CHAPTER 84: THE PROMISED SHE-WOLF.

Angela couldn’t understand what Alex had just said about her eyes. She shook her head in confusion and got to her feet. Everything was falling apart. Why was this happening now? Why today, of all days? Why was her shift different? Why was everything about her worse than what others went through?

"Shit... are her eyes glowing red?" Stales’ voice echoed. He stood at the entrance of the cave, holding a few old, heavy books. The shock on his face was clear. He didn’t want to believe what he was seeing.

"What’s happening to me?" Angela asked, her voice trembling as she rose from the ground. She was terrified. Her feelings were all over the place. Did they say her eyes were red? Weren’t only Alphas supposed to have glowing red eyes? She remembered the last full moon—her eyes had glowed too, and the strange mark on the left side of her chest had burned.

"I’m just as shocked as you are," Alex muttered. He rubbed both hands over his face and sighed deeply. This wasn’t what he thought would happen. "I don’t understand any of this."

"Your eyes are glowing red, Angela," Stales said, stepping closer. He stared hard, then froze as he noticed something else—her ears, her hands, her body. She didn’t look the same anymore. "You’ve changed... What happened to you?"

"I don’t know," Angela whispered. She leaned back against the cave wall, staring down at her hands. They didn’t feel like hers anymore. Everything about them looked wrong.

"I think she’s shifting," Alex said, trying to make sense of it.

"She’s not," Stales replied quickly and sat on the ground. He dropped the books in front of him and opened one. "This isn’t a shift. This is something else. Her powers... they’re too strong for her body. Just like Alphas suffer during full moons, her powers are pushing through. Her body is trying to keep up."

Angela looked at him, eyes wide. "How do you even know all that?" It felt like he knew more about her than she did herself.

Stales stayed quiet, but Alex stepped in.

"Angela... this might sound strange, but... you were mentioned in the prophecy," Alex began. His voice was softer now, careful. "There’s an ancient prophecy about four powerful Alphas... ones gifted with powers that could change the whole kingdom. Make it stronger than ever."

"Angela, this might sound strange, but you were mentioned in the prophecy," Alex said, his voice calm but serious. It was clear she didn’t understand the weight of what was happening. "There’s an ancient prophecy about four powerful Alphas, gifted with powers strong enough to make the kingdom greater than ever before."

Angela turned to him slowly and sat beside him. "I think Stales said something like that on my first day. Something about Alphas and their powers," she said, trying to recall. "But I don’t remember him saying anything about a prophecy."

"I can’t even remember what I said exactly," Stales admitted. He rubbed the back of his neck, frustrated. His thoughts were all over the place. Nothing about this felt real. He never imagined that his best friend would be the she-wolf spoken of in the prophecy. "But after it talks about the four Alphas, the prophecy also mentions a she-wolf. She’s fated to them. She holds a power strong enough to unite every pack in the werewolf kingdom. She’s meant to rule with them... and give birth to future heirs for each pack to keep their powers alive."

"What?" Angela whispered, stunned. Her heart sank. It felt like her whole body had gone cold. How could they expect her to carry all that weight? She couldn’t even think straight. And the part about bearing children for all of them? That crushed her. Was that all she was to the moon goddess? Was her life just one big joke? Was she meant to be used like some breeding tool, just like her uncle wanted?

"Yes. Fated to all of them," Stales said, nodding slowly. He hated saying it, but she needed to hear the truth. "We don’t know everything the prophecy says. We don’t know what powers you carry or what you’re truly capable of. But something still doesn’t add up. Who are your family? Where do you come from?"

"She doesn’t know," Alex replied for her. He remembered her words clearly. She only mentioned two family members, both unwilling to help, even if the world was crumbling. It made no sense to him. What kind of mother turns her back like that?

"I’m really sorry," Stales said, his voice softening. He opened the book and began flipping through the pages, his face growing tense. "Not knowing where you come from... it might start a war."

"What do you mean?" Angela asked, confused, her eyebrows pulling together.

