ELIANA
My throat felt dry under my mother’s look. The silence between us was louder.
"Tell me… You have your white wolf right?"
Inside my chest, my wolf let out an anxious whine. She wasn't fully awake yet. I had to find a way to awaken her.
"Y-Yes Mother, " I lied, the words tasting bitter on my tongue. "My white wolf is fine.”
A breath slipped free of her lips. “That's good.”
My wolf snarled within me, fierce and restless, clawing at the edges of my mind. She hated that I was concealing her brown mutt identity. I forced her back with a soft breath, keeping my face calm and plain.
Mother's face lit up with a soft smile. "The Caster bloodline never fails." She tenderly squeezed my hands. "Before you go to the Claws Academy, your father and I will host a welcome-back party. We'll invite all nine packs. It's time to show the world that the true princess of Somerland is back."
"Mother please wait," I said, holding her gaze. "We should wait."
"What do you mean, darling?"
"If I go to the academy as the Lycan Princess, everyone will say I earned my stars because of Father's title. I want to earn the Golden Star with my own merits. Let me enter the academy as a normal wolf. Once I have the Golden Star, I'll reveal my true identity."
Mother looked at me for a long second. Slowly, the calm expression on her face turned into admiration. "You truly are Benjamin's daughter," she whispered, her voice smooth. "Your identity will remain secret until you graduate. I will talk to your father."
“Only after your graduation will we host the grand welcome party.”
“Thank you, Mother.”
For two days, the royal family pampered me like a Goddess. Mother spoiled me endlessly, filling my room with luxurious silk gowns, sparkling diamond jewelry, and the most exquisite perfumes.
Then the day finally came… the day I would officially sever my ties with the RedFang Pack.
"Take the guards with you, Eliana," Mother insisted as I stood by the grand entrance of the fortress, dressed in a sleek black dress as if I was going to a funeral.
"No, Mother," I replied, offering a tight smile. "If I show up with the royal guards, it will raise many questions about my identity."
“Okay, take care.”
I quickly booked a cab and arrived at the Wolves Council, a building made of white stones. When I pushed the doors open, the tension in the room was palpable.
The Aylestone family was already waiting by the long table. Marcus sat with his shoulders rigid while Jasmine held Chloe's hand whispering reassurances. Jaxon King was standing next to them, smug and arrogant.
The moment Jaxon saw me walk in alone, a smirk spread across his face. He stepped forward crossing his arms. "Well, look who finally crawled out of the dark. Tell me Eliana… How did the royal guards treat you in the dungeons?"
I strode toward the table, my heels striking sharply against the marble floor. Stopping just inches from Jaxon, I let my gaze travel over him slowly, dripping with disdain. "Even the Alpha King cannot keep someone in a dungeon without proof, Jaxon. Unlike you, he understands how the law works."
Chloe gasped, stepping forward, her face pale with panic. "What? Did... Did the Alpha King release you?"
I turned my gaze to her, my lips curling into a smile. "He never captured me in the first place, Chloe. But why are you so upset?”
She dropped her gaze to the floor, taking a step back. “I-I am not upset. I was just curious.”
The room fell silent. Marcus's jaw tightened. He had expected me to arrive in iron chains, broken, and begging for mercy.
"Enough of this nonsense!" Marcus growled, slamming his hand on the table. He turned to the Elder. "Elder Raffael, please start the ritual. We want to remove this imposter’s name from the RedFang Pack register immediately."
The Elder nodded, pulling out a parchment, the sacred registry of the RedFang Pack. He lit a silver bowl filling the room with the scent of burning sage.
"Eliana," Elder Raffael spoke, his voice echoing through the huge walls. "Step forward. Offer a drop of your blood to sever the tie."
I didn't hesitate. I walked over to the glass bowl, took the small dagger and sliced the tip of my thumb. A single drop of blood fell into the flames. Instantly, a sharp tug snapped in my chest as my name dissolved from the parchment.
"Now, the true blood,” he commanded.
Chloe stepped forward, her eyes gleaming with malice as she dropped her blood onto the parchment, giving me a look of victory.
Chloe's name glowed in bright ink.
The moment it was finalized, Jasmine broke into tears and threw her arms around Chloe. “My beautiful daughter,” she sobbed. “You’re finally home.” Marcus joined the embrace, wrapping his arms around them as though I didn’t even exist.
Jaxon watched the scene unfold before shifting his gaze to me. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a thick bundle of cash and dropped it into my hand. “Take it,” he said coldly. “We were once engaged. I’d hate to see you starving on the streets… or turning into some wild rogue.”
I glanced down at the money, a bitter laugh rising in my throat. Without saying a word, I flicked my wrist and hurled the cash straight at his face. The bills exploded into the air, scattering across the room like falling leaves.
"What the hell, Eliana!" Jaxon snarled.
"Jaxon, I would rather starve to death than touch your money.”
“Let it be, Jaxon. She's just ungrateful,” Marcus said, drawing my attention.
I turned my sharp gaze to Marcus. "Don't get too comfortable celebrating, Alpha Marcus. The case regarding Chloe's attempted murder will be handled this week. Trust me... I will make sure the real culprit is caught and exposed."
His shoulders tensed up while Chloe's face was drained of color. A case in the Wolves' court meant exposing every lie. Even the fact that she was Marcus's illegitimate daughter.
Before they could say another word, I turned around, my dress swirling around me, as I walked out of the council hall.
The adrenaline that had carried me through the meeting began to fade as I walked into the parking lot. The dim lights flickered, dancing against the white walls.
I walked toward the exit, intending to find a cab, when a sudden scent hit my nose. The sharp stench of rogues.
The trauma of my past life, the torture from the rogues, triggered my memories. I ducked behind a pillar. Yards away, three big muscular rogues with aggressive auras were walking through the parking lot. They were checking under cars, their eyes shining in the dark.
"Where did she go?" One of them growled. His voice was low and rough. "Madam Chloe said she left the council hall a minute ago. Find her. We need to finish her tonight."
“Chloe sent rogues to kill me?” She was more vicious than I thought.
My chest tightened with panic. I couldn’t take on three rogues alone, not with a weak brown mutt wolf. Inhaling a breath, I removed my heels and slowly started taking steps back.
As I moved past a row of cars, my back touched a black Rolls-Royce. Suddenly, the back door of the Rolls-Royce opened, and before I could even breathe, a hand came out of the interior and grabbed my wrist, pulling me forward with massive strength.
I stumbled into the backseat, and the door slammed shut behind me with a thud. In the next second, I realized I was seated on a muscular lap. The car was drenched in darkness, foggy with an intoxicating scent.
The car's cabin was too dark to see anything.
“Who are you!?” I put my hands on a broad chest, attempting to break free. "Let me go…"
"Shh..." A deep voice whispered.
My eyes adjusted to the darkness, and I saw a pair of striking blue eyes. They were burning with a wild fire that threatened to consume me.
His skin was burning.
The man leaned in, his breath brushing my lips. "I'm... Drugged," he muttered softly. "Help me."
“What? Drugged?”
Before I could think or shove him away, his hand curled around the back of my neck, firm and possessive, dragging me closer until our breaths tangled. His lips crashed against mine, hot and demanding, stealing the air from my lungs as heat exploded through my body.
The moment our lips touched, my wolf let out a possessive roar.
“Mate,” she whispered in my mind.
