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Elise once again dreams of that soothing voice-that voice that belonged to her wolf; she wanted to talk to her and become one with her.

She tried to pursue her wolf in her dreams, but then everything turned eerily silent. She heard the sound of a familiar chuckle she dreaded, and soon she turned to see Kyren right in front of her.

“I’ve found you finally, my slave; you are forever doomed to be bound to me; no one will choose you but me!” He snarls with a venomous growl as he grabs for Elise, who

screams.

“No!” Elise screamed as her eyes shot open, and she rushed up from the bed as she was woken up from the nightmare. With cold sweat clinging to her skin.

It took a few seconds for her to recognize her surroundings, ensuring herself that she was no longer in the dungeon. “He cannot hurt you anymore, Elise; you are safe,” she muttered, clutching hard to her folded arms.

She thought she could hold the rising bile in her throat and the twisting feeling in her guts, but she was wrong as she leaped up and rushed to the toilet.

Heaving out any small content that was left in her small stomach, she then flushed, too, weak to stand up as she placed her head on the side of the cooling porcelain bowl of the toilet.

Why did I have to dream of that? She thought as she sat naked on the clean tiles that it was early, but she could not go back to sleep. Instead, she filled the tub with warm water and dipped herself into it.

Cleaning what was left from yesterday and cooling her heated skin that flame from the nightmare, *was only a nightmare, he is not here*

Elise heard that voice as she opened her eyes. The bathroom was still very dark, and she was the only one here, as she knew her wolf was there. “You came. Why did you run from me when I searched for you?” she asks.

*I’m sorry, Elise*, her wolf apologized, earning surprise on Elise’s face as she sat up the bathtub.

“I’m just glad I can speak to you now. I wonder why I could never do that when I was back in my pack. What changed?”

in

“Your instincts were finally woken after years of your pack telling you to shut me out. I

K

am not like other wolves, Elise, but your spirit for survival has been slowly bonding us,

but

you have to learn how to control our strength and not let me completely take over. It’s dangerous if I do, but not until you are ready.”

Elise was confused about what her wolf meant. “What do you mean by…”

-Elise?” Hana’s voice rang from outside the bathroom door. But being startled had cut off the connection she had with her animal. She rose from the tub, covering herself with a robe, as she walked out to meet Hana.

“Hana? Isn’t it too early?”

“What do you mean, it’s mid-morning?” Hana called as she rushed to the windows, opening them and letting the sun filter in. That was when Elise noticed that she had been in there for hours that she had not noticed.

“Vienna told me that you wanted help from the clinic, so she sent me to get you,” she explained. It wasn’t until recently that Elise found out that Vienna and Hana were sisters and well-adopted. Hana was taken in by Vienna’s parents before they passed.

“You’re right,” Elise noted quietly as she went to pick something to wear, but Hana’s steady gaze was on her. Feeling something was wrong.

“Did something happen?” Hana asked, but Elise only shook her head. Denying her questions, she changed quickly to a navy woolly turtleneck sweater and black leggings before they made their way down to the packed town.

Elise then asks Hana if they could follow the main town; she wanted to feel that life was coming from the bustling streets of the town and that she wasn’t alone.

Even though she had covered her hair with a cloaked hood so as not to draw so much attention to herself, they browsed open shops, buying warm pastries that Elise munched down with such gusto, a relief to her emptied stomach.

They had then taken a bridge, heading to the familiar large housing clinic. Hana told a story of how she almost got lost when she was little with Vienna scolding him so badly but still cried after it, and Elise laughed along to Hanna’s antics, but not until they reached the front porch of the cabin and Elise’s smile had dropped.

It was Emmett, the elder son, who had tried to attack her, but Emmett’s gaze was immediately blown wide with fear when he saw her. He looked down and turned the other way as they both passed and walked inside the clinic.

“That’s odd; the Emmett I know is a shameless flirt who would go after anyone or anything in a skirt,” Hana said, but there was relief in her voice. “I’m glad he didn’t

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come near us,” she said.

“Let’s forget about him; he seems like bad news,” Elise says. Hana then nods before she leads her upstairs to the second floor of the building.

“Oh! I forgot to get the herbs back from the other room; go to the door on the right; Vienna will be there,” Hanna instructed Elise before she went back down the steps.

Elise walked closer to the door, but she slowed down her steps when she heard not one but two voices conversing behind the door.

“It shows that you are all healthy, Alvira, especially since your heat is coming, so you’re fertile enough to get pregnant.” Vienna’s voice echoed.

“Hmm, I can’t wait to have a little one that looks like Rygan running around,” Alvira says, and Elise feels a painful twist in her heart. Alvira could be pregnant soon.

She tried stepping back, but instead, she hit the wooden panel of the doors, alerting the two women that someone was close. The door opened, and Elise and Alvira’s eyes met in a heated stare.

Alvira’s gaze held so much contempt, not even sparing Elise another glance as she walked out the door and down the steps to the exit.

“Elise?” Vienna says this to Elise, who walks in, trying to hold a smile on her face. “I’m glad you could make it,” she says to Elise.

“Morning Vienna, it’s alright. I wanted to be here to learn, so what are we doing today?”

“You’ll see,” she says as they both leave the room and head downstairs. They walk down the familiar path to the arena where the troops trained. Elise could hear the grunts and snarls from the young wolves inside.

“Today is trial, so young wolves are led to spar with no limit today to test their strength before the ‘Lunar Race.”

“What is that?”

“It’s an upstanding tradition where all new pups transform for the first time and have their first run with their alpha, a moment where their rank will be determined,” Vienna explains as they reach the arena.

The hall was packed with young female and male wolves who had been trained. Elise felt eyes on her as she looked up to see the three strongest males of the black moon pack. The trio leaned on the balcony as they watched and accessed their troops.

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She met the gaze of Kaide, who gave her a soft smile, while Taz winked at her. His flirty remarks left Elise chuckling before she turned to the last male. Her smile immediately fizzled out as the bowed in a curt nod to Rygan, whose gaze was dark and yet studying her every move.

She had to turn away before their stare could get more heated. This was good, she thought, and the distance that they were both putting in would be sure to work this time.

“Don’t worry, Elise; we wolves relatively heal fast, but new wolves with no shift do encounter problems, so we are just here to help with a speeding process in case there are any accidents,” she assured, as she must have noticed how down Elise looked a minute ago.

“And who knows? Maybe you could meet a suitor to suitor when the time for choosing one comes,” Vienna says, and Elise couldn’t help but feel a pricking feeling on the covered mark on her nape.

And the only person’s face she could think of having for a mate was already betrothed to another.

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