Vayne's POV
I returned to my room and slept for three days upon my latest return from the backcountry. In my confused nightmares, I consistently dreamt of a man whose face remained elusive. I couldn't recall exactly who he was, but there was always a vague sense that he held significance in my life.
I shook my head vigorously, attempting to dispel those inexplicable emotions.
It was puzzling why, as a member of the Fullmoon pack, I had almost no memories of this place, and I couldn't recognize anyone except for Alpha.
Not even my own name, until Alpha finally informed me that it was Vayne.
"Vayne, are you awake?" Alpha's voice emanated from the doorway, prompting me to quickly rise and open the door.
"Alpha, what can I do for you?"
Alpha Zed stood in the doorway, bathed in the early morning sunlight, appearing even more handsome.
"Didn't I tell you? Just call me Zed from now on."
"Zed..." I hesitated for a moment before whispering.
"That's right, well, it's not really a big deal. Today is the day of the trial, so I may need to trouble you to accompany me on a mission."
Zed responded softly with a faint smile.
"Okay, now?"
"Well... yes." Zed looked at me, a little surprised, leaving me somewhat confused.
For reasons I couldn't articulate, since waking up, I felt disinterested in my surroundings. Regardless of what occurred, my emotions were in constant flux, and even speaking felt like a redundant activity.
Though I occasionally desired to alter this state of mind, nothing truly resonated with my heart.
I followed Zed to the back of the mountain, where a group of heavily armed members had gathered.
Zed spoke, "It's just a small mission. Our neighboring clan has been provocative, so we need to show them what happens when they provoke us."
Zed explained the situation gently.
As Zed narrated, I walked with him towards the crowd.
"Isn't this the hope for the future of the pack? What took you so long to show up? I would have thought you ran away."
Just as I appeared, a noisy girl emerged in front of me. She clasped her hands on her chest and glanced in my direction every now and then.
"Get lost!"
It was impossible to say why, but a wave of contempt unconsciously flowed through me at the sight of this woman.
"What? I see you haven't figured out your identity yet, you alien bastard. Don't think that you can do whatever you want just because you've mastered the method of transforming into a wolf. I don't think you're even close..."
The woman looked at me, ready to say something else.
"Shut up."
I frowned and raised my hand to silence the stupid woman in front of me. Her eyes widened somewhat incredulously before she tried to struggle away from my grip.
"Damn it, get loose!"
The woman gasped, using her hands to try and break my hold, but no matter how hard she tried, nothing changed. Soon her face was red, and her eyes revealed a hint of panic.
"Caitlyn, let go of Karma!"
Just at that moment, a sudden dull shout came from behind me. I whipped my head around, and a tall man appeared behind me, his face full of shade, and he was looking at me intently.
"Are you calling me?"
I looked at him coldly, then smoothly tossed the woman named Karma aside.
"I don't know who you're yelling at. I know my name is Vayne, and this woman named Karma has messed with me."
I looked coldly at the man in front of me, sensing that he was on the verge of an outburst at the moment.
"Kayn!"
Zed shouted the name of the man in front of him, trying to dissuade him from his urges.
But apparently, the man called Kayn didn't pay any attention and, in a flash, transformed into a huge wolf and appeared in front of me. His eyes were filled with hostility, staring dead around me.
Then, he came straight towards me.
Not to be outdone, with a smile on my lips, I met Kayn's attack head-on.
Kayn shook her head gently when she saw me like this, as if she had already predicted my demise. "Stupid woman."
However, just as he immediately made contact with me, I shifted my focus and transformed instantly into a massive white wolf, my violet glowing eyes fixed on the shocked Kayn.
"No, this can't be!" Kayn's eyes widened, but his attack visibly stalled for a moment.
Seizing the opportunity, I sidestepped to dodge his attack and then bit his shoulder dead center.
Instantly, Kayn's shoulder began to bleed profusely, and he fell smoothly to the side, collapsing to the ground and gasping for air.
The onlookers obviously didn't expect this outcome, and for a while, the surroundings fell into an eerie silence.
"Father!" Karma's eyes showed a hint of horror before she went berserk, pouncing on the dying Kayn.
"Well done, Vayne." Zed, standing next to me, raised a smile and nodded approvingly.
The surrounding members apparently realized that everything that had just happened was part of Zed's plan.
The only surprise was how I had become so powerful all of a sudden, incapacitating Kayn, the pack's most formidable member, almost in a single glance.
In the werewolf world, where strength was paramount, only the strength could explain everything else.
This time, no one cheered "Gamma" as they did last time, but in everyone's mind, I was the new Gamma.
"Okay, warm-ups are done; it's time for us to get down to business." I said without any expression on my face as I turned my head to glance at Kayn and Karma, who were helping each other out of the scene.