Chapter 31: ³¹: rightful owner

I looked at the man she was pointing at - her grandson. So he had saved me?

I must have fallen into a river after falling from that cliff.

"Thank you, sir," I said, nodding gratefully to the young man who just nodded back and then I looked back at the elderly lady, who clearly seemed to be the one in charge here.

"May I know which pack this is?" I asked, wanting to make sure I wasn’t in a rival pack before saying anything else.

The elderly lady smiled when she heard my question. "Don’t worry, little girl. We will not hurt you." Her voice was calm and reassuring. "Our pack has a rather peculiar place in this world. We don’t have a fixed name or even a fixed location. One day we are here... the next day, somewhere else."

She paused before introducingherself and the people beside her. "I am Luna Selene Blackwood. This is my daughter, Elena Moonvel, and this is her son... my grandson, Damian Moonvel."

She stopped speaking, giving me a moment to process everything she had just told me.

"I have never heard of a pack like this," I admitted, looking at them in confusion.

Luna Selene chuckled softly and shook her head. "That’s good," she replied. "It means our efforts to stay hidden are working."

The warmth in her smile remained, but her eyes turned noticeably colder. It was enough for me to understand that asking more questions about their pack would not be welcomed.

"You should get some rest for now," she said as she slowly rose from her chair. "We will come to see you again after a while."

"No... wait." I hurriedly tried to sit up.

The sudden movement sent a sharp pain shooting through my back, making me wince.

"Be careful." I heard the man - Damian say it almost immediately. He stepped forward without hesitation and gently helped me into a sitting position before placing a few soft pillows behind my back.

The movements were careful, almost as if he was afraid of hurting me even more.

"Thank you," I said quietly. He simply nodded before taking a respectful step back.

"Uhm... I want to ask you something first," I said, making Luna Selene sit down once again. She looked at me patiently, waiting for me to continue.

"If you all want to stay hidden... then why are you helping me?" I finally asked. "You don’t even know me and judging by the way you found me... don’t you think the people who tried to kill me might come looking for me? Then why are you allowing me to stay here?"

I genuinely couldn’t understand it.

Helping a complete stranger like me could easily put their entire pack in danger.

Luna Selene sighed before answering.

"Whoever tried to kill you came prepared."

Her expression turned grave. "They stabbed you with a dagger poisoned by black magic."

My entire body stiffened. "Only one stab from such a weapon is enough to kill even a rather powerful wolf almost immediately."

She looked directly into my eyes. "And you were stabbed twice. They must already be certain that you are dead. So no one will come looking for you."

Her words should have reassured me...

Instead, they only made my heart ache even more. The betrayal I had felt when Harry’s dagger pierced my body came flooding back with twice the force.

I still couldn’t understand it. How could he do that to me? How could the man who had once sworn to protect me be the one to drive a blade into my back? Was becoming Alpha truly worth all of this?

Was I really that easy to throw away?

I looked back at Luna Selene, tears slowly gathering in my eyes. "If that dark magic is so powerful..." My voice trembled. "Then why am I still alive?"

Luna Selene looked at me for a long moment before answering. "It is because of your wolf." She spoke softly. "As far as my knowledge goes... she sacrificed herself to keep you alive. It is because she had saved your soul from the magic that my daughter could help you with the pain from the wounds even though nothing can help you heal these wounds."

My breathing stopped.

"That is why you are unable to contact her right now." She sighed before continuing.

"I don’t know who you are, little girl... but your wolf must be extraordinarily powerful to accomplish something like that. There are very few wolves capable of resisting black magic."

"That is one of the reasons I am interested in helping you." She looked at me thoughtfully. "I believe you may be the answer to many questions that have troubled me throughout my life."

I barely heard the last part I was feeling like my heart was being cut into pieces right now. The only thing echoing inside my head was... Ana sacrificed herself... Because of me. Because I had failed to see through the people I trusted. Because I had been weak.

"My wolf... sacrificed herself?" My voice cracked. "Does that mean..." I swallowed hard. "...does that mean I can never get her back?"

For the first time since waking up, I was truly afraid of the answer. I didn’t know if I could continue living if I had really lost Ana because of my own foolishness.

Luna Selene quickly shook her head.

"No."

Relief flooded me before she continued.

"Even though you cannot contact her... she is still there. Somewhere deep inside you. She is waiting. Waiting for you to find the power to break the black magic that has taken root inside your wounds."

A tiny spark of hope flickered back to life inside me. "There... there is a cure?" I asked desperately. "What is it? Please tell me. I’ll do anything to bring my wolf back."

Luna Selene’s expression softened. "I don’t know. You will have to find the cure yourself. I don’t know what it is... or where it exists. But I believe destiny has already placed you on that path. You only have to remain strong... and keep moving forward."

I slowly slumped back against the soft pillows behind me. Their warmth felt like mockery. While I was resting comfortably...

Ana was somewhere inside me, silently enduring unimaginable pain because of my mistakes.

My hands slowly clenched into fists. There was nothing inside me anymore... Nothing except hatred. Hatred for the person responsible for all of this.

Harry.

There was nothing I wanted more than to return to my pack this very instant and expose everything he had done.

Yes.

I couldn’t waste any more time. I had to go back as soon as possible and tell the entire council about his treachery.

After all... What could Harry possibly do with the Alpha Tally...when its rightful owner was standing right in front of him, ready to take it back?