I woke with a jolt, wrapped in a blanket—one made from the fabric Reena and I had found in the forest.
My heart pounded. I sat up immediately, eyes scanning the clearing.
Reena wasn't beside me.
Her massive wolf form… gone.
A sharp panic stabbed through my chest.
"Reena!" I shouted, scrambling to my feet. "Reena!!!"
I stumbled through the clearing, searching, calling her name again and again. My breath grew heavy, my pulse wild—until a twig snapped behind me.
Footsteps.
"You're awake," a voice said—familiar, but softer… human.
I spun around.
And froze.
A woman stood a few steps away—mid-thirties, tall, wearing the same dress Reena had found days ago.
Her hair was long and red, flowing over her shoulders.
Her eyes—brown with a fiery tint, almost red—held a warmth I recognized instantly.
She was beautiful. Mature. Confident. But more than anything… familiar.
My stomach dropped.
"W-who are you?!" I demanded.
She smiled gently, a small, knowing curve of her lips.
"Jane," she said softly. "It's me."
Her voice—the tone, the softness, the calm I'd felt so many times—it finally clicked.
My breath caught.
"R-reena?!!!"
My heart hammered in my chest.
"R-reena?" I whispered again, barely trusting my voice.
The woman—Reena—took a slow step toward me. The warmth in her eyes was the same one that always made me feel safe when she was in her wolf form.
"It's really me, Jane," she said softly, her voice trembling just a little. "I'm sorry I frightened you."
I stared at her, still unable to breathe.
"But… how? You were—your wolf form—your body was—"
She stood in front of me, placing her hand over mine. Her touch was warm, gentle, grounding.
"It's because of you," she said. "Your blood healed me… and more than that, it awakened something in me. Something I didn't know still existed."
I blinked, stunned.
"My blood… turned you into this?"
She nodded slowly.
"I wasn't supposed to ever take human form again. My kind lost the ability generations ago. But when I drank your blood last night… something ancient inside me responded. Your blood—it has power, Jane. A power that hasn't existed in centuries."
My throat tightened.
"I-I almost lost you," I whispered, my voice cracking.
Reena's expression softened. She cupped my cheek with her palm, her thumb brushing away a tear I didn't even realize had fallen.
"I know," she murmured. "But you didn't. You saved me. Even when you were changing… even when the pain should've broken you… you still protected me."
Her voice faltered, emotion shining through.
"You called for me the moment you woke up," she said, smiling gently. "Just like a child looking for his mother."
I looked away, embarrassed—but she gently raised my chin, forcing me to meet her eyes.
"I'm here," she whispered. "I'm not gone. I'm not leaving you."
The words hit something deep inside me—something raw and aching.
"I thought I'd be alone again," I admitted, my voice shaking. "When I didn't see you… it felt like my whole chest was collapsing."
Reena stepped closer, wrapping her arms around me.
Her embrace was warm—warmer than her wolf form, and somehow even safer.
"You're not alone, Jane," she breathed into my hair. "You never will be. Not while I live."
I gripped the fabric of her dress, holding onto her as if she might disappear again.
"I'm still me," she added softly. "Just… a different side of me. A side your blood awakened. You gave me back something I thought was gone forever."
I pulled away just enough to look at her, still overwhelmed.
"Does… does it hurt? Being human?"
She smiled, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Not at all. It feels strange… but right. And I can shift back when I want. Your blood didn't break me, Jane. It completed something unfinished."
I swallowed hard, staring at her with wide eyes.
"So… you're really Reena."
Her smile widened, gentle and full of affection.
"Yes," she whispered. "I'm really Reena."
Reena sat beside me on the blanket, pulling her knees close as the early morning wind brushed through her red hair. For a moment, she just watched me—her gaze soft, but troubled.
Reena stared at me longer than usual-too long-her eyes moving slowly from my hair, then back again. At first, I didn't mind it. We were talking about her and about everything that happened,
But the longer she looked, the more silent she became.
Finally, she whispered, almost breathless:
I blinked. " What about it?"
