CHAPTER 443: BACK FOR HER

Damian:

The forest around the Silver Moon Academy had an unsettling stillness to it - too quiet for comfort, too alive to ignore. The wind that brushed through the trees carried scents of wet soil, pine, and something far more intoxicating.

Her scent.

It had been more than twenty-four hours since I had been watching the house hidden behind the Academy grounds, crouched in the shadows of the thick woods. A full day and night of silence, of nothing but waiting, breathing, and remembering. I hadn’t moved much, except to shift positions when my legs grew numb or my back ached from leaning against the rough bark of the tree. My body had grown used to the discomfort... what I couldn’t get used to was the way her scent made my blood hum.

Evaline Greystone.

My dear, sweet, beautiful sister.

It had been a month since that night in the forest - the night everything changed. I left with those filthy rogues, pretending to run, pretending to flee, but I never forgot. That faint trace of her essence that lingered on the wind... it had followed me even after I had left. I knew it couldn’t have been a mistake. I knew she was here.

But getting back hadn’t been easy.

The Academy’s security was like a fortress now. Patrols at every corner. Scouts along the cliffs. Even the forest paths were guarded. The Rogue Alpha’s men were crawling all over the northern ranges, searching for the rogues. I had been forced to hide with those useless, trembling cowards for days, enduring their noise, their fear, their pathetic attempts at overthrowing Rogue Alphas’ power.

It wasn’t until two days when I finally parted from them, and finally reached this forest again.

And when I did... the scent was long gone. But instead of giving up, I decided to keep searching. And then, I picked it up again. The scent was faint at first, hidden under layers of earth and moss. But it was there. Familiar. Precious. Hers.

It pulled me deeper, leading me straight to this house - a modest building tucked behind the Academy, surrounded by trees and guarded by warriors. The moment I inhaled deeply near that house, I knew.

Evaline.

Her scent was everywhere here - clinging to the soil, the flowers, the very air I breathed.

She had been here.

Maybe she still was.

But I didn’t rush. Not this time. I waited, crouched in the same spot from dawn till the next sunrise. I didn’t dare blink too long. Every shadow that moved behind the curtains, every sound of footsteps on the porch made my pulse race with the faint hope that I would see her... those long silver strands, that quiet poise she always had, that innocence I once loved and despised all the same.

But she didn’t appear.

Not even once.

Instead, I saw the Rogue Alphas coming and going. There were also warriors, servants, strangers. Her scent lingered among theirs, faint but recent, as if she had been here not long ago. But she wasn’t inside now. That much I could tell.

By the twenty-fourth hour, my patience was wearing thin. My muscles were tight, my throat dry, and I knew I couldn’t stay much longer. Someone would notice eventually - a warrior, a scout, or worse, one of those Rogue Alphas.

So, I moved.

Carefully, quietly.

Every step through the underbrush was measured, every breath controlled. The shadows were my cover, and the trees were my shield. I stayed downwind, making sure no scent of me traveled toward the house or the Academy walls.

The closer I got to the Academy, the stronger her scent became again.

By the time I reached the edge of the forest, I knew.

She was a part of Silver Moon.

The realization made my chest tighten and a bitter smile curved my lips. My sweet little Evaline... hiding in the very heart of this Academy.

Somehow... she had managed to get in.

That amused me.

No wolf, no pack, no strength to call her own... and yet she had made her way here. How? And more importantly... why?

How had my fragile, trembling little sister, who used to cry at the sound of my footsteps, ended up among the Academy’s warriors and scholars? And how was she involved with the Rogue Alphas? Why hadn’t they killed her? Or sent her in exile with the rest of my family?

Something wasn’t right.

I needed answers.

So I waited again, keeping my distance near the Academy’s outer wall. Students moved in and out of the gate, chatting and laughing, completely unaware that a predator was watching them.

Her scent clung to the path, faint but distinct.

I followed it discreetly, trailing it all the way toward the main entrance before turning away.... too risky to go any farther.

Later, when a small group of students headed toward the nearby town, I followed.

The town was lively, full of chatter and movement. The market square was buzzing with noise - vendors calling, laughter ringing, footsteps echoing on the cobblestone streets. It was the perfect cover.

I approached a group of students, keeping my tone casual, my expression friendly.

"Excuse me. Are you all from Silver Moon? I heard the entrance exam will be taking place this August," I said. "Thinking of taking the entrance exam myself. Hard to get in?"

The boys looked up, surprised but not suspicious. One of them - a tall, brown-haired one with an eager grin - shrugged. "It’s not easy, but also not impossible. As long as you are ready and give in your best, you might make it."

I smiled faintly. "Ah. I see."

They went on talking, not realizing I was guiding them where I wanted.

"What about the current first years?" I asked. "Any standouts?"

That got their attention.

They started laughing and tossing around names - sons and daughters of alphas or betas, all predictable. But then one of them leaned closer, his tone dropping slightly.

"There’s this girl," he said, glancing at the others. "Kinda famous now. Doesn’t have a wolf, but still acing every class."

My pulse quickened.

He went on. "And she’s absolutely breathtaking. She’s got long silver hair and these dazzling amber eyes. Some say she’s cursed. Others say she’s... special."

My lips curved slowly.

"What’s her name?" I asked.

"Evaline," one of them replied. "She’s from the Rogue community."

The world seemed to still around me.

The noise of the town faded. The laughter, the chatter... it all disappeared into the background as my mind locked onto that single word.

Evaline.

So it was true.

She was alive.

Alive and thriving inside the Silver Moon Academy.

I almost laughed.

A mix of pride and rage twisted in my chest. My baby sister... she survived. She defied the odds, the world, me.

But she belonged to me.

She always had.

No one else deserved her - not those rogues, not those teachers, not anyone in that Academy.

She was mine.

And I would get her back.

I spent the rest of the day near the town, gathering what I could. The Academy was opening for new admissions in August. That gave me time - months, maybe - to prepare. To train, to plan, to infiltrate.

If she was inside, I would find a way in too.

My goal was clear.

Silver Moon.

And once I was in...

Once I had her in front of me again...

I would make sure she never slipped away again.

I would make her remember who she truly belonged to.

I stood at the edge of the forest again that night, looking at the silver glow of the moon hanging over the Academy. The wind carried her scent again - faint, teasing, like a whisper that refused to fade.

My fingers clenched. My heart pounded.

"I’m coming for you, baby sis," I murmured, the words curling with dark promise.

The shadows around me seemed to answer.

"I’ll find you. And this time... I’m never letting you go."