In her lavish room, Luna Julia nearly spilled her glass of red wine when she heard that Cara had provoked the Alpha and was now being tightly imprisoned. She hadn’t even had the chance to make her move, yet that girl had already walked straight into death’s door. Clearly, this she-wolf was just as stubborn and foolish as her mother.
More than anyone, Julia understood the true nature of Alpha Gerano. He was ruthless, aggressive, and cruel. There was no such thing as compassion in his heart. His feelings for Elisa weren’t love; they were merely a twisted obsession born from the fact that he could never truly possess her. If he had already given the order to imprison Cara forever, then Julia could be certain of one thing: that girl would never see freedom again.
The enemy had just appeared, and she hadn’t even had to lift a finger, yet victory had already fallen into her lap. The ease of it all left her feeling a little disappointed.
Time drifted by like an endless nightmare. Cara had tried countless ways to escape, but after each failed attempt, the guards only tightened their surveillance. At first, they still opened the door to bring her food and clothes, but later on, everything was passed through a narrow slot. She was completely cut off from any others contact.
Cara didn’t know what had happened to her. She had no idea who that so-called father was, or why he had locked her up. But there was one thing she knew with absolute certainty, she hated him. She hated the entire Dark Eclipse pack.
At the beginning of her imprisonment, she had fought back fiercely. But now, she was on the verge of surrender. Day after day, she simply sat silently by the window, staring out at the vast sky, at the endless green forests stretching out to the horizon, so close, yet utterly out of reach.
The solitude slowly wore down Cara’s will. She missed Gray Wolf. She missed the days of roaming free in the wild. She yearned for the feeling of running through the woods, the wind brushing through her hair, and the steady sound of her mate’s footsteps beside her. But all of that had become nothing more than a distant memory.
Since her first failed escape, she hadn’t seen Alpha Gerano again. But Luna Julia would occasionally stop by, standing outside the door, watching her with eyes full of smug satisfaction and contempt. But at this point, Cara couldn’t even bring herself to care.
Cara had lost track of how long she had been imprisoned. The summer heat gradually faded, and the cool autumn breeze crept through the window. Then, the first snow of the season covered everything in white, and after that, the snow melted, and fresh green buds began to sprout. Cara knew that the world outside was still moving, but she remained trapped in this room, with no idea when she would ever be freed.
On many nights, she dreamed of the heavy door before her being opened by Gray Wolf. He would brave countless dangers to come and take her away. But when she woke up, facing the cold, silent darkness of the room, her despair only deepened.
Two years had passed, and Cara had almost forgotten what freedom felt like. She no longer thought about escaping because she no longer believed it was possible. She had become a faint shadow within this room, a wild wolf tamed by invisible chains.
One day, Cara suddenly felt an unusual shift within the Dark Eclipse pack. It started with the neglect of her meals. For the past two years, she had been provided with three full meals a day, on time, with a variety of food. If she overlooked the fact that she was imprisoned in a small room, her living conditions were far better than when she was alone in the cave.
But in recent days, her meals had been served later than usual, and there were even days when she was left hungry. The quality of the food had also dropped significantly.
Cara wondered if the Dark Eclipse pack was facing a food shortage, or if they were dealing with some kind of crisis that made them forget about her existence.
Then, one evening, as Cara drifted in and out of sleep, she suddenly heard a chaotic noise. The sound of clashing weapons echoed throughout, signaling a bloody battle taking place. Cara could feel the light tremor beneath her feet as hurried footsteps raced down the hallway. Terrified, she sat up, ran to the heavy wooden door, and pressed her ear to it, listening intently.
“Alarm! The Blood Moon pack is attacking the pack house!”
“Where’s the Alpha? Protect the Alpha!”
“It’s over! They’ve killed the Alpha! Run! Run!”
The frantic shouts of the Dark Eclipse wolves echoed through the crack in the door, causing Cara’s chest to tighten. Alpha Gerano, the one she hated most in the world, was dead. And the Dark Eclipse pack was on the verge of destruction. A wave of satisfaction surged within her, knowing she had avenged herself, but it was quickly replaced by worry.
From what she could hear, the two guards outside her room had fled. But the large door was still locked tight, and she couldn’t get out. She didn’t know the Blood Moon pack, and she certainly didn’t want to be taken prisoner by them. She had to find a way to escape!
Cara ran to the door and threw herself against it with all her strength, but the thick wooden door held firm. Stepping back, she grabbed a chair from the room, hurled it at the door, but it did no more than leave a few scratches.
She gritted her teeth, breath coming in quick gasps, as despair threatened to overwhelm her. Outside, the screams, the clash of metal, and the sound of frantic footsteps continued without pause. The Dark Eclipse pack was in complete chaos, like a disturbed hornet's nest. This was her best chance to escape, but she was locked up like an animal in a cage.
Suddenly, Cara heard footsteps stop right outside her door. She quickly stepped back, her heart pounding as she waited for what was about to happen.
“Clink, clink, clink.” The sound of metal clashing repeatedly echoed. Someone was trying to break the lock to get in.
Cara held her breath, tensely awaiting what would come next.
Then, after two long years, the door finally swung open. In front of her stood a group of unfamiliar warriors. They wore black armor with a red moon symbol on their chests, completely different from the Dark Eclipse pack’s uniforms.
Before Cara could say anything, the leader of the wolf warriors spoke:
“This is Alpha Gerano's daughter. Capture her and take her prisoner.”