"If the elders of each pack find out what you are, they’ll all try to claim you," he explained, eyes still on the book. "They’ll say you’re from their bloodline. Each one will want you to belong to them, and that will lead to fights between packs. They’ll want you to mate with their sons—Kaito, Hiro, Renn, Taros—because it gives them a chance to keep you for their own pack. But the truth is, none of them will want to share you."

"So they’re destroying the goddess’ plan," Stales said. "She chose you for the four Alphas. But if the prophecy is messed with, it will bring more destruction to the werewolf kingdom."

"So what’s the solution then?" Angela asked quietly. Maybe something helpful was written in the books.

"You need to build a strong relationship with the Alphas before they find out the truth," Alex told her. "For now, we keep everything a secret. I know that’s what you want. And I support it. You still don’t know who you really are or what this means. But..."

"But what?" she asked, looking between them, worried.

"You won’t have much time to keep hiding," Stales said, his tone calm but serious. "Once you shift on your eighteenth birthday, everything will come out. You won’t be able to stay hidden from them anymore. They’ll feel the bond. They’ll want to claim you. And then they’ll find out the truth... that you’ve been lying about who you are. That you’re a girl, not a boy. That trust will break, Angela. All four of them..."

"Three," Angela cut in softly. Her eyes dropped to the floor. The weight of her next words sat heavily on her chest. "Renn already knows. We’re... we’re fine. At least for now."

Silence filled the space. The boys stared at her, stunned.

"Renn?" Stales was the first to speak. His voice cracked a little from the shock. "My Alpha? The one who hated you?"

"He never hated me," Angela said, looking up. "It’s actually the opposite now."

Alex suddenly understood. The strange way Renn acted around her, the tension, the look in his eyes earlier in the classroom. It all made sense. He nodded slowly. "You’ve been holding in so much. I thought maybe he was just reacting to your scent. I didn’t know he already knew."

"He found out through a dream. Renn was able to piece everything together the next morning," Angela said, her voice low. She ruffled her hair, trying to push back the shame that was creeping up her chest. Her face burned with embarrassment. She couldn’t meet their eyes. They probably saw her as nothing more than a liar now. "I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. I... I was scared. I didn’t know how you’d react."

"Well done, Angela. Why would you even think like that?" Alex asked, surprised and a little hurt. He was trying to understand her, but he had thought she trusted them more than that. "You should know by now that we would never turn our backs on you, no matter what."

"I’m sorry. Please," she whispered again, voice trembling.

"This isn’t what we expected, that’s true," Stales said, looking at Alex. "But who are we to judge her? We’ve seen how hard all of this has been. What matters now is helping our friend, and protecting the kingdom. If peace comes, it won’t just help her—it helps all of us."

"If Renn found out through a dream," Alex added, "then it means he’s close to figuring out the full truth. Maybe he already has. If he hasn’t yet, it won’t take long. When he does... he’ll want to claim you first."

He brought his thumb and finger together, holding them close. "Not just for the power that comes with claiming you, but because he loves you. He won’t want any of the other Alphas to have more control over you than he does."

"Oh no..." Angela buried her face in her hands. Her heart pounded so hard it hurt. She didn’t expect things to turn out like this. She had only wanted to stay hidden and survive quietly. Now everything was spiraling out of control.

"You need to calm down," Stales said gently. "It’s not wrong to feel something for them. You’re a werewolf, Angela. Having a mate is your birthright. What makes your case different is that you’re ranked higher than every other she-wolf in this kingdom. You’ve been given four powerful mates. Only you can bring peace between them."

Alex nodded. "I believe in you. I know you can handle this. But you need to stop lying to us. We’re your friends. No more secrets."

He looked at Stales, who agreed with a small nod.

"We’ll help you through this, Angela," Alex said. "As your friends. We’re in this together."

Angela looked at both of them, her throat tight. "So what do I do now?"

"Follow your heart," Alex replied. "I know you’ll make the right choices before the full moon comes. And please, stop fighting with the Alphas. Fix what’s broken between you and them. Tell them the truth before they find it out themselves."