When the Silenced Wolf Woke

WINNIE’S POV

I didn't sleep. Every creak of the floorboards, every distant howl of a wolf on patrol, made me bolt upright in bed, my heart hammering against my ribs. The image of the dead bird burned in my mind. Lila wasn't just a spoiled princess, she was a predator who had been told no for the first time in her life, and I was the target of her rage.

​But as the sun began to peek over the jagged peaks of the Moon Stone Mountains, a different feeling started to stir in my chest. It wasn't fear. It was a low, simmering heat.

​I was tired of being the victim. I was tired of being the girl who got left behind, the girl who got bullied, the girl who apologized for existing.

​I got up, washed my face with ice-cold water, and pulled on a fresh pair of dark trousers and a fitted tunic. I braided my hair back so tight it pulled at my scalp. If I were going to be in the middle of a wolf den, I was going to look like I belonged there.

​When I arrived at the Alpha's chambers, the guards seemed more alert, their eyes tracking me with a new kind of intensity. Word traveled fast in the palace. Everyone knew about the confrontation in the Alpha’s room.

​“Come in, Winnie,” Cassian called out before I could even knock.

​He was at his desk, surrounded by maps and ancient books. He looked tired. The dark veins on his neck seemed more pronounced this morning, pulsing with a faint, sickly violet light.

​“How are you feeling?” I asked, moving straight to the tray of supplies.

​“Like my blood is made of lead,” he admitted, his voice raspy. He looked at my face, his eyes lingering on the dark circles under my eyes. “You didn't sleep. Was it the bed?”

​“The welcome gift on my door was a bit distracting,” I said dryly, mixing the lunar lily paste.

​Cassian froze. His aura flared, not with dominance this time, but with a cold, murderous intent. “What gift?”

​I told him about the bird and the note. I even showed him the silver dagger I had kept. As I spoke, the pen in his hand snapped in two, ink staining his fingers like blood.

​“I will handle Lila,” he said, his voice a low, vibrating growl. “She has gone too far this time.”

​“No,” I said, surprising myself. I looked him dead in the eye. “If you handle her, it just proves I’m weak. It proves I need the Alpha to fight my battles. I’m here to heal you, Cassian. Let me do that. I’ll deal with your sister in my own way.”

​“And how do you plan to do that?” he asked, his eyes narrowing. “You have no wolf, Winnie. She could snap you in half.”

​“She thinks I'm nothing,” I said, my voice cold. “That is my greatest advantage. She won't see me coming until I've already won.”

​Cassian stared at me for a long beat. A slow, predatory smile spread across his face, the first real smile I’d seen from him. “Silenced strength. I told you.”

​He stood up and moved to the stool, pulling off his shirt. I began the treatment, my fingers moving with more confidence today. As the paste touched his skin, he let out a long, shuddering breath.

​“There’s a gala tonight,” he said suddenly. “To celebrate the upcoming union between the Royal Line and the Silver Moon Pack.”

​The union. Jason and Lila.

​“I expect I won’t be invited,” I said, trying to keep my voice neutral. “I’ll stay here and prepare the next dose.”

​“On the contrary,” Cassian said, his eyes glowing gold. “You are my personal carer. You are required to be by my side at all times, especially when I am in a high-stress environment. The wolfsbane reacts to adrenaline.”

​“You want me to go to the engagement party?” I asked, my heart skipping a beat. “Cassian, that’s suicide. Lila will lose her mind. And Jason... Jason won't be able to handle it.”

​“Jason needs to see what he threw away,” Cassian interrupted. “And the pack needs to see that I don't care about bloodlines or freaks. I care about loyalty. I care about results. You are my results, Winnie.”

​He reached out, grabbing my wrist gently. “I have a dress for you. Something... appropriate for a mystery.”

​“A dress? From you?” I asked, breathless.

​“From the Royal treasury,” he corrected, though his eyes told a different story. “Go. The seamstress is waiting.”

​The rest of the day was a blur of preparation. The seamstress was a quiet woman named Marta who didn't say a word but looked at me with a strange kind of reverence.

​“You have the Alpha’s mark on your spirit, child,” she whispered as she pinned the fabric.

​“I have no mark,” I said. “I have no wolf.”

​“The soul doesn't need a wolf to shine,” she replied, her eyes knowing.

​The dress was midnight blue, the color of the sky just before the moon rises. It was made of silk that felt like water, with silver thread woven into the bodice that looked like constellations.

​When I looked in the mirror, I didn't recognize myself. I didn't look like the girl from the diner. I looked like a queen of the shadows.

