Chapter 2 [ Finding The Truths ]

Priscilla's POV

The late hours of the night finally brought a chance to rest. I showered and sat down on my bed, staring down at the faded blue mark on my hand. A sudden knock broke the silence. I quickly pulled my long sleeves down to my knuckles and opened the door, only to find Odir standing right outside.

"Odir?" I was surprised, "When did you return?”

"In the evening" he smiled.

"Come in, let's talk inside," I murmured, widening the doorway.

Once we sat down, I couldn't hold back the question burning in my mind. "So, how is the investigation going? Did you find any leads?”

"I uncovered exactly what you were looking for," he murmured, his voice dropping low as he leaned closer. "It was buried deep. Finding it wasn't easy, and I had to break a few rules to unearth the truth.”

"Can we trust this source?" I pressed, my gaze locking onto his. “I need absolute certainty, Odir.”

He nodded grimly, "It's flawless, Yang. I refused to leave the borderlands until I was absolutely certain of the facts. Rest assured, the information is perfect. If there was even a shadow of a mistake, I wouldn't be standing here right now.”

"I trust you, Odir. "Now, please... tell me what you found.”

"The discovery practically left me speechless," he replied. A shadow flitted across his face, a silent warning that my mind was about to be completely blown. He took a slow breath, letting the silence stretch between us. "The savior who protected your parents that night... it was…”

"Just spit it out already!" I snapped. The suspense was suffocating me.

"An Alpha," he whispered, the two words dropping into the quiet room like a bombshell.

The news really shook me up.”

My brow furrowed. An Alpha? How could that be possible? I looked up, "The Alpha clan? You're not mistaken, are you?”

Odir shook his head slowly, his expression grim. "There is no mistake. I confirmed it myself. The twist is, I don't think the Alpha even knows. He has absolutely no idea he accidentally saved an Omega couple.”

I let out a harsh breath, thinking it over. As if our current clash wasn't enough. Could our luck get any worse? Now we owe an Alpha.

I let out a heavy sigh. "With the way the clan treats Omegas these days, it's a blessing he's clueless. If he had any idea, he wouldn't have saved them; he would have executed them.”

"Fortunate is an understatement," Odir agreed with a nod.

"Then give me a name, Odir. Who is this Alpha?”

"The son of the Alpha Leader. With the Master Alpha bedridden, he is the one pulling the strings now.”

"What?" The word died in my throat. My jaw practically hit the floor as the reality of his words set in. Seriously? This wasn't just some random, low-ranking Alpha; this was the Leader Clan itself. Out of all the packs in the world, why did it have to be them?

"The leader clan? Which pack?"

"Shadow Hunt"

I let out a heavy sigh. "I never imagined digging for the truth would land us in a mess this deep. At this rate, ignorance really is bliss.”

"What are you going to do now?" Odir asked, his gaze pinning me to the spot. Of all the wolves in the world, did we seriously have to cross paths with the one who despised us the most?

"Of course, we return the favor," I told him after thinking it through.

Odir let out a harsh laugh, incredulous. "You're insane. If they catch you once, you're done for. Period. I can't believe you're throwing yourself into the lion's den just to settle a favor he doesn't even know he's owed.”

"Watch your tone, Odir. This isn't a game of counting favors. The Leader Clan views us as nothing but traitors. If helping this Alpha means saving even a single innocent Omega from slaughter, I have to try. I'm not risking my life for a debt—I'm risking it for our future.”

Odir frowned at me.

"Besides, I don't like being indebted to anyone, let alone the Alphas. If our factions clash in the future, they won't hesitate to wipe us out. A life debt is leverage, Odir. I'm taking that leverage away from them.”

"But how are you going to do that?"

"I will enter their territory and find a way to repay what we owe. The second that debt is cleared, We will owe them absolutely nothing.”

"You’re playing with fire," Odir said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Your parents would never let you step foot into the Leader Clan’s territory.”

"Then I won't tell them," I said flatly. "If the Alpha can remain oblivious, so can my parents. It’s better if both sides stay completely in the dark.”

"You can't be serious," Odir whispered. All emotion draining from his face until it was totally unreadable.

"I don't joke, Odir, and you know it.”

