Chapter 4 DAUGHTER OF THE MOST HIGH

Bella's POV

In the dark of the night, the stars shimmered in the sky but my hope dimmed.

My fists clenched as the echoes of the phone call lingered in my mind. Fury simmered just below my calm exterior, a familiar flame that kept me on edge. I didn't trust the voice on the other end of the line—yet I knew I couldn't turn down any chance to grow stronger.

Weakness and pretending to be weak had always been my strong suit. Hide everything to be safe, to be protected, I learned the hard way. I hated it so much but I had no choice. I never chose.

The betrayal, the feeling of being unwanted seeped into my bones from my old pack, my old family. My lips curled up in disdain. Where is my family? Now why would I trust someone I had never met. I inhaled and exhaled slowly.

The possibility that these people might help me save my Luna, my mother, was too precious to ignore, even if it meant aligning with strangers. With each step closer to their realm, my pulse quickened. I was wary, but I also felt an inexplicable pull. Something was waiting.

Maybe this was it. Maybe I could finally be happy or maybe this was a trap and I was going back to the hell hole I crawled out from. However, a flicker of hope boomed in my heart. What if I could afford the medical expenses and save her? They were almost there and my breath hitched.

When the private jet touched down nearby, its sleek, intimidating presence left me speechless.

I had never seen anything so opulent. The Moonlight Pack, my former pack, didn't even have the budget for decent training facilities, let alone a private jet. In its gleaming reflection, I felt a small part of myself—a part that still longed for belonging and comfort—crack open, and I fought it back. This was not my world. But for now, it had to be.

Cora always managed to make me feel wanted and accepted but a part of me, deep down knew that I didn't belong but I had nowhere else to go. There was a different kind of pain from watching everything you could have had but never being able to reach out to it and grab it.

As I climbed aboard, I took a deep breath, apologizing silently to my wolf. She was my companion yet an entity as enigmatic as the moon, had kept me company through these lonely years.

I was fiercely protective of it, knowing how precious and rare a bond like ours was. Yet, here I was, thrusting both myself and my wolf into the spotlight. I half expected anger in return, but instead, I felt a gentle warmth, a sense of understanding. The soft tug eased my heart. What would I do without her?

“It's all right,” the wolf's voice echoed faintly within me. “We're stronger now. I trust you.”

I exhaled, comforted. Over two years of intense training had taught both of us to hide our true nature. It was a necessity if I was going to make it in New York as a regular werewolf—unseen, blending into the crowd.

The wolf sympathized with my struggle, but, as always, remained stubbornly private, refusing to reveal its full identity. I had given up trying to coax it out. The truth would come when it was ready. However, maybe if I tried one more time she might tell me.

“You can at least tell me your name. Or do you want me to call you Strawberry shortcake?” I said internally and the wolf was silent but if I could see it, I was sure it rolled its eyes.

Even with the sense of the unknown living with me, talking to me, it was better than anything. It made me calm and not feel like I was alone which was strange because I conversed with the darkness. I sighed.

When we finally touched down on unfamiliar ground, a woman awaited me on the runway, looking both ethereal and strikingly familiar.

She was dressed simply, yet there was a sense of authority radiating from her, a beauty that had a timeless, almost haunting quality. This woman wasn't just anyone; I could feel it, a primal certainty down to my bones. But who was she?

In her presence, I felt small. Inconsequential. The woman was so put together and powerful that I almost recoiled. I was truly pitiful sometimes.

I hesitated, wanting to ask a hundred questions, but as my voice found the courage to speak, I felt the woman's sharp gaze trace the bruises on my skin, the cuts that had barely healed, and the tattered clothes that clung to me like a reminder of the life I had left behind.

The scars made me insecure of who I was because deep down, I didn't know who that person was. I had everything I could dream of and then it disappeared into the air like smoke. I wasn't blind anymore and each wound showed the price I had to pay to remove the blindfold.

The woman didn't flinch, didn't utter a single word of pity. Instead, she gestured toward a luxury car waiting nearby.

“We're going to get you taken care of,” she said softly but firmly. Before I could protest, she was swept away.

Our first stop was a luxurious boutique, the kind of place where everything shimmered and glowed under soft lights, making you feel like you were stepping into a dream.

I halted in my tracks. I didn't belong here. The glances from the other VIP customers told me as much. Their sneers and disdain masked by their sophisticated faces made me nauseaus. I wanted to bolt out of here. Runaway and not look back.

Even dressed in designer clothes, I felt out of place. I had barely taken two steps inside when a sneering voice sliced through the air.

“Who let her in here?” a tall woman draped in silk sneered, looking at me with scorn. A ripple of laughter followed from her companions, and my skin prickled. I felt my wolf stir, growling under the surface, but I suppressed it.

