Kara's POV
The car screeched to a stop, sending dirt flying. Kara gripped the door handle, her heart beating like crazy. This was it. After ten long years, she was back at the Blackstone Pack lands.
"You can still change your mind," the driver said, not looking at her. "No one would blame you."
Kara took a deep breath. "No. I have to do this."
She stepped out of the car, her legs shaking. The driver gave her the small bag that held everything she owned. Before she could thank him, he was gone, leaving her alone at the edge of the woods.
Rain started to fall, cold drops hitting her face as she walked toward the huge stone house ahead. With each step, memories rushed back - both good and terrible.
The worst memory of all hit her like a punch to the stomach: standing by the river, looking helplessly as her little sister Sasha disappeared under the rushing water. Her screams for help. The look on her father's face when they told him. His cold, angry words that cut deeper than any knife: "Why did she die, but not you?"
Kara wiped away tears, mixing with the rain on her face. She was eighteen now, not the scared eight-year-old who ran away. She had to be strong.
A twig snapped nearby. Kara froze, her animal senses suddenly on high alert. Someone was watching her.
"Who's there?" she called out, trying to sound brave.
A tall person stepped out from behind a tree. It was a young man with dark hair and serious eyes. He didn't smile.
"You shouldn't be here," he said. "These lands belong to the Blackstone Pack."
"I know," Kara said, lifting her head. "I'm Kara Blackwood. I've come home."
The man's eyes expanded for a second, then narrowed. "The Alpha's daughter? The one who left after..."
"After my sister drowned. Yes." Kara's voice was stronger than she felt. "And you are?"
"Caden. Your cousin." He looked her up and down, then sighed. "You picked a bad time to come back, Kara."
"Why? What's happening?"
Caden shook his head. "Come on. I'll take you to the house. But don't expect a warm welcome."
As they walked, Kara felt eyes on her from all directions. Wolves were looking from the shadows, some in human form, some not. She heard whispers: "That's her... the one who let her sister die..." "Why would she come back?" "The Alpha will be furious..."
Kara kept her head high, but inside, she was frightened. What if this was a mistake? What if her father threw her out again?
The house loomed ahead, even bigger than she remembered. Stone walls rose high, with openings that looked like judging eyes. This had been her home once, but now it felt like a jail she was walking into by choice.
"Wait here," Caden said when they reached the huge front door. "I'll tell them you're here."
Alone again, Kara hugged herself against the cold. The rain fell harder now, soaking through her thin jacket. She thought about running back to the road, flagging down a car, going anywhere but here.
Before she could decide, the door swung open. A tall, stern-looking man stood there, his gray-streaked hair and hard eyes so familiar it hurt.
"Father," Kara whispered.
Alpha Blackwood stared at her like she was a stranger. "So. You've back."
"Yes, sir." Kara tried to stand tall, to look strong, but she felt like a little girl again under his gaze.
"Why now? After all these years?"
"I... I had a dream. About Sasha. She was calling me home."
Her father's face hardened. "Sasha is dead. She has been for ten years."
"I know, but—"
"Come inside. We don't need the whole pack seeing this meeting."
Kara followed him into the grand main hall. Nothing had changed. The same stone floors. The same family pictures on the walls. Except now, there were no pictures of Sasha. Or of Kara.
It was like they had both disappeared from the family's past.
Other pack members moved through the halls, stopping to stare when they saw her. Some looked curious. Others looked angry. No one looked happy to see her.
"Your old room is still there," her father said, not looking at her. "You can stay until we figure out what to do with you."
"What to do with me?" Kara asked, confused. "I'm eighteen now. I thought... I thought I could come home."
Her father finally turned to face her. "This stopped being your home the day you let your sister die, Kara."
The words hit her like a slap. "It was an accident! I was just a child!"
"And now you're just an omega. The lowest rank. You'll have to earn your place again, if that's even possible."
Kara blinked back tears. "I want to try. Please."
Her father studied her for a long moment. "We'll see. The pack council will meet tomorrow to discuss your return. For now, go to your room and stay there."
As he walked away, Caden stepped forward from where he'd been waiting.
"I'll show you up," he said quietly. "Don't think about your uncle. He's... been different since you left."
"He hates me," Kara whispered.
"He's angry. There's a difference."
Caden led her up the grand stairs. The house was oddly quiet, like everyone was holding their breath.
"What's going on here?" Kara asked. "Everything feels strange."
Caden paused. "Things have changed, Kara. The pack is... different now."
"Different how?"
"You'll see soon enough."
They reached her old bedroom door. Caden pushed it open. Inside, everything was exactly as she had left it - the purple bedspread, the toy wolf on the pillow, even the drawing she and Sasha had made together still taped to the wall.
It was like stepping back in time.
"I'll bring you some food later," Caden said. "Try to rest. Tomorrow won't be easy."
After he left, Kara sat on the bed, feeling the weight of ten years of absence. She took out the one picture she had kept all this time - her and Sasha together, smiling, arms around each other. They had been so happy then.
A sound at the window made her jump. She turned to see a face there - a girl with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes, staring in at her from outside.
Kara gasped and dropped the photo. The face looked exactly like Sasha - but older, as if she had grown up.
Impossible. Sasha was dead. Kara had watched her drown.
She ran to the window, but the face was gone. Had she dreamed it?
Heart racing, Kara picked up the picture again. Her hands trembled as she looked at Sasha's happy face, then back at the window.
"Impossible," she whispered.
But then she heard it - a soft voice, carried on the wind: "Find me, Kara. I'm waiting."
Kara pressed her hand to the cold glass, looking out into the darkness. Was she going crazy? Or was her sister's ghost calling to her?
Or could it be something else entirely?
One thing was certain - she hadn't come back just to be an omega. She had come back to find answers. And nothing, not even her father's cold heart, would stop her.
"I'll find you, Sasha," she whispered to the night. "I promise."
Behind her, the door creaked open. Kara spun around, expecting to see Caden with food. Instead, a tall figure stood in the doorway, his face hidden in dark.
"So you're the one," a deep voice said. "The lost daughter who's finally returned."
As he stepped into the light, Kara saw a man with dark hair streaked with silver and the coldest blue eyes she had ever seen.
"Who are you?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
His smile was cold as ice. "I'm Zane Stormrider. The new Alpha's son."
Kara's blood ran cold. The Alpha's son? But that would mean...
"New Alpha?" she whispered. "But my father—"
"Your father won't be Alpha much longer," Zane said. "And when I take his place, I'll need a Luna by my side."
He stepped closer, his eyes never leaving hers.
"That's why you're really here, Kara Blackwood. You've been chosen."
He smiled again, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"Welcome home, future Luna."