Chapter 2: Serene.

I awoke with a gasp for air, the tugging on my leg jolted me out of my slumber. As I stared blankly at the black-furred wolf, flashbacks of what had happened hit me like a ton of bricks, causing a severe headache.

With the sun high and glaring down on me, I felt like I'd been run over by a truck, annoyance creeping in as my headache wasn't getting any better. Wincing, a hand clutched my head, and my eyes shut tightly.

Given that the sun is shining, I must have passed out for a while. It was a miracle that I was still alive. This could have gone wrong in a number of ways, but I'm still here. Which begs the question, how am I still alive? If I recall correctly, I was dumped face down in the lake, which means I should have died of drowning by now.

A lot of strange things have happened to me, from not having any injuries on my body after they took my blood to this near-death experience. My unanswered question continues to nag at the back of my mind.

My eyes widen in surprise and shock as realization finally settled in and gave a good look at the wolf tugging at the wet pants of my pajamas.

Black fur? My eyes must be playing mind games with me. This isn't possible.

Except for the royal family, no one else has this color of fur. Only the King, Robere Reed, and his older brother, Gael Reed, were seen with black-colored wolves.

Narrowing my gaze at the wolf, I took in its physical appearance slowly, attempting to figure out which of the brothers was in this part of the land, so far from the Royal Pack. This wolf was massive; I'm pretty sure it would have towered over my own wolf if she had a physical form.

The mention of the aforementioned wolf made her whine in my mind, feeling ashamed and weak. Even if I had a wolf that I could transform into and join other werewolves in a run, I wouldn't change a thing about mine. She was a strong and self-assured wolf who knew how to lead. I reassured her and joked about how strong she would be if she had a physical form that no one could defeat, eliciting a yip in return.

I returned my attention to the black wolf with a slight smile on my lips.

A brown patch of fur was at one of his paws, and the obvious difference did not go unnoticed, with the curious part of me wondering why such a patch was present. Even though the scar across his right eye and down to his snout should have been a dead giveaway, I couldn't figure out who he was.

Nonetheless, I bowed my head in submission and remained silent once those dark eyes met mine, knowing that this wolf was higher in the pyramid than I was. Perhaps if he had been someone else, I would have bombarded them with questions in order to satisfy the curiosity that was eating away at my insides.

Exhausted, my body slumped back onto the ground, my eyes dropping as my body threatened to shut down once more, the ordeal sucking out the majority of my energy. The wolf at my feet let out a low growl before making his way to my side, his snout pushing against my head as if telling me to stay awake.

I met his gaze once more before quickly lowering them to his paws. I wasn't going to risk looking into the King's eyes and dropping dead when I had just escaped from an incident that should have managed to kill me.

He nipped at my hand to get my attention before slowly lowering his body to the ground, pulling at my hand and turning his head to the back. Taking the hint, I crawled towards him before throwing my body against his, arms wrapped around his neck for support.

The wolf let out a snort before standing up, and at the same time, my eyes finally gave out and closed shut, succumbing to exhaustion.

~

I awoke for the second time that day in a bed with sheets as soft as the clouds, the material gliding against my legs as I stretched my body. Burying my head in the pillow, I pulled the cozy blanket over my head as I tried to sleep again, the maid in my room, who was bringing in clothes, chuckled as I mumbled incoherent words, feeling as if I had run a marathon with how heavy my body felt.

The obvious starling light that trickled through the blinds did not escape my attention, but I chose to ignore it as sleep once again beckoned.

After all, it was just a bad dream. My pack would never turn on me and try to kill me. They would also never take in a Witch to use to their advantage because they know the consequences, no matter how much they loathe the King. Willow was probably nagging my parents downstairs right now to let her barge into my room and wake me up so she could go to one of the hotspots and flirt with every hot guy who passed by.

As the birds sang their own songs, a smile appeared on my lips as I snuggled deeper into the bed. Any moment now, Suzy will enter with a scream and annoy me to death just so I could wake up.

"Ma'am, breakfast is currently being served. I recommend that you eat something since you've been sleeping for a day. Would you like me to run you a bath and help you pick out your clothes before you go?"

I sat up quickly, the sound of the unfamiliar voice ringing in my ears, to take in my surroundings before panic set in. I wasn't in my room, and I wasn't even in my house. This room was clearly luxurious, and neither my parents nor anyone else in my pack could afford it. The gold nightstand, the chandelier hanging from the ceiling, all kinds of different vases decorated the shelves of this room, the books and the door that was attached to this room, which I assumed was the bathroom, all gave it away.

Was that a balcony too?

Suddenly dizzy, I clutched my head as nausea began to settle in the pit of my stomach. My body is reacting strangely to all of the information I've discovered. I rushed into the bathroom, holding my hand against my mouth, before sitting on my knees against the toilet and emptying my stomach into it. I was heaving because I couldn't produce any more as I hadn't eaten anything for a day and a half, my arm clutching at my stomach as pain finally hit me.

"Oh, my Lady, allow me to assist you." The unknown feminine voice echoed off the bathroom walls, clearly panicked.

I pulled strands of hair from my face and behind my ears as I leaned back against the wall, legs crossed, holding a hand up to stop her in her tracks.

Closing my eyes, I began to recall the events that occurred in the previous days, including the black wolf coming to my aid.

I wasn't sure when I started being so slow to notice things, but I wondered if I could have stayed blissful for a little longer to avoid the reality of my pack abandoning me.

A reality that I have to come to accept as my own.