They were right. I was no less than a dog. Tears stung my eyes but I wouldn't cry.

“The thrift stores or what do they call it are at the flea market. I'm sure you would find something of your calibre, if you do have calibre there.” Another woman spoke in a dignified accented voice which differed from the nasty things her words inferred.

“Security! We have a thief in the shop, please escort her out before she steals something. Oh my.” The women gasped and I clenched my fists. How could people be so cruel? My jaw clenched.

My mother—the woman who still hadn't introduced herself—caught the exchange, her face hardening. Without missing a beat, she raised a perfectly manicured hand and snapped her fingers. Staff members rushed over, looking concerned.

“Escort them out,” she commanded, her voice calm but laced with authority. When they hesitated, her voice turned icy. “If BM Corporation has any business with these women, it's done. Now, leave.”

My eyes widened. It was one thing to demand they be thrown out, but severing corporate ties in an instant? Only someone of immense influence could make such a move, and effortlessly at that.

A ripple of realization settled over me, heavier than anything I'd experienced in a long time. This woman, my mother, was no ordinary werewolf. She was Luna Olive, former Luna of the largest pack in New York—the Nightshade Pack.

Luna Olive glanced at me, softening my expression. “No one disrespects my daughter.”

The words hung in the air, and I felt a mixture of warmth and disbelief. My daughter. It was the first time I'd heard it, and though I wasn't one to believe in sentiment easily, something about it felt right.

No wonder she was dressed impeccably and her aura demanded respect.

As they walked from store to store, I tried to absorb everything, from the strange power my mother wielded to the eyes that followed them. New clothes and accessories were carefully selected for me, each item seemingly chosen to rebuild my image. To Luna Olive, this wasn't just a shopping trip—it was a transformation.

But the truth was could I be transformed? Something in me was in a way broken. I had no one and nothing and I wasn't sure that would change by trying on new dresses, but Luna Olive was adamant that it would. I could only follow behind her, my head lowered.

“Don't slouch. You are my Cub, and you need to act like it.” she didn't look back as she admonished me but my back straightened immediately.

With each new dress, a new version of me seemed to emerge, one that was bold, sophisticated, even regal. It was a side of me I had never had the luxury to indulge, but one I felt curiously comfortable in. My wolf, who had been so wary, almost purred at the attention, basking in the luxury.

My mother catered for me even though she didn't smile or dote but she was attentive, sure to not make me uncomfortable.

But with every fitting, every approving look my mother gave, I felt a strange tug at the back of my mind. My wolf sensed it too. There was something unsettling about how swiftly my life was changing, as if forces far greater than me were orchestrating it all. It was too good to be true. Everything could be gone in the blink of an eye.

“Why now?” I asked, finally breaking the silence as they left the last store. “Why have you come for me now?”

Luna Olive turned to me, her expression unreadable. “It's time you understood your legacy. There are things you need to know.”

We made our way to a penthouse in Manhattan, a sleek modern fortress with panoramic views of the city.

For me, the view was breathtaking. Yet, as I stood in the heart of this opulent haven, she felt a pang of isolation. I was miles away from my old life, from everything familiar, thrust into a world I didn't understand. But my mother's presence, though stoic, offered a strange sense of comfort.

Luna Olive poured herself a glass of wine, then glanced at me, a glimmer of pride in her eyes. “Do you know who your father is?”

I shook my head, caught off-guard by the question.

“He's Alpha Luther. One of the strongest, most feared Alphas in the nation,” my mother said. “And he doesn't know about you.”

My heart skipped a beat. Alpha Luther was a legend in the werewolf world, known for his ruthlessness and power. It was said that no one dared cross him. The thought of being connected to someone like him was… overwhelming. That wasn't true. He couldn't be the father to a girl like me. I swallowed, playing with my fingers.

“He doesn't know about me?” I repeated, struggling to grasp the idea.

“No.” Luna Olive's voice softened. “It was safer that way—for both of us.”

As my mother explained the circumstances that had forced her to hide my existence, I felt my wolf stir with curiosity. I could sense my mother's truthfulness, but questions nagged at me, questions I wasn't ready to ask.

That night, alone in my new room, I felt a wave of confusion. I was the daughter of an Alpha and a Luna, a lineage that held immense power and responsibility. Yet, I knew nothing of it.

My head was spinning with all the new information. Only a few hours ago I was the adopted daughter of a man who used me as a tool. Now I'm the daughter of the most powerful Luna. In a way, I felt like I didn't deserve it. Staring into the darkness of the night, it was so familiar and I found myself drifting to sleep, the dark a lullaby that only I could hear.