P.A.L.E. { Protector against the Lycan's End}

The Unknown

Her eyes fluttered open. The world spun for a moment, her head pounding as if someone had struck her. She groaned softly, pressing her palm against her forehead, trying to ease the pain.

Slowly, she sat up. The ground beneath her was damp with fallen leaves. A cool wind brushed across her face, carrying the scent of pine and earth.

Snow blinked, confusion tightening her chest.

She wasn’t in the arena anymore.

Instead, she was surrounded by towering trees, their branches weaving together like a dark ceiling above her. Shadows shifted across the forest floor. A mist hung low, curling around her feet.

Where… am I?

She pushed herself up, trembling slightly. Snow turned slowly in a circle, hoping for some sign of people, a path, anything familiar. Nothing. Only the endless stretch of woods.

How did I get here?

Her last memory was the competition. She had been so close, so determined. Then darkness… and now this.

She squeezed her eyes shut, clinging to the hope that it was only a dream.

If I open my eyes again, I’ll be back in the arena. I’ll be standing where I was. This is just an illusion.

Her heart pounded as she forced her eyes open.

But the forest didn’t vanish.

She was still there.

The realization struck hard, and her knees weakened.

Before she could think of what to do next, a voice echoed through the trees.

“I do not think she’s ready.”

G

Snow froze.

Her breath caught in her throat. The voice was deep, steady, and strange, like it was both near and far away at the same time.

Then another voice followed, sharper, impatient.

“She doesn’t even speak, and you think she can save us?”

Snow’s lips moved, but no sound came. Fear gripped her chest.

Still, something inside urged her forward. One step. Then another.

The voices pulled her deeper into the woods.

Her bare feet crunched softly against the leaves, her pulse echoing in her ears.

Step by step.

Finally, a hush fell. Then

“Shhh,” a voice whispered.

It was gentler this time, softer, like a command given with care.

“I can sense her.”

Snow’s heart stopped.

The next instant, the mist cleared, and before her appeared four white werewolves, their fur glowing faintly in the pale light.

Their eyes burned bright, each one fixed on her.

She staggered back, terror gripping her limbs.

No. No, this can’t be real.

One of them tilted her head, ears flicking.

“Where is she?”

“She’s right in front of us,” another growled lowly.

“I can’t see her…”

Snow trembled. Her hands curled into fists. She couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe.

They're looking at me

The wolves circled slowly, their massive paws silent on the forest floor. Their voices carried a weight that pressed against her chest.

“She is human,” one whispered, disbelief lacing every word.

“Impossible,” another answered.

The fear in their eyes wasn’t the kind Snow expected. They weren’t looking at her like prey. They were looking at her like something strange

Her mouth went dry.

What am I doing here?

Finally, one of them stepped forward, tail swaying gracefully. Her voice was smooth, confident.

“We summoned you,” she said.

Snow’s thoughts spun.

Summoned me?

Her lips moved though no sound escaped.

Why? she thought desperately.

Wait, you can hear me?

The wolf tilted her head.

“And you cannot speak,”

she observed.

“Interesting.”

Another wolf smirked, showing sharp fangs.

“At least she passed the first test,” she murmured.

Snow’s chest tightened.

What test? What do they want from me?

Her panic broke into words inside her mind.

Why have you summoned me? I don’t belong here. I was in a competition. I need to return. Please… I want to go home.

The leading wolf circled her slowly, eyes glinting.

“That isn’t your home, darling,” she said, her tail flicking.

“This”

she gestured with her head toward the endless forest

“this is where you belong.”

Snow shook her head violently.

No. No, no. This is wrong. This is not where I belong.

“Why can’t she speak?” another wolf muttered, frustration heavy in her tone.

Snow swallowed hard.

I must return home. My life depends on just one last question.

The leader’s golden eyes narrowed.

“What is so important? What weighs more than your mission to us? To your pack?”

Snow’s body went rigid.

Pack?

Her mind blanked.

The word echoed again and again, crashing through her like thunder.