You Know Nothing!

REXIANA

My eyelids felt like lead. When I finally managed to pry them open, the sharp white glow of the ceiling stung my eyes, sending a spike of pain through my temples. My vision swam, slowly bringing a distinct silhouette into focus around the bed.

​A pair of intense, unblinking eyes were locked directly onto mine. ​My first floating, feverish thought was that I had died and somehow crossed over. The air was quiet, completely free of the cruel taunts and heavy boots that had haunted my life in Storm Fang. But as the fog in my mind began to clear, the harsh reality of my existence came crashing back. A sickening wave of familiar shame washed over me: He's staring because I’m repulsive. He's disgusted by how hideous I look.

​Panic surged through my veins. I instinctively tried to shrink into the mattress, my hands trembling as I yanked the white sheet up to my chin to hide my scarred, battered self. My heart hammered wildly against my ribs like a trapped bird.

​The silence hanging over the room was suffocating. The burly guy didn't move, he just kept hovering near the bed, his eyes wide as they tracked my every breath. Then, the door swung open, and a beautiful middle-aged woman in a doctor’s coat walked in, followed closely by a very pretty young woman whose commanding presence effortlessly filled the space.

​"You're awake. Perfect," the doctor said softly as she approached. ​The stunning younger woman shoved the guard out into the hallway, shut the door, and came over to sit in the armchair beside my bed.

"How are you feeling now?" the doctor asked, gently checking my IV line.

​"Fine, I guess," I managed to force past my lips.

​The beautiful lady stared down at me with a soft, gentle warmth in her eyes, leaning in with a casual ease, as if we were old friends catching up. "You were out for two days," she said smoothly. "I'm Chloe, by the way, the Beta here. And this is Marion, our pack's head healer," she added, gesturing toward the doctor. "You're in the Blood Moon Pack infirmary."

​I blinked, my throat so dry it felt like I had swallowed broken glass. "Blood... Moon?" I rasped, my voice barely a thread.

​"That's right," she offered a faint, smile. "And the angry, oversized wolf who saved you in the woods? That was my brother—Alpha Carl." She softened her voice, her tone smooth and syrupy. "You're safe now."

​At the mention of Carl's name, I flinched. The memory of that jet-black beast with burning amber eyes flashed vividly in my mind, a ruthless executioner who had torn through those three warriors like paper.

​"He... he didn't kill me?" I whispered, genuine confusion welling in my eyes. "Why am I still alive?"

​Chloe let out a soft, dry chuckle. "Honestly? We're all trying to figure that one out ourselves."

​She paused, leaning forward in her chair, her warm eyes searching my face. "We have a million questions, but let's start with the basics. What's your name and where are you from?"

​"Rex... Rexiana," I rushed out, my voice tight and nervous. "But... but you can call me Rexy, or Rex, or Ana. Whatever you prefer."

​I caught myself, swallowing hard against the lump in my throat. I had always secretly wished someone would call me by a shorter, affectionate nickname. But Clint and the rest of Storm Fang had always scoffed at the idea, telling me my name was as old-fashioned and useless as I was. The only person who had ever shortened it was Maya, spitting out "Rex" whenever she wanted to taunt me before taking something else that belonged to me.

"Rexiana," Chloe repeated softly, tasting the name as if to honor it, completely ignoring my frantic list of short nicknames. "It's a beautiful name. Fits you."

​"You... you don't think it's old-fashioned?" I asked, genuinely confused. She was the first person to call my name beautiful since my parents passed away.

​"Nonsense," she brushed it off with a warm smile. "I love it. Nothing old-fashioned about it at all."

​A heavy quiet settled over me as I gathered the courage to start speaking again "I... I'm from the Storm Fang Pack. I used to be the Luna there," I said in a small, fragile voice, searching deep inside myself for any lingering thread of emotion that still tethered me to my past. There was nothing. "Alpha Clint severed our bond after five years because... because I couldn't give him an heir."

​As the last word left my lips, I realized with a sudden, quiet shock that despite trying to feel some residual pain or connection to Storm Fang, I felt entirely hollow.

​Marion stepped closer, her eyes brimming with deep sympathy as she carefully adjusted the linen blanket over my chest. "Poor child, you have been through so much," the head healer murmured gently. "How are you feeling right now? Is your wolf...?"

​She trailed off, not needing to finish the thought. I knew exactly what she meant.

Panicked and hopeful, I quickly reached inward to connect with my wolf.

