My heart sank, engulfed in a profound sense of shock and disappointment. It felt as if the ground was crumbling beneath my feet, and I found myself in a state of disbelief. Alpha Hal's words echoed in my mind, whether about the prophecy and my connection to it, or about... about his abandonment of me, simply because he anticipated the worst to befall his kingdom and its werewolves from the enigmatic words of the incomprehensible Sage. His words wavered with a weighty promise that remained unfulfilled; his promise to me after my parents' death, which I still vividly remember despite my young age and innocence at the time: "You aren't ALONE, little one. I will never LET GO of your HAND." That was his promise, a promise he didn't keep. I felt a surge of emotions crashing within me, a mixture
