CHAPTER TWO -The Familiar Stranger

By evening, the dream had almost faded, almost, but I could still remember his eyes without even trying hard enough, icy grey, watching me from beneath the shadows of the forest, though the urgency I felt when I woke up was gone, now replaced by the ordinary rhythm of my day.

Maybe that was how dreams were supposed to work, they came, they lingered for a while and then reality slowly took their place, still, every now and then, I caught myself wondering about him, who was he and why, after all this time, had he finally turned?

I didn’t have an answer to any of those questions and by the time Elara came looking for me that evening, I’d almost convinced myself that the dream meant nothing at all.

“You’re still sulking about not getting to see his face, aren’t you?” she asked, peeking through my door with an amused look on her face.

“No, I’m not,” I mumbled, picking at a loose thread on my sheets without looking at her.

“Sure.” She rolled her eyes and gave me a knowing look. “Come on.”

“Where?”

“You’re too dull for someone who just turned twenty-one. We’re having dinner at the pack house.”

“Elara, no.”

“My mum wants to see you,” she said, giving me a look that made it clear there was no point arguing so I just sighed and got up, following her out.

The Alpha’s house was only a short distance from ours, but tonight the grounds were busier than usual, guards stood near the entrance and unfamiliar faces moved in and out of the pack house, making me slow my steps as I looked around at the activity.“What’s going on at the pack house?” I asked, glancing from the guards to the unfamiliar faces around us, and Elara looked at me, surprised.“What? You haven’t heard about the delegation from the North?”

“From the North?” I asked, my brows drawing together slightly.

“Yeah,” she said casually, as if it were nothing unusual but something inside me stilled, the word felt strangely familiar even though I didn’t know why, and before I could make sense of the feeling, she continued, “The Northern Territory was sending a delegation,” seemingly unaware of the way my stomach had tightened, “They’re coming tomorrow for negotiations with my father.”

“Negotiations about what?” I asked, still tense, my eyes fixed on her as I waited for her answer.

“Territory, mostly. There had been some disputes along the northern border. Nothing serious, according to my father.” I nodded, but my attention had already drifted toward the pack house.

The North. I’d never been there and I’d never met anyone from there either, so why did hearing the name make something deep inside me stir? For the briefest moment, something flashed through my mind, dark trees, cold air and damp earth, but when I blinked, the images disappeared.

“You okay?” Elara asked, studying my face.

“Yeah,” I answered almost too quickly, trying to mask whatever I was feeling.She continued looking at me for a moment, clearly not convinced. “You sure?”

“It’s just…” I glanced back at the house, still trying to understand the strange feeling in my chest. “I’d never met anyone from the North before.”

“So?”

“I don’t know.” I shrugged, forcing a small smile. “I just felt strange knowing they were here.” Elara gave me a curious look before saying, “You’ve always wanted to see what was beyond our borders.”

“I know,” I said quietly, my eyes still fixed on the pack house.

“And now you finally have people from another territory practically walking through our front door.” I smiled faintly, though the feeling inside me hadn’t gone away. “I guess I imagined it feeling different.”

“How?”

I thought about it, exciting, new, maybe even a little dangerous, but instead all I felt was that strange pull in my chest. “I don’t know,” I finally answered.Elara linked her arm through mine as we continued towards the pack house. “Well, you’ll get your chance to satisfy your curiosity. The delegation is staying here until the negotiations are over.”

I glanced at her. “How long is that?”

“A few days, at least.” I looked towards the pack house again, my eyes lingering on the unfamiliar faces moving around the entrance. For some reason, the thought didn’t excite me as much as it should. It unsettled me and I didn’t know why.

We reached the wide staircase that led to the entrance, flanked by two stone pillars carved with the symbol of our pack. Lanterns hung from the wooden beams above us, already glowing as evening settled over the territory.The windows were tall and wide, and warm light spilled through them. I'd always loved that about the pack house. From a distance, it never looked cold. It looked alive.

Elara pushed open the front door, and warmth immediately wrapped around us. The pack house smelled like firewood, roasted meat, and whatever dessert Luna Adeline, Elara's mother, had been making.

Several people were already gathered in the foyer. Elara barely stepped inside before one of the older members of the pack called her over. "I'll be back," she called over her shoulder. "You better." I called after her. She waved dismissively before disappearing into the crowd.

I sighed, but instead of joining the Alpha’s family in the dining room, I found myself slowing down as my eyes drifted toward the portraits lining the opposite wall, dozens of them showing past Alphas and Lunas, generations of the same bloodline staring down at anyone who walked through the halls.I'd seen them all my life. I spent most of my childhood running through these halls with Elara playing hide-and-seek between the rooms.

The hallway was quieter tonight. I took a few more steps, letting my fingers brush lightly against the wooden railing, when I heard voices behind me.I turned to see an unfamiliar old man walking down the hallway with one of the household attendants.He looked nothing like anyone from our pack. His hair was completely silver, his face lined with age, and there was something about the way he carried himself that made me instinctively straighten. He wore dark robes unlike anything I'd seen in our territory.

The attendant spoke quietly to him. "Your room has been prepared, Elder." The old man gave a slight nod. "Thank you."

I moved aside to let them pass, but just as he reached me, he stopped. His eyes settled on my face and he didn’t move, and neither did I. There was something strange about his gaze, not rude or curious, but almost as though he recognized me.His eyes narrowed slightly, and something flickered across his face, surprise or confusion, I couldn’t really tell. Whatever it was, it disappeared so quickly that I began to wonder if I had imagined it.

He continued studying me for another moment, his expression becoming impossible to read.I frowned. "What was it?"He didn't answer. Instead, he turned toward the attendant. "Take me to my room," he said, his voice surprisingly sharp for someone his age.The attendant nodded, and the old man fell into step beside him as they continued down the hallway toward the guest quarters.

I watched them disappear around the corner, but the encounter left a strange feeling crawling beneath my skin. I was still trying to shake it off when Elara called my name from the other end of the hallway. “Saya!” she called again, and I turned to see her walking towards me. “There you are. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

I forced my expression to relax and looked back towards the corner. “Who was that?”She looked behind me. “Who?”

“The old man.” I pointed in the direction they had just walked. “Oh.” She walked closer, following my gaze. “That’s Elder Alaric.”

“Elder?” I asked, a frown forming on my face. “He’s from the North,” Elara replied, and my stomach twisted at the words. The North. Again. I swallowed before asking, “Why was he here?”

“He came ahead of the delegation. My father said he had some things to discuss before the others arrived tomorrow,” Elara explained. I glanced towards the hallway where Alaric had disappeared. “What kind of things?” I pressed for more.

Elara shrugged. “I don’t know.” She reached for my arm and gave it a gentle tug. “Come on. Everyone’s waiting.”

I let her pull me towards the dining room, but my mind remained behind with the old man, the way he’d looked at me and that strange flicker of recognition in his eyes, along with the unsettling feeling that somehow, somewhere, Elder Alaric knew something about me that I didn’t know about myself.