2

Elita

“ You will attend the selection Ball. Don’t try to run away again or you will have no legs in the future. ” The strict, angry Alpha on the other side of the desk hisses. “ If you serve me no purpose, you have no right to be alive! ”

I blink, staring at him. He heaves a heavy breath and holds my gaze before a look of confusion takes over.

His features match the face of the body I am inside. Blue eyes. Blonde hair.

He is my father.

I mean…the father of this body, Lana Redley. He is Alpha Redley, a powerful Alpha in the North who can influence even the Lycan King of the North, Dustin Landric into doing things for him.

According to my information, he fed his daughter silver which is deadly enough to kill a wolf, even if it’s an Alpha’s daughter.

Something inside my chest burns at the thought. I shouldn’t be angry because I am not Lana but fearing him and despising him is like…muscle memory of this body.

When I don’t say anything, his frown deepens. “ Why are you not replying to me? ”

“ Alpha, I believe Lady Lana is suffering from memory issues because of her head injury. She doesn’t remember…anything about her life, it seems. ” The elderly woman is behind me and comes to my rescue when I don’t waver.

She was shocked when I asked who she was. Since then, she has been coming up with weird explanations to understand why ‘Lana’ doesn’t remember the Nanny who took care of her all her life.

In the end, she has reached the conclusion that Lana lost her memory. And it’s stupid, which Alpha Redley proves the next moment.

“ A wolf? She?! ” He points at me, his face a mask of wrath and mockery. “ lost her memory?! ”

“ Alpha, the silver must have weakened her abilities too much. Or it’s possible that Lana lost her memory because of the heartbreak. She had to break her bond with her mate, Maverick after all. You know breaking a bond or rejecting mates can cause such issues. ” She provides while I sit there, still reeling with the shock of being here.

Alpha Redley fixes his gaze on me and stares at me for a long time, silently. I stare back, making him scowl and stiffen, and shift in his spot numerous times.

“ Is it true what Donna is saying or is this another one of your tricks? ” He asks, leaning in.

I watch his clenching fists and tightening jaw, a strange emotion stirring in my heart.

“ Do you hit me? ” I wonder, not realizing that I said it out loud.

His eyes narrow on me and in an instant, he is standing before me, seething like an angry wolf.

I pride myself on my identity as a supreme warrior, an Alpha’s blood, and—

His palm strikes my cheek before I can register it. The impact is so strong that my chair flies, and lands on the floor.

I find myself lying there, staring at the ceiling with my blurry vision, shock, and pain ripping throughout my body.

Why didn’t I see him moving? My instincts are so sharpened that I can even track down vampires that are known for their speed, so why didn’t I see his palm coming?

A mixture of anger and disbelief makes me jump to my feet, only to get another slap in the face that knocks me down. My vision goes black, my head buzzing with the brutal hit.

An Alpha’s punch is no joke. It’s like my jaw has dislocated.

But I am an Alpha’s daughter and I am trained by an Original Hybrid personally.

I fist my hands, wanting to fight back, but my wolf’s claws don’t come out. Surprised, I open and close my fists, trying to understand why I don’t hear my wolf’s voice in my head or why she is not coming out.

Freaking hell!

Where is my wolf?

The angry bull kicks my thigh. I groan, and close my eyes in pain. This is nothing compared to what I suffered, to the pain of getting burned alive or getting your limbs ripped.

But…this is killing me.

How did I become so weak?

“ Answer me?! Are you lying or have you truly become dumb? ” Alpha Redley snarls, pressing the heel of his boot harder into my thigh.

After years of suppressed memories, my father’s face comes back to haunt me. He loved to do things like this, beat us siblings until we were half dead.

He could do that because he was an Alpha. We were not. We were just innocent children.

During my time in that hellhole that I called my pack, I learned that if you are weak, you must not use your fists but your wits. You must bid your time and stab someone in their sleep instead of fighting heads on.

I grit my jaw and nod instantly. “ Yes, Father. ”

“ Alpha! ” He barks like a dog.

“ Yes, Alpha. ” I hiss through my gritted jaw.

He kicks my leg and leaves me on the floor. I release a breath of relief.

Lana Redley…fucked me up.

She has no wolf.

She can not fight.

And in her body, I am as weak as she is.

“ How is this possible? She lost her memory with a blow to her head! ” He paces in the office angrily and I sit on the floor, wondering when he might lash out again.

Suddenly, he proves me right and stops in front of me. “ Look at me! ”

I flinch, meeting his gaze. He glares into my eyes and grabs my jaw, squeezing it until I wince but don’t look away.

“ It’s true. This is not my daughter. She would never look into my eyes. ” He blinks, releasing my aching jaw in shock.

My heart misses a beat as I rub my face and look down. He can’t figure out that I am Elita, right?

I frown. There is no way to know that. No one has ever heard of a soul going back in time to possess another she-wolf. That’s just…absurd.

Which brings me to the question…

How did I do this?

And what are my conditions?

Is Lana alive inside me and I am only possessing her body?

Or is she dead?

And why the hell is it Lana?

I gasp with each question as the possible answers to all of them make me shift uncomfortably.

“ Well! Very well. ” Out of nowhere, Alpha Redley chuckles.

“ Alpha… ” The kind woman whispers, and steps closer. “ I think it’s best if Lana takes some— ”

“ Silence! ” Alpha Redley growls, his eyes flashing a brighter blue.

I grimace, sliding a little back. I don’t think Lana’s weak body will survive another blow and after coming so far, I can’t just fall dead so easily.

I must come up with a way to make up for Lana’s weaknesses.

“ Listen here, girl. ” He turns to me and snatches my jaw again.

“ Yes, Alpha. ” I blurt, my heart missing a beat.

I already hate this man.

“ You must attend the ceremony at the castle tonight. Alpha King is looking for his fated mate and has called women from all over the four Kingdoms of Wolves. ” He leans in and glares at me hatefully. “ You must make him believe you are his mate. ”

I open my mouth, to tell him what a terrible idea it is. How can I make him believe I am his mate? Because I, Elita Folke am not his mate, and Lana Redley already rejected her mate.

But instead, I ask him. “ How am I going to make him believe that, Alpha? ”

Protecting the Lycan King from up close is a great idea.

And I must prevent the fall of the werewolves and Lycans as well.

Because I am powerful now as I know what even the Lycan Kings don’t.

The vampires and humans are coming for them soon.

All that aside…

I must see my stone sculpture turn into a living, breathing man.