By the Moon Goddess,” someone whispered behind me. “Look at her size!”
I sighed inwardly. So it’s still happening this way.
Willow growled within me, confused and angry. “How is this possible? We removed the amulet!”
This vial of elixir was brewed after I removed my protective amulet, yet it still only worked for Victoria. I felt a chill run through my body despite the warm day. Was there something else at play here? Something I still didn’t understand?
Like a destiny I couldn’t escape no matter how hard I tried.
Victoria’s wolf form shook itself, as if testing its new strength. The movement alone sent ripples of power across her muscled
frame. Her eyes found mine, glowing with malicious triumph.
“Such power!” Richard called out from the sidelines, his voice carrying a note of pride that made my stomach turn. “Victoria,
show them what a true Beta wolf can do!”
Victoria turned and went back to the training ground where Mira waited, her own enhanced wolf form suddenly looking small and inadequate by comparison. Mira’s eyes widened in fear as Victoria circled her, growling low.
What happened next was brutal.
Victoria’s attack power and speed had more than doubled. She moved like a blur of silver fur, striking with a ferocity that had the crowd gasping. Mira fought back valiantly, landing a few good hits, but the difference in their power was too great.
In less than a minute, Victoria had Mira pinned to the ground, teeth at her throat. Mira whimpered and submitted, rolling to expose her belly in surrender.
The crowd below the training ground was dumbfounded. Several older pack members shook their heads in disbelief. The younger ones whispered excitedly to each other, pointing at Victoria’s massive wolf form.
“Is that-” an older pack member stammered.
“Yes,” another replied. “It has to be.”
Was this the legendary Beta wolf enhancement elixir that no one had managed to brew in 50 years? The elixir that had become almost mythical in our pack’s lore?
Victoria shifted back to her human form, her naked body now more toned and powerful than before. Someone rushed forward
with a robe, which she casually wrapped around herself.
Victoria’s eyes were filled with joy as she pretended to be humble, placing a hand over her heart dramatically.
“Thank you, everyone,” she said, her voice carrying across the training grounds. “I used my heart blood every day to brew this. This is the most satisfying elixir I’ve ever created.”
1/3
+15 Bonus
She pulled aside her robe just enough to reveal a cluster of scars over her heart–scars I knew she hadn’t had in my previous life. She’d actually gone that far to sell her lie.
I stood among the wolf pack, listening to the chaotic discussions erupting around me. My fingers tightened around the empty vial
I still held.
“Did you see that?”
“She took down Mira like she was a pup!”
“That kind of enhancement–it’s unheard of!”
No one doubted Victoria’s words. Everyone knew that only a self–brewed elixir could enhance a wolf’s abilities when consumed.
That was pack law, taught to us since childhood.
A stocky wolf in human form nudged his companion. “Wasn’t Victoria supposed to be mediocre? How could she brew such a
powerful elixir? Even Alexis couldn’t brew something this powerful, right?”
“That’s heart blood we’re talking about!” his friend replied, shaking his head in awe. “One wrong move and you’re dead. Who
would dare use heart blood to brew an elixir? That’s gambling with your life!”
An older female pack member nodded solemnly. “Looks like Victoria is going to be our next Gamma! What a turnaround—no one
would have predicted this!”
As the pack members continued to marvel, Richard made his way to Victoria’s side, placing a proud hand on her shoulder. The
pack’s Elder Alpha approached them both, clearly impressed.
The smile on Victoria’s face grew wider and wider as she basked in their admiration. Beneath my mask, a smile gradually
appeared on my face as well.
Three… Two… One…
Sure enough, in the next second, Victoria’s gaze swept across the crowd and landed directly on me. Her expression shifted from triumph to outrage so quickly that a less observant person might have missed the transition.
She pointed in my direction and accused, her voice ringing with manufactured hurt:
“Lexi, I trusted you so much. How could you steal my elixir? After everything my father has done for you!”
The crowd fell silent. Then, like a wave, all heads turned in
my
direction.
People around me stepped back, creating a small circle of emptiness where I stood. They looked confused, peering at my masked face with suspicion.
“Who is that?”
“Is that really Alexis under that mask?”
“Wasn’t she gone?”
2/3
+15 Bonus
Wearing a mask, no one could see my face, though they were starting to recognize my build and the color of my hair. They whispered among themselves, wondering if I was indeed Alexis, the pack’s former star potion brewer who had apparently fled.,
Slowly, deliberately, I raised my hand and removed my mask. Gasps of surprise erupted around me as my face was revealed.
“It really is Alexis!” someone exclaimed from behind me.
Another voice chimed in, “Didn’t she go to the forest to fight and increase her strength? Why is she stealing someone else’s
elixir?”
“She’s always been skilled at brewing elixirs,” a pack member I’d once considered a friend said, betrayal clear in her voice. “Why
would she… steal Victoria’s elixir?”
An older wolf leaned closer to his mate, but his whisper carried clearly to my sensitive ears. “If Victoria is the new Gamma, Alexis
is in big trouble for stealing the Gamma’s elixir…”
Once again, just like before–based solely on the elixir’s submission effect and Victoria’s accusation, I could be completely nailed
to the pillar of shame for theft.
I felt the weight of their judgment, the heat of their stares. In my previous life, this moment had broken me,
spiraling into despair and ultimately to my death.
But not this time.
I locked eyes with Victoria, whose expression flickered with momentary confusion at my calm demeanor.
Unfortunately for Victoria, this time she was going to lose.
had sent me
