5. A familiar figure.

I hereby disown you, Scarlett Rowan. Her uncle’s words echoed in her mind. She had never imagined her night would take such a devastating turn.

She stared at her uncle in disbelief and took a step back. The whispers among the wolves returned, some morphing into cruel taunts. Some offered pitying glances, while others praised Alpha for his decision. A few even smirked at Scarlett, looking smug in the face of her humiliation.

Scarlett felt Ulva rising within her once again. She tried to tamp her wolf down, but then Luna Helen spoke. “Scarlett will be moved to the servants’ quarters tonight,” she declared with overt satisfaction in her voice.

Ulva fought harder to come to the surface.

Meanwhile, Olivia wrapped herself around George’s arm and leaned into him. “Take her away,” she ordered.

But before the servants moved, Scarlett lost the battle with Ulva, and her fangs came out.

Gasps filled the room, and the servants stepped backward, trembling. Even her uncle looked wary, despite being Alpha.

But Scarlett had no desire to deal with any of them. She merely wanted to get away, and she needed a vigorous run to calm Ulva and her racing emotions.

So she bolted from the alpha’s quarters. With a resounding howl, she shifted into her wolf form and sprinted deep into the forest, running for miles. Only after she reached the boundary between their territory and the powerful Lycan kingdom beyond did Ulva’s rage begin to subside.

At the boundary was a dark river Scarlett would visit whenever she felt alone. She would spend hours there, enjoying the serenity of the place and how it soothed her mind. So she reverted to her human form and waded into the river’s dark water, allowing it to lap lovingly at her naked skin.

It was well past midnight, and the river belonged to no pack, which technically made it a potential target for rogue attacks. But rogue attacks had never occurred there, and that led Scarlett to believe that fear of the Lycans kept them at bay, even if it wasn’t anyone’s territory. So while others would consider the area far from safe for a lone she-wolf, Scarlett felt peace there.

Though she still felt frustration about the day’s events.

‘Why, Ulva?’ Scarlett asked, leaning against a partially submerged stone in the water. ‘Why did we end up like this?’

‘It’s a destiny written by the Moon Goddess. We can’t change it.’ The wolf sighed. ‘And I’m sorry for my behavior earlier. It caused you trouble.’

Scarlett shook her head. ‘It doesn’t matter. They had already degraded us. It’s just become official today.’ She looked up at the dark sky and spoke aloud. “Maybe it’s even better. We can be free now.”

Ulva remained silent for a while, then said, ‘You mean... as a rogue?’

‘Yes, as a rogue. I don’t want to live as an omega. Choosing the life of a rogue is more respectable.’

‘Destiny will take us where Mother chooses us to be, Scar,’ Ulva muttered, sitting in the corner of her mind.

Scarlett remained in the water for a long time, enjoying the tranquility. But then Ulva stood alert on all fours.

Scar frowned. ‘What is it?’

‘Rogues,’ Ulva replied with uncharacteristic fear.

Scar looked around carefully, her eyes sharp and her nerves on edge. Slowly, she started moving toward the shore, hiding underwater. It was surprising for rogues to be there, considering they were so close to the Lycan Kingdom. Unless they were reckless, no rogue would dare to attack there.

‘How many, Ulva?’

‘A lot. Too many. Be careful. We’re not strong enough, not tonight,’ Ulva said, reminding her that being demoted to omega weakened them for the next twenty-four hours. Even for an A-Class fighter at full strength, facing too many bloodthirsty rogues could be dangerous. That night, it would be suicide.

So Scarlett exited the river as silently as she could. All she needed was to make it a few steps to reenter Night Walker territory, a pack she would still be a part of until she fully transitioned into a rogue the following day.

However, several figures wearing cruel smirks blocked her path. They ogled with hungry gazes as water dripped from her hourglass figure, and her long orange hair clung to her body.

“Well, well, look what we have here, brothers. A beautiful she-wolf.” The pack leader’s eyes roamed over her naked body. “It’s rare to see such delightful beauty, isn’t it?”

Scarlett stood her ground, not letting her fear show. “Leave my way, or you’ll regret attacking an alpha breed in front of her pack,” she said in a hard tone.

“Oh?” The leader raised a mocking eyebrow. “An alpha breed with the scent of an omega? Interesting...”

Scarlett froze. She had forgotten that, for the next twenty-four hours, along with her power weakened, she would emit a strong omega scent. She swallowed hard and asked Ulva, ‘Can you take control?’

‘I can’t beat them, Scar. I don’t have enough strength to fight. You need to enter the pack at any cost,’ Ulva replied.

“Still, you cannot attack me on the border of my own pack,” Scarlett argued.

But the rogues laughed as they closed in on her. “Oh, darling, no one will come for a worthless omega like you. How about having some fun with us?”

Scarlett swallowed hard, her eyes darting around as she calculated her options. With no other choice, she sprang into action, leaping toward the border of her pack.

The leader caught her, but Scarlett refused to give up. With every ounce of strength in her, she fought back. Even in her weakened state, she managed to injure some of the rogues.

Just a step away from reaching her pack’s territory, where no one could harm her, she was struck from behind with what felt like a whip.

Ulva’s eyes widened, and a pained growl escaped her lips. ‘Wolfsbane!’

Another vicious blow followed, even harder than the first. Scarlett trembled violently before falling to her knees. Her vision blurred, and the cruel laughter of the rogues filled her ears. She had never imagined these rogues would carry wolfsbane, especially so close to the Lycans.

‘Wo-wolfsbane, Scar... I can’t move,’ Ulva groaned before the rogues forcefully pushed Scarlett to the ground.

They dragged her away by her leg. Immobile and helpless, she watched as the leader removed his clothes while the others cheered.

Tears of rage streamed down her face. What was the use of being an A-class fighter when she couldn’t do anything to protect herself? The leader hovered with hungry eyes ranking over her figure. Scarlett felt her consciousness slipping away and longed for it to happen quickly, so she wouldn’t have to endure what the leader was about to do. She closed her eyes.

A deep, powerful howl pierced the air, followed by a series of groans. Then everything fell eerily silent.

‘What’s happening, Ulva?’ Scarlett asked, trying to open her eyes.

But Ulva didn’t answer. Scarlett forced herself, summoning her last ounce of strength, to force her eyelids open when she felt a warm touch. She shivered, yet this touch felt different from that of the rogues.

What was happening? Through her blurred vision, she glimpsed an oddly familiar figure. Could she be hallucinating? Maybe her mind had created a defense mechanism so she could endure the unthinkable?

Scar tried to lift her hand to reach for the figure, but failed. Then she glimpsed familiar emerald eyes gazing at her. So enchanting. Where had she seen them before?

Slowly, her strength faded, and her eyes slipped closed completely, plunging her into darkness.