​‘I'm here, Rex. I am fine,’ Iris murmured groggily in my mind, and I let out a trembling breath of pure relief. Strangely enough, ever since I had woken up, the excruciating ache of the broken bond was... gone. The phantom fire that had been tearing my soul apart since Clint’s rejection had quieted to a dull, distant hum, almost as if it had never happened at all.

​"She's fine," I replied, hot tears of relief welling in my eyes. Whatever miracle medicine they had given me hadn't just patched up my physical wounds, it had somehow cured my heartbreak too. For that, I would be forever grateful. "Thank you for everything."

​Before the last word had even fully left my mouth, the door swung open and a broad-shouldered man stepped in, a towering, magnificent figure built like a dark, vengeful god. His sharp features were locked in a menacing scowl. The moment Marion addressed him by his title, every drop of color drained from my face.

"Alpha, she only just woke up. Give her a few minutes to catch her breath before interrogating her," Marion urged, stepping protectively toward the bed.

​"Yeah, bro, we're only just getting to know her," Chloe chimed in, getting up and resting a hand on her hip.

​Without looking at either of them, his voice rolled out like low thunder. "Leave us."

​"Carl, she's in no condition for this—" Chloe began, stepping directly into his path.

​"I said leave," Carl growled. The sheer weight of his Alpha command slammed into the room, heavy enough to vibrate the floorboards.

​Chloe glared at him, her jaw set tight. But after meeting the unyielding, fierce determination in his amber eyes, she let out an exasperated sigh and gave Marion a subtle nod.

​"We'll be right outside the door," Chloe warned him pointedly. She turned to me, offering a warm, reassuring smile. "Don't be afraid of him, Rexy. His bark is much worse than his bite," she added aloud, not caring in the least whether he heard her or not.

​She strutted over to him, leaned in close, and whispered something directly into his ear. Even with my enhanced wolf hearing, I couldn't pick up a single syllable over the wild pounding of my heart. Giving his broad shoulder a firm, parting pat, Chloe turned and followed Marion out.

The doors clicked shut, leaving only an agonizing, suffocating silence in the room. ​He didn't move immediately. He just stood by the closed door, a massive, silent shadow framed by the white glow of the infirmary lights. Up close, without the monstrous form of his wolf, he was even more intimidating. His broad shoulders seemed to block out the rest of the world, and the sheer power radiating off him made the air feel thin and hot.

​My heart hammered against my ribs like a caged bird. I instinctively pulled the blanket higher, curling inward to make myself as small and invisible as possible under his intense gaze.

'He isn't going to hurt us, Rex,' Iris murmured softly from the back of my mind, her tone surprisingly calm. 'Look at his eyes. He's furious, but not at us.'

He took a slow, deliberate step toward the bed. Every heavy thud of his boots against the linoleum made my chest tighten. He stopped a few feet away, his arms folded across his broad chest, towering over me like an unyielding mountain.

​"You're a long way from home, little wolf," he said, his deep voice carrying a gravelly edge that sent a shiver down my spine.

​"I... I didn't mean to trespass," I stammered, my voice barely above a whisper. I forced myself to meet his glowing eyes, though I trembled under their weight. "I only wanted to get away," I said, "I will be out of your hair as soon as I can walk."

​A long, suffocating silence stretched between us. He just stood there, unmoving, as if weighing my words against something deep inside himself.

CARL

Before leaving, Chloe made sure to whisper something annoying into my ear. Sometimes I genuinely questioned if we were actual siblings, or if my parents had just adopted some random Alpha kid purely to torment me for the rest of my life.

​“Be gentle with her, Carl,” she had muttered, her voice dropping to a low, lethal register. “If you terrify her or cause her spirit to break again after what she’s been through, I swear to the Goddess I will make your life a living hell.”

​I didn't answer her. I didn't even turn my head. I just stood like a statue until the door clicked shut, leaving me completely alone with the fragile female in the bed.

​The room suddenly felt far too small. ​My nostrils flared involuntarily, instantly pulling in her scent before I could stop myself. It was fresh rain washing over warm earth, laced with the soft, sweet undertone of burnt sugar. It hit my senses like a physical blow, cutting straight through the heavy wall I’d built around my heart for eight long years.

'She’s ours,' Hunter growled deep in my mind, his dark, ancient voice rumbling with an unyielding territorial possessiveness that made my claws itch to surface. 'Look at her, Carl. She’s beautiful.'

​‘Shut up,’ I snapped back internally, my jaw clenching so hard a muscle twitched in my cheek. ‘She’s a broken wolf from a hostile pack. We don't know who or what brought her to our fence.’

