Chapter 2 The Welcome Ceremony

The meeting hall was cooler than the lodge, the polished wood floors gleaming under dim, antique chandeliers. Abby slipped into the back row, grateful for the anonymity. She wasn't ready to make friends - not yet.

About thirty other guests milled around the space: a blend of couples, solo travelers, and small groups of women in Lululemon and hiking boots. A few of them glanced at her with the casual curiosity people reserved for strangers at airports or waiting rooms. No one approached. Abby exhaled quietly in relief.

At the front of the hall, a woman in her sixties stood on a low stage, a commanding figure despite her slight frame. Her silver hair was pulled into a severe bun, and she wore a simple charcoal dress that somehow made her look both elegant and formidable.

When she spoke, the murmuring crowd fell silent.

"Welcome to Wolf Harbor," she said, her voice crisp, resonant. "My name is Dr. Helena Moore. I founded this resort with a singular purpose: transformation."

A ripple of polite applause moved through the hall.

"You are here because you are ready," Dr. Moore continued, pacing slowly across the stage. "Ready to reclaim your vitality. Your strength. Your true nature."

She paused, letting her gaze sweep the crowd. When her eyes passed over Abby, Abby felt a jolt - like the woman had looked through her.

"We offer you more than massages and meditation," Moore said. "We offer you a catalyst for change. A return to the power you have always possessed, but perhaps forgotten."

Several people nodded, buying into the pitch. Abby crossed her arms, skeptical.

Moore gestured to a table at the side of the stage, where several small bottles - identical to the one Abby had received - sat in neat rows.

"You've each been given a starter vial. The formula is proprietary, drawn from nature itself, and tailored to awaken the dormant potential within you. It will feel... strange, at first. Disorienting. That is natural."

A nervous laugh came from somewhere to Abby's left.

Moore smiled, but it was the kind of smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Do not resist the changes. Trust your instincts. They will not lead you astray."

The ceremony closed with a brief meditation, though Abby found it hard to focus. Her mind buzzed with questions. Dormant potential? Changes? What exactly had she signed up for?

Still, the weariness in her bones was real. If this supplement could help her shake it off, maybe it was worth a little weirdness.

Afterward, as guests filtered out to their cabins, Abby lingered, studying the woods beyond the meeting hall windows. The forest loomed vast and dense, the darkening sky threading its way between the trees. Somewhere out there, a wolf howled - a sound raw and ancient, slicing through the cultivated calm of the resort.

Abby shivered, despite the warmth of the evening.

She wasn't superstitious. She didn't believe in signs.

Still.

Something was waking up inside her.

And it wasn't going to be content with meditation and green smoothies.

Not anymore.