A sleek, bulletproof black sedan with the insignia of the Lin Pack was waiting outside the hospital entrance.
Inside sat a woman who looked like she belonged on the cover of a fashion magazine. **Vera** (Ning Qing) was dressed in expensive silk, her hair perfectly coiffed, diamonds glittering at her throat.
She checked her watch impatiently.
Twelve years ago, Vera had been a desperate widow. To survive, she had remarried into the Lin Pack—a wealthy merchant family in Moon City. But there was a condition: she couldn't bring her "useless" daughter, who showed no signs of Spirit Power. So, she had left Ren in the Wildlands and focused all her energy on her new life and her new daughter.
The car door opened.
Ren slid into the leather seat. She brought with her the scent of the outside world—dust, cold air, cheap tobacco, and the faint antiseptic smell of the hospital.
Vera wrinkled her nose instantly. She pressed a button to roll down the partition window.
"Ren," Vera said, her voice sharp and devoid of warmth. She scanned her daughter's outfit with horror. "Look at you. Flannel? Combat boots? Why are you wearing these rags?"
Ren leaned back, closing her eyes. She pulled her hood up, creating a barrier between herself and the woman who had abandoned her. "My luggage got lost."
"We are going to the Lin Manor," Vera hissed, clenching her manicured hands. "My husband, Alpha Lin, and his son are waiting. Do you want to embarrass me? Do you want them to think I raised a beggar?"
Ren opened one eye. It was dark and mocking. "You didn't raise me, Vera. Grandma did."
Vera flinched. The guilt flashed in her eyes for a second, quickly replaced by anger. "Listen to me. The Lin Pack is elite. Your step-brother, **Jax** (Lin Jinxuan), is the Pack Heir. He is a genius. Your sister, **Faye** (Qin Yu), is a violin prodigy with high Spirit Resonance. You... you are just a Dormant."
"I know," Ren said, bored. "I'm the stain on your reputation. The useless waste of space."
"As long as you know your place," Vera huffed, turning away to look out the window. "Just... try to be invisible. Don't fight. Don't speak unless spoken to. And for God's sake, don't mention the Wildlands."
***
The Lin Manor was less of a house and more of a palace.
Iron gates opened automatically. The driveway was lined with manicured hedges and statues of howling wolves. Servants bowed as the car pulled up.
Ren stepped out, her boots leaving faint dusty prints on the polished marble driveway. A servant rushed forward to take her backpack, but Ren side-stepped him.
"I got it," she muttered.
They entered the grand dining hall. Dinner was already served.
A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting a warm glow over the feast. At the head of the table sat **Alpha Lin**, a middle-aged man with a kind but distant face. Next to him was **Jax**, young, handsome, and radiating the confident, powerful aura of a future Alpha.
And then there was **Faye**.
She was sitting across from Jax, dressed in a pristine white dress that made her look like an angel. She was holding a violin bow, smiling sweetly as she chattered about her day.
"Mom, you're back!" Faye chirped. She glanced at Ren, her smile faltering for a micro-second before returning brighter than ever. "And this must be... Big Sister Ren."
Ren stood in the doorway, looking like a dark storm cloud intruding on a sunny day.
"Uncle Lin," Ren nodded to the head of the house, completely ignoring Faye's greeting.
"Sit, sit," Alpha Lin waved his hand, trying to be welcoming. "You're family now. Let's eat."
The dinner was awkward, to say the least. The conversation revolved entirely around Faye and her achievements.
"Faye's resonance with the Spirit Stone reached 85% today," Vera bragged, beaming as she served Alpha Lin some fish. "Her teacher says she is almost guaranteed to be scouted by the Capital Conservatory. She might even awaken as a Luna-tier wolf."
"Excellent," Alpha Lin nodded approvingly. "Faye is truly the pride of our family."
Ren ate silently. She picked at the fancy food with her chopsticks. It was too bland. She missed the spicy, greasy skewers from the Wildlands.
Suddenly, Jax spoke up. He put down his glass of wine and looked at Ren. His gaze was polite, but scrutinizing—like an Alpha assessing a potential threat or a weakling.
"Ren," Jax said. His voice was smooth. "I heard you didn't finish school in the Wildlands. Vera said you had to repeat a year?"
The table went silent. Faye looked down at her plate, hiding a small smirk.
Ren didn't look up from her rice. "Something like that."
Vera quickly intervened, looking nervous. She put down her fork. "Uncle Lin, Jax... about Ren's schooling... I was hoping we could get her into Wolven High. Maybe the vocational stream? Or the arts stream?"
Wolven High was the best academy in the city. It was the training ground for the elite. Getting a "Dormant" dropout into such a school was nearly impossible. It required influence, money, and favors.
"It will be difficult," Alpha Lin frowned, rubbing his chin. "Without Spirit Power or grades... the Board of Directors won't accept her easily. Even with my donation, they might refuse."
Jax nodded in agreement. "Wolven High cares about reputation. Taking in a student from the Wildlands... it's a risk."
The air was thick with judgment. They were talking about her as if she were a piece of defective merchandise.
Ren finally put down her chopsticks. The *clack* sound echoed in the silent room.
She wiped her mouth with a napkin, her movements slow and deliberate. Then, she reached into her battered backpack.
Vera flinched, half-expecting her daughter to pull out a knife or a weapon from the Wildlands.
Instead, Ren pulled out a crumpled, stained envelope.
It looked old. There were coffee stains on the corner, and it looked like it had been sitting in the bottom of a bag for months.
She slid it across the polished mahogany table. It spun and stopped right in front of Vera.
"I don't need you to buy my way in," Ren said calmly, her voice cool and detached. "I have this."
Vera picked it up, holding it by the corner with two fingers as if it were contaminated. She looked at the dirty envelope with disgust.
"What is this trash?" Vera scoffed. "A recommendation letter? From who? Your village chief? Or some gang leader in the North?"
Faye giggled softly. "Big Sister, Wolven High doesn't accept letters from... random people."
"Open it," Ren said, standing up. She slung her backpack over one shoulder. "I'm full. Thanks for the meal."
She turned and walked up the grand staircase toward the guest room, not bothering to look back at the family staring at the dirty envelope.
Jax frowned. Something felt... off.
He reached out and took the letter from Vera's hand.
"Let me see," Jax said.
He turned the envelope over. On the back, sealing the flap, was a stamp of red wax. It was cracked and old, but the symbol was still visible.
As Jax's fingers brushed the red wax seal, a shock of energy—pure, concentrated Alpha power—zipped through his fingertips like electricity.
His eyes widened in shock. He dropped the letter onto the table.
"Jax?" Vera asked, concerned. "What's wrong? Is it dirty?"
Jax stared at the seal, his heart pounding. He knew this seal. Every Alpha in the country knew this seal.
It wasn't from a village chief.
It was the personal seal of **Elder Xu**, one of the three founders of the Supreme Council.
**[Chapter 2 End]**