Chapter 68
Riley’s anger surged like wildfire. “I said move!”
Her voice rose sharply, laced with desperation and fury. She stepped forward and shoved the driver with everything she had -but the man didn’t budge. He was built like a brick wall, broad and unyielding.
And then, with no warning, he raised his hand.
was massive, like a slab of stone, and it came flying toward her face with terrifying speed.
Wind whistled with the force of it
Mia, who had been following behind Riley, saw the attack unfold in an instant. Her eyes widened in horror.
Without thinking, she rushed forward.
Smack!
The blow landed squarely on Mia’s cheek. Her frail body flew sideways, hitting the ground like a crumpled leaf in the wind. “Mia!” Riley’s voice cracked as she dropped to her knees beside her. Her eyes shimmered with fury and grief. “Are you okay?” Blood welled at the corner of Mia’s mouth, but she forced herself upright. With trembling fingers, she pointed at the driver, her voice rough and shaking,
“You’re just a driver for the Ebonclaw Pack… how dare you raise your hand against the Alpha’s daughter?”
The driver sneered, his lip curling in disdain.
“Alpha’s daughter?” he scoffed, “Don’t make me laugh. The Ebonclaws have one daughter, and her name is Scarlett. This one’s nothing but trash.”
Riley’s fists clenched until her nails dug into her palms. Her whole body trembled–not from fear, but from the humiliation, the injustice, the helplessness that had followed her like a shadow ever since she returned to the Pack that cast her out.
Down the corridor, just outside the hospital wing, two figures stepped out of the elevator.
Matriarch Duskgrave, regal and sharp–eyed despite her cane, paused mid–step. Her gaze locked onto the scene unfolding before her–Mia on the floor, a man towering over a bruised young girl with fury in his eyes..
“Who’s that
girl?” the Matriarch murmured, narrowing her eyes. “She looks familiar
Mrs. Beck followed her gaze, then blinked.
Recognition hit her like lightning-
“That’s her,” she whispered. “That’s the girl I told you about. From the South Haven train station–the one who called me Mom”
Matriarch Duskgrave turned to her, startled. “The same girl!”
Mrs. Beck nodded, heart pounding. “She was being dragged away by her brother that night. She was terrified.”
The Matriarch fell silent, eyes never leaving Riley. The girl looked thin and worn, but there was something in her- something wild and unbroken. Protective
Atud right then, that very girl was being threatened again.
The driver raised his fist
Riley flinched
Bat someone moved faster
Matriarcır Duskgrave HumanIYA ISA MAEN, LIKE crack.
“You filthy coward!” she bellowed. “You think you can lay hands on a defenseless girl in broad daylight? Try it again. I dare you.”
She struck him again. And again.
The driver stumbled back, caught off guard, face twisted in pain and disbelief as the old woman rained blows on him with surprising strength.
But rage burned hot in his chest.
“Crazy old bat!” he growled. “You wanna die?!”
He grabbed the cane with one powerful tug and yanked it free of her grip.
Without hesitation, he raised it aiming for her head.
Time slowed.
Riley’s breath caught in her throat.
And then, instinct took over.
She lunged.
Thud.
The cane struck her back with a sickening sound. Pain exploded through her spine, white–hot and unbearable.
But she didn’t let go.
She wrapped her arms around the Matriarch, shielding her.
The Matriarch’s eyes widened in shock as she looked down at the girl trembling in her arms,
“You–you protected me?” she whispered, stunned.
Riley winced, biting down on the pain. “I’m fine,” she said, though her voice trembled.
“You’re pale as death, the Matriarch said, voice tight with emotion. She hadn’t known this girl before. But now, something in her heart cracked.
Riley swayed, pain threatening to drag her under,
But still, she didn’t move.
The driver raised the cane again, his face twisted with fury, ready to bring it down once more.
And this time—he wasn’t aiming to scare.
He meant to kill.
Riley’s vision blurred. Her back throbbed with blinding pain, her knees nearly buckling. She could barely breathe.
But then-
Something snapped.
Not just in her bones
In her blool
A deep, ancient power surged up from her core–wild, uncontrollable, furious. The humiliation. The abuse. The betrayal. The abandonment. All of it ignited like dry leaves catcling fre
+8 Pearls
Her fingers clawed into the air. Her spine arched, and a feral growl tore from her throat–a sound no human could ever
make.
The hallway fell silent.
Time froze.
And then-
Riley exploded into white light.
Bones cracked. Skin shimmered. The air around her trembled with raw, untamed energy.
The driver staggered back, his eyes widening in horror.
Before him stood not a beaten girl–but a massive white wolf, tall and radiant, fur like moonlight, eyes glowing with unearthly silver.
Gasps rippled through the corridor.
Someone screamed.
Matriarch Duskgrave took a shaky step back, her cane forgotten. “A… white wolf”
Mrs. Beck’s hand flew to her mouth. “That’s impossible.
Riley snarled, her massive paws digging into the floor tiles, her body crouched low–ready to strike.
The driver didn’t even have time to run.
With a roar that shattered glass down the corridor, Riley lunged.
She slammed him into the wall like he was made of paper. He crumpled to the floor, groaning in terror, eyes filled with a fear he had never known.