Chapter 2

"Elara, why? Why would you protect the rogue who murdered Echo?"

His voice grew increasingly unhinged as he forced my chin up, compelling me to look at Echo.

The pup's adorable face came into view; my whole body began to tremble, yet I still didn't say a word.

The vision began to warp and blur, and the pack's curses grew even more intense.

"She is in league with the killer!"

"She is not our Luna; she deserves to die."

"Put her on trial! Give her punishment!"

Familiar pack mates of the past bared their fangs at me, glaring viciously as if they wanted to tear me to pieces right then and there.

My body trembled even more violently; my wolf , dormant for years, was stimulated into waking and kept sending desperate pleas to Silas.

Tears streamed endlessly from my eyes as I tried to soothe my wolf .

The witch's face blurred before my eyes; she hesitated for a moment and looked up at Silas on the dais.

At his signal, she raised her hand and cast a calming spell on me.

A blue light flared, and my chaotic mind gradually settled, the pain in my heart suppressed.

The images refracted by the crystal began to jump; chaotic curses, Silas's face, the pup's figure... all the visions twisted and blurred before finally coming into focus again.

Seeing the pack's confusion, the witch explained loudly:

"Such intense fluctuations mean the subject's emotions are extremely strong; what is being shown now must be the most profound and important memory in her subconscious."

The image grew clearer and clearer; it was still the familiar scene.

Afternoon sunlight spilled through the window as Echo, wearing his favorite wolf -tooth necklace, lay on the table drawing.

Crayons had smeared large patches of yellow roses across the paper, exactly matching the painting in the memorial hall from memory.

I sat beside him, peeling and slicing a freshly picked fruit, feeding it to him piece by piece.

"Mama! Look, I drew Daddy."

Echo pointed to the figure on the paper; it was dark and scribbled, but the silhouette clearly resembled Silas.

"Daddy and Mama are standing in a sea of flowers; I'm drawing myself too, so we are the happiest family."

I smiled as I fed the sliced fruit into his mouth.

"Echo is such a smart pup; you drew it so well."

He bounced onto the bed with a cheerful giggle and, mimicking Silas, made a comical vow: "When I grow up, I want to be a powerful Alpha just like Daddy."

Just then, Silas's scent reached the doorway; he pushed the door open, carrying a bouquet of yellow roses in his arms.

Echo instantly leaped off the bed, his little legs bounding to the doorway in two steps as he hugged Silas's thigh and climbed up him.

"Daddy! Look at my drawing!"

Silas bent down to pick him up, the exhaustion on his face instantly replaced by tenderness.

Watching the scene before them, the pack's curses ceased.

"Why would such a happy Luna protect a killer?"

"If she truly didn't love them, how could she remember these scenes so clearly?"

"Could there really be some hidden grievance that prevents her from naming the killer?"

But it was fleeting; the curses quickly drowned out the doubts.

"We are the strongest pack in combat; what kind of grievance could there be?"

"As long as she names the killer, the Alpha will go over and tear their entire clan to shreds."

"This bitch is still acting; why hasn't it reached the memory of the day of the incident yet?"

Everyone's expressions were complicated, unable to make sense of it, frowned as they stared fixedly at the vision.

"Elara is guilty! She must have colluded with rogues to intentionally harm our pack's heir."

Jesse stood up, her eyes locked onto me; she was determined to make me pay today.

Meanwhile, Silas showed a hint of nostalgia, but hearing Jesse's words, he quickly suppressed it, revealing a dark and furious expression.

He stared fixedly at our happy selves on the screen, his wolf claw crushing the table in front of him into splinters.

"Enough!"

He suddenly roared, stepping down from the dais; ignoring the elders' attempts to stop him, he rushed to my side.

"You have no right to remember these things."

Then, he glared his slit pupils at the witch: "I want to see her memory of the incident right now."