'You know exactly what she is,' Hunter countered, practically purring with satisfaction deep in my mind. 'Your dead heart hasn't beaten like this since the day we lost Fiona and our pup. Stop fighting it.'

At the mention of my deceased Luna and unborn child, my jaw locked tight, a sharp, familiar ache flaring in my chest. I deliberately ignored my wolf, forcing my features into a cold, unreadable mask before turning to look at the female properly.

​She looked impossibly small beneath the white infirmary blankets, clutching the sheet up to her chin with pale, trembling hands as if trying to shield herself from me. Her hazel eyes were wide, glittering with a quiet, heartbreaking mix of terror and profound shame. She probably was waiting for me to yell or cast her out.

And the moment she stammered that she’d be out of my hair, every instinct in me screamed to let her go. The smart move was to prep her for transport, shove her into an unmarked car, and dump her at a human hospital miles away from Blood Moon land. Keeping her here meant inviting an inevitable war with Storm Fang, Red Ridge, and goddess knows how many other hostile packs she might have offended before collapsing at my border. It also meant exposing my pack to bloodshed over a total stranger.

​Yet, as I looked down at the pale skin of her face and smelled the faint, lingering metallic trace of her blood mixed with that intoxicating rain-and-sugar scent, my chest tightened with an agonizing, unfamiliar weight.

​"I didn't ask you to leave," I finally said, the words dragging out of my throat before my brain could stop them. "I wanted you gone at first. But after what happened..." I paused, my jaw clenching tightly as I forced out the next sentence. "If you don't mind, you're welcome to stay in Blood Moon for as long as you need."

​The moment the words left my mouth, her wide hazel eyes went even wider. She stared at me in complete, stunned disbelief, her lips parting slightly as if she couldn't decide whether I was testing her or setting up some cruel joke.

​I couldn't blame her, my offer of sanctuary probably sounded like a death threat.

​Suddenly, her breath hitched, and a dark, embarrassed blush crept up her neck, staining her pale cheeks a deep rose. She blinked rapidly, snapping her head away from me so fast she nearly yanked out her IV line.

​‘Her wolf probably just said something filthy about us, look at her blush,’ Hunter purred smugly in the back of my mind, practically preening with pride.

​I clamped down hard on my wolf's amusement, locking my jaw tight to ensure not even a fraction of a smile show on my face.

We spoke a little longer about her pack and the bitter circumstances surrounding her exile. As she talked, her small hand drifted absentmindedly toward her collarbone, her pale fingers lightly brushing against the trace of her fading mate mark.

​Looking at her touch that wound made something dark and lethal twist in my gut. Her mate had done that to her. A cowardly Alpha had used his power to butcher his own mate and cast her out just because she couldn't give him an heir.

​Before I could sink any deeper into the dark, violent thoughts swirling in my head, the infirmary door clicked open, shattering the heavy silence.

​Chloe leaned her head into the room, her eyes flickering between me and her flushed face. A knowing, incredibly annoying smirk spread across her lips.

​"Sorry to interrupt, Alpha," Chloe drawled, her tone laced with playful sarcasm. "But the border patrols are locked in, and the pack house kitchen just sent a tray of warm nourishing broth for our guest."

​I straightened up instantly, pulling my cold mask back into place before my twin could read anything else on my face.

​"I was just leaving," I growled, stepping past Chloe without giving her a second glance. I strode down the quiet corridor, my boots thudding against the polished floorboards.

​Behind me, I could hear Chloe’s muffled, comforting voice through the door as she fussed over the girl, setting down the tray of food. I gritted my teeth, frustration simmering just beneath my skin.

​Why was my sister always so exceptionally irritating? I mean, Chloe had always been annoying, it was practically her secondary rank in the pack, but today she was taking it to an unbearable art form. The theatrical warnings, the knowing smirks, and even the ridiculous dramatic whispers...

​Did she honestly think I was going to kill the girl?

​I growled under my breath, shaking my head as I pushed through the heavy glass doors at the end of the hall. I am the Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack. I am a killer, yes, a ruthless executioner when my territory or my people were threatened, but I am not a mindless, barbaric monster who butchered defenseless wolves. Did Chloe really have so little faith in me after all these years? Or was she just taking sick pleasure in watching me squirm?

'She isn't worried you’ll kill her,' Hunter muttered in my mind, his tone exasperated. 'She’s poking at you because she sees what you’re trying so desperately to hide. She knows.'

​‘She knows nothing,’ I snapped back, walking ahead towards the pack house. ‘And neither do you!'