AT THE SAME TIME
WANESSA'S POINT OF VIEW:
I had barely managed to finish my meal when the doors to the dining hall creaked open. The room fell into silence as a tall man stepped inside. He smelled of pinewood and damp earth, a scent that stirred something deep inside me. My stomach twisted with unease. His eyes scanned the room before landing on me. A flicker of recognition passed through them.
"So, it's true." He said, stepping closer. "You're alive."
My breath hitched. I didn't know this man at least, I didn't think I did, but the way he looked at me made my skin prickle.
"Who are you?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
He hesitated for a moment before bowing slightly.
"My name is Elias. I'm from the Blue Star Pack."He said.
The moment the words left his mouth, I felt like the floor had been ripped out from under me. My fingers curled against the wooden table. Blue Star Pack. My pack. The pack I had left behind.
"Why are you here?"I asked.
Elias sighed.
"I came because I heard the rumors. And because your twenty fifth birthday is approaching."
That made me blink. My birthday? I hadn't even thought about it. In the past seven years, I had stopped keeping track of dates. It never seemed to matter before, but now everyone's eyes were on me. Xavier stiffened beside me, his golden eyes narrowing a little.
"What does her birthday have to do with anything?"He asked.
Elias exhaled sharply, glancing at the three princes before turning back to me.
"Because it marks seven years since she left. And seven years since she had the injury."Elias said.
The room grew deathly silent.
Michael leaned forward, his brows furrowed.
"Injury?"He asked.
I froze. My pulse pounded in my ears. No. I didn't want to talk about it. I didn't want to think about it. But Elias continued, oblivious to my growing panic.
"She was fifteen when it happened. A severe injury to the head. She nearly died." He turned his sharp gaze to me. "You don't remember, do you?"
My breath came short and ragged. I felt lightheaded. Flashes of something blurred flickered in my mind darkness, pain, voices screaming my name. Then… nothing. Nothing. Terrence, who had been silent until now, frowned.
"Are you saying… something happened to her back then?"Terrence asked.
Elias nodded.
"Yes. She barely ate for weeks afterward. We thought it was because of the trauma, but now…"He said. His gaze flickered to the untouched plates before me. "Now, I'm starting to wonder if that was when everything changed."
"You're saying this happened seven years ago?"He asked.
Elias gave a firm nod.
"Yes. And then, soon after, she left the pack without warning."Elias said.
All eyes turned to me. I couldn't breathe. Seven years ago. The year I had woken up in this world. My hands trembled. I dug my nails into my palm, trying to steady myself, but the pieces of the puzzle were fitting together too fast. Too perfectly. My body felt like it wasn't mine. I hadn't just left my pack. I had left my world. And now… now they all knew something was wrong with me.
Xavier's voice was softer this time.
"Wanessa?"He whispered.
I turned around and ran. I needed to get outside. I couldn't listen to this anymore.
AT THE SAME TIME
XAVIER'S POINT OF VIEW:
Wanessa fled from the room before any of us could stop her. My body tensed, ready to chase after her, but Elias suddenly stepped in front of me, his arm extended. He was blocking my way. An alpha prince way.
"Wait."He said.
I growled lowly.
"Move."I growled.
Elias didn't flinch. Instead, a small, knowing smile tugged at his lips.
"You're wasting your energy. I know where she is."Elias said.
Michael and Terrence exchanged wary glances, but I clenched my fists angrily.
"What do you mean?"I asked.
Elias's expression softened.
"She turned into a wolf, didn't she?"He asked.
That made me pause. The way he said it… it wasn't with fear. It wasn't with confusion. It was relief.
"Yes." Michael answered cautiously. "Why?"
Elias chuckled, shaking his head.
"Because that means she's finally getting stronger."Elias said.
"You're happy about this?"Terrence asked.
"Of course I am." Elias said with a fond smile. "She always struggled with shifting before. I was never sure if she could. But if she's truly transformed now, it means her wolf is fully awakened."
