Bab 2: The Pack Warrior

Rosina looked outside the carriage window as she was getting closer to her old home. The place where she grew up with daydreams and nightmares.

Rosina's body shivered with the old memories that flowed into her thoughts. "I hate this!"

Rosina took a small knife from her boots and sliced her wrist. The pain made her smile and stopped her from thinking about the past.

After a few seconds, Rosina's injuries healed instantly, thanks to her strong wolf. Her skin went back to normal as if nothing had happened.

"Lady, we have arrived," the coachman stated and opened the carriage door.

Rosina smiled and elegantly stepped out of the carriage with her bag and paid the coachman a decent amount for the 10-hour trip.

Standing at the forest entrance, Rosina inhaled the fresh air and enjoyed the cold breeze hitting her skin.

Rosina blinked multiple times as her intense-looking eyes became softer. She started massaging her face and tried smiling numerous times to practice the look of innocence and gullibility .

Rosina put the bag in front of her body, carried it with two hands, and started walking inside her old wolf pack.

The Palecrest pack was one of the 13 packs across the Ethereal realm. It was a tiny pack with less than 300 wolves living in the area.

The pack was known to have great hunters, and because of the vast forest surrounding the territory, the meat business was the source of their income.

The hunters would track down animals in the forest and sell them in the primary market, which was at the center of the realm where the most powerful pack resided, the royal family.

Rosina stood at the line where the Palecrest border was located, the entrance to the territory.

Taking a deep breath, Rosina stepped into the territory, signalling her arrival. It didn't take long before she saw a carriage waiting for her from afar.

"This is it," Rosina hopped inside, and they rode towards the pack house. She retook the knife and began cutting herself to calm her trembling nerves.

After a short ride, Rosina arrived at the pack house, where her mother was waiting for her with a wide smile.

Rosina rehearsed her innocent smile and expression before going out of the door and hugging her mother.

"Honey, you finally came back after three years!" Natale, her mother, kissed Rosina's cheeks before pulling her inside the pack house.

Several wolves greeted Rosina's arrival, while some rolled their eyes. After all, she was not a strong wolf in their eyes.

In the werewolf world, weakness was like trash, useless, and unwanted by many.

Cleto, her father, looked at her from top to bottom when they entered his office. "I see. You're still a useless wolf even after living alone for years."

"Husband, don't be like that. She just arrived today for the annual event. We should be happy," Natale stated calmly with a soft smile. She didn't want to anger her husband over a small matter.

"Happy? I will be happy if she's mated to a stronger wolf to lift our pack in ranks!" Cleto yelled and threw the papers from his table. "We are still the 12th in rank!"

"Honey, go to your room," Natale whispered and softly pushed Rosina out before she closed the door.

Rosina stood outside and listened to her mother's cries and begging while Cleto beat her to vent his anger.

Rosina closed her eyes and sighed deeply before walking away from the office. She went to her room on the first floor, which was left untouched with dust piled at every corner.

Rosina dropped her bags on the floor and sat on the bed, ignoring the dust that flew everywhere. She rubbed her face while trying to stay calm.

Rosina hated her mom. She hated her for being so frail and vulnerable and letting a man hit her for his own satisfaction.

"Calm down," Rosina whispered, and her innocent smile again hid her real identity. She patted her cheeks to prevent murderous thoughts from entering her mind.

A loud knock disrupted her thinking.

Rosina opened the door and saw a young man in his 20's smiling at her. She didn't fully open the door to have some privacy, but the man pushed it wider.

"Hi, I'm Emilio Consoli, a pack warrior," he introduced himself and extended his hand in front of Rosina.

"Rosina, nice to meet you," she stated and took his hand.

Emilio's smile grew wider, pulling Rosina closer to his body. He leaned down and whispered in her ears. "I want to get to know you more."

In that position, Emilio couldn't see Rosina's facial expression, which changed from innocent to a ferocious vibe.

Rosina stayed in her innocent act. She whined and lowered her head as if she was shy at the sudden invitation.

"Sure," Rosina replied softly.

"Great, I'll see you around at 10:30 in the evening at the northern forest," Emilio touched Rosina's cheeks down to her lips before stepping away and looking at her entire body, undressing her with his stares.

"Don't tell anyone about this, or else we can't meet. My father is strict with my curfews," Rosina said softly while biting her lower lip and fidgeting her fingers.

"I won't tell anyone. Don't worry," Emilio winked at her before leaving with a satisfied grin.

Rosina's soft smile dropped, and she scoffed at what had happened. She went out of her room, followed Emilio's scent, and saw him going to his group of friends outside the pack house.

They congratulated Emilio for succeeding in the bet of inviting her out in the evening.

A sadistic smile appeared on Rosina's face while watching them celebrate a small victory. She returned to her room and took an old notebook from her bag.

Rosina pulled the key from her necklace and used it to open the notebook's lock. She flipped through the pages and glided her hand on the blank space.

Rosina took a red pen attached from the side and wrote Emilio's name in a cursive letter.

"Another one to my list," Rosina giggled while hugging the notebook to her chest.