Chapter Two

"Leader!"

“Leader!”

Rhiannon gasped awake, her body stirring back to life as she sucked in a deep breath. She blinked, looking around lazily and scanning her environment. 

She was sprawled on the floor, somewhere in the woods along the familiar narrow ridge that separated her Pack's hunting grounds from their rival's territory. Beside her was a warrior meant to keep her Wolfless self safe, Jack. 

"Are you alright?" He asked. 

Rhia was still too disoriented to give a reply. Instead, she quickly studied her surroundings even more. Below them, through the gaps of the dense canopy were flickers of hidden campfires where the Pack warriors, including her father and Ethan were setting up an ambush. 

Distant howls of unfamiliar Werewolves came with the wind, and it finally hit her. 

This had all happened about a year ago, the battle which decided the turning point of the True North Pack. In this battle, the True North Pack had set up an ambush for the Timberfangs, but it had almost backfired with so many losing their lives that night, even though they had still conquered the battle at last. 

But this couldn't be real. It wasn't making any sense. She had clearly remembered getting betrayed and dying a horrible death at the end. 

Glancing at Jack, she asked, "What date is it today?"

"Uhmm," He seemed a bit taken aback by her question, "It's the third of September, 2018," 

She was right! She had lived this day a year ago before. Does that mean...she has been given a second chance at life? Yes! A second chance!

Joy and relief spread through her, and she almost burst into tears right there. She couldn't believe this was actually happening. 

Now, she had a chance to change things for the better, and she sure as hell would not make the same mistakes she made before. 

As the lead strategist, Rhia had came up with multiple plans for this ambush. Plan C was what helped them turn the tide of the battle when everything fell into chaos. 

The True North Pack had tried to ambush the Timberfangs, but they had been the ones who ended up getting ambushed - she remembered everything that happened, and her eyes narrowed slightly at the desolated, fog-covered battleground. 

The rival pack had been hiding in the fog, which helped hide their precise movements. But now she knew, they were waiting. 

The urge to warn the True North Pack came, but the flashes of the agonizing pain she went through till the moment of her breath drove the urge away, and her gaze held a new, blazing conviction. 

Stealthily, she began to crawl down. 

"Leader, where are you going?" Jack whispered. 

"Stay there!" She warned, her eyes cold, "I'll be back soon,"

Rhia climbed down the slope, clutching onto thick ingrown branches till she landed down. Light on her feet, she snuck into the dense canopies, quietly approaching the warriors of her Pack. 

Their superhuman ears easily picked up on her incoming footsteps, and sent their snarls her way, but once she was close enough and they recognised her, everyone gave her way to step into the small tent her father and Ethan were currently in. 

Rhia frowned. 

They were the last people she was here to see. 

Instead of going to the tent, she walked past it and continued down the woods. The warriors exchanged confused glances among each other, but none questioned their strategist and Alpha's daughter. 

Rhia kept going, till she stepped into the foggy part of the woods. Strengthening her resolve with the draw of an even deeper breath, she walked further into the Timberfangs' territory. 

Not a minute later, snarls of several wolves surrounded her. They came at her, barring their canines and slashing their intimidating forms at her. They were large, even larger than she had anticipated and her heart hammered against her ribs. 

Then, a larger wolf appeared from the denser fog within. It had Golden fur, and pranced toward her with a majestic grace and terrifying crimson gleam in its big, predatory glare. It's aura overpowered the rest, stealing the barely breathable air around. 

The second they locked gazes, a bizarre, dizzying feeling coursed through her veins. 

The large wolf snarled at her, it's guttural noise even deeper than the rest. There was no doubt in her mind that this was the Alpha of the Timberfang Pack. 

"I come in peace," She raised both hands in surrender, and went down on both knees, keeping her eyes on the large wolf, "I only seek for you to hear me out,"

The cold air tickled her face as she awaited some kind of response from them, but they had all gone silent. She was gambling her life right now, knowing that they could simply choose to tear her apart, but she wasn't afraid. 

Her family had betrayed her in the most heinous way possible. She would rather risk dying here than take any of their side again. 

