Chapter 3

Natalia's POV

I walked through the pack's main gates. I'd been gone two months, but everything felt different now.

Guard Captain Reed almost dropped his spear when he saw me. His face went white.

"That's... that's impossible," he stammered, backing away. "You can't be here."

"Well, I am here," I said, shifting my pack on my shoulder.

More guards rushed over, looking scared as hell.

Pack members stopped what they were doing to stare at me like I was some kind of ghost.

"She's supposed to be in Sacred Grove," someone whispered.

"Forever."

"The rules are clear," Reed said, his voice shaking.

"People who go to Sacred Grove for spiritual guidance stay there for life, serving the moon goddess. You... you can't just come back."

I looked around at their terrified faces. These assholes sent me away hoping I'd die.

Now they're freaking out because I'm still breathing.

"I need to see Alpha Marcus," I said.

"Someone better tell him I'm back."

"I'll... I'll send word," he finally said.

Within an hour, the whole pack was losing their minds.

I could see them trembling as I walked toward the packhouse.

The crowd parted for me. Nobody dared block my path.

I pushed open the heavy doors of the main hall.

Father stood by the long table. Elder Morrison was next to him. They both turned as I walked in.

"Natalia." Father's voice was a low, warning growl. "You broke sacred law. Guards, seize her."

Two guards stepped forward.

I held my ground. "Try it," I said.

The guards stopped. They looked confused, glancing at each other. Then I saw their noses twitch.

Father frowned. He took a step toward me, pushing his Alpha aura into the room to force me to my knees.

But he froze. "Your scent," he muttered.

The weak, human smell I carried for eighteen years was gone. Now, the air around me felt thick. It smelled like a brewing storm.

Before I went to the Grove, his Alpha pressure would have crushed my chest. Now, I barely felt it. I stood perfectly straight.

"Kneel," he ordered.

"No."

The hall went dead silent. Nobody says no to the Alpha.

Father's face turned dark red. "You are a disgrace. You have no wolf. You—"

"I survived the Grove," I cut him off. "The Goddess sent me back. Are you questioning her will?"

That shut him up. Elder Morrison looked away, refusing to meet my eyes.

The side doors swung open. Damon walked in.

"Alpha Marcus, we have a situation at the—" Damon stopped dead in his tracks.

His eyes locked on me. His jaw dropped.

He stared, taking in my posture and my skin. I wasn't the broken, pale girl he had humiliated in front of the whole pack. I was healthier than I'd ever been.

"Natalia?" Damon's voice cracked.

He stepped closer. His nostrils flared as he caught my new scent. The disgust he used to look at me with was gone. He just looked completely stunned.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Living my life," I said. "Keep your distance, Damon."

He stopped. He actually listened to me.

"I'm going to my room," I told Father. "Don't send anyone to bother me."

I walked right past Damon. He turned his head to watch me go, but he didn't say a word.

I climbed the grand staircase and walked down the hallway. My old bedroom was at the very end.

I opened the door and threw my bag on the floor.

I was back. And this time, they were going to pay.

I walked over to the window and looked out at the pack grounds.

Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from the main gates.

Pack members started shouting.

Guards rushed out of the barracks, sprinting toward the front entrance with their weapons drawn.

A massive commotion broke out at the border. I could hear men yelling, the sound of heavy bodies hitting the dirt, and a strong voice cutting through the chaos.

Someone had breached the territory.