CHAPTER FOUR:A NEW WORLD .

   A NEW WORLD 

The wind whipped through my hair as the car sped through the winding mountain roads. 

A man named Nick had come to pick me up from the airport. 

From the way he drove , I could tell he wasn’t human. 

In no time we pulled into a massive forested estate that looked like something out of a medieval fantasy novel. 

High wrought-iron gates flanked by towering stone wolves loomed in front of us. Past them, a long driveway led to a mansion so grand, I thought for a moment we were pulling into a castle. Turrets. Arched windows. Gleaming black stone. Ivy climbing up the side like veins. Everything about it screamed power and old money. 

“Welcome to the Ashen Howl Pack, 

” the driver said with a thick European accent. 

This… was my grandparents’ home? 

As the car rolled to a stop, two figures stood on the marble steps at the entrance. A tall,silver-haired man with sharp features and icy blue eyes. And beside him, a regal woman with jet-black hair streaked with white, standing as straight and proud as any queen. 

“Emily” the man said, his voice calm but authoritative. 

“We’ve waited a long time.” 

I hesitated before stepping out of the car, feeling painfully small in front of them. I expected coldness. Formality. Instead, my grandmother reached for me and pulled me into a surprisinglywarm hug. 

“You look just like your mother” she whispered. 

“I’m sure that’s a good thing?” I muttered. 

They chuckled lightly. 

“It is.” 

I gave a tight smile. 

Inside, the mansion was even more stunning—glittering chandeliers, velvet drapes, golden wolf statues at every corner. 

It was indeed magnificent to behold. I had no idea my grandparents were going to be this wealthy. 

Two servants came to get my bags. 

“You will stay in your mother’s room. We’ve been waiting “ my grandmother placed her hand on my shoulder lightly before walking away with my grandfather. 

I nodded . 

Waiting? 

I decided to sit for a bit in the living room,not ready to retire to my room yet. 

I got a little bored sitting ,so I took a walk outside . 

I noticed that the house itself was not fenced but the entire pack was fenced 

I found a quiet corner of the estate’s sprawling gardens, hidden from the world by tall hedges and wild roses. 

That’s where I met her. 

She was sitting cross-legged on the grass, sketching something in a worn leather journal. Her auburn curls fell around her face, and her fingers moved with strange purpose, almost as if guided by something unseen. 

“You must be Emily” she said before I could introduce myself. 

I blinked ,taken aback. 

“Do I know you?” “No” she replied. 

“But I know you.” 

She hadn’t even raised her head to look at me. 

“ How do you know me? I just got here “ I reasoned 

“Everyone knows you Emily . We’ve been waiting for you” she smiled 

That was cryptic. And weird. But also… kind of intriguing. 

Now I had even more questions. 

Bella patted the grass beside her, and for some reason, I sat. Maybe it was the calm in her voice. Maybe it was the curiosity gnawing at my gut. 

“Who are you and what are you talking about?” I scooted closer to her. 

She took a long hard look at me 

“You’re prettier in person” she remarked . 

“You’ve …seen my pictures?” I narrowed my eyes ,my fingers slightly trembling .This girl was giving me the creeps and I wanted to run away but it seemed as though my legs were rooted to a spot . 

“My name is Bella and I’m a prophetess” she said simply. “I see things others don’t. And I’ve seen you before. Not in pictures, but in dreams.” 

“Dreams?” I asked with a laugh. Surely she must be crazy. 

She turned her sketchbook to show me. 

And there, on the page, was me, with glowing blue eyes—drawn in perfect detail. 

“How did you…when did you draw this?” I asked in surprise . She wasn’t bluffing , she’d really seen me. 

This was supposed to scare me but it didn’t , everything here was different and a voice of reason told me to call my parents and return home but the part of me that sought answers ,the part that knew I was so much more ,was more compelling . 

“You’re the last of your kind” Bella said, Ignoring my question ,her eyes wide. 

“And they’ll come for you when they find out.” 

I couldn’t understand what she meant . 

What did she mean last of my kind ? 

What was my kind ? Cursed and wolfless? 

I stood slowly, her words echoing in my head. 

But before I could question her further, a howl pierced the air—low, desperate, and close. 

It nestled a chilling feeling deep inside me, goosebumps appeared on my skin ans my heartbeat picked up pace. 

Bella stiffened. 

“You need to go inside. Now.” 

“Why?” I asked startled . 

“Because that’s not just any wolf.” She stood, eyes narrowing at the forest edge. 

“It’s the one that’s been watching you since you arrived” 

I froze. A shudder running down my spine. 

“The one watching me?” I repeated slowly, not sure I’d heard her right. 

Bella nodded, her entire demeanor shifting from cryptic seer to stone-cold sentinel. “There are eyes on you, Emily. There have been since the second you stepped off that plane. But that howl—” her voice trailed off as she glanced toward the dense forest surrounding the estate, “that wasn’t a greeting. That was a warning.” 

My stomach twisted. 

“A warning to who?” 

“To us,” she said, her voice grim. “But mostly to you.” 

I turned to follow her gaze, but all I saw were trees swaying in the wind. Shadows crawling where sunlight failed to touch. I didn’t see anything. But I felt it. 

The weight of a gaze. 

A cold breath down the back of my neck. 

Suddenly, I wasn’t sure if I was being watched by one wolf or something much worse. 

Bella gripped my arm. “You need to get inside. Don’t go near the woods. Not alone.” 

My throat dried. My thoughts spiraled. 

“I think you’ve got the wrong girl,” I said, stepping back. 

Bella only gave me a sad, knowing look. “No, Emily. I saw you long before you arrived. Long before you were broken. And now that you’re here, the war will begin again.” 

The howl rang out again—closer this time. 

And suddenly, every wolf on

the estate answered back. 

Bella turned to me, urgency in her eyes. 

“Run.”