​The gala was held in the Great Hall, a cavernous room filled with hundreds of wolves in their finest attire. The scent of champagne, expensive perfumes, and raw lupine power was overwhelming.

​As I walked in on Cassian’s arm, the room went dead silent.

​I felt a thousand eyes on me. I saw the whispers, the sneers, the shock.

​“Is that her?” someone whispered.

​“The wolf less girl? In the Alpha’s company?” another hissed.

​I ignored them all. And then, I saw them.

​Lila was in a bright, ostentatious red dress, looking like a bloodstain on the floor. Jason was beside her in a formal suit, looking miserable. When his eyes landed on me, he actually dropped his glass. It shattered on the floor, the sound echoing in the silence.

​“Winnie?” he whispered, his voice loud enough for those nearby to hear.

​Lila’s face went from pale to a terrifying, mottled red. She looked like she was about to shift right there in the middle of the ballroom.

​“Keep your head up,” Cassian murmured in my ear, his hand firm on my waist. “You are the brightest thing in this room. Don't let them dim you.”

​We moved through the crowd, Cassian greeting Alphas and Council members with a cold, effortless grace. I stayed by his side, my heart pounding, but I kept my chin high.

​“Alpha Cassian, a magnificent choice in company,” one older wolf said, though his eyes were judgmental.

​“She is the reason I am standing tonight, Lord Varick,” Cassian replied, his voice carrying through the hall. “I suggest you show her the respect she has earned.”

​But then, the betrayal came from where I least expected it.

​“Alpha Cassian! A word about the border patrols?” A high ranking Council member stepped forward.

​Cassian nodded to me. “Wait here, Winnie. I’ll be right back. Do not move from this spot.”

​He stepped away for just a moment, disappearing into a circle of gray haired wolves. I stood by a pillar, trying to look like I belonged, when a hand gripped my arm like a vice.

​It was Mrs. Halden. But her face wasn't kind anymore. It was twisted with fear.

​“Winnie, you have to leave,” she hissed, her eyes darting around the room. “Now. Before they find it.”

​“Find what? Mrs. Halden, what are you talking about? I'm with the Alpha.”

​“The medicine!” she whispered, her voice trembling. “The vials in your room. They’ve been switched. Lila... she didn't just want to scare you. She’s framed you for poisoning the Alpha. She put pure wolfsbane in the healing jars.”

​My blood turned to ice. “What? No, I checked them!”

​“The guards are on their way to your quarters now,” she said, her grip tightening. “And they are coming here for you. If they find the tainted wolfsbane in your bag, Cassian won't be able to protect you. The Council will have your head before the sun rises. They'll call it treason.”

​I looked toward Cassian, but he was blocked by a wall of Council members. I looked toward the exit, but I saw a group of Royal Guards moving toward me, their faces grim.

​And then I saw Lila, standing across the room, a glass of champagne in her hand and a triumphant, wicked smirk on her lips. She raised the glass to me in a silent toast.

​“There she is!” one of the guards shouted, pointing at me. “By the pillar! Arrest the traitor!”

​I had been set up. And the only person who could save me was currently surrounded by the very men who would sign my death warrant.

​The guards closed in, their hands on their weapons. The crowd parted, faces full of disgust and hatred.

​“Winifred Godfrey, you are under arrest for the attempted assassination of Alpha Cassian,” the lead guard boomed.

​Jason stepped forward, his face pale. “Winnie? No, that’s impossible! She would never!”

​“Stay back, Jason!” Lila cried, feigning shock. “I told you she was dangerous! She wanted revenge for the wedding!”

​But as the guards reached for my arms, something strange happened. A warmth started in the base of my spine, a heat that was different from the Alpha’s. It was ancient, cold, and incredibly powerful. It felt like something waking up after a thousand years of sleep.

​“Don't touch me,” I said, my voice sounding deeper, echoing with a power I didn't recognize.

​“Take her!” the guard commanded.

​For the first time in my life, I didn't feel like a girl without a wolf.

​I felt like something much, much worse.

​The lights in the Great Hall flickered and died, plunging the room into darkness. A low, guttural growl echoed through the room. It was a sound that didn't come from any wolf in the room.

​It came from me.

​“What is that?” Jason’s voice screamed in the dark.

​“Cassian!” I called out, but my voice was a roar that shook the very foundations of the palace.

​The shadows around me began to move, rising like black flames. I could see in the dark. I could see the fear in the guards' eyes. I could see the poison in Lila’s heart.

​The hunt had finally begun.