Chapter 2The Pack Everyone Abandoned
1204 Words
The carriage ride to the northern mountains was silent.
No one from the Blackwood family came to see me off.
No one asked if I was afraid.
No one told me to be careful.
And strangely…
I was relieved.
For nineteen years, I had waited for someone to notice me.
A father who would choose me.
A mother who would protect me.
A family who would tell me that I was enough.
But after living two lives, I finally understood something.
Some doors were never meant to open.
No matter how hard you knocked.
So I stopped knocking.
I leaned against the carriage window and watched the familiar lands of the Blackwood territory disappear behind me.
The tall castles.
The endless fields.
The banners carrying the Blackwood crest.
Everything that once represented my identity slowly became smaller and smaller.
Until it disappeared completely.
Good.
That was exactly what I wanted.
Because Evelyn Blackwood was dead.
The girl who waited for love was gone.
The person sitting here now only had one goal.
Survive.
⸻
The driver stopped before sunset.
“We go no further.”
The old man holding the reins looked toward the dark forest ahead.
Even he seemed unwilling to get closer.
I stepped down from the carriage.
“This is the border of Shadow Moon territory.”
I looked ahead.
The forest was covered in thick fog.
Ancient trees stretched toward the sky.
The atmosphere felt different.
Heavy.
Powerful.
Almost like the entire forest was alive.
The driver lowered his voice.
“Miss Blackwood.”
I turned back.
“Yes?”
“Are you certain?”
I smiled.
“About what?”
“Going in there.”
His expression was complicated.
“Everyone knows what happened to Shadow Moon.”
I said nothing.
Because I knew.
The entire kingdom knew.
Ten years ago, Shadow Moon was one of the strongest packs.
Then something happened.
The previous Alpha disappeared.
The heirs were cursed.
The pack lost its allies.
One by one, powerful families abandoned them.
Eventually, Shadow Moon became a name people used to scare children.
A place where monsters lived.
But I knew the truth.
The world only remembered the ending.
Nobody cared about the beginning.
Nobody asked why they became cursed.
Nobody asked who betrayed them.
Nobody asked if they deserved to be saved.
“Miss Blackwood.”
The driver spoke again.
“Those wolves are dangerous.”
I looked toward the forest.
Then smiled.
“So am I.”
The driver froze.
Maybe he thought I was joking.
I wasn’t.
The old Evelyn might have been weak.
But Emily Carter was not.
I had spent years in laboratories competing against people who believed I didn’t belong.
I knew what it felt like to be underestimated.
And I knew one thing very well.
People who were ignored were often the ones hiding the biggest secrets.
The driver quickly left.
Within seconds, the only sound remaining was the wind moving through the trees.
I stood alone at the entrance of Shadow Moon territory.
Then I walked forward.
⸻
The deeper I went, the stranger the forest became.
The rumors said Shadow Moon was dying.
A place without resources.
A place without power.
But the truth was different.
The air here was filled with ancient energy.
The trees were older than any forest near the royal territory.
And beneath my feet…
I could feel something sleeping.
Something enormous.
“This wasn’t mentioned in the book.”
I whispered.
Of course it wasn’t.
The original story followed Isabella.
The chosen Luna.
The future queen.
Everything was seen through her eyes.
And Isabella never cared about places like this.
She only cared about power.
About victory.
About proving she was chosen.
Maybe that was why she never understood what she destroyed.
⸻
After almost an hour of walking, I finally reached the Shadow Moon Pack entrance.
A massive black stone gate stood between two mountains.
Unlike the grand entrances of powerful packs, there were no guards.
No welcoming ceremony.
No banners.
Only an old stone sign covered in cracks.
Shadow Moon Pack.
I stared at it.
“So this is the terrifying monster territory everyone talks about?”
A voice suddenly came from behind me.
“Most people who come here don’t make jokes.”
I turned.
And my breath stopped.
The man standing behind me was impossible to ignore.
Tall.
Powerful.
Cold.
His black hair moved slightly in the wind.
His silver eyes looked like frozen blades.
Even before he spoke again, I knew who he was.
Adrian Blackthorn.
The future Alpha King.
The strongest Alpha of his generation.
And the man who would lose everything.
“Who are you?”
His voice was calm.
But the pressure behind it was unmistakable.
An Alpha command.
Most wolves would immediately lower their heads.
I didn’t.
Not because I was fearless.
Because I knew something he didn’t.
He wasn’t my enemy.
Not yet.
“My name is Evelyn Blackwood.”
The moment he heard my surname, his expression changed slightly.
“Blackwood.”
I nodded.
“I want to join Shadow Moon Pack.”
For a few seconds, Adrian simply stared at me.
Then he laughed.
Not warmly.
Not kindly.
A short, cold laugh.
“You came here willingly?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Simple question.
Everyone asked the same thing.
Why choose Shadow Moon?
Why choose the weakest pack?
Why choose a place everyone abandoned?
Because I knew the truth.
Because I knew what they would become.
But I couldn’t tell him that.
Not yet.
So I answered:
“Because I need a place to belong.”
Adrian’s eyes narrowed.
A lie.
He knew it was a lie.
Interesting.
The future Alpha King was sharper than the novel described.
“You expect me to believe that?”
“No.”
My answer surprised him.
“I don’t expect you to believe me.”
“Then why are you here?”
I looked directly into his eyes.
“Because I know you need someone.”
The temperature dropped.
His expression became colder.
“You know nothing about me.”
Maybe.
But I knew enough.
I knew the loneliness behind his anger.
I knew the pain behind his silence.
And I knew the curse slowly eating away at his wolf.
“I know more than you think.”
A dangerous silence filled the space between us.
Then Adrian stepped closer.
His presence became overwhelming.
“What exactly do you know?”
I looked at the man who was destined to become a legend.
And I said the one thing that would change everything.
“I know that Shadow Moon Pack will fall.”
His eyes changed.
“And I know…”
I paused.
“…you won’t survive it.”
The forest went completely silent.
Adrian stared at me.
For the first time since I arrived…
The cold Alpha looked uncertain.
“Who are you?”
The question was quiet.
But filled with danger.
I looked at him.
At the man everyone feared.
The man who carried the fate of an entire pack on his shoulders.
And I answered:
“Someone who came here before it was too late.”
⸻
End of Chapter 2
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