LOGINIrene’s Point of ViewThree hours.The number wouldn’t leave me alone.It echoed in my head, louder than the waterfall.I was six.How was that even possible?I stared at the water, trying to picture it, trying to force a memory that refused to come.I couldn’t understand how I, a child, had managed to keep an eleven-year-old alive like that. Acting fast, choosing not to run for help… that part, I could accept.But the rest?It didn’t feel real.“You held my head above the water,” Arnold said quietly, like he could hear the doubt I wasn’t saying out loud. “You kept it there until the poison wore off and I could move again.”I looked up at him. “I did?”The surprise in my voice felt genuine.Too genuine.“Wow…” I let out a small breath. “I must’ve been… really kind.” I hesitated, then added, “How long did it take?”Arnold laughed softly.Not mocking.Just… knowing.“You did it,” he said. “For about three hours.”My breath caught.“Three hours?”I stopped walking and sat down on a large
Irene’s Point of View“I was never lost,” I said quietly. “I was left.”The words didn’t feel like mine. But they landed anyway, heavy, sharp, impossible to take back.“So you’re saying my father didn’t want me?” I looked at Arnold, my chest tight. “He’s the one who sent me to the Hellfire pack?”“Not exactly.” Arnold shook his head. “A woman took you from your pack… and left you at an orphanage in the Hellfire pack.”A woman.Not even him.Something inside me twisted.So my own father didn’t even care enough to decide my fate.A small laugh slipped out of me, dry and wrong. “I wish I could tell myself not to listen to this.” My fingers curled at my sides. “This… story.”Because that’s all it felt like.A cruel story someone made up.Except it wasn’t.It was mine.I already knew I wasn’t important. I had lived with that truth long enough.But this?This was worse.This said I was never chosen at all.“I warned you,” Arnold said softly.“I know.” My voice came out tighter than I meant.
Irene’s Point of View“What does it mean to be the alpha’s woman?”The question left my mouth before I could stop it.Curiosity won.Over fear.Over pride.Arnold wouldn’t answer me.So I found someone who would.“You don’t know?” the woman asked, clearly surprised.Then she paused.Like she remembered where I came from.“Oh… forgive my tone.”I waved it off.“It’s fine. Please, just tell me.”“This must be confusing for you,” she said gently. “We are the only Lycan pack. We live apart from the others. Our ways… aren’t the same.”“I noticed,” I said quietly.I didn’t want a long explanation.But I let her continue.“In your kind’s tradition,” she said, “the Moon Goddess chooses your mate. A bond forms. It strengthens your connection. And if one dies… the other may be given a second chance.”I nodded.“That’s true.”That was the only way I knew.“But for us,” she continued, “it’s different. We choose our partner ourselves. And once we choose… it’s for life.”She paused.Then added soft
Irene’s Point of ViewI shouldn’t have come this far.The thought hit me too late.By the time I realized it, the forest had already swallowed me whole.I turned back.The sound of the waterfall guided me, loud, steady, impossible to miss. It echoed through the trees like it was calling me home.When I reached the cave, no one was there.Good.Arnold wasn’t here.For once.I stepped inside without thinking twice.I didn’t know how long I stayed.At some point, I just… stopped.Stopped thinking.Stopped fighting.I fell asleep before I even realized it.My body gave up first.Then my mind followed.I didn’t want to think about him.About what happened.About how easily I lost control.All I wanted was silence.Was that too much to ask?So I stayed there.In the same cave he showed me.The same place he laughed.Teased.Played it off like it meant nothing.It was fun for him.For me,it wasn’t.I knew I shouldn’t have let it happen.But I did.And he laughed.Of course he did.“Mm… it’s
Irene’s Point of View The moment he pulled away…I felt it.Not relief.Not anger.Something worse.Like I had just lost something I didn’t even understand.Then I saw it.That smirk.Small.Satisfied.“Does that mean I have your permission?” he asked.Just like that,Everything snapped back into place.My chest tightened.Heat rushed to my face, sharp and unforgiving.I stepped back, my stomach twisting.Of course.Of course he would turn it into that.I had let him get close.Let him take control.And now he stood there like he had won something.Like I was just another game.I hated it.Hated him.But more than that,I hated myself for not stopping it.For wanting it.For responding.I swallowed hard, my throat burning.No.I couldn’t stay here.Not like this.Not with him looking at me like that.I turned and ran.Straight for the cave entrance.No thinking.No hesitation.Just distance.I shifted mid-step, my body moving on instinct. Bones cracked, muscles stretched, and in the
Irene’s Point of View He was taking me somewhere he refused to explain.And the longer he stayed quiet… the more it felt like I wasn’t supposed to know.“Where are you taking me?” I asked again, the frustration already sitting on my tongue.I had asked too many times.Enough that he should have answered by now.“Don’t you get tired of asking the same thing?” Arnold said, glancing at me like he already knew exactly how irritated I was.“Yes, I do,” I shot back. “That’s why I want an answer. If you know where we’re going, just say it.”He laughed.Actually laughed.Like this was entertaining for him.“Try guessing,” he said. “You might get it right.”I stopped walking for half a second, then caught up again when he tugged my hand forward.“I don’t want to guess,” I muttered. “I want you to tell me.”“But where’s the fun in that?”I frowned, crossing my arms briefly before letting them drop again.“I don’t think this is fun at all.”The trees thickened around us, shadows stretching long







