Calla's POV

I couldn’t stop the smile tugging at my lips as I stepped out of the meeting room, clutching the envelope against my chest. Today was the day. The day I would tell Heron that our lives were about to change forever. I was pregnant. Soon, we would have the family I’d always dreamed of. After the tragedy of losing my parents, I’d finally found happiness again. Or so I thought.

The anticipation in my chest made my steps lighter as I exited the elevator on the executive floor. Heron’s office was just ahead. Our relationship had been a secret—he was one of my employees, after all. But none of that mattered now. We would tell everyone soon. Everything was falling into place.

I pushed open the door, ready to surprise him, but froze when I heard his voice. He wasn’t alone. My best friend, Vivien, his secretary, was there with him. I stepped back, hiding behind the half-closed door. Their voices were low, but their words were unmistakable.

“Now that you’re pregnant, we can’t wait any longer,” Heron said, his tone cold and calculated. “Calla’s money will set us up for life. Once she’s gone, everything will be ours.”

My heart plummeted. Vivien’s laughter was a knife in my chest.

“Do you think she suspects anything?” Vivien asked.

“She’s too naïve to suspect us,” Heron replied dismissively. “All I need is her signature on a few documents. After that, we get rid of her.”

Every word was a hammer blow. My fiancé. My best friend. The two people I trusted most were plotting my death.

I stepped back, the floor beneath me spinning. My heel caught on the edge of the carpet, and the faint sound drew Heron’s attention. The door swung open, and there he was, his piercing gaze locking onto me.

“Calla,” he said, his voice warm, but his eyes were sharp. “How long have you been standing there?”

My lips parted, but no words came out. His eyes scanned my face, and I knew he saw the fear. I forced a weak smile. “I just got here. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

His jaw tightened, but he nodded.

“Okay, let's just talk later.” I turned and walked away, my legs trembling with every step. I barely made it to the elevator before my composure cracked. Inside, I gripped the railing, struggling to breathe as their words replayed in my mind. They wanted me dead.

That night, I paced the halls of my mansion, my mind racing. I had to get away from Heron and Vivien, but how? If I left without a plan, they’d find me. They’d win.

A sharp knock at the door startled me.

I opened it to find Heron standing there, a bottle of wine in one hand and that disarming smile plastered on his face.

“Dinner?” he asked.

Every instinct screamed at me to say no, but I couldn’t risk arousing suspicion. “Sure,” I replied, forcing a smile.

In his car, Vivien sat in the back seat, her eyes glinting with malice. My stomach twisted as the air grew thick with tension. Heron drove silently, his hands gripping the wheel tighter than usual.

“What’s going on?” I asked, my voice shaky.

Vivien leaned forward, her lips curling into a smirk. “We know you heard us, Calla.”

My blood ran cold.

Heron parked the car at the edge of a cliff, the city lights twinkling in the distance. He turned to me, his face devoid of emotion. “You should’ve stayed clueless, Calla. It would’ve been easier for everyone.”

“What are you talking about?” I whispered, trying to feign ignorance.

Vivien shoved a document into my lap—a marriage certificate. “Sign it,” she ordered.

“No,” I choked out, tears streaming down my face.

Heron leaned in close, his voice a dangerous whisper. “Sign it, or we’ll make this more painful than it needs to be.”

With trembling hands, I signed. My mind raced for a way out, but the moment I set the pen down, Heron grabbed the wheel, and Vivien pushed the gear into neutral.

“No!” I screamed as the car lurched forward.

Heron and Vivien stepped out, watching with cold satisfaction as the car rolled toward the edge.

“Goodbye, Calla,” Vivien said with a wave.

The icy wind rushed past me, and the world blurred. My heart pounded, and just before everything went black, I heard a voice—soft, firm, and unfamiliar.

You are not alone, Calla.

My eyes fluttered shut, the words echoing in my mind as the darkness swallowed me whole.

Calla's POV

I gasped, struggling to breathe as if I’d been underwater for hours. My body ached, and when I opened my eyes, reality shifted. The room was vast, bathed in a golden glow, with intricately carved stone walls and towering windows revealing a vibrant blue forest beyond. The scent of wild earth filled the air, unfamiliar yet captivating.

