87: Elders

Elaine’s POV

The cool morning air filled my lungs as I ran through the dense woods, the sound of my footsteps muffled by the soft earth and fallen leaves.

The forest was now my sanctuary, a place where I could let go of the weight of my responsibilities and focus on something simpler—my physical strength. Since I started eating werewolf food, I’ve been gaining weight.

My pace quickened, my muscles burning with the effort. I pushed myself harder, wanting to feel the burn, to distract myself from the thoughts that haunted me.

I had no wolf to shift into, unlike the others in my pack, and it was a reminder of my difference, my weakness. The moon goddess had promised me a white wolf, but she had yet to deliver.

Sweat trickled down my back as I sprinted up a steep incline, my breath coming in heavy gasps. The moon goddess... Was she real? Was the promise of the white wolf just a cruel joke? I didn’t know, and the uncertainty gnawed at me. Without a wolf, I felt incomplete, less than t