CHAPTER TWO: HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT

Tatsumi’s Pov

I saw my blood spilling around the altar as Liora laughed like a maniac, twisting the knife deeper into my heart. I screamed, choking on my own life. I looked up at Storm, stretching out my hands.

“P-plea…se,” I swallowed hard, choking on my own blood. “Help… m-me.”

But he stood there, those eyes colder than mountain ice. “You deserve to die,” he said, and simply walked away.

Liora’s laughter brought my focus back to her. “You don’t deserve him, bitch. Burn in hell.” She drove a final blade into my heart, but instead of just pain, I felt an internal heat like I was being burned from the inside out.

“Ahhhhh!”

I opened my eyes and instead of seeing Liora, I was flooded by a white light. Another round of agonizing pain ripped through my left shoulder.

“Ahhh, it hurts! Please stop!” I begged, but the pain wouldn’t cease. I heard a distant roar, and a shape formed: a massive, shimmering silver wolf. It stood before me, terrifyingly huge. I turned and ran, but the wolf was too fast. It collided with me, entering my body with a violent force, and I screamed in pure agony.

I jolted upright in bed, soaked with sweat, my heart hammering against my ribcage. I looked around the tiny servant room. I pushed down the sheet, pulling my simple dress up and checking for marks, but there were no scars, no silver wolf. Just the faint, throbbing ache of the real silver mark hidden on my shoulder.

“Ah, hell, it felt so real,” I whispered, flopping back onto the damp mattress, trying to calm my ragged breathing. “It’s okay, it’s not real. It’s a vision.”

But it was impossible to sleep. I stared into the ceiling for the rest of the night, every muscle tense, until my alarm finally went off.

“I guess it’s time to face my demons,” I muttered, the words barely audible.

The day was chaotic. Dignitaries arrived in a stream of expensive cars and impeccably dressed Alphas. I was prepared for the worst, but still, nothing could have truly prepared me.

“Welcome the Bloodfang Pack! Introducing Alpha Storm Thor and Beta Liora Everflame!” the announcer’s voice boomed through the huge hall, shaking the crystal chandeliers.

I whirled around, ready to bolt. Shit! I wasn’t ready to face them.

“Coming closely, we welcome the Jackal Pack…” the announcer continued, but I was already moving.

Shit. Why did they have to come now?

I tried to sneak past the line of servants, hoping to slip out and hide in the supply closets until the immediate rush was over.

“Where the hell do you think you are going to, mute?”

Rina. Of course. She had that same permanent scowl.

I looked frantically for an escape, spotting a door that led to the servants’ bathroom, and pointed to it.

She turned to see what I was pointing at, then turned back, her face a mask of suspicion. “You have five minutes, or else I will tell on you that you bailed on your assignment. You know how Mrs. Selena gets with people who flaunt her orders.”

I gave a frantic little nod and dashed toward the door. I slipped inside just as Storm and Liora walked through the main palace entrance.

I slammed the bathroom door shut, my heart racing, hands clamped over my mouth.

I can’t do this! I can’t do this!

Tears blurred my vision. This wasn't the plan. I wasn’t supposed to see the people who killed me, especially Liora, the girl who I thought was my friend but was the one to stab me in the heart. My strength to survive clashed violently with the terror of confrontation.

I sank to the cold marble floor, pressing my back against the wall, trying to steady my breathing. The image of Storm Thor’s cold gaze haunted me. Those lifeless eyes staring as he walked away, leaving me to bleed.

Why was he here? Why now?

I gripped the edge of the sink, forcing myself to stand. My reflection in the cracked mirror looked like a ghost; pale, wild-eyed, drenched in sweat. I splashed water on my face repeatedly, desperate to wash away the memories clawing at my mind.

“Get it together, Tatsumi. You’re not that weak girl anymore. You’ve been given another chance.” My goal, survival, needed me to be proactive, not hiding.

The door creaked open, and I froze.

“Tatsumi?” a soft, saccharine voice called out.

My blood ran colder than the Arctic. It was Liora.

I clapped a hand over my mouth, stepping back slowly toward the farthest stall. Her expensive heels clicked softly on the tiled floor as she moved further into the room.

“I know you’re in here,” she said, her voice sing-song, almost gleeful. “I could smell your fear the moment we stepped in. Poor little thing, are you still trembling, even in your new life?”

How? How did she know?

I pressed myself into the corner of the stall, barely breathing, praying she would just leave. Then I saw the shadow beneath the stall door, her feet stopped right in front of mine.

The silence stretched, agonizingly thin.

Then she spoke again, low and venomous. “You thought coming back would make a difference? That you could hide? Sweetheart, even death couldn’t make you matter.”

My fingers curled into fists, nails digging into my palms. I wanted to scream but the fear and the memory of her blade kept me frozen.

“I should’ve made sure you stayed dead,” she whispered.

Suddenly, the bathroom lights flickered violently. A low, guttural growl echoed through the room. It wasn't a normal wolf sound; it was deep and unnatural.

A powerful gust of unseen wind burst through the room, slamming the stalls open one by one, except for mine.

After a while, I pushed the stall door open. Liora was gone. All that remained was a smear of dark blood near the door… and a thick, silver claw mark etched violently across the marble wall.

Was I having a nightmare in broad daylight?