Chapter 2

She took the stairs downstairs. The pack house had four floors: the ground floor was for the omegas and other servants, the first floor was for the deltas, the second for the gammas, the third for the betas, and the fourth for the alpha and his family—where he also held meetings with other alphas. Given how expansive the alpha floor was. Lydia decided to heed Blake’s advice; she couldn't let anyone see her in this dress.

To her luck, there were no pack members around; they were likely on the lower ground floor preparing for the Ball. As soon as she reached the ground floor, she accelerated and dashed through the back door into the private garden. The scent of flowers flooded her senses, and she saw the eagle fountain pouring water into the well. At the end of the garden, she noticed her friend seated by the beach.

“Hey!” the girl greeted as Lydia approached.

“Hey, Thalia!” Lydia beamed, hugging her. “Nice to see you here!”

Thalia smiled back. “It’s not as scary tonight as it’s going to be.”

Lydia sat down beside her. “Look, I know it’s going to be hard, I’m sure you’ll find your mate among the guests we have tonight.”

Thalia smiled at her friend. With her brown hair and round, pale, beautiful face, she resembled her mother. She was beautiful, and there was no way she was going to end up without a mate tonight.

Thalia pulled a drink from her side, and Lydia gasped. “When did you...?”

Thalia smirked. “My secret.” Lydia had known this side of Thalia since they were kids. She always pulled tricks that other children couldn’t perform. Thalia could pull flowers from behind her back, not that she was hiding them. She could make you close your eyes, snap her fingers, and then disappear like the wind in the blink of an eye. Lydia had always admired her trick but sometimes wondered if it was just a trick or if there was something strange about Thalia. But she dismissed the thought; Thalia was a wolf. Her mother was one, and her father was the beta of her pack.

Lydia collected the drink from her friend, trusting her wholeheartedly. It was a red wine that she often saw Beta Andrew drink with her dad.

“I sneaked it out,” Thalia chuckled as she lifted her glass to her mouth and gulped it down. Lydia smiled; her friend was always the mischievous type. She took a sip of the wine, and it left a pleasant sensation in her.

“Look, I’ve got to get ready for tonight, and you…” Thalia paused, realizing that Lydia was already dressed. She chuckled.

“Yeah,” Lydia said. “Go on.” She waved her friend off, who giggled and raced back into the pack house.

Lydia sat there for a minute when she suddenly felt something stir within her. Her vision became blurry, and she felt herself leaning back against the bench. She wondered if it was the wine affecting her, but she thought werewolves didn’t get drunk—this wasn’t her first time drinking. A sharp pain pierced her head, and slowly, she closed her eyes as darkness engulfed her.

“Hey, Lydia! Hey, sis!” The puzzled voice of her sister woke her up as she adjusted to her surroundings. She was in the garden, near the fountain, sitting on the bench. Suddenly alert, she snapped upright.

“What happened?” she questioned her sister, who had changed into a stunning white gown and had applied her makeup as if dressing to impress.

“I should ask you! You came out checking on Thalia, and then you fell asleep after drinking a cup of wine,” Blake replied.

Lydia chuckled. “I don’t know, but I feel sick like I wasn’t before.”

Blake laughed. “You smell funny.”

Lydia looked at her sister, confused, then noticed a disturbing emptiness within her. The stirring movement in her mind and soul was gone, and she felt like a human—blank.

“No,” she panicked, dizziness taking over her. Blake rushed to support her.

“What is wrong, sis?”

Lydia looked as though she had been struck. “She is gone. She is…”

Blake looked at her questioningly. “What is gone?”

“Circe is gone. My wolf is gone.”