Chapter 2

The cold night wind stung my skin.

I dragged my bruised and battered body along the dark highway, stumbling with every step.

My energy was completely spent.

I didn't know where to go. I had always believed North Wind was my home, and Caleb was my future.

I slipped into an abandoned gas station and curled up in a corner.

The air inside smelled of stale oil and dust, so damp it was suffocating.

Lying on the cold concrete, I watched the moonlight shine through the broken glass window. Every beam felt like a mockery.

I had been abandoned by my pack.

Tears fell silently, splashing onto the dusty floor.

I bit my lip hard, forcing myself not to make a sound.

Suddenly, a tall silhouette appeared at the doorway.

It was a strange werewolf.

I took a deep breath, forcing down the sob in my throat, and got into a defensive stance.

"My child..." the stranger's voice shook with emotion. "I finally found you."

I listened numbly. What stranger could possibly hurt me more than the nightmare I had just survived?

"I am your biological father," he continued, taking a step forward. "You were poisoned when you were a pup, and your wolf was sealed. You wandered off and were adopted by the North Wind Pack." He paused, his voice turning cold and dangerous. "But I never expected them to treat you like this. That boy, Caleb—I've checked. He has embezzled at least a third of the pack’s public funds over the years, spending it all on himself. You ran his pack for three years, and this is how he repays you?"

My mind went completely blank, as if I had been struck by lightning.

"What... what did you say?"

"I am your father. The Southern Pack is your real home."

The man's voice trembled with excitement.

"Yes. I am the Alpha of the Southern Pack. Come home with me. Our healer can break the seal on your wolf. No one will ever hurt you again."

*No one will ever hurt you again.*

Those words were like a spark that reignited the dead ashes of my soul.

I looked up. Behind him stood dozens of elite werewolf warriors in sleek black uniforms.

On their chests gleamed the silver crest of the Southern Pack.

Caleb, Clara. You rejected me because I couldn't shift.

You thought you were throwing me into the abyss. But you actually just handed me back my throne.

I woke up in the medical center of the Southern Pack.

Sunlight streamed through the blinds, filling the room with warmth and light.

The pack members brought me healing potions and nutrients.

Everything here felt like home.

After drinking the medicine, I walked over to the bathroom mirror. I stared at the pale, exhausted girl looking back at me.

Her face was written with years of submission and insecurity.

It was time to say goodbye to the weak, helpless Elena.

I spent the next few weeks undergoing intense treatment.

The healer ran a full checkup and confirmed the presence of the ancient poison.

As the treatment took effect, the sealed wolf inside me began to wake up.

When the elders felt the powerful aura radiating from my body, the doubt in their eyes instantly turned into sheer awe.

For the first time, I felt the true power of my bloodline.

After the treatment, I went through the Southern Pack's archives.

I saw the truth of my kidnapping—it was a conspiracy targeted at the Southern heir when I was just a pup.

Then, my wolf finally emerged.

She was a stunning silver-grey wolf with fierce amber eyes.

When I stepped out of the medical center, I got into the sleek black SUV the pack had prepared for me.

"I’m going back to North Wind," I told my father. "But this time, on my own terms."

The car drove through the beautifully maintained streets of the Southern territory. I followed my father to the heart of the pack. This was where I belonged.

We held a pack meeting, officially instating me as the heir of the Southern Pack.

Outside, the moon was high, and the territory echoed with the powerful hum of howling wolves.

A new era for Elena was about to begin.