Chapter 3: A Wolf Awakens
Brenda’s POV
It was all very soft.
Warm.
Was I dead?
My eyelids opened and closed. I tried to see through the faint orange light flickering around me, so I blinked. The ceiling above was composed of rough rock rather than stone. The cave walls were shadowed by the crackle of a nearby fire.
On a bed of furs, I lay. Clean ones. I glanced down at the handkerchief covering my wounds. My legs, arms, and even the cut close to my ribs were all carefully covered. I had received... care?
Where am I?
"All right. You're awake at last.
I tried to sit up after gasping.
A man with deep, golden-brown eyes sat by the fire and watched me intently. He wore a heavy black robe that melted into the darkness, and his dark hair was a bit wild. He had a menacing yet kind appearance. Simply put, sharp. As if they were the only ones who knew the jungle.
"Who are you?" With a cracked voice, I whispered.
"It's Zane," he said plainly. "You're fortunate that we discovered you before anything else did."
I held on to the fur blanket tightly. "Are you a rogue?"
He smiled. "Is that what they said we were? Rogues? Monsters?
I didn't respond.
He got up, moved closer, and crouched next to me. "I promise not to harm you. You wouldn't have woken up if I wanted you dead.
I took a deep breath. "Why... why did you assist me?"
He took a while to respond. Rather, he extended his arm to set a bowl next to me. "Suck."
Still doubting my ability to trust him, I looked at the broth.
With a sigh, Zane met my look directly. "Whatever caused you to be banished... I don't give a damn. But don’t even consider going back to the Lycan Pack. You won't make it through it.
I turned my head away. "There was nothing wrong with me."
He stood again. "It usually begins that way."
I didn't answer. My throat clenched.
He made his way to the cave's entrance. "Take a nap. Your strength will be needed.
Then he was gone, leaving me with a hundred unsolved problems and the flickering fire.
Days went by in the cave.
Zane came and went with food, herbs, and occasionally wood. He rarely spoke, and when he did, his words were typically succinct and direct. He didn't harm me, though. He never crossed any lines, checked my wounds, and made sure I ate.
But I remained at a distance.
My sleep was filled with weird dreams every night. A woman in flowing silver robes caught my eye. Her voice reverberated in my head, and her eyes shone like stars.
"Moon's daughter," she said. "You weren't supposed to be broken."
Every time, I woke up with a start. My heart is racing. Burning of the skin.
I was experiencing something.
I had a different physical sensation. More powerful. quicker. I could hear birds from far away, even the rustle of leaves in the distance. My senses were growing sharper. And I sensed my wolf waking up once more.
She was different, though.
She was also evolving.
On the sixth day, Zane walked solemnly inside the cave.
"It's time," he declared.
I slowly sat up. "What is the time for?"
A long stick he threw to the ground. It appeared to be training personnel. "I need to test your fighting abilities."
I frowned. “I… I don’t know how.”
"You're a wolf. You'll discover.
Before I could protest, he pulled me outdoors. The clearing in the woodland outside the cave was open and cold.
"Get the employees," he said.
I bowed to pick it up with trembling hands after staring at it. "What are you doing?"
He stated plainly, "Because you need to survive." "And you are more than just an exile if you are who I believe you to be."
"What is meant by that?" I tightened my hold on the staff and asked.
He didn't respond. Rather, he moved aside.
Behind the trees came a deep roar.
My eyes got big. "What was that?"
"Avoid running."
Out of the trees, a rogue wolf exploded. Enormous. Snarling. Anger blazed in its eyes.
I staggered back. "Zane! What are you—?
"Combat," he yelled. "Or perish."
The wolf lunged.
I screamed and swung the staff wildly. The wolf hardly flinched when it struck its side. My heart thumping wildly, I had to duck aside as it snapped at me.
"You're not attempting!" Zane yelled.
"I'm not sure how!"
Once more, the wolf charged.
Something broke inside of me this time.
My throat began to rumble. Instinctively, my legs moved. I side-rolled, snatched up the staff, and slammed it on the rogue's muzzle.
The wolf let forth a howl.
Now my body was on fire. My skin gave off a slight sheen. My bones shook.
Then—
My chest ached sharply.
A gleam of silver.
It wasn't terror that made me shout.
It came from authority.
I curved my body. Within me, light burst forth. Heat rushed through my veins, and I rolled my eyes back. From deep within, my wolf, my long-dormant wolf, howled.
After that, I moved.
Not entirely. Not quite yet.
But I had glowing skin. I became silver-eyed. The energy that ignited in my palms was like the moonlight itself.
The outlaw wolf stopped.
Zane even retreated a step.
I no longer felt helpless.
I was alive.
I let out a growl and sprang forward, using strength I was unaware I possessed to bring down the rogue wolf. With a whine, he scurried into the forest, tail between his knees.
My body continued to shine softly with silver light while I stood there, hair blowing in the wind, and my chest heaving.
Zane stared at me. His mouth parted in disbelief.
“You…” he breathed. "That wasn't typical."
Panting, I turned to face him. "What just took place?"
He approached me carefully before abruptly falling to his knees.
My heart skipped a beat. "What are you doing?"
With wonder in his eyes, Zane looked up at me. "Your power is more than just your strength. Pure lunar magic is what it is. You are more than a wolf. You are unique.
"What is meant by that?" I said.
He whispered, "They tried to erase you as the heir." "The lost bloodline is you. The real Alpha Queen's daughter.
I gasped. "That isn't possible."
Zane and I looked at each other. "You weren't destined to be an Omega, Brenda."