The first night away from home was the hardest. Not because I was afraid. No.... Not fear. But because I was alone. For the first time, there was no familiar scent surrounding me. No pack walls protecting me. No Beta Adrian waiting to lecture me about taking unnecessary risks. No Mira forcing me to eat more than a few bites because she believed I was too stubborn for my own good. I was alone. And I wasn't sure how I felt about that. The forest stretched endlessly around me as I walked beneath the moonlight, my bag resting on my shoulder and my sword strapped securely to my side. I had spent years preparing for this moment. Years learning how to fight. Years learning how to track. Years learning how to survive. Because I knew the moment I stepped outside my pack, nobody would see me as Iris. They would see my surname. Thorn. The daughter of the Alpha who supposedly murdered his mate. The story followed me everywhere. Some people whispered that my father had lost control. Some said he had always been dangerous. Some said I was lucky the Beta family had taken me in before I became just like him. I ignored them all. Because none of them knew my father. None of them saw the way he looked at my mother. They didn't see the way he would sit beside her after long days of leading the pack, forgetting about everything else just because she was there. They didn't see the way he held me when I was a child. A murderer could pretend for a while. But could someone pretend for an entire lifetime? That was the question I had been asking myself for years. And I intended to find the answer. -- By midday, I reached the border of the Silver Ridge Pack. It was one of the oldest packs in the northern territories. According to the information I had gathered, my father had visited them several times before my mother's death. If anyone knew what he was involved in, it would be them. The guards at the entrance immediately noticed me. "State your name." I looked at the two wolves blocking my path. "Iris Thorn." The reaction was immediate. Their expressions changed. Recognition flashed across their faces. One of them exchanged a glance with the other. "That Thorn?" I sighed. I was already tired of that question. "Yes. That Thorn." The older guard studied me carefully. "You're brave coming here." "I'm not here for a fight." "Most people who carry that name bring trouble with them." I stepped closer. "Then it's a good thing I'm not my father." The guard didn't respond. But he moved aside. The pack was smaller than mine, but it was peaceful. Families walked through the streets. Children played. Wolves trained in the open fields. It reminded me of home. Before everything changed. I was led to the Alpha's residence, where I waited for nearly twenty minutes before someone finally entered. An older man. His hair was streaked with silver, but his presence was still powerful. "Alpha Cedric," I greeted. He looked at me for a long moment. "I never expected to see Rowan Thorn's daughter standing in front of me." "I'm looking for information about him." His expression hardened. "Why?" "Because everyone believes he killed my mother." Silence filled the room. "And you don't?" "No." The Alpha studied me. "You are either very loyal to your father or very foolish." "Well..I'm Neither." My voice remained steady. "I just know the man everyone describes is not the man I knew." Alpha Cedric walked toward the window. "Your father was a complicated man." "That's not an answer." "No," he agreed. "It isn't." I waited. Finally, he spoke. "Your father came to me months before your mother's death." My heart tightened. "Why?" "He was afraid." That caught me off guard. "My father?" "Yes." "For what?" Alpha Cedric looked at me. "For something he discovered." I stepped forward. "What did he discover?" He hesitated. And that hesitation told me everything. He knew more than he was saying. "Alpha Cedric." "You should stop searching for answers you may not survive finding." My jaw tightened. "I didn't travel this far to be told to give up." His eyes softened slightly. "You have your mother's stubbornness." I froze. "You knew my mother?" "Yes." "Then tell me what happened." The older Alpha looked away. "I wish I could." Wish. Not I don't know. Not nothing happened. Wish. Before I could question him further, a loud crash came from outside. The room shifted instantly. The Alpha's expression changed. "Rogues." My hand moved toward my weapon. "Stay here." I almost laughed. "Do I look like someone who hides?" "No," he said calmly. "You look like someone who gets herself killed trying to prove she doesn't need help." I ignored him and followed anyway. Outside, the peaceful pack had changed. Wolves were moving into defensive positions. The scent of strangers filled the air. Rogues. And they weren't here by accident. They were looking for something. Or someone. One of them stepped forward. His eyes landed directly on me. The moment he saw my face, he smiled. "Well, well." My instincts immediately warned me. Danger. "Look what we found." I tightened my grip on my weapon. The rogue tilted his head. "Alpha Thorn's daughter." The way he said it made my stomach twist. Not like he had found a helpless girl. Like he had found something valuable. And for the first time since leaving home, I wondered if searching for the truth had made me the target of something much bigger than I understood. Because maybe my father's disappearance wasn't just a mystery. Maybe it was a warning.