Where was I?

Trembling, I sat up, panic rising. This was no hospital. The door creaked open, and two women entered, their robes patterned like the forest outside. Their eyes brimmed with disbelief.

“She’s awake,” one whispered.

“Our princess is awake,” the other said, clutching her chest.

“Princess?” I rasped. “What are you talking about? Who are you?”

Before they could answer, heavy footsteps echoed in the corridor. A man and woman burst in, their commanding presence shifting the air. Relief and sorrow mingled in their expressions.

“My daughter,” the man said, kneeling beside me. His piercing blue eyes locked onto mine. “You’re finally home.”

“Home?” I shook my head, backing away. “No. This isn’t real. I don’t know you.”

The woman stepped forward, tears streaming down her face. Her hair shimmered in the light as she reached for me. “My daughter, it’s us. Your parents. We’ve searched for you for so long.”

The word "parents" hit me like a blow. My parents were dead. I’d buried them years ago. “No,” I stammered. “This is a sick joke. My parents—my real parents—are gone.”

The man placed a hand over his heart. “We are your real parents, Calla. You were taken from us as a baby. The human world isn’t your home. This is.”

A cold shiver ran down my spine. “What do you mean? Where is this?”

“This,” the woman said gently, “is the werewolf realm. Your true world. You are the daughter of Alpha Garett and Luna Selina, the rightful heiress of the pack.”

Werewolves. Heiress. Pack. Their words clawed at my mind, impossible to grasp.

“This doesn’t make sense,” I whispered, clutching the sheets like they were my last link to sanity. “I’m not a werewolf. I’m human.”

Luna Selina’s expression softened as she knelt beside me. “No, my darling. You were taken to the human world in a desperate act. An omega—Hera’s mother—exchanged you for her own child. She believed her daughter would have a better life here in the werewolf realm, with parents like us—an Alpha and a Luna. We had no idea the switch had happened until many years later.”

Her voice wavered, grief clouding her eyes. “For most of her life, we believed Hera was our daughter. But on the night of her first transformation, everything changed. When a werewolf shifts for the first time, their true rank is revealed. Hera transformed into her wolf, and we saw she was an omega. It was impossible for her to be our blood.”

Alpha Garett spoke, his voice steady but tinged with sorrow. “We didn’t know the truth until one of the omega servants came forward. She had been close to Hera’s mother, who suddenly disappered years earlier, and she confessed to knowing the secret all along. Hera’s mother had switched you two at birth, believing her daughter would thrive under the care of an Alpha and Luna. She took you to the human world, where you were sold to the family who raised you.”

Selina’s hand rested on mine, her gaze pleading. “We searched tirelessly for you, Calla. It broke our hearts to learn you’d been taken to the human world. But now, you’re back where you belong.”

The revelation hit me like a tidal wave. My entire life had been a lie. The people I thought were my parents… they weren’t. They never even knew the truth. And now, I wasn’t even sure who I was.

A sharp knock interrupted us. The door creaked open, and a tall figure stepped inside. His golden eyes locked onto mine, sending a wave of heat through me.

“Beta Felix,” Garett greeted him. “My daughter's savior. You’re just in time. Our daughter is awake.”

Felix’s gaze was intense, unreadable. When he spoke, his deep voice resonated. “I just did what I could. Besides, the prophecy said she would return when the realm needed her most.”

Prophecy? My pulse quickened. I wasn’t a princess or a savior—I was just Calla, a broken woman who didn’t belong here.

Felix stepped closer, his eyes never leaving mine. “You’ve been gone too long, Princess. It’s time to take your place.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but then I felt it—a voice, faint but undeniable.

You are not alone, Calla. I am here.

I froze as warmth surged in my chest, the voice soothing yet powerful, as if a long-lost part of me had awakened.

“What’s happening to me?” I whispered, clutching my head as the room dimmed.

Felix’s hand brushed my arm, the touch electric. “You’re awakening,” he said.

The room spun, and the last thing I saw was Felix’s intense gaze before the world plunged into darkness.

