Ellie POV:
I woke up in a bed that felt less like a mattress and more like a cloud. The sheets were pure silk, cool and fluid against my skin. The room smelled of fresh lavender and that rich, woody scent that clung to my memories—Sandalwood.
David.
I sat up, panic seizing me for a moment as my heart hammered against my ribs. Where was I?
"Easy," a deep voice rumbled from the balcony door.
David stepped inside. In the stark daylight, he was even more imposing than I remembered. He had dark hair that fell carelessly over his forehead and eyes the color of polished obsidian. He held a tray of food with a surprising gentleness.
"You've been asleep for three days," he said, setting the tray down on the bedside table.
"Three days?" My voice was hoarse, barely a whisper. I looked down at my hands. The cuts from the Rogues were gone. Not just scabbed over—they had vanished completely, leaving skin as smooth as porcelain.
"My blood is potent," David explained, pulling a chair closer so our knees almost touched. "I am the Alpha of the Moonstone Pack."
My breath hitched. The Moonstone Pack was legendary. They were reclusive, powerful, and said to be the guardians of the old ways.
"Why did you save me?" I asked, pulling the sheets tighter around myself as a shield. "I'm just a rejected Omega. My own Alpha threw me away."
David's expression darkened, a storm brewing in his dark eyes. "Your Alpha was a fool. He looked at the surface and missed the treasure underneath."
He leaned forward, his gaze intense enough to burn. "Ellie, do you know what you are?"
I looked down, shame curling in my gut. "I'm weak. I'm small."
"No," David said firmly. "You are a White Wolf."
I stared at him, certain he was mocking me. "That's a myth. White Wolves are the direct descendants of the Moon Goddess. They don't exist anymore."
"They do," David said, his voice vibrating with absolute conviction. "And you are one. Your wolf was small because she was starving for power, suppressed by the abuse you suffered. But she is there. And she is magnificent."
Over the next few weeks, David didn't just heal my body; he reconstructed my mind.
He didn't treat me like a servant. He treated me like an equal. He taught me meditation, guiding me to connect with the moon rather than fear it.
"Breathe," David instructed one evening. We were in the garden, bathed in silvery moonlight. "Feel the light entering your skin. It belongs to you."
I closed my eyes. I reached for the moon, and for the first time, it didn't feel distant. It felt like a mother reaching back to hold her child.
Power surged through me. It wasn't the painful breaking of bones like before. It was a fluid, rushing river of pure energy.
I threw my head back and screamed, not in pain, but in euphoric release.
My body shifted.
When I opened my eyes, everything was sharper, brighter, vividly alive. I looked down at my paws. They were huge. And they were white—blindingly, purely white.
I wasn't a runt. I was massive, larger than most male wolves.
David stood before me. He didn't bow, but the look in his eyes was one of pure reverence.
"Beautiful," he whispered.
I let out a howl, a sound that resonated with the power of the earth itself, shaking the leaves on the trees.
From that night on, David trained me. He taught me to fight, to use my speed, to harness the healing energy that flowed through my veins.
We grew close. I found myself watching him, admiring the way his muscles moved under his shirt, the kindness in his smile.
One night, after a sparring session where I had actually managed to pin him down, we lay on the grass, panting heavily, our bodies slick with sweat.
David reached out and brushed a stray hair from my face. His fingers lingered on my cheek, his touch searing.
A spark—electric and undeniable—shot through me, grounding me to the earth and to him.
I froze. I knew what this was.
"David?" I whispered.
"I felt it the moment I picked you up in that alley," David confessed, his voice rough with emotion. "But you were broken. I couldn't force it on you."
"A Second Chance Mate," I breathed. The Moon Goddess hadn't abandoned me. She had saved the best for last.
My inner wolf, the great White Wolf, purred in agreement. *Him. He is worthy.*
I leaned into his touch, closing the distance. "I'm not broken anymore."
David's eyes flared with heat. He leaned in, his nose brushing against the sensitive spot where my neck met my shoulder.
"May I?" he asked, asking for permission to claim me.
"Yes," I said.
He didn't bite hard. He sank his teeth in gently, leaving a Mark that would bind our souls. It wasn't painful like Marcus's rejection. It was grounding. It felt like an anchor dropping into the sea, securing me against the storm.
The bond snapped into place. I could feel his emotions—his fierce protectiveness, his adoration, his unwavering loyalty—flooding into my own heart.
When he pulled back, he looked at me with a seriousness that chilled me.
"Ellie, as a White Wolf, your rejection of Marcus... it wasn't completed properly. He rejected you, but the bond lingers until you accept it or reject him back."
"I know," I said, the realization settling over me. "I can still feel a shadow of him sometimes."
"If we want to be truly free," David said, "we have to go back. You have to face him."
Fear spiked in my chest, but then I felt the hum of the White Wolf power in my veins. I looked at the Mark on my shoulder. I looked at David.
"I'm not the girl he threw away," I said, standing up tall.
"I'm ready."
"Good," David smiled, a dangerous, predatory smile. "Because the Moonstone Pack is going to pay the Obsidian Sand Pack a visit. And my Luna is going to make an entrance."
