Chapter 3 Hhdfyudt

The midday sun beat down on the clearing, but I found no solace in its warmth. Instead, it seemed to magnify the whispers and snickers that followed me like a shadow. I clutched the worn leather pouch containing the meager rations I'd been allotted, my fingers tracing the familiar bumps and dips of the carved wolf insignia. It was a cruel reminder of the pack I belonged to yet felt so separate from.

Earlier that morning, the tension had been thick as fog during breakfast. Alpha Dariach, a formidable wolf with fur the color of aged oak, sat at the head of the long table, his gaze scanning the pack gathered before him. My stomach churned, a familiar knot twisting at the sight of Kai, the Alpha's son, seated beside him. We used to be inseparable as pups, but lately, his eyes held only coldness whenever they landed on me.

As I entered the communal den, whispers erupted, a wave of hushed murmurs rippling through the room.

"There she is, the freak," a young she-wolf named Elara hissed, her voice dripping with disdain. Her fur, a sleek black that shimmered like polished obsidian, seemed to mock my stark white curls.

A few snickers followed, punctuated by the clatter of dropped utensils. I kept my head down, focusing on the worn leather boots padding silently on the hard-packed earth floor. Shame burned in my throat, a bitter pill I'd grown accustomed to swallowing.