Chapter 02

Michelle Morripin – The Lone Wolf

The wind howled through the trees, cold and biting. I was used to the chill of the forest, but at that moment, something inside me truly froze.  

“I’ll do it.”  

The words slipped out before I could reconsider. Not that I had a choice. I had nothing left to lose.  

The man standing before me remained impassive, simply watching with those amber eyes—too deep, too knowing to belong to an ordinary wolf. Then, he tilted his head slightly, as if satisfied.  

“Then run.”  

My brows furrowed.  

“What?”  

“You’re not the only one,” he said, his voice carrying an odd tone, almost like a warning. “There are others. Many others. Every pack wants an heir from the Supreme Alpha. The one who succeeds first will become the most powerful of all.”  

My stomach twisted.  

The Supreme Alpha.  

A distant, untouchable man. The king of kings among wolves.  

And I was supposed to take a child from him.  

Ridiculous.  

She-wolves from every pack were after the same thing. Women trained to seduce and manipulate, raised in the royal games. They had influence, beauty, expensive clothes, and words as sharp as knives. 

Me?  

I could barely remember how to walk properly on two legs.  

It had been so long since I lived among humans that sometimes I forgot what it was like. My words came out slow, my posture tense, always ready to run or fight. My hair was a mess, my skin marked by the wind and the wild.  

I was an animal.  

And now, they expected me to infiltrate a world of seduction and power to entice a man who had never even touched a woman?  

Absurd.  

But… so what?  

I was no one. No name, no home. No one looked at me with respect or even remembered I existed.  

If this was my only chance to reclaim my life…  

If this was the only way to uncover the truth and avenge my father…  

Then I would do the impossible.  

I lifted my head and met the stranger’s gaze again—except he was gone.  

Vanished like a specter, as if he had never been there at all.  

I took a deep breath, feeling my heart hammer against my ribs.  

I needed a plan.  

If I had any hope of trying, I had to learn how to be human again.  

And there was only one place to start.  

The nearest village.  

My legs moved on their own.  

The scent of burning wood and damp hay began to mix with the wind as I neared civilization for the first time in years.  

My heart pounded, my mind raced with doubts.  

How was I supposed to get close to the Supreme Alpha? I had never even seen him. How could I, with nothing—no name, not even a decent scrap of clothing—ever hope to stand before him?  

I had no idea.  

I had been a lone wolf for years.  

And now, I would have to hunt—not an animal or just any prey, but the Supreme Alpha himself.  

The smell of smoke and wet earth thickened as I approached the village. The air felt different, filled with the scents of humans, warm food, and domesticated animals. A brutal contrast to the wild forest air I had grown used to.  

My eyes swept across the place, alert. The houses were simple, but some still bore the crests of smaller packs, a sign that wolves lived among the humans here.  

I needed something. Anything to help me blend in.  

And that’s when I saw it.  

In the backyard of a modest house, a few pieces of clothing were hanging out to dry in the wind. Linen shirts, thick fabric pants, a worn-out coat—but still intact.  

My heart pounded.  

I didn’t hesitate.  

Moving silently, I crept closer and grabbed the pieces that seemed like they’d fit best. My body moved fast, instinct taking over, as if I were still hunting in the forest. Within seconds, I had already pulled on the stolen clothes, covering my skin, marked by a life spent in the wild.  

The fabric felt rough against me, uncomfortable, but it was better than walking into the village in nothing but rags and dirt.  

I pulled the coat’s hood over part of my face and took a deep breath.  

Now… I needed information.  

°°°  

The streets were chaotic.  

Children ran by, laughing. Vendors shouted to draw attention. Horses trotted over the stone-paved ground.  

My eyes darted around, taking everything in, trying to understand how much the world had changed since my exile.  

Everything felt more... loud. Restless.  

Men gathered outside taverns—some laughing boisterously, others arguing over business deals I didn’t understand. Women passed by carrying baskets of bread and vegetables, chatting animatedly.  

My head spun from the overwhelming flood of information.  

Time had truly moved on. The world kept going.  

And I had stayed frozen in place, living like a ghost.  

I clenched my fists. That didn’t matter now. What mattered was finding something useful.  

As I passed a fruit stand, I caught a merchant talking to a customer.  

“The Winter Ball is only a few weeks away…” he said excitedly. “A royal event, bringing together the leaders of the great packs and—”  

I stopped in my tracks.  

My eyes snapped to him, focused.  

“They say the Supreme Alpha will be attending this year,” the man continued. “It’s the first time he’s been seen at such an event since taking the title.”  

My stomach tightened.  

There it was. My opportunity.  

If the Supreme Alpha would be there, then that ball might be my only chance to infiltrate.  

To get close to him.  

To do the impossible, even if I didn’t yet know how.  

Before I could listen further, something slammed into my shoulder.  

“Hey!” I stumbled back, startled.  

Someone had pushed me.  

My breath caught as my gaze met the person I had just collided with.  

The sharp scent of metal and warm skin filled my nose.  

And I knew—before I even got a good look—that this was no ordinary human.  

Someone had noticed me.  

And that could mean trouble.