Chapter 3 The Return

DAHLIA

It’s been five years since I left my pack. Five years since I ran from the only home I’d ever known… and the only man I ever loved.

A lot has changed in that time.

I found out I was pregnant not long after I left. I didn’t know who the father was, and honestly, I didn’t care. What mattered were the three tiny heartbeats that gave me a reason to keep living when I wanted to give up. Triplets. Two boys and a girl. Liam, Lila, and Libby, they were my entire world.

They were my reason to wake up, my reason to fight, and my reason to heal.

Those five years were anything but easy. I worked three jobs, studied at night, and somehow managed to finish medical school. The same girl who once flinched at her own reflection was now Dr. Dahlia Johnson, a name I wore with quiet pride.

My scars were gone not just the ones on my face, but the ones buried deep in my soul. I’d learned to love the woman in the mirror. The one everyone once called ugly.

Now, looking at my reflection, I could finally smile without hesitation. The faint dimple on my left cheek, the one I used to hide, had become my favorite part. Healing wasn’t easy, but I did it. I became more than the broken omega they once pitied.

But fate, cruel as always, had other plans.

A letter arrived last week, sealed with the crest of the Moonshade Pack, a howling wolf under the crescent moon. The message was short and cold:

“All members of the Moonshade Pack are required to attend the Decennial Moon Ceremony. Attendance is mandatory.”

I stared at it for a long time, my heart thundering in my chest. That ceremony only happened once every ten years, a sacred event to renew the bond between the Alpha, the Moon Goddess, and the entire pack. It was also the one event where no one could hide.

Not even the ones who left.

And now, I had no choice but to go back.

“Mom,” Liam’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. His little brows furrowed, mirroring mine. “Are we going to see Dad?”

Before I could answer, Lila started bouncing on her toes, her amber eyes sparkling with excitement. “Yes! We’re going to see Daddy!”

Libby was fast asleep.

I crouched down so my eyes met hers. “No, sweetheart,” I said softly, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “We’re not going to see Daddy. Not yet.”

Her face fell, and she pouted. “But when, Mommy?”

“Very soon,” I whispered, forcing a smile. “I promise.”

“Mom! Can I get a chocolate bar?” Liam yelled from behind me, already halfway to the kitchen.

“Me too!” Lila chirped, hands on her hips. “I want the biggest one!”

I chuckled, shaking my head. “You’ll both get the same size. No fighting this time, okay?”

“Yes, Mom!” they said in unison, their laughter echoing through the living room.

For a moment, everything felt normal, peaceful, even. But as my SUV rolled toward the familiar stretch of forest that marked the pack’s borders, unease settled in my chest. My heart clenched painfully.

This place held memories. I had buried deep the humiliation, the pain, and the rejection. Every tree, every scent brought it all rushing back.

I wasn’t returning as the broken omega they left behind. I was coming back as someone new, someone stronger. Still, a part of me trembled at the thought of facing them… facing him.

I had arranged to stay with Elder Sam, my late father’s old friend, the only man in the entire pack who ever showed me kindness. I’d called him earlier to inform him of my return, and he’d agreed to keep it secret.

The SUV rolled to a stop in front of his small, stone house. I unbuckled the twins and stepped out, the chill of the evening breeze brushing against my skin.

The house hadn’t changed much, it was thesame wooden porch, same lantern by the door that flickered softly like it remembered me too.

I lifted my hand and knocked gently.

The door creaked open, revealing a tall, gray-haired man with sharp blue eyes. He looked at me for a long moment, confusion flickering across his face.

“Yes? How can I help you?”

I smiled faintly. “It’s me… Dahlia.”

He blinked, rubbing his eyes as though I were a ghost. “Dahlia?” he repeated, disbelief coloring his tone.

I nodded.

His eyes widened. “By the Goddess… child, is it really you?”

A warm chuckle escaped me. “It’s me, Elder Sam.”

He stepped aside instantly. “Come in, come in! Look at you, I almost didn’t recognize you.”

I ushered the triplets in, and he shut the door behind us. His eyes darted between Liam, Libby and Lila, his lips parting slightly.

“They’re beautiful,” he murmured. “You’ve done well, child.”

We talked for a while. He told me how the pack had changed or rather, how it hadn’t. Alpha Kael still ruled, colder than ever. The pack still had no heir. The council whispered of unrest, of fading strength within the bloodline.

The night of the full moon arrived faster than I expected.

I stood before the mirror, staring at my reflection one last time. I wasn’t the ugly girl who used to hide behind her hair. I was a woman reborn.

I slipped into a deep crimson gown sleek, daring, and bold. It clung to me like a second skin, its slit revealing just enough to make me feel powerful. Gold earrings glimmered against my skin, and I painted my lips a dark shade of red.

My driver started the engine outside, and as I fastened the delicate bracelet around my wrist, I whispered to my reflection, “It’s time.”

As the SUV rolled into the heart of the Silver Moon territory, my pulse quickened. The packhouse loomed ahead, grand and illuminated under the full moon. Wolves shifted around the clearing, and the air buzzed with anticipation.

I could already feel eyes on me, whispers following my every step.