The house was eerily quiet as Alpha Dane led me through the hallways. My heart thudded in my chest, and my legs felt weak, but I forced myself to move, knowing this was my chance—my only chance. As we reached the front door, a shadow moved from the corner of my eye. Luna Cassandra.
Her sharp features twisted into a scowl as she stepped out of the darkness, her cold eyes narrowing on me. "Where do you think you're going?" she hissed, her voice like venom.
Alpha Dane turned, his expression calm but his eyes dangerous. "She's coming with me."
Cassandra's gaze flicked between us, her lips curling in disgust. "You're taking this little murderer with you? Do you know what she did to our family?"
Alpha Dane's voice was like ice. "I know what you've told her. And I don't believe a word of it."
Cassandra's face paled, but she quickly regained her composure, her lips thinning. "You have no idea what she's capable of. Trey has been too lenient with her."
"She was a child when it happened," Alpha Dane said, stepping closer to Cassandra. His towering frame cast a long shadow over her, and for the first time, I saw a flicker of fear in the Luna's eyes. "And I'll decide for myself what she's capable of."
Cassandra's lips pressed into a thin line, but she didn't argue further. She knew better than to challenge him directly, especially now that the deal between their packs was still on the table. "Very well," she said icily. "But don't come back crying when she turns on you."
Alpha Dane didn't even respond. He simply opened the door and motioned for me to follow him.
As I stepped outside, the cool night air hit my skin, and for the first time in years, I felt a strange sense of relief. I was free—or at least, free from this house. My mind still whirled with questions and doubts, but there was no turning back now. I was leaving behind everything I had known, everything that had defined me.
We walked toward a sleek black car parked outside. Alpha Dane opened the passenger door for me, and I hesitated for a moment, glancing back at the house. It loomed behind me like a dark, oppressive cloud. My prison.
"Neah." Dane's voice was soft but commanding. "Get in."
I took a deep breath and slid into the car. Alpha Dane closed the door behind me, then rounded the front of the car and got in the driver's seat. Without another word, he started the engine, and we pulled away from the house.
The drive was silent for a long time. I stared out the window, watching as the familiar trees and roads blurred past, my mind still racing. I had so many questions, so many fears about what was to come, but I didn't know where to start.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Alpha Dane spoke. "Do you know why they bound your wolf?"
His question caught me off guard. I had never really thought about it, not in a way that made sense. I had always just accepted that it was a punishment for what happened to my parents. "I thought it was because of what I did... or what they say I did."
Dane shook his head, his eyes focused on the road ahead. "There's more to it than that. I can feel it. Binding a wolf isn't something done lightly, especially not to a child. They were afraid of something."
"Afraid of me?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly. The thought seemed absurd—how could anyone be afraid of me, a girl who had been broken and beaten down for most of her life?
"Not of you," he corrected, glancing at me. "Of what you might become. There's power in you, Neah. Power they didn't want to acknowledge."
I frowned, confused. Power? I had never felt powerful in my life. But Dane's words stirred something deep within me, something that had been buried for so long I had forgotten it existed.
"I don't understand," I whispered.
"You will," he said, his voice calm but firm. "Once we break the bond, you'll understand everything."
His confidence unsettled me. I wasn't sure I wanted to know the truth. What if breaking the bond revealed something even worse than the lies Trey and the others had fed me? What if I really was a monster?
As if sensing my unease, Alpha Dane reached out and gently placed a hand on my arm. "You're not alone in this," he said quietly. "I'll be with you every step of the way."
His words warmed something inside me, a small flicker of hope that had been all but extinguished over the years. Maybe I wasn't alone anymore.
We drove in silence for the next hour, the forest thinning as we approached the borders of the Black Shadow pack's territory. The landscape changed, the trees growing taller and denser, the air thicker with the scent of wolves. It felt different here, more alive, more powerful.
Finally, we reached a large, imposing mansion nestled deep within the forest. The Black Shadow pack's stronghold. As we pulled up to the front, a group of wolves emerged from the house, their eyes fixed on the car. They were all large, strong, and intimidating, but none of them looked at me the way Trey or Kyle had. Their eyes were curious, not cruel.
Dane stepped out of the car first, motioning for me to follow. I climbed out, my legs shaky, and stood by his side. The wolves nodded respectfully to him but kept their distance from me.
"Is everything prepared?" Dane asked one of them, a tall man with sharp features and dark hair.
The man nodded. "Yes, Alpha. The healer is waiting inside."
Healer? My stomach twisted with anxiety. Was this it? Was this when they would try to break the bond?
Dane must have sensed my fear because he placed a reassuring hand on my back, guiding me toward the house. "Don't worry," he said softly. "This is the beginning of your freedom."
But as we entered the mansion, I couldn't shake the feeling that whatever awaited me inside would change my life forever. The truth about my past, about my wolf, was about to be revealed.
And I wasn't sure if I was ready for it.