just cute though, she thought to herself. Stop it, Zoya!

Thankfully, her annoying thoughts didn't bother her as she focused all her attention on driving. She reached the vet and parked right outside where there was no one else. She grabbed the box and got out of the car and headed inside of the quiet building. A young man sat at the desk reading a book and drinking coffee.

"Hi," she said. The man looked up and she saw his navy-blue scrubs and his name-tag which said Dr. Dylan Boone.

"Hello," he said as he got to his feet putting the book down after throwing a pen inside it to mark his page. "How can I help you?"

She brought the box up. "I wanted to get a check-up on-" she didn't know what the gender of the puppy was.

Dr. Boone's eyes widened as he lifted the scarf and saw the dog. "His name?"

"He doesn't have one," she said. "I found him under a car by the river." Dr. Boone shook his head in disappointment.

"Bring him back here," he said. "I'll take a look at him right away."

Zoya let Dr. Boone take the puppy and she took off her coat since it was nice and toasty in here. She sat down on the black chair in the office and another nurse entered the room to help Dr. Boone. She kept her eyes on the puppy laid out under the strong light as they took x-rays and checked his temperature. Dr. Boone and the nurse were going through a checklist and making sure nothing was wrong.

She didn't know how much time passed but she got through a cup of hot chocolate as she waited. Thankfully, she didn't have work tomorrow and it was a weekend, otherwise waking up at dawn would have been a mission.

The nurse walked out with her clipboard to Zoya. "Dr. Boone is done with the check-up," she said. "He would like to talk to you in his office."

"Okay, thank you," she said as she got to her feet and went inside the office where the puppy was asleep on a soft blanket.

"Alright," Dr. Boone was clicking away on his computer. "So, luckily he's not in bad condition. No diseases and there weren't any abnormalities. He's malnourished for a husky and small for his age, but with proper care he'll be back on his feet in no time."

Zoya let out a breath of relief as her eyes watched the puppy sleep calmly. "So, what happens now?" she asked.

"I will keep him here in the shelter until he finds a suitable home," Dr. Boone said.

Someone else would take him, that thought made her a bit sick to her stomach just like it had when she heard that man from earlier talk to his lover.

"No, I would like to take care of him," she said.

"That will be hard, Ms-"

"Knightley," she said.

"Ms. Knightley," Dr. Boone said. "A puppy needs all the support and care they can get. I can't just give him to you."

Zoya frowned at him. "While everyone else ignored his crying, I was the one who rescued him from being killed under a tire," she said. "I think we can figure something out so he can come home with me. If you need a background check, financial papers or anything else, I can have my lawyer contact you and I know a few governors who can attest to my integrity."

"Who are you?" Dr. Boone blurted out.

"Zoya Knightley," she said. "The CEO and Founder of White Knight." A loud gasp was heard from outside the office.

"Er- well," Dr. Boone pushed his spectacles higher up his nose. "I can prepare the paperwork for you to take him home."

Zoya nodded in improvement. "I will wait for him," she said.

Dr. Boone clicked on the screen and got to work. "Thought of a name?" he asked her.

Zoya remembered the place she found this puppy and couldn't think of anything, except how those blue eyes bewitched her. "River," she said as she put her hand over the puppy's belly and smiled at him.

It was well after an hour before Zoya was able to take River home. She was exhausted as she reached the front door of her house. She unlocked the door and took cover from the cold, she quickly throwed off her heels and put down all the bags hooked over her arm. At Dr. Boone's shop, she was able to get food and a bed and other supplies. Although, she would definitely get him better accessories than just a simple black coat and leash.

"You are part of the Knightley household now," she spoke to him. "So, our fashion and integrity are at the upmost quality. You'll need to find a tasteful style and keep a respectable manner."

She walked down the hall past the kitchen straight to the living-room. She put him down near the fireplace. She shrugged off her jacket throwing it on the couch before she ran to get all the bags from the door. She brought the new bed for him that was a round cushion and looked like a massive paw. She placed it on the floor and also arranged the water and food bowls beside it. Zoya approved of the layout and then waited for River to get comfortable, but that didn't happen.

"Come on," she patted the bed encouragingly, "this will be a lot more comfortable for you." His blue eyes viewed her perplexedly and then he put his head down.

Zoya reached into the box and grabbed him putting him onto the hardwood floor. He froze the moment she had and she sensed his immediate panic. A low cry came out of him and he went back to the box, his paw grabbed the edge but he couldn't jump inside. Instead, the box fell with a thud and he crept into it hiding in the dark from her.

Zoya laid down and saw his glowing eyes from inside the box. "I know you're scared, so I'll stay here with you until you can do it," she whispered.