004
“Alpha Felix, it's nearly dark, should we go back? The bear has gone deeper into the forest.”
A young man dressed in warrior attire shouted to another handsome young man riding a horse, while dressed in warrior gear slightly more expensive than that of the others.
“No. Since I set my eyes on it, I must have it. You guys can wait here.” Alpha Felix replied with his signature mischievous grin, making Remi, his beta, roll his eyes.
Felix kicked the horse into a trot, going deeper into the forest. The horse suddenly neighed and came to an unexpected halt. Felix would have fallen off if not for his expertise in horseback riding.
He jumped down to check the reason the horse stopped. It couldn't have been the water because the water on that side was shallow, closer to the bank, which posed no challenge for his spirit horse.
The moment his eyes caught sight of the reason, he gasped and rushed to her.
“Oh, my goodness. She was badly battered and dumped into the water.” He muttered and checked her pulse.
“She's still alive, but won't last much longer without help.” He whispered and quickly carried her up, noticing that she was nearly naked save for her undergarments.
Most of her clothes had been torn off at some point. Only scraps of rag were hanging around her. He carried her and quickly got on the horse, retracing his steps.
The bear he came to hunt was long forgotten.
“Alpha, what's wrong?” One of his men called out to him, noticing him riding fast towards them.
“Return to Crestwood now!!!”
******
CRESTWOOD PACK
“Damn! What could she have done that got her beaten and stabbed in this state? Arrows, daggers, sword slashes, bumps, gashes from unknown items, and palm prints.
Her lips and nose are broken. Her eyes were nearly blinded by someone's fist. Did she steal? But she doesn't have the scent of a rogue.” Remi said as Felix rushed into a room.
“Go get the pack healer here now instead of gossiping like a pregnant woman.” Felix snarled, earning him an eye roll from Remi who immediately moved to obey.
Felix grabbed a clean robe to change her into and carried her up. Something on her back suddenly caught his eyes, and he pulled aside her undershirt to get a closer look.
“It's her. I finally found you, Aurora.” He whispered, his eyes glistening with tears as he caressed her birthmark.
The pack healer came in with Remi at that point and he quickly collected his emotions and kept a deadpan face as the physician began to do her job.
*****
“Amaya, how is she?” Felix asked, looking at the pack healer.
“I don't know. At this point, waking up depends totally on her. She has been unconscious for two weeks. Three of her ribs were broken in addition to starvation and torture.”
“Goddess,” Felix muttered, taking Aurora’s hand with pain in his eyes.
“Don't panic, step aside for a while. The maids need to clean her up.” Amaya, the pack doctor said, trying to pull Felix away from Aurora.
“Alpha, you have been especially attached to this stranger you rescued two weeks ago. Is there something you're not telling us?” Remi asked, leaning against the wall. Amaya equally turned, curious about the answer.
Alpha Felix looked at her and sighed.
“I feel like it is her. My lost sibling.”
“Excuse me?” Remi, his beta whispered, his eyes wide with incredulity.
Amaya frowned for a while and burst into laughter.
“Oh, come on now, Felix. I know you have missed your long-lost little sister, searching for her everywhere, but that doesn't mean you can claim a random stranger as a blood relative.
Yes, she might have small features like your sister, but it doesn't necessarily mean that she's definitely the one you have spent years searching for. There are many people in the world who look alike.” Amaya said, trying to talk some sense into Felix who seemed to have lost all her aloofness and drive the moment the unknown girl showed up.
“I don't do guesswork. I'm sure of it. She's my sister.” Felix insisted.
Remi frowned as he looked at Felix. He didn't seem to be joking.
“Wow, it's rare to see you so serious. Do you have proof?”
“The birthmark on her. It is as exactly as I remember.”
The duo were stunned at first but Remi soon burst into laughter, laughing so hard he made Felix look like a clown.
“So you spent a fortune on rare herbs because of a mere birthmark which could have been branded by enemies to deceive you and send her here.
It's not like you use your heart instead of your brain. How did you manage to expand Crestwood so much with this simple thinking?” he teased.
“I might seem stupid to you, but my heart knows it, and so does my wolf. She's my sister.”
“Fine, fine. Alright. There's a solution. I can bring out my gene crystal to verify if Alpha Felix and the girl are truly related.” Amaya said, cutting in.
Alpha Felix nodded in resignation, knowing that no amount of explanation could make them understand his excitement at finding his sister, and the certainty in his heart that he did not make a mistake.
The best way was simply to allow Amaya to make use of her gene crystal. He turned to leave and reached for the doorknob, with Remi behind him.
“She's awake!” A maid suddenly shouted, making him stop in his tracks. It