Chapter-4
1253 Words
Lily
The air in the ballroom was thick with perfume and the low murmur of powerful wolves. I stood near the polished marble bar, sipping lukewarm champagne. Every other Luna here looked confident, perfectly suited for the spotlight. I, the disciplined Luna of the Duskmoon Pack, only felt awkward like I always did. That’s why I hated any social event, especially being all alone.
My husband was too busy with his never-ending meetings to escort me.
A light, deliberate tap landed on my shoulder. I turned to find an elderly man, his face deeply lined, staring at me. His eyes, startlingly bright, were fixed on my face, and his hand reached out to lightly touch the scar above my eyebrow. He leaned in, his voice strangled and barely a whisper above the music.
"Violet," he gasped. I stared blankly at him.
Violet? Who was Violet? My name was Lily. Lily Blackridge, wife of Alpha Rowan Blackridge of the Duskmoon pack. At least that was the name the orphanage gave me.
"Excuse me?" I asked, confused and slightly unnerved. “I think you got the wrong person.”
He didn't acknowledge my question. His eyes, wide and filled with sudden, overwhelming grief, were fixed on me.
"You look just like her," he managed, his voice breaking. "Just like your mother...We have been looking for you for so long, dear girl. "
What?
I was completely blank. What was he even saying?
“I am…I am sorry…I don’t understand,” I stuttered. “I really think you have gotten the wrong person.” He simply shook his head, touching the scar above my eyebrow again.
"That mark is distinct,” he murmured, his eyes narrowing. “You are undeniably Violet, daughter of Beta Thomas and Elara, of the BlackNorth Pack."
BlackNorth Pack. Beta's daughter…what was he saying? I was Lily. That’s it. An orphan girl who was simply nothing until Alpha Rowan chose her as his Luna and gave her the identity she has today. This man must be drunk or something.
"No," I insisted, shaking my head violently. "You've made a mistake. I was raised in an orphanage. I am Lily Blackridge, Luna of Duskmoon Pack."
The elderly man slowly shook his head, his gaze unwavering, and reached out to gently touch the scar again.
"Lily might be the name they gave you, but Violet is who you are, child. You need to come home." He pulled his hand back, and this time, he pressed a small, unmarked business card into my palm. "Keep this. Don't lose it. When you need us, call. Promise me."
Present Day
“I was hoping you would call, child.”
I fumbled for words. "It's... It's Lily. The girl you gave your card to at the Luna Ball."
"I know. I recognized your voice immediately," he said gently.
"Who are you?" I whispered, my breath shallow.
"My name is Elian. I am an Elder of the BlackNorth Pack." I blinked in the darkness.
The BlackNorth Pack. I knew of them. Everyone did. They were one of the oldest, strongest packs, controlling the entire Northern region—a seat of power I, as an 'orphanage graduate,' had only read about in history texts.
His voice softened, the deep grief I had witnessed weeks ago returning. "When I saw you at the ball and saw that distinct mark above your eye, I knew immediately. But hearing your voice now... it is the voice of Thomas and Elara's daughter. What happened, child? Are you okay?"
"Elder Elian," I managed, my voice raw and desperate, and before I could stop myself, I told him everything.
“We all knew Alpha Rowan was up to no good…didn’t know he was that far gone,” he hissed, clearly pissed.
"Please, just tell me everything,” I begged. “All I know is that I'm an orphan named Lily. Why did you keep calling me Violet? Who are Thomas and Elara? What happened to them? What's going on?"
"It was a tragic event, Violet,” he sighed deeply. “You were separated from us during a devastating rogue attack years ago. We searched every day, every month."
He paused again, gathering strength. "And eventually, false reports came—that you were dead. Your parents, Thomas and Elara, believed them."
The words rogue attack and dead struck me with the force of a physical blow.
"They... they thought I was dead?" I whispered, my throat tight. "Did they ever know I survived?"
"No, child," he confirmed, his voice breaking. "They passed soon after, consumed by their sorrow. The BlackNorth Pack never recovered from losing its Beta's daughter. Hearing your voice now—alive—is nothing short of a miracle."
A lost childhood. A family that mourned me until they died of broken hearts. A life stolen before I ever had the chance to live it. The weight of it all—my parents, my true identity, and the brutal collapse of my fake marriage—gathered in my chest like a tightening storm.
My vision blurred, and the tears I hadn't shed for my own pain finally welled up for the grief of the family I never knew. A long silence spread between us as my brain fought to register it all.
The Elder could be totally wrong. I could really just be an orphan. And yet somewhere in my heart, I knew there was some truth to his words. Some truth to the blurred memories that would still erupt now and then.
And I needed to find out the truth.
"I need to come home," I told Elder Elian.
“Yes, dear. You do. We’ve been waiting.”
"I will be writing my resignation as Luna soon. I will be divorcing Rowan," I stated, the words feeling powerful on my tongue. "I will return to the BlackNorth Pack."
"Resign. Divorce. Good. That Alpha never deserved you,” his relief was evident, but his voice hardened instantly with protective concern. "You cannot do this alone, though. Rowan will not let you leave quietly. He will try to secure you, to maintain his political advantage."
"I can handle him," I insisted, though I knew the arrogance of the statement.
"No," Elder Elian said firmly, his voice full of stern affection. "We won't take that risk. You are your father's daughter, the last of his bloodline. We waited too long to find you. We are sending someone to escort you—someone trustworthy, someone strong, who will ensure you reach home safely."
I tried to decline again, but the Elder’s tone brooked no argument.
"You must listen to me. Help is already on the way. You simply have to be ready. Everything that was stolen from you… You will have again, I promise.”
When I lowered the phone slowly, the grief I carried minutes ago began to shift—not softening, but crystallizing into something sharper, colder. I thought of Rowan’s sneering face, his callous words. I thought of the years stolen from me—the humiliation, the manipulation, the daily cruelty masked as duty.
My hands curled into fists, digging my nails into my palms. For the first time since walking away from that bedroom, I did not feel powerless. I felt purposeful. My spine straightened. My wolf, dormant for so long, stirred with a cold, terrifying resolve.
I was going to leave this god-forsaken pack soon. But not quietly.
First…I will make Rowan and Kara pay for every wrong they ever did to me.
- Writer
