The warriors stopped the moment they saw me.
Silence fell across the clearing.
The lake reflected the moonlight, and the cold wind carried the scent of the pack through the forest.
I could hear their heartbeats.
Fast.
Uneven.
Shocked.
"Elena…?" one of them whispered.
Their eyes widened as they stared at my silver fur glowing under the moon.
I stood still.
Tall.
Unmoving.
My tail flicked slowly behind me.
They looked like they had seen a ghost.
One of the younger warriors took a step forward.
"That's impossible," he muttered.
"She doesn't even have a wolf."
My wolf growled low in my chest.
The sound vibrated through the clearing like distant thunder.
The warrior immediately froze.
Another man stepped forward.
Older.
Stronger.
Captain Rowan.
I remembered him.
He had been Damon's most loyal warrior for years.
His eyes studied me carefully.
Then his expression hardened.
"Elena," he said slowly.
My ears twitched.
"Shift."
His command was sharp.
Authoritative.
Like he still believed he had the right to order me.
Anger flared in my chest.
My wolf lifted her head proudly.
He has no authority over us.
I felt the same.
Slowly, I stepped forward instead.
The warriors instinctively stepped back.
Not because I attacked.
But because they felt it.
The power.
Captain Rowan frowned.
"This is not a request," he said coldly. "Shift back to human form immediately."
I tilted my head slightly.
Then I did something none of them expected.
I turned my back on them.
A collective gasp spread through the group.
My wolf spoke calmly.
Let them watch.
The shift came naturally this time.
Silver light shimmered across my fur as my body changed.
Bones moved.
Muscles tightened.
Within seconds, I stood on the forest ground again—human.
The night air was cold against my skin, but I didn't bother covering myself.
My long hair fell down my back as I faced them again.
The warriors stared like they were seeing me for the first time.
Their eyes slowly moved from my face…
To the faint silver glow still lingering in my eyes.
Captain Rowan's voice dropped to a whisper.
"You… have a wolf."
I crossed my arms calmly.
"Looks like it."
One of the warriors suddenly spoke.
"But… your wolf is silver."
Another whispered nervously.
"That's not normal."
Captain Rowan's expression darkened.
"Where did you get that wolf?"
I laughed softly.
The sound echoed across the lake.
"Get?"
I stepped closer.
"You make it sound like I bought it."
The warriors exchanged uneasy looks.
Rowan's eyes narrowed.
"Alpha Damon needs to see this."
At the sound of his name, something twisted painfully in my chest.
Damon.
The man who rejected me in front of the entire pack.
The man who chose another woman instead of his own mate.
My wolf growled quietly.
We owe him nothing.
Rowan continued.
"You will return to the pack immediately."
His tone made it sound like an order.
I looked at him for a long moment.
Then I shook my head.
"No."
The single word fell heavily into the clearing.
Rowan blinked.
"What?"
"I said no."
His jaw tightened.
"Elena, you are still a member of Silver Ridge."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Am I?"
His silence answered everything.
For years they had treated me like an outsider.
A burden.
A weak human girl who didn't belong.
And now suddenly I was part of the pack again?
Convenient.
Rowan took a step forward.
"You don't have a choice."
My wolf laughed inside my mind.
He still thinks we are weak.
Before I could answer—
A deep voice echoed from the darkness behind the warriors.
"Oh… I wouldn't say that."
Every warrior turned instantly.
The air shifted.
Heavy.
Powerful.
Dominant.
Branches moved as someone stepped out of the forest shadows.
My heart stopped for a moment.
Damon.
Alpha Damon walked slowly into the clearing.
Tall.
Commanding.
His black coat moved with the wind, and his sharp gray eyes locked onto me.
For a moment, no one spoke.
The warriors bowed their heads respectfully.
"Alpha."
But Damon didn't look at them.
He was staring at me.
At my eyes.
Then his gaze slowly moved downward.
As if confirming what he was seeing.
Shock flickered across his face.
"Elena," he said quietly.
My wolf stiffened.
My heart beat faster.
But I forced my voice to stay calm.
"Yes, Alpha?"
The word tasted bitter.