Elias took a step forward, his sharp eyes scanning the air. "I know where she is. Follow me."He said.
Without waiting for an answer, he turned on his heel and strode out of the room. We followed, silent but alerted. It didn't take long for him to lead us through the castle halls, out the side doors, and into the castle garden. The scent of damp soil and fresh greenery filled the air. It was peaceful, too peaceful for someone like Wanessa, who had just run away in a panic. Then I saw her. My breath hitched. She was crouched low near a patch of plants, her white fur almost glowing under the soft daylight. Her head was lowered to the ground. Was she eating plants? Michael was the first to react.
"What the hell…?" He asked.
Wanessa's ears twitched at his voice, and she froze. Her silver eyes darted up toward us, her mouth still full of leaves. For a long second, we all just stared at each other.She slowly, very slowly chewed. And swallowed.
Terrence blinked.
"Is she… eating the garden?"He asked.
Elias suddenly laughed, shaking his head.
"Of course she is."He said.
"What does that mean?"I asked.
"She's from another world, isn't she?" Elias smirked. "Her body remembers what she used to eat. Until she arived to the Blue Moon pack"
I turned back to Wanessa. She was still crouched there, watching us like a deer caught in torchlight, ears flicking in irritation. Michael pinched the bridge of his nose. "Wanessa. We have actual food inside."He said.
She growled lowly and went back to nibbling on another plant. I sighed, stepping forward carefully.
"Wanessa. Enough."I said.
She stopped but didn't move. Elias hummed lightly while watching her.
"You're not going to stop her. This is instinctual."He said.
I clenched my jaw, looking at her again. Her wolf form was… stunning. But this situation, watching her like this, acting like she didn't belong here, eating whatever she could find instead of real food, made something deep in my chest ache. Wanessa was still crouched low, her silver eyes darting between us as she nibbled on another leaf.
Michael ran a hand down his face.
"She's really eating the garden…"Michael said.
Terrence exhaled sharply.
"This isn't normal." Terrennce said.
Elias, however, didn't look surprised at all. If anything, he looked amused. "Of course it's not normal, to you. But to her? This is what she knows."
I turned to him, my patience wearing thin.
"What does that mean?"I asked.
Elias crossed his arms and nodded toward Wanessa. "She's always been a picky eater, even before she left the pack. Back in Blue Moon, she only ate specific things meat based meals, a few types of bread, and one particular kind of soup."He said.
That caught my attention.
"Soup?"I asked
Elias nodded.
"An old woman in the pack used to make it for her. She wouldn't eat much else. When she got injured seven years ago, she barely ate at all. She never trusted food she didn't recognize, and after that incident, she was even worse about it."He said.
Michael stiffened.
"Wait, so you're saying this is her instinct kicking in? She doesn't trust our food, so she's trying to find something she recognizes?"Michael asks him.
Elias smirked. "Bingo."
I turned back to Wanessa. Her tail flicked as she licked her lips, still watching us carefully. So that's why she never eats with us. That's why she always refuses meals.
Terrence was already looking toward the castle.
"Then we should make it."Terrence said.
Michael nodded firmly.
"Yeah. If it's what she trusts, we need to cook it and lure her inside."Michael said.
I agreed immediately. "We'll have the chefs prepare it."
Elias chuckled.
"You might want to hurry. She looks ready to bolt again."Elias laughed.
I glanced back at Wanessa, just in time to see her muscles tense like she was about to run. I didn't hesitate.
"Go." I ordered Michael. "Get the kitchen started."
Michael turned on his heel and sprinted toward the castle.
Terrence and I stepped closer, blocking Wanessa's path just in case she tried to flee. She let out a low warning growl, her ears pinned back. She doesn't trust us.
That realization stung more than I cared to admit.
If this soup was the only way to bring her back inside, we needed that soup fast.