Chapter Ten – Zara's POV
The Wolf's Truth
The maid led me down a long hallway, her footsteps light, almost soundless.
I followed without question, my body still weak from the beatings, my mind tangled in everything that had happened.
When the maid stopped in front of a large wooden door, she turned to me with a polite but distant expression.
"This is your room," she said. "Alpha Hunter has instructed that you stay here. You will be taken care of."
I hesitated. "Why?"
The maid didn't answer.
Instead, she gave a small bow before stepping back and walking away, leaving me standing there, alone.
---
The room was quiet, the only sound coming from the crackling fireplace.
I sat on the edge of the massive bed, fingers gripping the silk sheets.
It was too soft. Too warm. Too different from what I was used to.
For days, I had slept on stone floors, beneath trees, curled up against the cold, waiting for the nightmares to pass.
And now I was here.
A prisoner. A possession. A pawn in whatever twisted game Hunter was playing.
I lay back against the mattress, staring up at the ceiling, trying to push away the thoughts clawing at my mind.
But they came anyway.
My father's cold, empty stare as he handed me away like a worthless object.
Cora's smirk, the way she whispered in my ear before leaving me to die.
James—his smile as he aimed an arrow at my chest.
A sharp, burning ache settled in my throat.
They had never loved me.
Not as a daughter.
Not as a sister.
Not as a mate.
I closed my eyes, sucking in a shaky breath. I had spent too much time crying.
Too much time begging for love that had never been meant for me.
Enough.
I wouldn't break.
Not now.
"You are not alone." My wolf spoke.
I had felt her presence since I turned 18th but instead of my father being happy it was filled with hatred.
But now, for the first time, I needed answers.
"What are you?" I whispered into the silence of the room.
A pause. Then, softly—
"I am your wolf. And you are my chosen."
I swallowed. "I know that. But… what kind of wolf are you?"
For days, I had ignored the feeling that something was different.
I had heard the whispers. I had seen the way my father looked at me—not just with hatred, but with fear.
Something had always been wrong.
I just never knew what.
"You are ready to hear the truth," my wolf said at last. "My name is Vorgris."
A strange chill ran through me.
The name sounded… ancient.
I had heard it before. Somewhere. Long ago.
I frowned, searching my memories, trying to place it.
Then it hit me.
A forgotten legend. A warning whispered in hushed voices by the elders.
A story meant to be buried in history.
The legend of Vorgris wolves.
"No," I whispered, shaking my head. "That's not possible. Vorgris wolves are extinct."
"Then why do I exist?" she asked calmly.
My breath caught.
She wasn't lying.
Vorgris wolves weren't just rare—they had been hunted to extinction.
Feared. Cursed.
A single truth settled in my chest like a stone.
I wasn't just an outcast.
I was never meant to exist.
I sat up abruptly, my hands shaking. "Why… why would my father keep this from me?"
"He feared what you would become," Vorgris said simply. "He feared your power."
A sick feeling twisted in my stomach.
Everything suddenly made sense.
The way my father never looked at me like his daughter.
The way my pack avoided me even before my first shift.
The way I had been hunted, exiled, beaten, betrayed.
The way my sister blames me for mom's death.
They had always known.
And they had wanted me dead before I ever discovered the truth.
I forced myself to take a deep breath. "The prophecy," I murmured. "What does it say?"
A pause.
Then—
"One must kill. Or be killed."
I clenched my fists, my nails biting into my palms.
"By who?"
Silence.
Then—
"Your rival."
A tremor ran through me.
Every legend about Vorgris wolves said the same thing.
They were destined to have a single rival—one they could not avoid.
One they could not escape.
And when they met, there was only one outcome.
One of them would die.
I swallowed hard. "What happens if I meet my rival?"
"Then fate will decide."
I closed my eyes, trying to steady my breathing.
I wasn't just a cursed child.
I was doomed.
---
A sharp knock interrupted my thoughts.
The door swung open before I could react.
She walked in like she owned the room.
Selene.
The woman from earlier—the one who had tried to embrace Hunter, the one who had looked at me like I was nothing.
She moved with an air of confidence, her crimson dress flowing behind her, her heels clicking against the marble floor.
I sat up straighter, instantly on guard.
She didn't hesitate.
She grabbed my wrist and yanked me up.
Pain flared through my sore body, but I refused to react.
I ripped my hand away from her grip, my eyes narrowing.
"What do you want?" I asked.
Selene smirked. "I want to know why you are here."
I crossed my arms. "Why don't you ask your Alpha?."
Her smile sharpened. "I already did."
I frowned.
She scoffed. "You must have done something. He doesn't bring people here for no reason."
I didn't answer.
She studied me, her brown eyes flickering with something unreadable.
Then, slowly, her smirk faded.
She stepped closer, her fingers brushing against my arm.
For a second, I thought she was going to grab me again—
But then—
She froze.
Her breath hitched.
She took a sharp step back, her eyes wide with sudden fear.
I frowned. "What?"
She stared at me like she had just seen a ghost.
Her lips parted slightly, but no sound came out.
Then, barely above a whisper, she spoke.
"You… you are a cursed wolf."