Chapter 1 (In the Present)

ARIES’S POV

Everything about Ezrina had changed over the years. The tiny frightened child who once hid beneath a torn hood deep within the forest no longer existed.

Reddish-brown hair now spilled across the old blankets beneath her in messy waves, carrying the scent of rain, smoke, and wild forest winds no matter how much time passed. Whenever pale morning light slipped through the shattered stained-glass windows of the abandoned chapel, warm copper tones flickered softly through those strands.

She had grown beautiful in a way the noble daughters of the packs never could. Not delicate. Not fragile. Her beauty carried sharpness now. Strength. Years of relentless training had shaped her body lean and athletic, roughening her hands and hardening her muscles beneath pale skin marked faintly with old scars. Yet despite the strength carved into her frame, there was still something unbearably soft about her. Something feminine. The curve of sleepy lashes against her cheeks. The warmth in her eyes. The quiet gentleness she carried even after surviving a world that had shown her none.

It was a dangerous combination. A girl who looked soft enough to love. And strong enough to survive being hated. She trained herself relentlessly. Not because anyone believed in her. But because no one did.

A wolfless girl had no place among the packs. No worth. No future.At least that was what her family believed when they abandoned her. Yet Ezrina had refused to break beneath that cruelty. She fought against it stubbornly, forcing strength into a body the world had already deemed weak. And eventually,the world had been forced to notice her.

A rogue wolf foolish enough to hunt her down because of her wolfless status had learned that lesson too late. Ezrina had torn him apart with her own hands. The news spread quickly through the surrounding packs after that. The wolfless girl who survived alone in the forest. The girl capable of killing trained wolves despite lacking a wolf herself.

For the first time in her life, Moonveil Academy had officially called upon her. The most prestigious academy among the northern packs. A place where only gifted heirs, elite warriors, and future Alphas were trained. An academy feared for its brutal combat trials and impossible standards. Yet they had invited a wolfless girl through their gates. Not out of pity. But recognition. And somehow… Even after entering the academy, even after finally being acknowledged by the outside world, nothing had truly changed between them.

Ezrina still returned to the abandoned chapel every single night without fail. Always to him. No matter how exhausted she became from training, no matter how many people slowly began surrounding her at the academy, she never forgot him. Never replaced him. She still saved portions of food for him first before eating herself. Still buried her fingers into his fur after difficult days. Still fell asleep curled against him like the frightened little girl from years ago. And most importantly, she kept him hidden.

The giant silver wolf beside her remained a secret she never shared with anyone. No one at the academy knew where she disappeared every evening. No one knew about the abandoned chapel hidden deep within the forest. No one knew about the terrifying silver beast sleeping wrapped around her every night. Because deep down, Ezrina still feared the same thing she had feared twelve years ago. That someone would recognize him. That someone from another pack would try taking him away from her. So she protected his existence with desperate stubbornness. As if hiding him from the world could somehow keep him safe forever.

Ezrina could not sense ranks the way normal werewolves could. Being wolfless meant she lacked the instincts other wolves possessed naturally. She could not feel dominance. Could not recognize Alpha pressure. Could not distinguish powerful wolves from ordinary ones. And because of that she had spent twelve years believing Aries was nothing more than a strangely intelligent normal wolf. After all, ordinary wolves living among werewolves was not uncommon within the territories. The foolish girl truly believed she was protecting him.

One thing, however, had never changed about Ezrina. Her eyes. Those same warm eyes still carried the foolish belief that protecting others should always come before her own fears. The same eyes that once looked at a starving little wolf during a storm and chose kindness instead of survival. The same eyes that ruined Aries from the very beginning.

…

A quiet movement beneath him pulled Aries from his thoughts. Ezrina stirred slowly beneath the heavy warmth of his massive wolf form while rain tapped softly against the broken chapel roof above them. Cold morning air drifted through the ruined stone walls. Instinctively, Aries tightened his tail around her waist before burying his muzzle deeper against her stomach.

Warm.

Safe.

Home.

Her fingers slipped automatically into the thick silver fur around his neck while sleep still clung softly to her face. “Chunky… you’re heavy…”

Meanwhile Aries internally:

‘Good. Stay trapped beneath me forever.’

To be continued~