"Ehm…" My voice cracked, raw like gravel in my throat. "Where… where am I?"
The words came out hoarse, fragile.
Even to my own ears, I didn't sound like myself.
Too weak. Too broken.
I tried again.
"How long… have I been knocked out?"
Everything ached.
Bones, muscles, even the breath in my lungs felt heavy.
But the worst part—the most terrifying part—was the silence in my head.
My wolf.
Gone.
No growl. No pull. No instinct.
Just a hollow space where he should've been.
I looked down at my hands, trembling with effort. My claws didn't even threaten to surface.
I couldn't shift. I couldn't feel him.
It was like someone locked that part of me in a cage and threw away the key.
Panic bubbled in my chest.
Then I saw her—
The woman who had kept me alive.
She moved slowly toward me, careful not to overwhelm. There was no fear in her eyes, only quiet concern… and something I hadn't seen in a long time.
Trust.
"You're safe," she said softly, voice low like the rain still tapping against the roof. "You were out for about two weeks. I found you in the forest—barely breathing. You would've died if I hadn't brought you here."
I blinked, trying to process her words.
"Two weeks…?" My jaw clenched. "And my—my wolf—he's not responding."
She nodded gently, kneeling beside the bed.
"I know," she whispered. "Whatever they gave you… it was meant to suppress him. It's why your body's healing so slowly. Your wolf can't rise. He's trapped."
Her hand hovered for a moment… then rested lightly on mine.
"But I'm going to help you. Whatever they did to you… we'll undo it. Together."
It was like her words flipped a switch in me.
The panic that had curled tight in my chest… loosened.
My muscles didn't stop aching, but something inside me—something buried deeper than flesh and bone—settled.
I didn't know her.
Didn't know where I was.
Didn't even know if I'd ever shift again.
But I knew this:
I was in safe hands.
Still, the part of me that wore a crown… the part raised by duty and war… needed clarity.
"My name is Kael," I said quietly. "Second son of Alpha Rydan. Prince of the Eastern Moon Pack."
I watched her eyes flicker—no fear, no shock. Just… understanding.
"I need to know where I am. What pack territory I'm in. And how far I am from home."
She didn't flinch.
"You're not in any pack's territory," she said, voice calm and sure. "You're in the wildlands—neutral ground. No Alpha owns these parts. No one dares to."
That surprised me.
"The wildlands…?" I echoed. "That far?"
She nodded. "Days away. Maybe more, in your condition. And as for me…" She tilted her head slightly, curls falling over her shoulder. "I belong to no pack. Not anymore."
I stared at her.
Something about the way she said it—soft, almost too casually—told me there was a story beneath her words. One she wasn't ready to share yet.
But the truth was, I didn't care what pack she came from.
Because in this moment, in this place, her scent, her voice, her presence...
felt more like home than any territory ever had.