She reached out, fingers trembling slightly, and gently lifted a lock of my hair.
Stared at
White.
Not silver, not gray-pure white, soft and glowing faintly in the dim light.
My heart thudded painfully in my chest.
" What.." I swallowed. " What happened to me?"
Reena didn't answer immediately. Her brows furrowed as she studied me even closer. Then her eyes widened.
"Your eyes," she said, voice cracking with surprise. " Jane, your eyes are gold."
I froze.
Gold?
I had brown eyes. Always had.
"Stop messing with me," I whispered, suddenly frightened.
"I'm not." She motioned for me to sit, her voice gentle but serious.
"There's something you need to know, Jane," she began quietly. "About what happened to you last night."
My stomach tightened. "About… the way I transformed?"
She nodded. "When I saw your white fur… your eyes… your size… I recognized it."
She drew a slow breath. "You weren't just any wolf last night. You took the form of a Fenrir."
I stiffened. "Fenrir? Like… the myth?"
. "It's not a myth," Reena said softly. "Not to us. Fenrir wolves were ancient beasts—powerful, rare, feared. Almost gods in the old wolf lore. They were wiped out ages ago… or so we believed." She searched my face. "But when you changed, Jane… you looked exactly like a young Fenrir."
My heart pounded.
"So what does that mean? That I'm… a descendant?"
"That's my theory," she said. "Your blood—strong, ancient—responded to the Hyena blood instead of being consumed by it. It awakened something hidden in you." She smiled a little. "Though from your size… I'd say you're still a pup."
"A pup?" I repeated, offended.
She chuckled softly. "Yes. A very dangerous pup."
But her smile didn't last. Her expression shifted—sad, distant—as if she was remembering something painful.
"Jane," she said, her voice lower now. "There's more I need to tell you. About me. About… Azkiel."
The name hit me like a cold gust.
"The man from last night?"
She nodded slowly. "Azkiel is not just any Lycan. He's an Elder—one of the oldest. They can't become Alphas anymore, but they advise them. They hold knowledge. Secrets. Power."
Her jaw tightened. "I know him because… he was once my mate."
My eyes widened. "Your lover?"
"Yes." Her voice broke slightly. "Before he betrayed me."
Silence hung heavy between us.
"He chose politics. Chose power. Chose the pack over me. And when the time came, I became a sacrificial lamb—a tool to bring strength to their rituals." Her hands clenched. "Just like what they tried to do to you."
My chest twisted.
"So you were one of us… one of the ones marked for sacrifice."
"Yes." Reena looked away, shame flickering across her face. "But unlike you, I let my hatred swallow me whole. I wanted revenge on Azkiel. On all of them."
Her voice trembled.
"That first night, I ran. Barely alive. I found a dying hyena and drank its blood… believing the legends. Believing it would make me stronger."
"And did it?"
She laughed bitterly. "It made me powerful—yes. But unstable. And every time I attacked the Lycans, I failed. Again and again. I barely escaped, fleeing back to the Forbidden Forest to heal."
Her eyes darkened. "I kept drinking the Hyena's blood. Again. Again. Until I could no longer shift back into human."
My breath caught.
"So that's why you warned me. Why you panicked."
"Because I didn't want you to become like me," she whispered. "Trapped in a wolf body. Consumed by rage. Living only to avenge something that could never be repaired."
She touched my cheek gently.
"But you… you're different, Jane. Your bloodline is different. When the Hyena's blood entered your system, it didn't corrupt you—it awakened your Fenrir blood."
Her eyes softened, filled with wonder and fear.
"Jane… Fenrirs weren't just wolves. They were protectors. Destroyers. Symbols of rebirth and ruin." She swallowed. "And you… you shifted into one without losing yourself."
I stared at her, the weight of everything crashing onto my shoulders.
"Reena… what do we do now?"
She reached for my hand, squeezing it.
"We survive," she said firmly. "Together."
Her voice softened again.
"And Jane… I won't let them take you like they took me. Not ever."