Calla's POV

The scents of roasted meats and spiced vegetables filled the grand dining hall, but I had no appetite. Seated at the ornate table, I felt their eyes on me—Alpha Garett, Luna Selina, and Hera, the golden-haired girl who once believed she was their daughter. Across from me, Hera offered a sweet smile, her eyes sharp and calculating beneath it.

The tension was suffocating. My fork scraped against the plate, the sound grating in the oppressive silence. Alpha Garett broke it first. “Calla, I know this is overwhelming, but you’re home now. You are the rightful heir, our true daughter. Your place is here.”

I set my fork down, trying to keep my trembling hands steady. “You keep saying that, but I don’t even know you. I grew up in the human world. My parents—” My voice cracked. “They raised me.”

Selina reached across the table, her hand warm on mine. “They loved you, and we’re grateful they kept you safe. But the human world was never meant for you. You belong here, Calla.”

I pulled my hand back. “I don’t belong anywhere—not here, not there. Everything I trusted is gone. And now you expect me to just... accept this?”

Before anyone could respond, a knock echoed through the hall. The doors creaked open, revealing a tall man with piercing blue eyes. His commanding presence filled the room.

Alpha Garett stood. “Ah, Jacob. Perfect timing.”

The man—Jacob—nodded to Garett but kept his attention fixed on me. “So, this is her,” he said smoothly, his tone carrying both curiosity and judgment.

Luna Selina’s smile was strained. “Calla, this is Alpha Jacob Windsor, son of the Alpha King and leader of the Windsor Pack. He is also... your future husband.”

The room spun. “What?” I whispered.

“It’s tradition,” Garett said firmly. “As the heiress to this pack, it’s your duty to strengthen alliances. A union with the Windsor Pack ensures peace and prosperity.”

“You can’t be serious,” I said, my voice shaking. “I don’t even know him.”

Jacob leaned casually against the doorframe, his smirk sharp. “I’m not thrilled either, but duty is duty.”

His indifference ignited a spark of defiance in me. “I’m not marrying anyone. I don’t care about your traditions or alliances. This isn’t my world.”

The silence that followed was deafening. Garett’s jaw tightened, while Selina’s eyes softened with something like sympathy. “You’ll understand in time,” she said gently. “This is your destiny, Calla.”

I pushed my chair back, the screech of wood against stone cutting through the quiet. “Destiny?” I laughed bitterly. “My destiny was stolen the moment I was dragged into this nightmare.”

Storming out, I walked aimlessly through the hallways, desperate for air. I stopped in a courtyard, the cool night breeze brushing my skin as I tried to steady my thoughts. How could they expect me to marry a stranger? To become someone I wasn’t?

“You’re running away already?”

The voice startled me. I turned to see Jacob stepping out of the shadows. “What do you want?” I snapped.

“To talk,” he said calmly. “You’re not the only one who didn’t ask for this. But we don’t always get to choose our paths.”

I crossed my arms, shielding myself from his gaze. “And what if I refuse? What if I walk away?”

Jacob stepped closer. “Then you’ll face the consequences. In this world, running isn’t an option.”

Before I could respond, he turned and disappeared into the shadows. My chest tightened, my thoughts spinning, when another figure emerged.

Hera.

She approached, her smile sweet but her eyes glittering with malice. “You’re quick to storm out, aren’t you?”

“What do you want?” I asked, exhausted.

“To make something clear,” she said with feigned sweetness. “You don’t belong here. You’re an intruder in a world you don’t understand.”

Anger bubbled beneath my skin. “If this is your way of trying to scare me, it won’t work.”

She laughed softly, the sound cold and hollow. “Scare you? No, Calla. I’m giving you a reality check. You’re not the savior of this pack. You’re a disruption. And disruptions get dealt with.”

Her words were a thinly veiled threat. My fists clenched. “What are you trying to say?” I demanded.

Hera leaned closer, her voice a venomous whisper. “Stay, and you’ll regret it. I’ll make sure of it. I’ve fought too hard for everything—my family, my position, and Jacob. I won’t let you take any of it from me.”

She straightened, her gaze piercing. “You’re not ready for the war you’re walking into, Calla. And when it comes for you, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

With that, she turned and disappeared into the shadows, leaving me frozen in place, her words echoing in my mind.