Chapter 2

Twila’s POV

I stayed in bed thinking. I hadn’t been able to mourn my family since they were killed.

“Huh..” I sighed. I wanted revenge, but I knew I was too weak to do anything. I mean, I can’t even transform yet.

“Just you wait Ryker! I’ll be back. I’ll get my revenge and make you pay for every single life you took.” I said through gritted teeth. Afterwards, I got out of bed, knelt down and wept. I wept for my siblings, my parents, my clan.. it’s the least I can do for now.

The next morning, I decided to tour around the castle. My mouth opened wide in amusement as I began to explore the vastness of the castle, it was like walking through a maze; a beautiful one that is. Servants and maids roamed about busying themselves with tending to their master's needs.

"Sorry, my lady", one of them apologised to me as she quickly turned away again to wherever she was going, she carried a tray filled with bread moulded in shapes and adorned with flowers that I have never seen before, being followed swiftly by another servant carrying a large jar and some golden serving cups. Guards stood at various posts, some parading the corridors  and some stood frozen like mannequins.

I soon got to a narrow hallway, the air coming from the other end of the hallway smelt like freshly cut grass. Curious of where it led I made my way towards the other end admiring the beautiful painting and artifacts carefully placed on short pillars along the hall. The more I approached the air the more I could hear metals clashing against each other and people grunting. I wanted to turn back but my curiosity got the better of my judgement. At last I was here, the royal training ground.

“Wow..” I stood amazed as I watched them train. They fought fiercely, both male and female. Some of them had transformed into their wolf form while others still fought with their metal weapons.

I was wowed by their skills and all. Not that I haven’t seen wolves train before, I mean, my oldest brother Xanthos was the leader of our warriors in the clan, but never did we train this hard. Who am I kidding? Let’s rephrase that. Never did they train this hard. I was never part of them. I was weak.

As I watched them, I didn’t notice Thane came behind me.

“Never seen such a sight before?” He asked and I turned to face him.

“I’m just amazed at how good everyone is.. male and female that is.”

“We don’t discriminate against genders here in the Southern Empire. Every wolf is a warrior.”

Then the idea popped up in my head.

“Will you train me to be a warrior?” I asked, giving him the cutest puppy eyes I could make.

“That’s not my call to make.” He replied. His face remained as expressionless as ever. “But, you can talk to the Alpha about it.” He added. I smiled as I left to find the Alpha.

As I stepped into the hall of elders, I found him seated, hands on his chin, thinking. I stood observing him… taking in his features.

His chiseled features exuded confidence and charm. Piercing blue eyes, fringed with thick lashes, sparkled with warmth. A strong jawline and sharp cheekbones framed his symmetrical face. Soft, dark hair fell across his forehead, slightly messy and endearing.

Full lips curved into a captivating smile, revealing a hint of mischief. Broad shoulders and a toned physique hinted at athleticism. His effortless style shone through worn leather pants and a fitted white shirt, accentuating his lean physique.

He turned to face me and a frown plastered on his face. He walked down to where I stood and stopped a step from me. A subtle scent of cedar and sandalwood wafted around him, intoxicating and masculine. He glared at me, a glare which held a whisper of intensity, as if his eyes saw right through to the soul.

He wasn’t scary, no, but he was domineering. A trait all Alphas possessed I guess.

“What are you doing here?” He asked.

“Uhmm.. Thane, Thane says he needs your permission to train me.” I replied and he scoffed.

“You will not be receiving any training.” He said sternly and turned, going back to his seat.

“You can’t do that..” I argued, making him stop on his tracks. He turned to face me.

“I am the alpha.. I can do whatever I want. If you have a problem with that, you’re free to leave.”

A tear threatened to fall but I sniffed it in. I wasn’t about to show him how weak I was.

"Like it or not Mr. Alpha, I’m getting my training.” I thought to myself and walked out. I could feel his stare even as I left.

