Chapter 2

"Has she been brought back?"

Ryan's voice was low and revealed no emotion.

"Alpha Ryan, this is my eldest daughter, Alice Jones."

Mom gently nudged me half a step forward, and a perfectly measured smile appeared on her face. "Alice, greet Alpha Ryan."

I stepped forward, dropped to one knee, and lowered my head. "My respects to you, Alpha Ryan."

Ryan finally shifted his gaze from the documents to me. His stare felt like ice water seeping into my skin. It sent a chill through me. He studied me in silence for several moments as his eyes swept over my mud-caked boots and damp clothes, yet he didn't tell me to rise.

After a long pause, he spoke slowly, and his tone remained flat. "There's a vacant bedroom at the far end of the west wing on the second floor. Take her there. Until she learns the rules of the pack, there's no need for her to wander about."

"Thank you for taking me in, Alpha Ryan," I replied while maintaining my respectful posture.

Mom visibly relaxed, hurried over, and motioned for me to stand before guiding me toward the west wing. "Do you see? Alpha Ryan may be imposing, but he isn't unreasonable."

Mom lowered her voice, and her words spilled out quickly. "As long as you're quiet enough, stay out of trouble, and don't provoke him, you can survive here. Remember, your very existence is already an act of tolerance on his part."

I came to a halt before stepping onto the spiral stone staircase. "Mom."

A flash of mild fury immediately crossed Mom's face. "What is it now? Alice, you had better not start making demands already. It was only for my sake that you were allowed into the Bloodclaw pack in the first place—"

I interrupted her calmly. "I would like to change rooms."

Mom's breath hitched, and her eyes flashed with disbelief and anger. "Are you insane? How dare you question a room personally designated by Alpha Ryan? Do you have any idea how many wolves wish to enter this main castle but are turned away?"

I endured the increasingly sharp pain in my head. My voice was low and raspy from holding back the agony. "That room is at the far end of the west wing and hardly gets any sunlight all year. I'm very sensitive to the cold."

This was the truth. The naturally fractured wolf brought not only pain but also an extreme intolerance to cold. Right now, sunlight was the only comfort I could think of that might ease my suffering.

Mom's voice rose with agitation, echoing faintly through the stone stairwell.

"Cold? Are the fireplaces in the castle not hot enough? Are you intentionally trying to make Alpha Ryan think that I can't even discipline my own daughter? Wasn't your exiled father disgraceful enough? Must you bring shame to me as well?"

Her sharp accusations pierced my ears like needles. I had to clutch my throbbing temple as my vision blurred.

"I just need some sunlight," I repeated, my voice weak.

"Why the commotion?" Ryan asked.

At some point, he silently appeared in the shadows of the platform above the stairs.

His simple words made Mom freeze instantly. Her face went pale, and she bowed immediately. "My deepest apologies, Alpha Ryan. It's Alice… She's being difficult. I'm educating her."

Ryan's gaze shifted to me. His icy stare pinned me in place once more. "Are you dissatisfied with the room?" he asked. His voice gave nothing away.

I forced myself to endure the discomfort, raised my head, and met his eyes. "I wouldn't dare be dissatisfied, Alpha Ryan. It's just that I'm extremely sensitive to the cold and require a room with sunlight."

He remained silent. The atmosphere was suffocating. At last, he spoke again. His words were measured. "There's an empty room on the south side near the outer wall, but it has fallen into disrepair and lacks furniture. Do you want it?"

I nodded without hesitation.

Ryan's eyes lingered on my face for a brief moment before shifting away, as if he had lost interest. "As you wish."

After he finished speaking, he turned and vanished into the shadows of the platform as if he had never been there.

Mom straightened up and shot me a fierce glare. Her eyes were filled with anger and a trace of fear that was hard to detect. "You will regret this, Alice. Playing games in front of Alpha Ryan is never a wise move."

I didn't respond and simply walked in silence toward the more secluded southern corridor she had pointed out. Tomorrow, the sun would shine through there, and that was enough.

That night, the bone-deep ache in my head continued. I curled up on the floor and sank into a dream that was cold yet steady, free from Dad's uncontrolled roars.