CHAPTER FOUR

I stood before the large pack of wolves as they howled. Dante held my hand protectively and reassuringly, and had told me it was a way of paying respect to their Alpha and new Luna. Still, I felt it was only for the Alpha. I didn’t believe they liked me. I wasn’t one of them.

“Welcome back, Alpha and Luna,” a wolf who looked vaguely familiar stepped forward and bowed.

“It’s fine, Adolphus, you didn’t have to make it so grand,” Dante nodded.

I took my time observing the formation while trying to appear oblivious and nonchalant. Two very intriguing wolves stood at the forefront. One had fiery black fur, the other a sleek white coat with flakes of gold dusted across it. The black-furred one was the one who had spoken in a human voice earlier—Dante had called him Adolphus.

Everything felt so surreal. I tried to quell the goosebumps and the swirl of fear and disgust rising within me for these strange creatures.

“We seem to be scaring the Luna,” a silvery, feminine baritone teased. The white wolf stretched its limbs lazily.

Yes, I was uncomfortable. That white wolf made it worse. Was it male or female? It looked too fiery to be female but that voice—it was soft, almost alluring.

The white wolf turned to the rest of the pack, which was impressively large.

“Party’s over, everyone. You may all head back,” the wolf announced in a commanding tone that made me instinctively want to submit. The wolves responded with a long, bone-chilling howl in unison—another sign of respect, apparently—before they turned and dispersed.

Now, only Dante, the black-furred wolf, the white-furred one, and I remained.

Fear gripped my limbs and crawled up my spine like frost. My forehead was slick with cold sweat. They could eat me, throw me in some dungeon, torture me—anything.

I almost missed the crowd.

The white wolf took large steps toward me, sniffing at the air.

I stood frozen, breath shaky, head blank. Dante, infuriatingly unbothered, just watched with amused eyes. I remembered reading somewhere that animals sniff their meat before eating it. Should I tell the white one my bones were too brittle and my meat bitter? Not exactly a delicacy.

“You have a nice scent,” the white wolf said, snuggling closer to my gown.

It would have been cute—if I wasn’t on the brink of dying.

It thinks I smell nice! It’s all over me! It’s going to eat me—wahhhh! Curse you, Arizona! That’s my last word!

“Blake,” Dante said, finally. “You’re scaring her.”

Relief washed over me. Partially. That was a joke? Ha-ha. So funny.

“What?” the white wolf huffed.

I couldn’t help but notice how casual it was with Dante and the black-furred wolf. Also, Dante was the only one still in human form. The rest were... just wolves.

“This is Adolphus, my Beta,” Dante said, turning to me. His chiseled face was unreadable, colder than ever. In the carriage, I had at least seen flickers of amusement in his eyes. Now? Nothing.

I blinked, looking between the white wolf, who was still comfortably perched on the hem of my gown, and the serious black one. Which was Adolphus?

“At your service, Luna,” the black wolf said, stepping forward. I itched to back away, but the white wolf was still beside me.

“Hey, Adolph,” I said, trying to sound friendly and mask my discomfort.

“Adolph,” the white wolf echoed with a chuckle. That voice—I still couldn’t get over it. Smooth and thick, soft and mocking.

“Don’t,” the black wolf glared at it.

“Okay!” The white one raised a paw in mock surrender.

“That’s Blake,” Dante said, gesturing toward the white wolf. “My Zeta.”

Beta is Adolphus. Zeta is Blake. Weird titles. Beta-Zeta. Sounds like some Greek alphabet mafia. I figured it meant they were his right-hand... wolves?

Blake bowed to me, which felt surreal.

“They’re my most trusted,” Dante added, his eyes boring into mine. “They won’t harm you.”

My brow rose involuntarily. The white wolf might’ve disagreed.

“Blake’s always like that,” Adolphus said in a more relaxed tone.

I nodded.

The white wolf let out a soft whimper that made me freeze. That sound—it was familiar. Very familiar. Where had I heard it before?

“Stop fooling around,” Adolphus muttered. I could almost imagine him rolling his eyes if he had a human face.

Then, in a clipped voice, he added, “Show her to her chambers. Since you’ve taken a liking to her. I need to steal the Alpha for a while. Duty calls.”

He glanced at me when he said it. Not at Blake—me.

Right. Message received. Trying to get me out of the way. Freeloading Luna. Got it. I internally snorted.

Dante glanced at me too. Another silent dismissal.

Honestly, I would’ve been glad to get away from all these creatures—if I wasn’t being handed off to Blake. That wolf would tease me to death. Or eat me. Who knew?

I gathered my heavy gown to keep it from dragging across the floor.

Blake bared his teeth. I couldn’t tell if he was trying to smile or just scare me—but it wasn’t cute.

He led the way. I was starting to get used to his name, but “white wolf” still felt more fitting.

The structure of the pack was... weirdly beautiful. Too bad I was basically a low-key captive.

The extensions of the main pack house served as homes for the rest of the wolves, while the main house was for the leadership. Blake had casually mentioned that.

Despite his playful nature, he wasn’t talkative. He only spoke when necessary. Strangely, that comforted me. It assured me he wouldn’t hurt me. Some tiny, prejudiced part of me even liked him a little. But he was an animal. The enemy. And I was very much prejudiced. I knew that.

The pack house was stunning. I’d never seen wood used so perfectly. It looked like a castle made from forest trees. Not a literal castle—just a network of little houses merged into a masterpiece.

“Luna, can you wait a bit?” Blake asked as we entered the main hall of the pack house. His voice had a quiver to it.

“Yes,” I nodded.

With a flash of light, he darted off at an insane speed. I had no idea where he went, so I just stood in the vast, empty hall, anxious and on edge.

I was nervous. Afraid. Any animal could jump out and have me for a late lunch. Or dinner—it was almost evening.

I tried to distract myself by studying the hall. The carvings on the walls were intricate. No photos, of course. This was an animal’s home. I always forgot.

I walked to the wall, fascinated by how realistic the carvings were. I figured they served the same purpose as photos—preserving memories.

I trailed my fingers along the smooth, hollow wall, following the carvings.

“Humans…” I murmured. “Oh, this isn’t the beginning.”

I gathered my gown and followed the sequence backward to what looked like the start: a mighty figure towering over another. Both looked divine, like gods. Their features were too flawless to be human. They had elements no person could possess.

Were werewolves once gods? Cast from the heavens by some older deity?

“That’s Zeus,” a hand pointed toward the larger figure, startling me half to death.

I spun around and came face-to-face with a tall, breathtaking woman.

Her hair was silver with a golden sheen, her eyes a hypnotic swirl of gray, brown—and was that gold? Her build was striking, like a warrior sculpted to perfection. If not for her hair and curves, she could’ve been mistaken for a very attractive man. Her clothes weren’t helping.

And that voice.

“Luna, you seem curious about the carvings,” she said with a cool, feminine baritone that made my eyes widen. That teasing tone... it was unmistakable.

“White wolf?” I gaped.