The Beginning of My Revenge

Lyra's PO

The days that followed were unlike anything I had ever experienced.

Grandpa stopped training me in swordsmanship, archery, and hand-to-hand combat. Instead, every lesson revolved around my wolf.

He taught me how to listen to it instead of fighting against it. How to remain calm when my instincts threatened to take over. How to shift without fear and, more importantly, how to return to my human form.

At first, I failed miserably.

Every transformation left me exhausted, and more than once, I found myself trapped in my wolf form, unable to become human again. Panic would consume me every time, convinced I would spend the rest of my life as the very creature I despised.

But Grandpa never lost his patience.

Again and again, he guided me through every transformation until little by little, I began to understand the wolf living inside me.

"You've been fighting your wolf for ten years without realizing it," Grandpa told me one afternoon. "Stop treating it as your enemy, Lyra. Your wolf is a part of you."

Accepting that was far more difficult than learning to transform.

I still hated the silver fur, the razor-sharp claws, and everything that reminded me of the monsters who had taken my parents away from me.

Yet no matter how much I denied it, my wolf answered only to me.

As the days passed, shifting became easier.

By the third week, I no longer needed Grandpa's guidance every time I transformed. I had learned to control my wolf instead of letting it control me.

I could return to my human form whenever I wanted.

More surprising still, I could transform even when there wasn't a full moon.

Grandpa wasn't surprised.

"I expected as much," he said.

I frowned.

"You did?"

He nodded.

"Ordinary werewolves depend on the moon to complete their first transformations, and many can only shift under certain conditions until they've fully matured. But you are different."

"Different how?"

He looked at me with quiet pride.

"You carry the blood of one of the oldest and most powerful bloodlines in the werewolf world. If you had been an ordinary wolf, teaching you everything in less than a month would have been impossible."

I lowered my gaze to my hands.

"So... that's why I learned so quickly?"

"Yes."

He gave me a small nod.

"Your blood remembers what your mind does not."

His words sent a chill down my spine. For the first time since my transformation, I realized this wasn't just a curse.

Whoever I truly was...

I had been born to be far more than an ordinary werewolf.

"Do I have to leave today?" I asked quietly on the morning of my departure.

Grandpa nodded.

"Yes. We don't have any more time, Lyra."

A lump formed in my throat.

For ten years, this small cabin had been my entire world. Every memory I had of growing up existed within these walls and the endless forest surrounding them. It wasn't much, but it was home.

And now, I was leaving it behind.

I lowered my gaze.

"What about you?" I asked, unable to hide the worry in my voice. "You'll be here all alone."

Grandpa let out a quiet chuckle.

"You worry too much."

I looked up at him.

"I'm serious."

"So am I." He smiled faintly. "You don't have to worry about me. I'm old, Lyra, but I'm not helpless. I can still take care of myself."

I wasn't convinced. He had always looked invincible to me, but over the years, I had begun noticing the little things. The stiffness in his movements on cold mornings. The way he rubbed his shoulder whenever he thought I wasn't looking.

He was growing older. And for the first time, I wouldn't be there with him.

Grandpa seemed to read my thoughts.

"You have a mission to accomplish," he said firmly. "Don't waste your energy worrying about an old man."

His eyes softened. "I know you can do this."

Before I could respond, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me.

I froze. For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.

Grandpa wasn't affectionate. He believed discipline was more important than comfort, and in all the years we had lived together, I could count on one hand the number of times he had hugged me.

Slowly, I hugged him back.

A smile tugged at my lips even as my eyes burned with unshed tears.

"I'll come back," I whispered.

"You will," he replied. "But don't come back until your mission is complete."

I nodded. "I won't."

A short while later, I left the cabin and walked along the narrow dirt road until I reached the main highway, where I waited for the next bus heading toward the nearest city.

Before I left, Grandpa handed me a worn leather wallet.

"I'll manage," I had protested.

"You'll need this more than I do," he replied.

When I opened it, I found neatly folded bills, a few coins, and something that made me freeze.

A cellphone.

I looked up at him in surprise.

"You've never let me have one before."

"You'll need it now."

He paused before adding, his expression turning serious.

"But no one must know we're communicating. If anyone discovers we're in contact, it could put both of us in danger."

I nodded slowly, still staring at the phone in my hand.

Back in Mystique Village, I had never needed technology. Grandpa had always forbidden me from owning a cellphone, even when I traveled to the village center for junior high school.

But I wasn't completely unfamiliar with them. My friends often let me borrow theirs, and together we'd scroll through social media or watch whatever videos were trending online.

Still, I had no idea how little I actually knew about the world beyond our village.

I had just graduated from senior high school a few weeks earlier. According to Grandpa, the Dravenfords allowed their servants to pursue higher education if they wished. As long as their duties were fulfilled, they were free to attend college and build a future just like anyone else.

Grandpa had already enrolled me in a university near the estate under my new identity. My classes wouldn't begin for another two weeks, giving me enough time to settle into my new life before the semester started.

The bus ride lasted several hours before I transferred to a train bound for the capital.

As the train sped across the countryside, I rested my forehead against the window, watching the endless scenery blur past.

The farther we traveled, the fewer forests I saw. Small towns slowly gave way to highways, towering buildings, and endless streams of traffic.

By the time the train finally pulled into the station, I pressed my face against the glass, unable to hide my amazement.

Crestmont City.

It had been years since I had last seen the capital, and I had forgotten just how magnificent it was.

Elegant skyscrapers and glass-covered office buildings towered over the bustling streets. Luxury cars, buses, and motorcycles filled the roads, their horns blending with the constant hum of the city.

Crowds of people hurried along the sidewalks, dressed in tailored business suits, designer clothes, and school uniforms, while towering digital billboards flashed advertisements high above the streets.

The entire city pulsed with life.

For a brief moment, I forgot why I had come.

Then my hand instinctively brushed against the dagger hidden beneath my jacket.

Revenge.

That single word shattered my wonder and reminded me why I had returned to the city where my life had been destroyed.

After leaving the station, I hailed a taxi and gave the driver the address Grandpa had memorized with me.

The fare displayed on the meter made my eyes widen.

It cost far more than I had expected.

I silently thanked Grandpa for insisting that I bring every dollar he had saved. Otherwise, I would never have made it this far.

Nearly an hour later, the taxi slowed before an enormous pair of black iron gates.

"We're here," the driver said.

I stepped out. The moment I lifted my head, every thought vanished.

My mouth fell open. Before me stood the towering entrance to Dravenford Estate.

My wolf paced inside me, strangely alert.

I couldn't understand why.

Massive black iron gates rose several stories high, bearing the unmistakable silver crest of the Dravenford family. Beyond them stretched an estate so vast it looked like a private city hidden behind towering walls.

Even from where I stood, I could hear the distant sound of fountains and glimpse luxury vehicles disappearing along the tree-lined roads.

This wasn't simply a family home. It was an empire.

I tightened my grip on my travel bag and forced myself toward the entrance.

Before I reached the gates, two security guards in black uniforms stepped forward, silently blocking my path.

One of them studied me from head to toe before speaking into the silence.

"Can I help you?"

I swallowed the nervous lump in my throat and took a slow, steady breath before lifting my chin. This was it. There was no turning back now.

Ten years ago, I had fled this city as a frightened little girl. Today, I was returning as the hunter. And before this was over, someone inside Dravenford Estate would pay for my family's blood.