“You really want to return to the Mills family?” I opened my mouth, then stopped.
The answer should have been easy.
But after everything that had happened today, I wasn’t sure anymore.
The Mills Estate had been cruel to me for twenty years.
My father had handed me over like an unwanted possession, and no one had cared whether I lived or died.
Yet this place was filled with people and things I couldn’t understand, and I had already been locked inside a cage twice.
I lowered my eyes.
“No,” I admitted quietly.
“But I don’t want to stay here either.” For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then that strange smile returned.
“Good.” I looked up at him.
“Because you’re not going back.” My heart sank at his words.
“What?” He stepped closer to the bars, his presence becoming heavier as his voice dropped to an almost inaudible whisper.
“Not yet.” I stared at him through the bars, trying to understand what he meant, but before I could ask, another thought crossed my mind.
With everything that had happened to me, perhaps there was an explanation I had never considered.
“Am I cursed… or am I a witch?” I asked, my voice uncertain as I struggled to make sense of the way my life seemed to be deteriorating with every passing moment.
A quiet laugh echoed through the darkness.
“What if you were a witch?” he asked.
“Don’t you think there’s a possibility?
How else could you explain such a genetic sickness?
What if your bloodline was corrupted long before you were even born?” I stared into the darkness, my mind struggling to process his words.
“So you’re saying I’m half-born witch and half wolf?” The moment the words left my mouth, my heartbeat accelerated.
It wasn’t because the thought frightened me entirely.
It was because I knew what such a revelation could mean in a world where wolves despised witches and hunted them.
If I truly carried the blood of both races, then I wouldn’t belong anywhere.
The wolves would see me as something to be destroyed, while the witches might have their own reasons for wanting me.
Another soft laugh escaped him.
“Do you even know who your mother is?” he asked.
“Do you even know where you come from?” I fell silent.
My mother.
For twenty years, that had always been a question without an answer.
I knew almost nothing about the woman who had given birth to me, and the Mills family had never given me a reason to ask questions about her.
Now, for the first time, I wondered whether there was something about my birth that everyone had deliberately kept from me.
He giggled softly, and before I could turn around, I felt his presence directly behind me.
“Think very carefully,” he whispered close to my ear.
“I’m the only one who can keep you safe.
Remember my offer.” Before I could respond, his presence disappeared.
The room went completely dark.
I remained motionless inside the cage, staring into the darkness as his words repeated themselves in my mind.
Your mother.
Your bloodline.
A witch and a wolf.
If I really carried the blood of two races that were supposed to hate one another, I couldn’t imagine what would happen if anyone outside this room discovered the truth.
I might not even survive a single day out there.
For the first time, the cage no longer felt entirely like a prison.
It felt like the only place where I might survive.
I slowly lowered myself onto the floor, pulling my knees toward my chest as exhaustion settled over me once again.
Was I really going to spend whatever remained of my life inside this cage?
Or would leaving it mean dying before I ever had the chance to discover who I truly was?
Either way, as I sat alone in the darkness, one painful thought became impossible to escape.
It felt as though my life had been doomed long before I ever understood why.
********* ANN By the time Kiaren returned to the main wing of the estate, the chaos that had erupted after Frida’s disappearance had finally begun to settle.
The guards who had been searching the corridors were returning to their posts, and the servant he had dragged out of the Dark Night Wing had already been taken away to receive medical attention.
Kiaren barely paid attention to any of it.
His mind remained occupied by what had happened inside the forbidden wing, particularly by the fact that his uncle had interfered when he had attempted to deal with Frida.
He had barely reached the corridor leading toward Ann’s bedroom when one of the guards hurried toward him.
“Supreme Alpha,” the guard said respectfully, stopping a short distance away.
“There has been a development.” Kiaren stopped walking and turned toward him.
“What happened?” The guard’s expression immediately softened with relief.
“Miss Ann has awakened.” For a moment, Kiaren said nothing.
Then he turned and headed straight toward the bedroom, his steps quickening as he pushed the door open without waiting for anyone to announce his arrival.
Ann was sitting against the headboard.
Her eyes were open, and although she still appeared weak and somewhat confused, there was no mistaking the fact that she was awake.
Kiaren stood at the entrance for a moment, simply staring at her as though he needed to convince himself that what he was seeing was real before finally crossing the room.
“Kiaren…” she whispered when she noticed him.
He stopped beside the bed, his gaze moving carefully over her face and body.
“You’re awake.” Ann nodded faintly, her expression still uncertain.
“I think so.” Kiaren reached for her hand and held it gently between his fingers.
“How do you feel?” “Tired,” she admitted.
“But strangely better.” Before Kiaren could respond, the door opened again, and the doctor entered with several medical staff carrying their equipment.
They had been summoned the moment Ann regained consciousness, and the doctor’s expression changed the instant he saw her sitting upright.
“Miss Ann, please lie back,” he instructed as he approached the bed.
“We need to examine you.” Ann obeyed, allowing the medical team to begin their examination.
The doctor checked her pulse, blood pressure, breathing, and other vital signs before carefully examining the areas of her body that had sustained the worst injuries during the accident.
He repeatedly glanced between the monitors and her medical records, comparing her current condition with the one she had been in before losing consciousness.
The longer the examination continued, the more difficult it became for him to hide his confusion.
“This doesn’t make sense,” he finally murmured.
Kiaren’s expression hardened.
“What doesn’t?” The doctor looked toward him, still holding the medical report in his hand.
“Her condition has improved far beyond what we expected.
The injuries we were monitoring are no longer presenting the way they were before.
Her vital signs are stable, and her body appears to have recovered considerably.” Kiaren’s eyes narrowed.
“Are you saying she’s healed?” “I wouldn’t use that word yet,” the doctor replied carefully.
“But her recovery is extraordinary.
Based on the extent of her injuries, we expected her recovery to take considerably longer.
Instead, she has regained consciousness, her vital signs have stabilized, and several of the concerns we had before are no longer as severe.” Ann remained quiet for a moment before slowly raising a hand toward her face.
“What about these?” The doctor’s attention shifted toward her skin.
Small raised bumps had appeared across Ann’s cheeks and extended along her neck and arms.
They stood out against what had previously been flawless skin, and although they didn’t appear to be causing her significant discomfort, their sudden appearance was impossible to ignore.
The doctor carefully examined them.
“These weren’t there before,” he said.
“Are they dangerous?” Kiaren asked.
“We don’t know yet.” The doctor continued examining her skin before shaking his head slightly.
“It could be a reaction to medication, something connected to the accident, or a temporary skin condition.
I want to run a few additional tests before we make any conclusions.” Kiaren’s gaze remained fixed on Ann before he looked back at the doctor.
“Do it.” “Yes, Supreme Alpha.” The doctor immediately began arranging for the additional tests while the medical staff continued monitoring Ann.
She remained quiet throughout the examination, her body still weakened despite the remarkable improvement in her condition.