Chapter 1: THE SURVIVAL

“Is this really happening or am I only dreaming?”

Irwin’s voice was barely carried over the wind that whipped around them, howling through the barren trees. She stood still, her heart pounding as she faced the heavy iron gates of the Shadowclaw compound.

Cain, who was standing beside her, glanced at her sharply. He's the shadowclaw gate keeper,  and he has been waiting for Irwin. His lips curled in something between amusement and impatience. “Why do you ask questions you already know the answers to?”

Irwin's throat tightened. The cold breeze of the night seeped through her cloak. But the chill she felt around her, came from the inside. “ But Why me? Why does the shadowclaw choose me for this” she whispered, more to herself than to Cain.

Cain snorted. “Why not you?” His boots crunched on the gravel as he moved ahead, pushing to open the gate. The sound echoed in the stillness. “It’s not in my place to know why the Alpha chose you, hybrid. But if I had to guess, I think you were the easiest option.” Cain smirked

The word “hybrid” bit into her skin. Irwin had heard it all her life that she was half-human, half-wolf, belonging to neither worlds. And now, here she was, on the verge of being pulled even deeper into a world she had no place in.

She swallowed, following Cain through the gate. “Is this really just about the marriage alliance? Or is there something else?”

Cain didn’t look at her, his voice gruff. “You think you’re special? This is about survival. The pack needs to secure its future, and you’re nothing but the key. Nothing more, nothing less.... And for the question you asked, the council will answer to that”

Irwin clenched her fists at her sides. “Doesn’t it bother you? Like Marrying someone off like this--- just for power?” Irwin Stuttered.

Cain's laughter was cold, humorless. “Bother me? Why would it? That’s the way of the world, Lady Irwin. Power comes before everything. Even love.” Cain hissed.

They walked in silence for a while, the dark compound looming ahead of them. The massive stone walls of the Shadowclaw fortress seemed to press in on her, suffocating. She could feel eyes on her. Packs of wolves in the shadows, watching and judging.

“Do they all hate me, that much?” Irwin asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Cain's reply came without hesitation. “Yes and what were you thinking before.”

The bluntness of it stung more than she expected. “ Is it Because I’m a hybrid?”

“That, and because you’re an outsider too,” Cain said, his eyes scanning the path ahead. “You don’t belong here. And You will never belong here.”

Irwin swallowed hard. “And you? Do you think I belong here?”

Cain stopped walking, turning to face her. His eyes were so cold, and unreadable. “You must be joking to ask me such question..... Just know that You’re here, and that’s all there is to it, lady. But if you think you’re going to fit in....” He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper and in disgust. “....you’re fooling yourself.”

 Irwin felt bad on the response Cain gave her. This is rude!

Immediately, They reached the entrance to the council hall, where the pack’s most powerful wolves waited inside patiently. Irwin's stomach whirled in discomfort and twisted into knots too.

Cain shoved the door open, the heavy wood groaning as it swung inward.

Inside are where five figures sat in a semi-circle around a large wooden table.

Their eyes all turned to Irwin, very assessing and calculating. The council, The true power behind the Shadowclaw pack.

The woman at the center, Lady Gwen, was the first to speak. “You’re the said one who’s going to marry into our pack?” Her voice was sharp, cutting through the silence like a blade.

Irwin forced herself to meet Gwen’s gaze. “Yes, I am.”

Gwen tilted her head slightly. “And why do you think you were the chosen one, hybrid?”

The question hung in the air, and heavy with judgment. Irwin’s pulse quickened, with her heart racing, but she refused to let her fear show. “I don’t know” she replied. “Maybe you can tell me please?”

Gwen’s lips twisted into a cold smile. “ That was Bold. I suppose that’s a start.” She glanced at the others seated around her. “But boldness won’t be enough to survive here, lady.”

“Is survival the only thing that matters to you?” Irwin shot back but in a calm voice.

Gwen raised an eyebrow. “In this world, Lady Yes.” Gwen cursed under her breath " A hybrid with lot's of nerves" rolled her eyes away.

And Another elder, a man with graying hair and a scar that ran down his face, leaned forward. “Do you think you can survive among us, girl?”

“I’ve survived worse,” Irwin replied, her voice steady.

The man chuckled darkly. “Is that right? What makes you think you can handle the pack’s politics? You’ve lived on the outside your whole life, lady Irwin.”

“And That’s exactly why I can handle it,” Irwin answered. “I know what it felt like to be rejected so many times, to fight for every inch of respect. And I’ve been doing it my entire life.”

The council exchanged glances. Irwin could feel their scrutiny, their skepticism. But there was something else there. The Curiosity.

Cain stood silently at Irwin's side, his arms crossed over his broad chest, watching the exchange Irwin was having with the council. Irwin could sense he was waiting for something. A signal, maybe. Or an order.

“What about loyalty?” Gwen asked suddenly. “Do you understand what loyalty means, hybrid? Or do you think you can betray us the moment it benefits you?”

Irwin stiffened at the accusation. “I understand loyalty. I don’t have anyone else to be loyal to.”

Gwen’s eyes narrowed. “No one else? What about the human side of you? Do you think they’ll just disappear?”

“They already have,” Irwin answered quietly but with a straight face.

The room fell silent. The tension palpable. Irwin knew she was being tested. Every word, every movement was being scrutinized. And one wrong step could mean her downfall.

As the conversation continued, Irwin began to notice the subtle glances exchanged between the council members and the unspoken words that passed between them. Something was definitely going on here. Something she wasn’t being told.

“Why do I feel like there’s something more to this?” she asked, her voice low but firm. “Why does it feel like I’m being tested for something beyond just a marriage?”

Cain shifted beside her, but the council remained silent.

Gwen smiled, but it was a cold, calculating smile. “You’re perceptive. And That’s good. You’ll need that skill if you want to survive here.”

Irwin’s heart raced. “Survive what, exactly please?”

The scarred elder leaned back in his chair, his eyes glinting with something that looked almost like amusement. “You really think this is just about a marriage alliance ,hybrid?”

Irwin felt a chill run down her spine. “Isn’t it?”

Gwen shook her head. “The marriage is only part of it. The real question is… what else are you willing to do for this pack? What else?”

Irwin’s mouth went dry. “What else is there?”

Gwen’s smile widened. “That’s something you’ll learn soon enough. But let’s just say… loyalty will be tested. And not just to the Alpha.”

Irwin glanced at Cain, tears wanting to flow down her cheeks but she couldn't let that out. Cain remained stone faced, giving nothing away. “What aren’t you  shadowclaw pack telling me?”

“ lady we have nothing to talk about” Cain muttered under his breath.

“What happens if I fail your tests?” Irwin asked finally, her voice edged with frustration.

Gwen’s gaze turned cold. “Then you’ll die, hybrid. And I can't wait enough to do it by myself”

The words sent a shiver down Irwin’s spine. She glanced again at Cain, who still said nothing, his face unreadable.

“What about you?” Irwin asked, her eyes fixed on him. “Why are you here? Just to make sure I don’t run?”

Cain’s eyes flicked to hers, and for a moment, something flickered there, something she couldn’t place. But then it was gone, replaced by the cold, hard exterior he always wore.

“I’m here to make sure you live long enough to fulfill your purpose,” he said finally.

Irwin’s pulse quickened. “And what exactly is that purpose?”

Cain didn’t answer. Instead, he turned and walked toward the door, leaving Irwin standing alone in the center of the council’s scrutiny.

“ What Is really happening?” She thoughts within herself.