Chapter 2 The Mystery in the Forest

Elena couldn't sleep that night. The golden eyes haunted her thoughts, their intensity etched into her mind. She sat by her bedroom window, staring into the darkness of the forest. What kind of wolf had she encountered? And why had it felt so... different?

Morning came too soon, and with it, the usual routine. Elena trudged to the training grounds, her body exhausted but her mind alert. The other wolves were already in full swing, their laughter and energy grating against her nerves.

"You look worse than usual," Darren taunted as she approached. His group of loyal followers chuckled on cue. Elena ignored him, focusing instead on the drills.

But her thoughts weren't on training. She couldn't stop thinking about the wolf. Its glowing eyes had seemed to see right through her, as though it knew her deepest fears and desires.

As the session ended, Mira, her former best friend, approached her. "You're distracted," Mira said, her tone sharp. "If you're going to be useless, at least don't slow us down."

Elena glared at her but said nothing. Mira had been her closest ally once, but since Elena's wolf failed to emerge, Mira had distanced herself, siding with the pack's majority who saw Elena as an outcast.

Later that evening, Elena found herself drawn back to the forest. The towering trees seemed to call her, their whispers urging her to uncover the truth. She moved cautiously, her senses heightened, until she reached the spot where she'd seen the wolf the night before.

"Are you here?" she whispered, feeling foolish for talking to the air.

To her surprise, a faint growl answered her. She turned, and there it was again-the golden-eyed wolf. This time, it didn't vanish. Instead, it stepped closer, its massive frame intimidating yet oddly comforting.

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice trembling.

The wolf tilted its head, as though understanding her question. It let out a soft whine before retreating into the shadows once more.

Elena's heart raced. This wasn't just any wolf. It was something extraordinary, something tied to her in ways she couldn't yet comprehend.

As she made her way back to the village, she realized one thing: she needed answers, and she was willing to do whatever it took to find them.

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