CHAPTER 3

      

        

        

        

        

        

        

   

        

        Early morning rays struggled through the trees as Alpha Alph, along with his friends, emerged from a thick forest, carrying Winter's unconscious form toward their pack's territory. The pack members in the clearing fell silent at the sight of their Alpha approaching them with the injured woman. Whispers of concern and curiosity rippled through the crowd while their eyes followed the procession in a mixture of awe and apprehension.

        

        

        Alph's face was set in a determined mold as he carefully carried Winter towards the pack's main dwelling-a huge, rustic structure built with the traditional craftsmanship of their kind. The air was heavy with fresh pine and earth, comforting compared to the dark woods they had left. The pack's healer, an elderly woman with sharp eyes and a kind face, was already waiting.

        

        "Trevor, fetch the healer," Alph instructed an undercurrent of urgency threaded in his tone.

        

        Trevor responded quickly, all but running as he yelled for the healer. The old woman, her robes billowing with each step, moved with a studied grace to stand beside Winter. Instantly, she began to work, checking Winter's vital signs and surveying her injuries. The room fell silent as the healer initiated her examination.

        

        At the back of the room, Maxine watched Alph's mate, her heart racing with a mix of apprehension and concern. She had been drawn to the commotion by the scent of blood scent far too familiar. As the healer carefully lifted Winter's head, Maxine's gaze fell upon the woman's face, and a shock of recognition hit her.

        

        Winter looked like a child Maxine had known many years ago, and yet, she was so different. Winter was lying serenely upon the bed, her body displaying every mark from her torture, yet her face no longer reflected pain. Her wrists still wore the burn marks of the ropes that held her, but the healer's touch was soothing and soft, and all discomfort was now hidden from her face.

        

        Maxine's eyes snapped open in horror. The smell of blood-among that specific combination of smells-couldn't be mistaken for anything else. It was a combination unique to her and Alph, the rarity and significance of it hitting her like a wave as she stepped backward, her breath caught in her throat.

        

        “A-Alph, is she…?" Maxine's voice was trembling and hardly above a whisper. She couldn't quite bring her lips to vocalize the words while her head was storming with hope and fear.

        

        Alph looked grave, staring at Winteras as he spoke, "We will find out, Maxine.”

        

        As the healer went on with her work, she peered deeply into the eyes of Winter to try to find some kind of abnormality in them. Winterlay with her eyes closed, but the keen eyes disclosed to the healer something very astonishing. The color of the eyes had changed: the left was blue and the right a mixture of yellow and blue as they had fluttered open.

        

        The healer's heart skipped a beat; this was no common finding. Only seldom had coloring of the eyes been seen, and it reminded her of the child so tragically lost those many years ago. Her mind ran back to days of war and loss to the time when her own child, Hadzen, had been a boy with such like eyes. There was unmistakable likeness, and the sight of Winter's eyes brought memories and emotions flooding into her mind.

        

        The healer's voice was even, though it shook slightly with emotion, as she spoke. "This is no ordinary happening. These eyes… they are a rare and key trait in our pack. It was thought lost to us during the conflict with the civilians.”

        

        Maxine's breath hitched as she listened, her mind reeling with the implications of the healer's words. She had always held on to a sliver of hope, knowing that her lost child might one day return. The connection between Winterand Hadzen seemed impossible yet undeniable.

        

        The healer carefully closed Winter's eyes, Maxine hands shaking slightly as she spoke. "If she truly is of the bloodline, then she may be the twin of my lost child. Hadzen was to have had a twin, a rare gift that was thought lost to us forever. Seeing these eyes. brings back hope."

        

        Relief and trepidation swept over Maxine like a storm. The prospect of this lost twin being found was almost too much to bear. Long years of conflict and loss had never caused her to lose hope. If this woman named Winterwas indeed her long-lost twin, a possibility that now loomed ahead of her, she felt herself torn between a complicated mix of joy and apprehension.

        

        Alph's eyes softened as he looked at Maxine. "We have to be certain. We have to wait for Winterto wake up and see if she remembers anything that can confirm she is from our pack."

        

        Maxine nodded, the wheels in her mind churning a thousand thoughts. "What if she is not alone? What if there are more of them?"

        

        Alph's expression turned solemn once more. "We'll cross that when the time comes. For now, we have to attend to her recovery. She has our bloodline, thus it is our duty to protect and provide for her."

        

        The healer went back to work, her hands moving with practiced precision as she tended to Winter's injuries. Maxine watched in silence, her heart heavy at the discovery. The air was thick with tense anticipation as each of their pack members held their breath in waiting for the outcome.

        

        The morning wore on; the sun climbed higher in the sky and shone its warm rays through the dwelling windows. Winterhad not stirred; her even breathing was shallow. The healer worked untiringly, sometimes offering herbal remedies and at other times checking that Winter's wounds were correctly treated.

        

        Maxine sat beside Winter's bed, the quiet of her person a silent vigil. She couldn't get the feeling that this woman-this stranger-somehow belonged to her past. The thought of her lost twin, the child she had never thought she would see again, overwhelmed her with a profound sense of both hope and fear.

        

        Finally, as the afternoon wore on, Winter's eyelids fluttered open. She was looking around the room in a rather groggy and disoriented way, but with an increasingly aware expression. Maxine held her breath, her heart racing as she watched Winterfinally awaken.

        

        Alph, who was standing near her, went closer to her; his face softened at the sight of Winter. "Welcome back. How are you feeling?"

        

        Winter's voice was hoarse; her throat dry as she responded, "Where am I? Who are you?"

        

        Maxine took a deep breath, her heart heavy from the burden of the moment. "You're safe now. My name is Maxine, and this is Alph, the Alpha of our pack. You've been through a lot, but we're here to help you.".