CHAPTER TWO
1622 Words
Rolling from one side of my bed to the other, I sighed loudly in frustration.
Sleep refused to come. Tonight's events kept replaying in my head.
“Was that really my wolf?”
I stared at the unfamiliar ceiling above me, my chest tightening as I remembered the voice that spoke to me.
“He carries the blood of our enemies.”
“Enemies?”
“Why did my wolf act that way?”
“But the Alpha didn't seem dangerous.”
I rubbed my temple as I sat up slowly. “Maybe I should ask Mom tomorrow. She will probably know a thing or two.”
I had mixed feelings. Part of me was happy to finally have a wolf, while the other part of me felt terrified.
“Why did it recognize the Alpha as an enemy?”
“If it was truly my wolf, why did it stay silent for twenty years?”
Something felt weird. I had this heavy feeling that made me uneasy.
“I miss Liam,” I murmured to myself.
If he were here, he would know what to say. Maybe he would tell me I wasn't losing my mind.
I eventually drifted off to sleep.
***
Morning sunlight seeped through the curtains. The surroundings looked so unfamiliar.
For a moment, I forgot where I was... until I remembered. The unfamiliar room, the new pack, and the Alpha.
I sighed and climbed out of bed. The smell of pancakes drifted upstairs.
After taking a long shower, I slipped into faded blue jeans, a pink sweatshirt, and my pink converse.
After hesitating, I applied my lip combo, a little mascara, and blush to my cheeks to make them look rosy.
“First impressions matter,” I thought to myself as I stared at my reflection in the mirror.
“Maybe looking confident would make me feel confident,” even though, deep down, I was so nervous about meeting new people from the pack.
When I walked downstairs, Mom was already setting pancakes on the table.
“Morning, darling,” she greeted with a smile.
Dad glanced up from his cup of hot tea.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Not really,” I answered, sitting at the table as Mom served me some pancakes.
Mom frowned slightly.
“Still nervous about meeting the new pack members?”
I opened my mouth to tell them about the voice I heard in my head... but I stopped.
Maybe now is not the best time. We just moved here.”
“Yeah,” I lied.
Dad exchanged a quick glance with Mom.
“Beta Silas will show you around after breakfast and will take you to where you will be receiving lectures with other people,” Dad said.
I nodded quietly.
“And later tonight,” Mom added carefully as she sat down to eat, “the Alpha wants to introduce us to the pack.”
My fork froze halfway to my mouth.
The pack.
Hundreds of wolves. Watching me. Judging me.
What if they discover I'm wolfless? I mean, I might have a wolf now, but I'm still not having a good feeling about this.
A wave of anxiety ran through me, and suddenly my appetite disappeared.
“You will be fine, hun,” Mom said reassuringly.
After breakfast, I followed Beta Silas. The morning air was cool as we walked through the enormous pack grounds that were still almost covered in fog.
People bowed respectfully as he passed.
Some glanced curiously at me. Others whispered to themselves.
“This place is bigger than Nightfall Pack,” I admitted softly.
Beta Silas chuckled.
“You will get used to it.”
I hoped he was right.
Soon, we arrived at a large building.
“This is where young wolves receive lessons,” he explained.
The moment I stepped into the classroom, the teacher stopped teaching. Dozens of eyes turned toward me.
Heat rushed to my face as I gripped my bag tightly.
Great.
I want to leave already.
“You must be the new girl?” the teacher asked warmly.
“Yes.” I forced a smile.
“Why don't you introduce yourself?”
My heart raced. All pairs of eyes remained fixed on me.
“My name is Seraphina. It's nice meeting y'all,” I said softly.
A few people whispered.
“She looks pretty.”
“She sounds nervous.”
While others turned back to their books.
I quickly sat down beside a blonde girl. She smiled brightly as she introduced herself.
“I'm Evelyn.”
“Hiiii, Evelyn,” I greeted nervously because I didn't know how to reply to her.
“Relax,” she laughed softly. “They stare at everyone new.”
I managed a small smile.