Before her eyes, the large wolf grew smaller, transforming into his human form. A naked, tall man stood in front of her, his face and stature appearing to have been carved from the shadows and Moonlight. 

He was simply breathtaking, and once again the bizarre feeling tugged at her chest again.

"Who are you?!" He questioned, his voice crusty with a warning laced in them. 

"I'm Rhiannon, from the...True North Pack,"

This time, a few wolves growled in anger. They were very much ready to tear off her head this time, and she also felt the even more threatening aura growing from the Alpha. 

"I've heard about you," His eyes darkened, "You're the Main strategist, aren't you? You're the one behind the immense success the Pack has been experiencing for the past few years," He stated. 

Rhiannon nodded, "You're right," She looked up at him, maintaining eye contact, "But that all ends today. I would like to become a spy instead. I'll help you bring down the True North Pack, like you've always wanted,"

His eyes darkened even further, and she knew instantly he didn't believe a word she said. But luckily, he didn't strike her yet like she thought, "Why?" Came the warning again. 

"Because they've trampled on me, and I want to give them all a taste of their own medicine. But this time, I want it to be even more painful than what I went through," She spoke with so much strength and raw anger pouring from her. 

Even her hanging arms had turned into fists, and she tightened them so hard her knuckles turned white and her nails cut deep Into her skin, blood trickling down her palm. 

The Alpha narrowed his eyes at her, "And why should I trust you?"

"Because I have no power against you," She answered sharply, "Right now I'm on my knees, surrendering to you. I risked my life just to come here to tell you this, and I do not have the slightest means to fight against you, for I have no werewolf abilities,"

He stepped closer to her, his gaze calculating and accessing. She could tell he was looking for any doubt in her eyes or her body language, but he couldn't find any. Her heart was beating, but it slammed with boiling rage. 

"How did they trample on you?!" He demanded, "They're your Pack, and the Alpha is your Father,"

"He is NOT my father!" She almost raised her voice at him, recalling the way Killian had treated her all those years, how he had almost choked the life out of her, then later sentenced her to death, "They're not my family. You can check if you wish. They've only been using me," 

"And how do you know all this?"

"The same way I know you guys have been waiting in the fog since yesterday, patiently waiting to turn the tide of the True North's Ambush against them. I know a lot of things, and I can be of great help to you," She paused, rethinking her earlier words, "You don't have to trust me. All I ask for is a chance, a chance to show you what I can do,"

The silence that stretched after that was heavy. Rhia was determined to see that she won this Alpha's Favor, because she had acknowledged in her past life, just how powerless she was against her so-called family. 

They were Werewolves, not human like her. To bring them to their knees, she would need help. To make sure she doesn't die in the next one year, she would have to break them down little by little, and she had the edge since she knew everything that would happen. 

"If you can meet me here in the next five days, with the Ancient Grimoire of the True North Pack, I won't just give you a chance, I'll accept you fully,"

The Pack's Grimoire was an important book containing a detailed history of the Pack and its lycanthropy. It contained unique laws, prophecies and the weaknesses of the Pack. 

"Consider it done," She stated, then stood up to leave. 

As she did, she still kept her hands up in surrender. They still warily glared at her, but she had nothing against them and turned around to leave. 

After walking a few strides, she glanced behind and locked gazes with the Alpha, who never took his eyes off the female, "And for your own sake, it's best you retreat for now. The True Norths are going to change the tide of the battle, and unfortunately, you'll suffer severe losses,"

With that, she disappeared into the Fog and her footsteps became even more distant. 

The Alpha was trying to make sense of what she had just said. Even though the fight hadn't even started, she was already warning them off about them. Was she just trying to scare them away? Or...

He didn't want to believe she somehow had the power to look into the future. 

.

.

As Rhiannon stepped back into the True North territory again, she met exactly what she had been expecting. 

Nothing. 

By now, she expected everyone to know about her disappearance and should have spread out looking for her, but Killian never gave the order. 

He's always wanted her dead. 

They've all always wanted her dead. 

"Rhia!" A masculine voice yelled as she approached the canopies, and there was Ethan running toward her, his face curled into a deep scowl.