Alphas are the undisputed rulers of the shifter hierarchy: brutally strong, sharp-minded, and terrifyingly fierce. Entering their territory is madness, but I want to see the wolves who rule us. This will be my first real taste of their world—and quite possibly my last.

Odir let out a slow, defeated breath. "There’s no changing your mind, is there? You’re really going to do this.”

I looked at him, "I am"

If I succeed, this won't just clear a debt. It could rewrite the destiny of our entire kind.

Eryx's POV

I rolled out of bed, throwing on a robe as I crossed the room. Outside the glass door, the morning sun was just hitting the floorboards. I stepped onto the balcony, looking out over the training grounds.The warriors were already deep in their drills—their training sessions always began at five in the morning and dragged on until ten. I was so engrossed in the view that I didn't notice the presence behind me until a pair of arms snaked around my waist, bringing the sweet, familiar scent of flowers with them.

"Alpha, why did you leave me in bed alone? I was looking for you." I felt the soft press of her cheek against my bare back. Without a word, I pried her arms off my waist and coldly pushed her away.

"You’d better remember your place," I said, my voice cutting through the morning air. "I don't tolerate unnecessary touching. Know your limits." It was always the same. A night of passion was nothing more than the feeding of a primal hunger—a brief appeasement of the flesh. There was no emotion, no affection, and absolutely no love. Ours was a faded bond, a dead string that only twitched to life when fueled by pure lust. I felt the immediate shift in the air as she recoiled, her presence turning rigid with fear and rejection.

"I'm sorry, Alpha," she whispered, her voice cracking under the weight of his rejection. "Every time you stay with me... it's special to me. I only thought..." Her words trailed off into a heavy, suffocating silence.

"Keep your illusions to yourself," I said, my voice dropping to a dangerous, low rumble. "You know the rules—do not push them. What happens between these sheets stays here. When the sun comes up, it's over.”

"Yes, I understand." Her quiet, defeated response was followed by the rustle of clothes, the click of the latch, and the soft thud of the closing door. I stood alone on the balcony, my eyes fixed on the wolves drilling on the training fields below. The realization tasted like ash. No matter how many women I bedded, the feral hunger clawing inside my chest remained completely untamable. Nothing could satisfy my beast anymore.

A persistent ring tone cut through the morning air, breaking my focus. I glanced at the display. Maximus's name was flashing on the screen, demanding my attention.

"Alpha," Maximus’s voice crackled through the line the second I pressed accept. "The new batch of trainees has just arrived at the base camp. Do you want to oversee their intake?”

"Is your own session finished, Maximus?" I asked, my voice flat.

"Denzel has the second round covered.”

"Alright. Give me ten minutes," I said, cutting the call. I let out a low, frustrated growl, rubbing the back of my neck. The mating season was bleeding closer by the day, and the mere thought of it made my skin crawl. I needed to prepare. Every year, the rut was an absolute nightmare—a burning, suffocating torture. No ordinary woman could survive the sheer heat of my beast, let alone handle being in the same room as me.

I washed off the scent of the night in a hot shower, dressed quickly, and snagged my keys and phone off the desk. The bedroom was actually a side suite connected directly to my main study, allowing me to slip out toward the driveway without crossing the main house. Out on the manicured lawn, Maximus was already waiting beside the vehicle.

"The standard training season shouldn't have started yet," I said, opening the car door. "Why are we taking in recruits early?”

"They extended the training hours over the last three months, which pushed the selection timeline up," Maximus explained, sliding into the passenger seat. "The base commander only looped me in yesterday.”

"What about border patrol?” I asked, turning the key as the engine roared to life.

"Everything cleared without a hitch," Maximus said, leaning back. "Though border patrol did report a few stray rogues lingering near the perimeter. They're harmless scavengers, nothing to worry about. The guards on duty will clean them up easily.”

"A rogue is a rogue, Maximus. The moment they cross our perimeter without permission, they are trespassers. Remind the guards what we do with trespassers.”

"Understood," Maximus said. "What’s the update from the pack healers regarding the Master Alpha? Are they making any progress?”

"Still the same," I answered flatly. It had been years, but the wound remained as raw as the day he received it. Every specialist we hired left completely baffled. There was no cure, no progress—just a slow, agonizing decline.