Chapter 2 The Knight's Assistance

Ava Taylor's POV:

The ClearedMoon Pack came together by merging a bunch of smaller packs from around the area, which was how Sarah managed to gather so many Alpha girls.

One of the participants was her adopted daughter, Anthea Jones.

Anthea grew up with me and Henry, but her story was a bit different from a typical adopted kid. Her dad died in a pack skirmish while saving David, so David, the Alpha of the ClearedMoon Pack, took her in.

David doted on Anthea, treating her like his own. While she played in her fancy princess dresses with her friends, I was stuck in the dark basement, scrubbing the family's clothes.

I didn't hold any grudge against Anthea because David never showed me any love to begin with. The affection she got wasn't taken from me, but Henry was pretty bitter about it.

I had no clue why Anthea wanted to join the Luna Trial, but we didn't have any beef, and she even helped me out with little things, so I didn't mind.

The meeting wrapped up quickly.

Sarah mentioned that Alpha Noah had sent his guards to pick us up, but we had to sort out our own carriage.

The Silver Pine Pack was a few hundred miles away from us, and even by carriage, it would take three days and nights, let alone on foot.

But Sarah never told me any of this. She was probably shocked that her usually weak, solitary, and unnoticed daughter would take such a big risk to leave this hellhole.

Sarah always flaunted her Luna status and wouldn't let anything tarnish her reputation, so she tried to act like a loving mother in public, just like now.

She grabbed my hands and apologized, "Ava, I'm sorry. I never thought you'd join such a dangerous activity. Honestly, you're just a girl without a wolf and will get bullied there."

I hated Sarah's fake concern but had to play along. "Mom, don't worry about me. Did you get a carriage for me? Otherwise, how will I get to the Silver Pine Pack?"

Sarah's face froze for a second. I saw panic in her eyes. Even though everyone knew she didn't like me, Sarah was always scared that her attitude towards me would make people talk bad about her.

"Ava, you know your father went out today, and he took all the carriages. Go find the other girls and share a ride with them! I'll go pack your stuff!" Sarah always had a ton of excuses to cover herself. If she weren't stuck with her Luna status, she could've been a great actress. But now, she was already gone, leaving me standing alone at the conference room door.

By the light, I saw beautifully decorated carriages parked outside. The one in front of me, belonging to Adela's family, was adorned with sparkling jewels. Though I couldn't identify the gems, their glittering light clearly indicated their worth.

Adela lifted the curtain beside the carriage. Her delicate, beautiful hands were painted with pink nail polish, making her look like a princess, while I looked like a beggar chasing after the carriage.

"Ava? Why are you standing here alone? As the Alpha girl of the ClearedMoon Pack, d on't you even have your own carriage?" Adela's pretty face appeared, pretending to be surprised, but her tone was full of sarcasm, "Oh, I almost forgot, you're just a girl without a wolf. How could anyone get a carriage for you? Sorry, I'll be leaving now."

Her carriage took off, leaving a cloud of dust in my face. I knew I looked pretty pathetic, but I wasn't about to give up that easily.

I had to swallow my pride, lower my head, and quietly beg others for a ride, hoping someone would take pity on me. But all I got were "No's."

I could feel the disdain and malice directed at me.

I tried to ask Anthea for help, but Sarah cut me off. She had a servant dump a bunch of clothes on me that weren't mine and didn't even fit, just to make things harder.

The pile of expensive clothes and accessories was ridiculous. After traveling several hundred miles with all that extra weight, I'd definitely look pathetic and be despised by young Alpha Noah, probably becoming the first girl to get kicked out.

"Ava, you'd better die on the way. You, with your impure bloodline, only bring shame to our ClearedMoon Pack." Sarah's expression was vicious, like she really wanted me dead.

She was my mother.

I wasn't a strong kid to begin with. I used to crave motherly love, but now, looking at Sarah, I just felt ridiculous. How could I expect love from someone so cold-blooded?

"I will definitely survive. I've lived in this hell for eighteen years and haven't died. In the future, I won't be humiliated anymore." I shot back, then turned and left, ignoring Sarah's shocked gaze, carrying that heavy pack on my back.

Could there be any place worse than here?

No one knew that for years, I had been hiding a secret. Everyone in the pack thought I was just a useless girl without a wolf. But I actually had my own wolf much earlier, on the night of my thirteenth birthday.

In that dusty, unnoticed attic, I met my wolf. Her name was Zephyr, with silver fur and olive eyes, different from any wolf in the pack.

But I had never heard of any werewolf getting their wolf before the age of eighteen. So I carefully avoided letting anyone see Zephyr.

Because of Zephyr, my senses became super sharp. Even in the pitch-black night, I could sense two people following me.

Maybe they were the guards Sarah mentioned, sent by young Alpha Noah to make sure all the female werewolves got to the Silver Pine Pack safely. But their aura was too strong, making me feel scared.

I carefully avoided all dangers, but the overly heavy luggage, tense nerves, and lack of food eventually caused me to faint halfway.

Before I blacked out, I saw a handsome man with a high nose and sexy full lips. The most striking feature was his emerald-like eyes. Just like Zephyr's, they were sharp and glimmering.

When I woke up, I was already at the Luna Trial location, even earlier than most people. That guy had disappeared, and beside me was my pile of useless luggage.

I searched the crowd for him, but instead, I saw Adela.

"Ava, how did you get here?" Adela communicated with me through MindLink, doing it very discreetly to avoid damaging her public image.

"That's none of your business," I snapped back, only to hear Adela's laughter.

Adela said arrogantly, "No matter how you got here, Ava, I will kill you in the first trial and wash away the shame of our pack."

"I'll be waiting." I felt a fire burning in my heart.

Zephyr was roaring with a desire to tear Adela's throat apart, and I felt the same.