HIS POSSESSION

Artemis stared into the darkness in a daze, so lost in thought that she didn’t notice a car pulling up until a familiar voice called out, “Artemis!” A beautiful she-wolf dressed in a casual top and jeans stepped out of the car and ran over to her, wrapping her in a tight hug. “I can’t believe I got a message from you earlier. I can’t believe it’s really you!” Lawren’s voice trembled with emotion, her joy barely contained. “I thought… I thought you…” Artemis returned the hug, a faint smile gracing her lips. “Thanks for coming, Lawren.” “How could I not? When your best friend calls, you come,” Lawren said, pulling back to get a good look at her. She tightly clasped Artemis’ hands. “I have so many questions to ask, but first, let’s get out of here.” Artemis nodded, and after placing her luggage in the trunk, they both climbed into the car and drove off. “Artemis, I feel like I’m dreaming,” Lawren said, glancing at her as she continued driving. “Where have you been these past two years? The pack was in an uproar after your sudden disappearance. Some said you ran away, while others said you betrayed the pack, and some even went so far as to say you were dead. I never believed those rumors. But now you have to tell me—where were you all this time?” Artemis fiddled with the wedding ring on her finger, her voice quiet. “I got married.” “What?!” Lawren nearly swerved off the road in shock but quickly regained control of the car. “You’re telling me you disappeared because you got married? We were only 18! How could you marry so young? And…” She paused, her voice thick with disbelief. “Haven’t you hated the mate bond since we were children? How…how could you…” Lawren’s rapid-fire questions ended as she choked on her words, struggling to process the revelation. Artemis, who had anticipated her friend’s reaction, leaned back calmly in the passenger seat. “It’s complicated,” she murmured. “The circumstances were stacked against me, leaving disappearing as my only option.” Though Artemis didn’t offer any details, Lawren’s sharp instincts filled in the blanks. A she-wolf like Artemis would never enter a marriage unless not getting married would force her into an even worse trap than marriage itself. Lawren pressed her lips together, then hesitantly asked, “So… who did you marry? Was it him?” Artemis flinched, as if struck by a physical blow, and her calm demeanor wavered. “No, it was not him,” she quickly explained, cutting off any wild guesses. After a moment’s pause, she added quietly, “I married Dante.” Lawren’s jaw dropped. “Dante? Alpha Dante Walker? The Alpha’s son? The one who used to play with you when we were kids? The same Dante who thought I was the third wheel in your friendship and always glared at me from a distance? The one I couldn’t stand?” She gasped dramatically, struggling to catch her breath. Artemis nodded in response. Dante was the son of a powerful Alpha. He had always despised lower-ranking wolves like Lawren, whose father was a warrior. Though he disliked her friendship with Artemis, Artemis had never let it affect their bond. Still, Lawren had enough self-respect to avoid being around whenever Dante was present, which was why the two friends had attended different schools after primary school. “I can’t believe it,” Lawren muttered, shaking her head. “Neither can I,” Artemis whispered. Slowly, she removed the wedding ring from her finger and held it up, staring at it for a long moment. Then, without hesitation, she tossed it out the car window. Lawren watched the ring disappear into the night, then glanced at Artemis. They locked eyes, sharing a bittersweet smile. “So, what’s your plan now?” Lawren asked gently. “The Greenwood Pack is still waiting for you to return.” Artemis shook her head. “I can’t go back, Lawren. If the pack still sees me as a deserter, Alpha Cody won’t take me back. I’ll have to figure out how to survive on my own. I just wanted to see you one last time, but I won’t bring my troubles to your doorstep.” Lawren chuckled. “That was in the past, Artemis. There’s no Alpha Cody anymore—or any of the old pack members who knew you.” Artemis furrowed her brows in confusion. “How is that possible?” Instead of answering, Lawren smiled and turned the car into the Greenwood Pack’s territory. “Come and see for yourself.” Artemis felt a storm of emotions as the car approached the Greenwood Pack’s territory. Returning after so many years away stirred some bittersweet, and some painful