Rexxona's POV
A soft knock at the door pulled me from the depths of sleep. My body felt heavy, my mind groggy, and for a brief moment, I forgot where I was. Then it all came rushing back—Jaxon's rejection, the chase, my desperate escape, and my arrival in the Awoke Pack.
"Rex? Are you awake?"
Rose's voice was bright and cheerful, oblivious to the storm inside me. I forced myself up, shaking off the lingering haze of exhaustion.
"Yeah, just give me a second," I called back, quickly pulling on the fresh clothes she left me the night before.
When I opened the door, she was beaming as usual. "Good morning! Alpha Aries has called for a pack meeting, and—" she clapped her hands together, eyes twinkling "—you're the guest of honor!"
My stomach dropped. A rogue as the guest of honor? That could only mean one thing—he was officially introducing me to the pack.
I nodded, trying to hide my nerves. "Give me a minute to get ready."
Internally, I was panicking. But there was no escaping this.
I hurried to the bathroom, brushing my teeth and doing my best to tame my wild hair. I stared at myself in the mirror for a second longer than necessary. I needed to be strong.
The pack meeting was held in a massive hall at the heart of the pack house. The moment Rose and I stepped inside, the energy in the room shifted. Conversations died.
Every eye turned to me.
Some were curious. Others were wary. A few were outright hostile.
I kept my head high, refusing to shrink under their scrutiny.
At the front of the room stood Alpha Aries, his imposing presence enough to command absolute silence. His dark eyes met mine, and for a second, something flickered in them. Not distrust, not hostility—something else. Curiosity?
"This is Rexxona," he announced, his voice calm but authoritative. "She is a rogue who has sought refuge within our borders. I have granted her temporary permission to stay under the condition that she follows our rules. Any questions or concerns will come to me directly. Is that understood?"
A low murmur rippled through the crowd, but no one dared to outright challenge him. Until—
A grizzled warrior stepped forward, the scar across his face making him look even more intimidating. "With all due respect, Alpha," he said carefully, "how do we know we can trust her? Rogues… tend to bring trouble, whether they mean to or not."
My heart pounded. My wolf stirred uneasily, sensing the tension.
Before I could respond, Aries did. His voice was sharp, final. "I make the decisions here. If I trust her, then so will you. She is under my protection. I expect you to act accordingly."
The warrior bowed his head, but his skeptical gaze lingered on me a moment longer.
The tension in the room didn't fade completely, but no one else spoke up.
As the pack slowly began to disperse, I felt something strange stir beneath my skin. A faint flicker of power.
I inhaled sharply and forced it down. Not here. Not now.
Aries' POV
As the meeting ended, I kept my eyes on Rexxona.
She was trying to appear unaffected, but I could sense the storm beneath the surface.
She wasn't just some rogue looking for shelter. Her presence alone was enough to disrupt the pack's energy. No ordinary wolf carried that.
"Beta, stay close to her," I mind-linked. "I want to know where she goes, what she does. Report anything unusual."
"Understood, Alpha."
I turned to leave, but my thoughts lingered on her.
There was something about her that called to me.
And it was more than just curiosity.
I shook the feeling off and headed to my office. Whatever it was, I would find out soon enough.
.
.
.
Back in the Blue Crescent Pack
Alpha Ron Jaxon
The trail had gone cold, but I wasn't about to give up.
"She crossed into Awoke Pack territory," my Beta reported. "Their borders are heavily guarded. If we go in, we'll need to be careful."
I clenched my fists. So she ran straight into Aries' arms.
The thought made my blood boil. Rexxona won't escape me that easily.
"I want every detail about that pack—their numbers, their strengths, their weaknesses. If Aries thinks he can keep her, he's dead wrong."
My pack's witch had already warned me.
"She's the key," she had said, her voice eerily calm. "If she unlocks her true potential, she could destroy you. Or she could save you. It all depends on whose hands guide her."
I wasn't about to let her power fall into the wrong hands.
Not Aries'.
And certainly not her own.