THE REUNION

I sat in the cold, dark dungeon, half naked, my body freezing as my teeth clenched together. I had shed so much tears it was hard to summon another. I had little to no choice but to lay there in silence, curled into a ball. The only sound I could hear was the chattering of my teeth.

The next thing I heard was the dungeon door opening behind me, followed by the voice of my nine-year-old boy as he ran in, calling out, "Mother!" I quickly sat up, shivering, and hugged him tightly, and he returned the embrace without hesitation.

He came with a blanket, quickly breaking the hug to wrap it around me. I curled into it immediately, seeking warmth. "Are you alright? Are you fine?" my son asked, concern on his face. I nodded weakly, too drained to speak, but relieved to see him again after two days in that cold, foodless, and waterless dungeon. "They didn't allow me to see you."

"Shhh," I hushed him, placing a finger over my lips, glancing at the head maid standing beside the guard with a trace of pity in her eyes. "The prince is coming back today, so we need all the help we can get." My heart raced at the news. Kieran would be back after so many years?

A few weeks after our encounter many years ago, his father had sent him to a distant district of the pack, appointing him as beta. Now, with his father, Alpha Jacob's passing, Kieran was returning to assume leadership of the Stormfall Pack—a piece of good news that, unfortunately, spelled trouble for me.

"The royal physician conducted his investigation, and it turns out the king died of a heart attack, not poison. You don't have to worry about returning here for now. The queen has decided to release you," the head maid explained, bringing a smile to my face. I had been the last to serve the king just hours before his death, leading the queen to suspect me of poisoning him and throwing me into a dungeon for two days without food or water. I had feared I would be executed for his death, but it seemed the Moon Goddess had intervened to save me.

"Join the other maids and resume your duty," she commanded, then turned her back and walked away, leaving me, my son, and the guards.

One guard looked at me and chuckled, "What a pity. Just when I thought we would witness an execution."

Another joined in, saying, "What use is her life anyway? It would have been better if she admitted to killing the king, be beheaded, and moved on."

My son started to speak, but I quickly covered his mouth and held him close, whispering in his ear, "No, Lycaon." He fell silent immediately.

"Well, are you going to leave or stay there forever?" the guard snapped angrily.

"I ..I.. I am sorry" I stammered as I gathered myself, standing on shaky legs, but collapsed from exhaustion, causing the guards to laugh at my suffering. I wanted to cry, but I held back, not wanting my son to see my suffering.

"Let's go," I said to my son, wrapping clothes around myself and taking his hand as we weakly made our way out of the dungeon. I hurried to my maid quarters, where I slipped into one of the maid's outfits. "Stay here, I will be back," I instructed him, and he nodded obediently.

Feeling sick, tired, and hungry, I pushed myself to carry out my duties as a maid. Stepping back out into the corridors, another maid approached me.

"Come with me," she said, and I followed silently.

"Here, hang these flowers up there," she instructed, handing me a basket of flowers and indicating the high ceiling. The queen's tradition was to cover the palace with flowers whenever there was a death, whether of a close relative or an important council member. This time, it was for none other than the recently deceased king himself, Alpha Jacob, who had passed away three days ago, hence the need for the floral decorations.

in between all the sadness and grief in the palace, I found a source of happiness: Kieran, the king's son and beta, was finally coming home to assume the role of alpha.

I looked at the wooden ladder I was supposed to climb to hang the rope of flowers in such a high place, and panic took over me. It didn't seem right. Glancing at the maiden, I could see the disgust in her eyes, as if she will catch a disease by being so close to me. She stretched the flowers towards me, her hands waiting for me to take them

"Perhaps someone else could do it?" I suggested. "I' was afraid of heights, and I don't want to risk falling."

"Scared?" The handmaiden, Claudia, said with a scoff before adding, "I am surprised you are scared after all the horrors your life has already endured. I thought surely you would have built up an immunity to fear."

I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came out, and I immediately closed it again.

"Think of it as me doing you a favor," she continued. "If you were to climb up there and fall to your death, surely it would be a relief from your miserable life. Isn't death much better than the life you are living right now?" Her words made me rub my sweaty palms together and lower my head, feeling nervous and regretful for speaking up.

"I will just do it," I said nervously as I collected the basket from her. "I am sorry."

"Good," she replied coldly, moving closer. "I will pray for your fall, so you might die and eventually find peace." Without another word, she walked away, leaving me inhaling deeply. Years ago, before Lycoan, I might have cried and wanted to die because of their words and abuse, but Lycoan has given me a reason to live, a reason to move on.

I grabbed the wooden ladder and shook it a little to check its stability, and of course, it was wobbly. I sighed as I began to climb it gently, my feet shaky, but that didn't matter. I knew what I had to do, and I needed to do it. As I climbed further up the ladder, I reached the top. Gently picking up the flowers, I began to hang them, trying hard not to look down since I was afraid I would fall if I did.

After what seemed like a successful job and as I was about to climb down the ladder slowly, something—or maybe someone, I couldn't tell at that moment hit my ladder. Before I knew what was happening, I suddenly started falling back, straight to the ground, and I let out a scream. Everything seemed to go in slow motion as I closed my eyes, bracing myself for the impact. I was prepared to hit the ground and possibly die or sustain a lot of injuries, even though such a fall wasn't supposed to kill a wolf like me. But was I really a wolf? The only time I felt my wolf a little was ten years ago, that very night, and it was the last time.

I hadn't had the opportunity to transform like other wolves, nor did I possess any unique abilities like the other

At that moment, I closed my eyes tight, expecting to hit the ground hard and sustain multiple injuries. But instead, I didn't. I fell into a hand that seemed to hold me in place. Big, strong. My eyes were still closed, but immediately the person's smell hit my nostrils, and I could tell who it was.

I knew exactly who it was. My wolf, who had always been dormant, tried to reach out to me once again. Once again! Like she was trying to tell me something, and like that time, it was also not clear.

My heart started beating very fast as I could feel my anxiety growing by the second. Slowly I opened my eyes, and then I saw it, his silver eyes staring down at me. his expression was initially one of shock but soon transitioned into confusion as if he just found out something. I couldn't help but wonder, what was going through his head as he stared intensely at me.

The last time I saw him, he was just a nineteen-year-old, but now he was a man, all grown and a hundred times more handsome than before. He was a sight to behold, and I could stare at him forever.

At that moment, I didn't care what people might think of me. Having the next king hold me in his hands like this could or would be a punishable offense, but I didn't care. I wanted to remain like this... well, until...

"My love," a small voice said behind Kieran. I turned to the direction of the voice to see where it came from, and alas, it was an extremely beautiful woman. So beautiful, she made me feel even less than I already felt. Did she just call him "my love"? He has a lover. The silver moon necklace around her neck made me realize that they were not just lovers—she was his wife! His wife! They were married? I mean, he has been away for ten years, but how did he get married and no one knew?

"Who is that you are holding?" she asked, and the only thing that came to mind at the moment was, How exactly am I supposed to compete with her?