memories for her. When she cut ties with her past and everyone two years ago she had never expected that she would return to the Greenwood Pack again. However, as soon as she stepped out of the car, her thoughts froze in shock. The pack where she had spent so many years of her life looked desolate. Houses had been reduced to rubble, trees stood burnt but extinguished, and a few limping pack members moved about in silence. The air carried the faint scent of ash and destruction. “The pack was attacked?!” Artemis exclaimed, turning to Lawren with wide eyes. Lawren nodded as she gestured for Artemis to follow her inside the pack. “Yes, the attack happened a week ago,” she said, her tone calm and detached, almost indifferent. “We both know how selfish and all-talk Alpha Cody was. When the pack was attacked, he couldn’t hold his ground. He was weak, unprepared, and full of himself. In the end, he was killed during the battle, along with most of the other pack members. Only those who submitted survived. Now, there are only a handful of males, young children, and pregnant she-wolves left.” Artemis listened carefully, her gaze scanning her surroundings. The surviving wolves didn’t appear to mourn the loss of Alpha Cody. His abusive, perverted, and egocentric nature had made him widely disliked, even by his own pack members. In truth, the attack seemed to have freed them from his tyranny. The sounds of wolves hard at work caught Artemis’ attention. They were all new faces. Repairs were underway, houses being rebuilt, new buildings rising, and the foundations of what looked like better infrastructure being laid. Half the pack already looked astonishingly transformed, far better than anything Artemis had imagined possible under Alpha Cody’s mismanagement. “All of this…” Artemis murmured, her voice barely audible, a note of disbelief coloring her words. “It’s all thanks to the new Alpha,” Lawren revealed, her tone taking on a note of awe. “He’s been a blessing to the survivors, if you ask me. You wouldn’t believe it, but the Greenwood Pack wasn’t even attacked by him directly. Only his Beta showed up, along with a handful of warriors from his pack. They took over this territory like it was child’s play. But the bloodshed was insane. It was terrifying.” Lawren’s words stunned Artemis. She never heard of such a thing, where the Alpha sent his Beta to win the pack. “If the Beta alone is that powerful, then I can’t even begin to imagine the Alpha’s strength,” Lawren added, her voice tinged with both fear and admiration. The mixture of emotions on Lawren’s face piqued Artemis’s curiosity. “Who is this new Alpha?” “I don’t know much,” Lawren admitted with a shrug. “I’m usually away from the pack because of my college classes, so I live off rumors. I’ve seen him only a couple of times from a distance. Everyone calls him Alpha Valentine.” “Alpha Valentine?” Artemis echoed, her brows furrowing. As Luna of her previous pack, she had been forced to accompany Dante to various balls and gatherings, even when she despised the charade of being paraded around as his soulmate. During those events, she had learned about prominent Alphas and rising packs. Yet, Alpha Valentine was a name she had never heard before. Her intrigue deepened as she tried to make sense of this new Alpha. Who was he, and how had he risen to power so suddenly? Lawren took Artemis to her house, which hadn’t changed much since the last time Artemis had been there. “You can stay in the upstairs bedroom,” Lawren said, pointing toward the staircase. “Feel free to use the kitchen or anything else in the house. Ever since Dad’s passing, I’ve been alone here. I can’t believe I finally have my bestie back and to live with!” she chirped, grabbing Artemis’ hands with a bright smile. Artemis returned the smile, warmth spreading through her chest. “Thank you, Lawren. I’m lucky to have you as my best friend. But I don’t want to impose on you forever. Once I find a job, I’ll look for a place of my own.” Lawren pouted, folding her arms. “You and that self-respect of yours! I knew you’d say something like that. Fine, if you want to move out eventually, I won’t stop you. But until then, let’s just enjoy this time together.” Artemis smiled again, not just at Lawren but at the fresh start she had decided to embrace. Dragging her luggage upstairs, she freshened up before joining Lawren for tea and refreshments in the courtyard. The two friends sat with their coffee as they caught up on lost