Chapter 6

　　I closed my eyes.

　　My tears kept falling from the corner of my eyes.

　　I would be Alpha Lucas' breeder and I would be killed.

　　Nobody would know that I had ever existed.

　　But the most agonizing thought was…

　　My child would be born into this world without seeing their mother.

　　They would have nobody.

　　No.

　　I couldn't let this happen to my child.

　　I had to figure out a way to survive.

　　Maybe I should run away.

　　"Is that your answer to every question?" I heard my wolf's voice in my mind, "To run away? Ever since I knew you, you're trying to avoid everything. An evil stepmother. A tyrannical stepbrother. An ignorant father. Look at what that has got you so far."

　　"What could I do? I couldn't fight them. I'm too weak." I replied.

　　"Concentrate, girl. When you're in fear, you're distracted. You have to stay focused and think about it. Alpha Lucas is your mate. He's found out that you're his mate and he wants to know your real name. Why do you think he's doing that?"

　　"He wants to reject me," I replied with shame.

　　"So, if he doesn't know your real name, he can't reject you. You'll stay to be his mate." said my wolf.

　　"If I stay to be his mate, he can't kill me, because…" I said with a thrill in my mind.

　　"Because when a wolf kills his mate, he'll be cursed and get weaker." my wolf said, "This means that…"

　　"If he doesn't know my real name, I'll survive!" I almost exclaimed in my mind.

　　"If he doesn't know your real name, you'll survive." My wolf always finished her sentence.

　　I felt so excited.

　　Alpha Lucas was strong and he hated me for being weak.

　　But, he wouldn't dare to kill me for his own sake.

　　Just when I thought I was abandoned by the whole world and was about to give up, my wolf saved me.

　　"Do you know my real name?" I asked her.

　　"Every wolf knows their name because it was given by the Moon Goddess when we were born. The Moon Goddess tells the mothers their children's names on the night before the day they deliver their babies. Your mother knew your name, but she wasn't able to tell anyone. However, I knew it inheritedly." said my wolf.

　　My body starts trembling.

　　I did have a name.

　　A real name belonged to me.

　　I didn't realize the importance of a person's name because I had never been treated like one.

　　I was belittled by Rosalie, by Zion, and by my father, who made me so convinced that I didn't deserve a human name.

　　"Could you please tell me what my name is?" I asked.

　　"No." answered my wolf bluntly.

　　"You have to be stronger first. Before that, your secret is better off staying with me."

　　Yes. She was right.

　　A name should be earned, just as the right to survive.

　　I must figure out a way to recover, to be stronger.

　　Maybe one day, Alpha Lucas would even accept me to be his mate.

　　And that meant…

　　I might be the Luna of the most prestigious tribe in the entire North Land!

　　The thought of being Alpha Lucas' equal counterpart gave me goosebumps.

　　He looked so strong and I was just a slave girl being paralyzed on the stretcher.

　　"You have to figure out a way to recover. The sooner you get recovered, the better chance you have to win him back." my wolf said.

　　"How am I going to do that?" I thought to myself.

　　I opened my eyes and looked around.

　　Lucian had already left.

　　The whole tent was empty, dark, and quiet.

　　Then, I heard the sound of quick steps getting closer.

　　Leon's head popped up in my sight.

　　"Do you want some more water?" he battered his long and thick eyelashes and asked.

　　Maybe this boy could help me. I thought to myself.

　　"Leon, I'm so painful," I whispered.

　　Leon looked concerned.

　　He drew himself closer to me and said, "My brother told me to look after you. What can I do to relieve your pain?"

　　"Could you please bring me that baggage in the corner? There's some potion inside that might help me."

　　Leon quickly fetched the baggage for me.

　　When I opened it, my heart immediately sank.

　　All the potion bottles inside were broken. The potion powder was mixed up.

　　I took a deep breath and forced myself to stay focused, not letting this small setback ruin my plan of recovery.

　　But the truth was, I was freaked out.

　　What shall I do to get recovered without Uma's potion?

　　It was my last straw of hope!

　　I burst into tears.

　　Leon saw me crying and got even more nervous.

　　He paced back and forth around my stretcher anxiously.

　　He couldn't take his eyes off me.

　　I knew this boy was genuinely worried about me.

　　"Why are you crying?" Leon asked.

　　I didn't want to hurt him.

　　"It's nothing." I wiped my tears and answered with a faint smile, "I'm just feeling so cold."

　　Leon transformed into a small white wolf again and jumped on my stretcher.

　　I was so amazed by the fact that he could shift into a wolf almost effortlessly every time he wanted.

　　He looked much younger than I was, not more than 15 years old.

　　I could tell that he was a very powerful werewolf for his age.

　　Leon jumped on my stretcher and lay on his stomach next to me.

　　Then, he wrapped his tail around my body tightly.

　　He stuck his head underneath my arm.

　　Then, he rolled around next to me, acting like a spoiled child, looking up at me with a pair of twinkling eyes.

　　I knew he wanted me to hold him.

　　His hair was so fluffy and soft.

　　I wrapped my hands around his neck.

　　I lowered my head and kissed him on his forehead.

　　Even though it made my neck extremely painful, I just couldn't help it.

　　Leon looked overwhelmed with happiness that he licked my face all over.

　　I stroked his neck to make him tame.

　　When he eventually calmed down, I buried my head into his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

　　Thud. Thud. Thud.

　　It got louder and louder until the whole world was filled with it.

　　Leon's heartbeat was steady and deep.

　　Thud. Thud. Thud.

　　It was like the sound of a war drum prior to a battle, or the thunder in the sky before a storm.

　　Thud. Thud. Thud.

　　I was charmed and hypnotized by it.

　　It was full of ambition and encouragement.

　　It was the rhythm of a powerful werewolf's life.

　　Thud. Thud. Thud.

　　I found the sound was contagious and the next thing I realized was that…

　　My heart started to beat at the same pace!

　　"Stay tuned, she—wolf." I heard the sound of my wolf.

　　I took a long deep breath and slowly let it out.

　　I temporarily forgot about all the unfortunate events that had happened in my life.

　　For the first time in my life, I stopped feeling sorry for myself.

　　And then, I heard a brief sound of click coming from my neck.

　　It was a magical feeling.

　　What happened? I thought to myself.

　　Then, another sound of click came from my upper spine, followed by a series of clicking sounds all the way down to my lower spine.

　　It was a magical feeling.

　　I felt like being amended… rewired. All the broken parts in my spine resembled themselves.

　　Leon noticed the change in my body and sat up.

　　He looked at me with sparks in his eyes, as if they were lit up by a miracle.

　　He shifted into a boy swiftly and bounced out of my stretcher.

　　"She—wolf! Do you know what you're doing?" he exclaimed, jumping up and down. "You're healing yourself!"