I will get my revenge on Ryker, even if it means going against the rules of the South.

Ryker’s POV

I was just leaving the training grounds when my father sent for me. “Huh..” I sighed, not because I was tired but because this was all my fault. I put us all in this mess.

“You’re two minutes late Ryker. You are the next Alpha and king of this great empire, behave like one!” He scolded me and I was just two minutes late.

Most people say I’m ruthless, evil.. they call me all sorts of names. Try growing up with my kind of father and see what becomes of you.

I took my seat at the table of elders.

“We have decided to divide the search party into two units.” The Alpha spoke. “ One set will continue the search for the moonstone, while the other will go in search of the girl.”

I wasn’t expecting that. I tried to keep my composure.

“Finally, someone is talking about the girl.” My wolf spoke. I rolled my eyes and like expected, the alpha noticed.

“Do you have something to say?” He asked me.

I clenched my jaw, keeping my expression neutral. The girl, Twila Vesper.. was still out there, and my father was determined to find her. But why? The moonstone was our true objective. She was nothing but a loose end, a nuisance, a girl who should have died with the rest of her pathetic pack.

Except… I had let her go.

I didn’t understand why. One moment, I was ready to rip her apart, to finish the last remnant of that weak clan. The next, something inside me resisted, an unnatural hesitation I couldn’t explain. My wolf had gone eerily silent, as if waiting, watching.

“She’s probably in another empire by now,” I said, masking my unease. “How do we find her?”

My father, Alpha Zareth, turned his piercing black eyes on me, his expression unreadable. “She is important.”

“How?” I challenged. “She’s powerless. She couldn’t even shift.”

His lips curled into something that resembled a smirk but was too cold to be amusement. “Then why did you hesitate to kill her?”

The room went silent. The elders turned their attention to me. My pulse quickened. He knew. He was testing me.

I forced a scoff. “Hesitate? Hardly. She wasn’t a threat. That’s why I left her.”

Dad leaned forward, steepling his fingers. “You left her alive despite orders to wipe out every last one of them.”

I met his gaze, refusing to waver. “Because she was insignificant.”

A tense beat passed. Then, he exhaled through his nose. “Then prove it.”

My fists clenched beneath the table. “What do you mean?”

“Track her down. Bring her back here,” he ordered. “If she’s truly insignificant, it should be easy.”

I held back a growl. This wasn’t just about the girl. My father was testing my loyalty, my ruthlessness.

“As you wish, Alpha,” I said smoothly, though inside, I felt the invisible chains tighten around my neck.

Dad nodded, satisfied. “Good. She may know something about the moonstone, and if she doesn’t—” His expression darkened. “—we’ll extract whatever use we can from her.”

Twila’s POV

Sleep didn’t come easy that night.

The bed was soft, the room warm and spacious, yet my body remained tense. The Southern Empire’s castle was a fortress, filled with warriors and political maneuvering I didn’t understand. I wasn’t safe, not truly. But I had nowhere else to go.

I turned on my side, gripping the sheets. My thoughts kept circling back to Ryker. To the moment he stood over me, a beast ready to kill… and then he stopped.

Why?

I wasn’t naive. Ryker was ruthless. He slaughtered my family without hesitation. There was no kindness in him.

Then why was I still alive?

I sighed tiredly. There were lots of unanswered questions.

Why did the Western Kingdom think we have the moonstone?

“I need a walk.” I whispered to myself. Taking a blanket to cover myself from the cold breeze, I strolled outside. Guards stood at their posts, ignoring me as I walked by.

I walked to the training grounds. Somehow, it made me feel close to home.

I stood there as I stared into space. My mind was clouded and my feelings were nothing but anger and hate.

I walked into the equipment room and picked up a sword. I needed to let it all out.. the anger. The sword was heavy, but who cares…

I walked back to the training grounds as I fought with the wind.

“You're doing it all wrong.” Someone said from behind me.