time. “You’ve been studying architecture even after getting married?” Lawren asked, her eyes filled with surprise and admiration. Artemis nodded. “I was rarely at Dante’s packhouse after the wedding. Living with him as his mate was a compulsion, but his constant cheating wasn’t something I could tolerate. So, I threw myself into my school work. I’m still studying, but thanks to my professors, I’ve worked on real sites—designing, planning, and helping construct physical structures. I started as a helper, but now I’m confident enough to work on my own. The real challenge is finding a job while I’m still a student,” she explained thoughtfully, sipping her coffee. “I don’t think that’ll be an issue!” Lawren set her cup down with enthusiasm. “The pack members rebuilding the territory aren’t professional engineers or architects. They’re just regular wolves Alpha Valentine is giving a chance to earn a living. They’re working under the supervision of professionals, and there are even a few young architects assisting. With your skills and experience, you might actually have a shot!” Artemis blinked in surprise. “Is that really possible? I’m a new face in this pack now. They won’t know me.” Lawren hesitated, then gave a small smile. “Technically, you’re an old pack member, so I don’t think it’ll be an issue. Approaching Alpha Valentine might be difficult, but I’ll talk to Beta Richard about it after dinner.” After some consideration, Artemis nodded. She didn’t want to get her hopes up too high. If things didn’t work out, she was ready to find a job elsewhere on her own. She couldn’t forget how dark and corrupt most Alphas were deep down. And this Alpha Valentine… she didn’t know anything about him yet. Suddenly, a loud ringtone broke through the conversation. “That’s my phone!” Lawren exclaimed, getting up quickly. In her haste, she accidentally knocked her coffee cup over, spilling its contents onto Artemis’s hand. “Ahh!” Artemis hissed sharply, the burning pain hitting her instantly. “Oh my goddess, I’m so sorry!” Lawren panicked, rushing over. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about it,” Artemis reassured her, smiling faintly despite the sting. She didn’t want Lawren to feel guilty over an accident. “How can you say you’re fine? You hissed like it really hurt!” Lawren grabbed Artemis’s hand to inspect it and froze. The burn on her friend’s hand was severe, something that shouldn’t have been possible for a werewolf. “Artemis… why isn’t your wolf healing you?” she asked, her voice laced with confusion and worry. Artemis calmly pulled her hand back. “Because I don’t have a wolf.” “What?!” Lawren’s eyes widened in disbelief. She stared at Artemis as if she’d just confessed something unimaginable. “I remember when you got your wolf at sixteen! What happened? Did she… did she die?” Artemis stared at the burn for a moment, her expression unreadable. Then, with a storm of emotions swirling in her voice, she said, “My wolf disappeared the moment the marriage vows were made between Dante and me.” Lawren gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. “Disappeared? How is that even possible?” “I don’t know,” Artemis admitted, her voice heavy with frustration. “I knew something was wrong when those strange rituals were performed during the ceremony. But I never imagined my wolf would vanish. That’s why…” She paused, meeting Lawren’s shocked gaze. “That’s why I want to dissolve this marriage. I need to reject Dante.” Lawren stammered, “Are you saying…” “Yes,” Artemis cut her off, her tone firm. “My wolf is tied to Dante somehow. I don’t know how, but I do know this: I want her back.” Her grip tightened on her coffee mug, anger and determination radiating from her. The memories of Dante’s betrayal only added fuel to her resolve. The phone rang again, breaking the tense silence. “I’ll be back,” Lawren said, hurrying inside to answer the call. Artemis stayed seated, sipping her coffee, trying to calm the storm raging in her mind. Her attention was drawn to a line of black cars driving past the clearing. They were sleek, expensive vehicles that only someone of high status could afford. Her gaze lingered on the car in the center. Its windows were tinted too dark to see inside, but a strange feeling crawled over her skin, as if someone from within was watching her. Her heart began to race unexpectedly, and an icy chill settled over her. It was the second time that day she had felt that eerie sensation. What was this feeling?