During the lesson, some people still kept staring at me, which made me a bit uncomfortable, but Evelyn assured me that it was normal, which made me feel at ease.
When the teacher asked a question, nobody answered, so I raised my hand and answered the question.
The teacher blinked in surprise. Murmurs spread throughout the class, and Evelyn stared at me in surprise.
“Okay now... I definitely want to be your friend,” she said.
I smiled genuinely for the first time that day, but that moment didn't last long.
The classroom door suddenly opened. A brunette girl with sharp makeup walked in.
The atmosphere immediately changed. Even the teacher looked nervous.
“That's Amara. She's the Beta’s daughter. She's... not really nice,” Evelyn explained.
Amara's eyes landed on me. She smirked.
And for some reason, chills ran down my spine.
Then the voice returned.
“Danger,” it said.
My eyes widened. The voice sounded clearer this time. I quickly looked around, but nobody else seemed to hear it.
After class, Evelyn walked beside me.
“You are very lucky,” she said excitedly.
“Why?”
“You arrived during the Selection Ceremony month.”
I frowned.
“What selection? Selection ceremony for what?” I asked.
“It's when the Alpha King's son chooses elite warriors to train beside him before the enthronement ceremony, where he eventually becomes the Alpha King,” she explained.
“What is he like?”
“Alpha Ronan?” Evelyn grinned. Then her expression softened.
“He's insanely attractive.”
I rolled my eyes slightly.
“You sound obsessed.”
“Every girl in the kingdom is obsessed. You will be obsessed when you see him too,” she admitted.
Then her face fell.
“But people say he's cold.”
As we kept talking, Evelyn started talking proudly about her wolf and how she had been training her wolf every week to become stronger.
“Our wolves shifted together for the first time under the full moon when we were eighteen. I felt really happy to finally meet my wolf. It has grey fur, and it's so pretty,” she said happily.
“But others have found their mates, and I still haven't found mine yet,” she sighed sadly.
A familiar ache settled in my chest as she talked proudly about her wolf.
She looked at me curiously.
“What about your wolf? Tell me about it?” she innocently asked as she stared at me.
My body stiffened. I forced out a nervous laugh.
“I... I don't really like talking about it.”
Thankfully, she didn't push further.
By the time I had returned home, I was so exhausted. Mom helped me prepare for the introduction later that evening.
“You will be fine,” she assured softly while fixing the sleeve of my shirt.
I forced a smile.
I wished I believed her.
When night came, my parents and I went to the pack hall.
The hall was filled with music and food. Hundreds of wolves stood in the room, and conversations flowed between them.
When we entered, some people kept staring at us. My heartbeat quickened. I suddenly felt small in the room.
But the second the Alpha King and his family entered, the attention turned to them, and the room fell silent as everyone lowered their heads.
Beside the Alpha family, Amara stood, smiling smugly.
A bad feeling settled in my stomach.
“Tonight, we welcome a family from the Nightfall Pack,” the Alpha announced loudly.
“Let's welcome and accept them into our pack, show them around, and help them in any way you can.”
Polite applause echoed through the room.
We walked to the stage and bowed respectfully to our new pack family. As we turned to leave, Amara stepped forward.
“Wait.”
The entire hall fell silent.
Her gaze remained on me.
Then she laughed mockingly.
At first, nobody understood, until she spoke.
“She doesn't have a wolf.”
Silence crashed through the room.
My blood ran cold.
“What?” someone whispered.
“No way...”
“She's not one of us.”
“She's wolfless?”
Murmurs filled the hall. People began staring at me differently, like I didn't belong there.
With disgust.
Shock.
Pity.
Mom immediately stepped in front of me.
“Seraphina, look at me. You don't have to look at anyone else. Just look at me. Do you want to go somewhere else?”
But I was too shocked to answer.
“Amara, what is the meaning of this?” the Alpha King asked.
“I'm serious. I can't sense a wolf from her at all,” Amara answered as she smiled strangely.
Then Mom softly grabbed my hand and led me out of the pack hall.
As I was leaving, I looked at Alpha Ronan, and I saw him looking at me with pity.
- Writer
