The awe-struck looks of the pack as they witnessed her wolf form for the first time remained fresh in young Vione’s memory. They seemed amazed, impressed, and openly jealous.
For a brief moment, young Vione felt happiness well up in her chest. She thought, perhaps for the first time in her life, she might be a source of admiration and envy for others.
Unfortunately, this happiness was short-lived. Those who had been mesmerized at first now looked at Vione with negative emotions. Some of them looked at her with pity, sympathy, shock, and even contempt.
Young Vione tried to hold on as best she could. She fought back the urge to cry. She strengthened her heart, which was writhing with fear. She stood tall, even though her body felt completely limp.
One thing that strengthened young Vione was the realization that fate was often against her. So, she shouldn’t be shaken. On the contrary, it was only appropriate for her to be able to face the cruelty of fate that had come again.
Young Vione decided not to run. She didn’t flee from the coming-of-age ceremony; instead, she completed all the ritual with firm determination. Afterwards, she didn’t immediately return home, as the pack assumed. She accepted the palace’s invitation to a party.
The beautiful dress Hilary had prepared hugged young Vione’s body beautifully. A pair of high-heeled shoes enhanced her appearance. She faced various reactions from the crowd regarding her condition. She took a deep breath, then lifted her face, showing a confidence that once again captivated the onlookers.
“Vione.”
Vione’s steps stopped. She turned to find a petite she-wolf in a knee-length dress approaching her. “Hello, Cora. Such a beautiful dress.”
“You think this dress is beautiful too, don’t you?” Cora looked down, then rubbed her dress briefly as she smiled. “It seems I made the right choice. I feel so confident in this dress.”
“You look absolutely stunning in this dress.”
Cora lifted her face, then looked at Vione’s dress. “You chose the right dress, too. You look very captivating.”
A formal smile appeared on young Vione’s face. She stopped herself from feeling flattered by Cora’s praise. She thought Cora was just being polite. “Thank you.”
“I mean it,” Cora said with a serious expression. She looked at Vione intently. “Honestly, I’ve been watching you since before.”
Young Vione blinked. “Oh really? Why?”
“I had just arrived when I felt something strange. So, I looked around and noticed that among the many young werewolves enjoying the coming-of-age party tonight, there was someone who was the center of attention.”
“Um,” young Vione coughed with a stiff expression. She wiped her sweaty neck. “I’m sure people are looking at me out of pity.”
Cora shook her head. “No, on the contrary. I saw you walking with steady steps, a straight back, and an uplifted face. You seemed very confident, regardless of what had just happened.” She reached out and clasped Vione’s fingers. “You’re really cool.” Her seriousness intensified. “Oh, my goodness. I’ve known you were that cool for a long time, Vione.”
The stiffness in Vione’s face vanished instantly. Her laughter erupted spontaneously. “Don’t flatter me, Cora. I might get conceited.”
“I’m not flattering you. Besides, I’ve never been one to sugarcoat things. I always tell it like it is.”
Cora remained motionless with her serious expression. Her eyes didn’t blink as they looked directly at young Vione. At that moment, it was as if she was looking into the depths of young Vione’s heart, realizing that years had passed since their first meeting.
As Cora remembered it, they were both seven years old when fate brought them together in a somewhat tragic coincidence. She, being smaller than the usual werewolf children, was bullied. She tried to fight back, but there wasn’t much she could do. Finally, Vione came and helped her.
Cora knew that Vione was also a target of the bullies. So logically, Vione should have avoided all confrontations. But Vione did just the opposite. Vione didn’t flinch as he stood in front of her, protecting her behind his larger frame.
In Cora’s eyes, it was common for the strong to be protectors. What was unusual was when the weak became protectors. From that day on, she thought no one was cooler than Vione.
Now time had passed. Cora and the young Vione had gone through the ceremony of coming of age. They had officially become part of the Frostholm pack when they transformed into wolves for the first time.
Like all young werewolves during the ceremony, Cora experienced a variety of emotions. She was happy and ecstatic, especially since her wolf form was very different from her human form. Her wolf form was large and tall, with exotic brownish fur. It was truly magnificent, and the proudest part was that it was the largest wolf in the coming-of-age ceremony.
But Cora’s happiness didn’t last long. She knew that young Vione felt the opposite.
Cora could sense Vione’s sadness. So, when she arrived at the palace party hall, she immediately went looking for Vione. She maneuvered through the crowd of young werewolves having fun and was stunned by what she saw.
Young Vione was wearing a beautiful light purple dress. Determination shone from her eyes. She ignored all looks and continued to walk with undeniable grace.
Finally, Cora realized that she shouldn’t worry about young Vione. She had underestimated Vione’s resilience and strength. Now she was sure of one thing: young Vione had set a high standard for her pain.
“Cora.”
Cora snapped out of her momentary reverie. She blinked once, then squeezed Vione’s fingers. “I am truly grateful to have a friend like you, Vione.”
It seemed that Vione was a little taken aback by Cora’s words, which she felt were slightly off-topic. Her brow furrowed as a result, but Cora didn’t give her a chance to ask. Instead, Cora invited her to leave.
“Come, Vione! Tonight is the time for us to have fun.”
Cora invited young Vione to dance with the others. They laughed and chatted about various topics, occasionally interspersed with amusing jokes.
As the atmosphere flowed naturally, young Vione realized that perhaps things weren’t as dark as she had thought. Yes, she had no claws, yes, she was an Omega, but that didn’t mean her world had come to an end.
Young Vione was still a she-wolf with a future ahead of her. She had friends and family, as well as a pleasant job at the Palace. And let’s not forget Buddy, who had become a part of her life as well.
A thought crossed her mind and caused young Vione to withdraw from the party crowd. She had been too focused on the coming-of-age ceremony all day and hadn’t had a chance to see Buddy. Now that she was at the Palace, it wouldn’t hurt to visit Buddy in the old pavilion.
Young Vione stood up. She was about to leave the party hall, but her steps suddenly stopped as Lewis approached from the opposite direction.
A bright smile graced young Vione’s face. Her mouth opened to greet him, but the look in Lewis’s eyes left her speechless.
Young Vione could see the turmoil in Lewis’s eyes, and her smile faded. She suppressed the urge to greet him, deciding instead to wait for Lewis’s reaction.
Basically, young Vione wasn’t expecting much. After all, she understood if some people distanced themselves from her after the coming-of-age ceremony. So, she didn’t feel sad when Lewis took a step and didn’t greet her at all.
Young Vione let out a long sigh. Strangely, she felt relieved. The proof was that as she walked on, her body felt incredibly light, as if there were no more burdens on her shoulders.
For young Vione, there were no more burdens. She had presented herself as she was. Now all she had to do was sit back, accept everyone who cared about her, and ignore everyone who didn’t want anything to do with her.
One of those who cared, young Vione was sure, was Buddy. Her arrival was greeted with joyful barks. Buddy jumped with excitement and she laughed.
There was no music. There was no bustle. There was just young Vione and Buddy. They were peacefully enjoying their time together. It was so peaceful that young Vione almost didn’t notice young Usher’s arrival.
Young Vione rose from her seat. She faced young Usher with the same attitude she had shown Lewis. She waited, and young Usher’s action made her eyes instantly widen.
Young Usher stepped forward. He approached young Vione with an outstretched hand. He reached for her waist, and then their lips met in a gentle kiss.
*