Under the bright full moon, a huge white wolf ran through the dark forest.
His thick fur shone like pure snow.
Every step was strong and silent.
The silver light of the moon covered his body and made him look almost holy.
Tall trees bent slightly as he passed.
Night birds went quiet.
The whole forest seemed to hold its breath for him.
The white wolf climbed higher and higher until he reached the top of a tall mountain.
He stood very close to the moon.
Then he raised his head and let out a long, powerful howl.
The sound rolled across the land like thunder.
Far away, every werewolf stopped what they were doing.
Alphas of every pack lifted their heads in shock.
They all knew that howl.
It belonged to only one being.
The Supreme Alpha had returned!!!!
One by one, the Alphas dropped to their knees and lowered their heads in respect.
Even werewolves in far countries across the sea heard the deep howl and felt their hearts shake.
In Basileia, High Priest Lady Mira stood by her window, smiled softly, and bowed her head.
The King was back!!!!!
…
The next morning, Hazel opened her eyes slowly.
Her body felt weak.
She remembered everything from the night before: the pain, the broken jaw, and how close she had come to dying.
King Caius was much worse than the stories had said.
She hated him even more now.
If he did not care about her at all, why did he keep appearing in her dreams?
Why did she even see his white wolf?
She sat up and looked around.
She was in a very large and beautiful chamber.
Everything inside looked expensive and almost unreal.
The bed was so big that her whole body looked small on it.
Soft curtains moved gently in the wind.
She quickly got up and ran to the wide window.
Outside was a perfect garden full of flowers.
Many maids in neat uniforms walked around.
Hazel gasped.
“This is Basileia Castle… the most beautiful castle and the headquarters of all werewolves!”
What was she doing here?
A few moments later, several maids walked into the room without knocking.
They started cleaning and arranging things as if she was not there.
One of them stopped and looked at Hazel with a cold smile.
“Would you like us to bathe you, or will you bathe yourself?”
The way she asked sounded rude and sarcastic.
Hazel narrowed her eyes.
“So this is how they treat their guests,” she muttered.
The other maids laughed and whispered to each other.
“Guest? Who does she think she is?”
“I don’t believe she’s His Majesty’s mate. She’s too weak. Look how innocent and dumb she looks.”
“No one will accept her as the Queen of the werewolves.”
“Of course not. She could never handle His Majesty.”
One maid walked closer and said, “Hey, you have ten minutes to get your ass to the dining hall.”
Hazel sat up straight, folded her arms, and raised her brows.
“Or what?”
The maid, named Melanie, frowned deeper.
“I may be a maid here, but I am not your maid.”
“Your problem, dear,” Hazel scoffed.
These people were just as rude and annoying as their king.
“If you don’t want to do this job, why did you come here?”
Melanie blinked.
She had not expected such a sharp answer.
“You…”
“One more thing,” Hazel continued.
“You cannot tell me what to do. I have never seen a maid give orders to a guest. Unless you want me to report you.”
The maids went quiet for a second, then burst into laughter.
“Oh my gosh, she’s so stupid. I kind of like her.”
Melanie rolled her eyes.
“Who are you going to report us to? His Majesty?” She chuckled.
“I’ve known the Supreme Alpha for a long time. He hates listening to small complaints like this. Only if someone dies or gets beheaded will he care. Supreme Beta Ethan is the only one who handles these matters. Alpha Caius doesn’t even know our faces.”
“I never said I wanted to see him,” Hazel replied.
“As I said, I am only a guest here, and I will not stay long.”
She walked into the bathroom in annoyance and closed the door.
“Why is everyone so annoying?!” she muttered in annoyance, running her hands through her hair.
She looked at herself in the mirror.
Her face was soft and pretty, the same face she had since childhood.
Not only was she the best student, but also the most beautiful girl at the academy, but next to Caius, she felt small.
She let her long hair fall down her back and sighed.
No wonder he had looked at her with such disappointment.
She was not even worthy to touch his clothes.
The image of him sleeping in the glass coffin came back to her mind.
Hands crossed on his chest, face peaceful and innocent.
He had looked like Snow White and Sleeping Beauty at the same time.
That long white hair still looked perfect after two hundred years.
Realising she was thinking about him again, Hazel quickly shook her head and splashed cold water on her face.
After she finished bathing, she put on simple, clean clothes and stepped out.
The hallways of the castle were huge.
Guards stood like statues along the walls.
She walked slowly, feeling a little like a princess for the first time.
Everything was beautiful and expensive.
Then she noticed a larger hall with many thrones inside.
Twenty Alphas were on one knee with their heads lowered.
The scene was powerful and beautiful.
Hazel used to think Alphas were the strongest werewolves… until she learned about the Alpha King.
They all wore the same dark cape.
In the centre, a tall figure paced back and forth.
He wore elegant black royal clothes with silver designs.
Only his long white hair was tied high in a perfect style that made him look even more stunning.
On his head sat the crown that usually rested on the empty throne during meetings.
He held a large book in his hand and frowned while reading.
Hazel noticed something interesting.
There was no queen’s throne beside him.
Only the seats for the Supreme Beta and the Gamma were next to the main throne.
“Ahh… what a budget. Interesting,” she heard Caius say.
He handed the book to Beta Ethan and looked at the kneeling Alphas.
“Stand up and go to your seats.”
They all obeyed.
One young Alpha could not take his eyes off Caius, as if he had never seen anyone so good-looking.
Caius raised a brow at him….
” You….” Alexander, the Gamma, burst into laughter.
“Ahh, that’s Alpha Michael. He’s new. His father died a hundred and fifty years ago.”
Caius frowned.
“Is he really capable of ruling that pack?” He looked at Alexander, who then looked at the quiet Ethan.
Ethan still held a grudge against Michael for once suggesting they choose a new king.
He simply ignored them.
Caius gave him a deep look, then turned to Michael.
“Come here, kid.”
Michael stood up in fear and quickly walked forward.
He bowed low.
“Your… Your Majesty.”
“Why are you bowing? Weren’t you in a hurry to see me? Raise your head.”
Michael shivered and stood straight.
When his eyes met Caius’s silver ones, he blushed and looked away in embarrassment.
Caius smirked.
“Don’t tell me you like men, Alpha Michael.”
Michael shook his head fast.
“N-no, Your Majesty!”
Caius nodded.
“Hmm. Well, you are not up to my standard. Look at my Beta and my Gamma. They are far better.”
Hazel secretly agreed.
Ethan and Alexander were both very good-looking.
Ethan wore thin white glasses and looked calm and cold — almost like a quieter younger version of Caius.
Alexander had a playful smile and a playboy vibe that made people want to get close to him.
“He seems to be in a good mood,” Hazel whispered with a small sneer.
Making jokes was a good sign… Until four guards walked in carrying a dark, empty coffin and placed it right in the centre of the hall.
Errrrr…Ahhh…