Chapter 2 Helen's cruelty

I was running.

All around me were wolves of many colors black, brown, grey, even white. Their glowing eyes pierced the night, but not a single one of them looked at me. My chest rose and fell in panic. As wolves, they should have been able to smell my scent, feel my presence. But no one turned. No one saw me.

"Why can't you see me?" I whispered, my voice weak.

They passed me like shadows, their paws pounding the earth, their breath heavy in unison. It was like I didn't exist. My legs trembled beneath me, the weight of the silence pressing against my chest. What if I really were dead?

I reached out desperately to touch one of them, but my hand slipped through like smoke. A chill spread up my arm. My knees buckled, and I fell to the ground. My mouth opened to scream, but no sound came out only emptiness.

And then beep.

The sharp sound cut through the darkness like a knife. I turned, searching, but the wolves vanished as if they were never there.

I snapped my eyes open.

The white ceiling of the pack hospital loomed over me, blinding against the dim dream I had just escaped. My body felt heavy, my chest rising and falling too fast. The smell of antiseptic and herbs clogged my nose, the one scent I had hated all my life. My head ached, and when I lifted a shaky hand, my fingers brushed over a thick bandage wrapped around my skull. Pain shot through me, making me wince.

A soft voice pulled me back to reality. "How are you doing, Nora?"

My gaze shifted, and I saw a woman in her early forties standing beside my bed. Of course, in human years, she would have been over eighty, but one of the few blessings of being a werewolf was that age hardly touched us. Her face was smooth, kind, her eyes glowing faintly gold.

"Why am I here?" My voice came out hoarse, and I frowned, the ache in my head pressing down on every word.

She smiled gently. "You were rushed in here by a warrior. Your whole body was soaked in blood." Her voice softened, concern seeping through her tone. "Nora, you've been unconscious for fifteen hours. Are you sure your nutrition is okay?" She looked at me with the eyes of a mother worried for her child.

Fifteen hours?

The memory of what happened rushed back like a nightmare. Helen's sharp heel slamming into my head, the mocking laughter that followed, the weakness in my legs as the world tilted. My chest tightened.

"Oh, moon goddess," I muttered under my breath. Fifteen hours of unconsciousness. Helen had finally pushed me to the edge of death. Sometimes I wondered if the goddess herself had made a mistake in sparing my life when my parents died. Why did I have to remain here, drowning in misery, when I could have gone with them?

Helen had already given me enough scars to fill a lifetime.

I clenched my hands weakly at my sides, my nails digging into my palms. What was I really? I couldn't even shift into my wolf, not at twenty-two. Most wolves shifted by fifteen. Even Helen, who was my age, had shifted long ago. She had it all-beauty, strength, a perfect wolf form. Her long brown hair always carried the sweetest scent, her oval-shaped face flawless, her curves enough to make any man desire her.

And me? Tiny, fragile, almost breakable. My hair was always wild, the strange deep blue-or was it grey?-making me look nothing like the others. I had heard the whispers: She doesn't even look like a wolf. Sometimes, I ask myself the same question.

"Don't worry, Nora," the nurse said softly, pulling me from my thoughts. "With time, you'll heal. Just take this medication and rest. Alpha Johnson said he'll see you soon."

Her words jolted through me like lightning.

Alpha Johnson.

My precious uncle. The man who raised me when my parents were gone. The only peace I had in this pack, the only one who showed me care when Helen made my life a living nightmare.

But... why did he want to see me now?

My thoughts drifted back to the shadow I had seen before collapsing. At the far end of the hallway, someone had been watching me. For a moment, I had thought it was him. But was it really? Or was I just hallucinating from the blood loss?

I touched the bandage again, wincing at the sting. My healing was slower than most wolves. Another reminder that I wasn't like the others.

The nurse excused herself, leaving me alone with my thoughts. The silence wrapped around me, heavy and suffocating. I closed my eyes, and Helen's words replayed in my mind.

She doesn't even know what she is. Uncle would kill us if she found out.

The memory sent chills crawling over my skin. What had she meant? What was I?

The door creaked suddenly, pulling me from my thoughts. My heart skipped. Slowly, the door opened, and Alpha Johnson stepped inside. His tall frame filled the room, his aura commanding respect. His eyes locked on me, and for a fleeting moment, I thought I saw something worry. Or was it guilt?

I swallowed hard, the words stuck in my throat.

"Uncle..." I whispered.

He didn't answer immediately. He walked closer, his boots silent against the floor, his presence overwhelming. Finally, he spoke, his voice low and unreadable.

"Nora, there's something you need to know."

My chest tightened, my pulse racing. His eyes held mine, sharp and heavy, as though he was deciding whether to say more or keep the truth buried forever.

The room felt colder.

My lips parted, but no sound came out. Deep inside, I knew whatever he was about to reveal would change everything.

But before he could continue, the door slammed open.

Helen walked in, her eyes narrowing on me, then flicking to her father. Her lips curled into a smile, but it wasn't kind it was venomous.

"Father," she said sweetly, her voice dripping poison. "What are you doing here with... her?"

The silence that followed was sharp, dangerous. My heart pounded as Alpha Johnson's jaw clenched. His gaze lingered on me, then on his daughter, and I felt the air in the room shift.

Something was about to break.

And I wasn't sure if I was ready for the truth.