Episode 15

A woman stared down through the glass window of a company building. Large cars passed back and forth below. Towering buildings in the middle of the city welcomed her view. The density of urban life had become her daily world one far removed from the forest.

Her thoughts drifted to the past. She took a long breath. For years she had tried to forget the darkest chapter of her life, yet it continued to haunt her.

The woman clenched her fists. Her chest trembled. Why did the pain still linger? The disappointment inside her had awakened a deep hatred. She had frozen her once-gentle heart. There was no weak woman left to be trampled on only a cold woman living without emotion.

Unknowingly, five years had passed since she came here. She had fought tirelessly for a better life, learning from her experiences to never be weak again.

Now, she was a woman standing at the top. No one could underestimate her anymore. No one dared throw insults at her again.

“Miss? Miss Ale? The meeting is about to start.” A voice snapped the woman named Ale out of her reverie.

“Alright, I’ll head there now,” Ale replied coolly.

She brushed away her negative thoughts and walked toward her grand chair. Her office looked large and luxurious. Ale’s eyes landed on the card on her desk that read Director.

Her phone vibrated, signaling an incoming call. Ale quickly picked it up from the desk and answered it.

“Ale? Where are you?” The voice on the other end made Ale raise her eyebrows in confusion. The person sounded panicked.

“I’m at the company, Bella. What’s wrong?” Ale replied while tidying up the scattered proposals on her desk.

“It’s bad, Ale! Zale is missing!” At that, Ale’s heart began pounding violently. Zale? Her beloved daughter had gone missing? How could that be?

“Missing? What do you mean?” Ale asked, barely processing Bella’s words as her mind flooded with terrifying thoughts.

“I’m so sorry, Ale. I only ran after Kenneth and Keenan when they were playing, but when I managed to catch the two of them, I lost sight of Zale.” Bella’s voice trembled. Ale fell silent for a moment before reacting in shock.

“Oh my God I’ll be there right away,” Ale said hurriedly.

She rushed into her car and sped off, leaving the meeting behind.

“Miss Ale! The clients are waiting!” her secretary shouted from a distance, clearly anxious as Ale abandoned an important meeting.

Ale drove like lightning, cutting through the sea of vehicles recklessly. She didn’t care about her own safety. Her child’s life mattered more than anything her little angel who had arrived in the darkest moment of her life.

After about fifteen minutes, Ale finally arrived at the children’s playground. Every week, Bella brought all the kids there to ease their boredom.

“Kenneth! Keenan!” Ale called out to her twin boys, worry heavy in her voice.

“Mom!” Kenneth and Keenan ran to her and hugged her tightly.

“I’m sorry, Ale. I was careless,” Bella said, guilt ridden. She knew she shouldn’t have been careless while watching Ale’s baby.

“It’s alright, Bella,” Ale replied. She understood how exhausting it was to care for three toddlers at once.

“How could you two leave Zale?” Ale asked her twins.

“We’re sorry, Mom. We failed to watch her,” Kenneth admitted, feeling guilty. As an older brother, he should have protected his little sister.

“You have to punish us,” Kenneth and Keenan said, tugging at their own ears their usual act of self-punishment when they were wrong.

“No, sweetheart. Mom loves you both so much. This isn’t your fault,” Ale said softly, stroking their cheeks.

“Ale, I caught Zale’s scent heading toward the Caveron Forest,” Bella said, confirming the trail. The forest was far from human settlements and the one Ale despised the most.

“That forest?” Ale muttered, pointing toward the uninhabited woods beside the playground.

“I’ll go search for her,” Ale said urgently.

“Ale, wait you remember your past there, don’t you?” Bella reminded her, hoping Ale wouldn’t return to that place.

“I don’t care about my pain, Bella. I’ll do anything to protect my children.” Bella felt touched. Ale loved her three kids fiercely. They were the ones who had pulled her out of darkness and given her purpose.

“Please watch Kenneth and Keenan.” Bella nodded firmly.

“Kenya, take over my body.”

“Ready, Ale. Let’s face real life together.” Ale immediately shifted into her wolf form a brown she wolf. Bella stepped back while holding the twins close.

A brief explanation about Kenya: Kenya was Ale’s wolf. She had brown fur and pitch black eyes. Ale never expected that after giving birth to her triplets, she would finally be able to shift. She was grateful to have a lively wolf like Kenya, who cheered her up in lonely times.

“Be careful, Ale, love!” Bella shouted as Kenya dashed into the forest.

Kenya ran through the dark forest filled with rocks. Steep cliffs lined one side, terrifyingly sharp and high.

At first, everything seemed normal only thick bushes greeting her. But then something strange started chasing her from behind. Kenya glanced back and widened her eyes when she saw a group of figures sprinting toward her.

“Damn, someone’s chasing us, Ale,” Kenya warned.

“Run faster,” Ale commanded.

“I can’t, Ale this is the fastest I can go.” It was Kenya’s maximum speed.

“He’s incredibly fast,” Kenya muttered in awe. She had never seen a wolf run that fast. But because she wasn’t watching her path, Kenya tripped over the rocks and tumbled down, her body rolling downhill as her vision went dark.