ARTEMIS' POV:-

Tracy launched at those wild wolves. The deep forest echoed with the horrified and painful howls of the wild wolves Tracy fought. They surely thought of us as an easy target. What they didn't know, Tracy was an ancient wolf and low life wild wolves didn't have any chance against us. Once she was done eating those mother fuckers, Tracy jumped into the river. She washed up her fur in the cold running water. Then she hopped back out.

The girl used some kind of magical spell to clean up all the blood off of the ground. It was surprising for me because I had never seen any magical powers before. I shifted back into my human form. The girl I had just saved, quickly pulled her gown off of her body and gave it to me. I wore her gown because as usual, Tracy decided to rip my clothes when she came out. "Thank you so much for the gown. My damn beast gets very excited to rip my clothes as she gets out." I thanked the girl in a grateful tone.

I was definitely not looking forward to walking around naked all over the place. Tracy never actually thought about it whenever she made an appearance like that. "It was nothing compared to what you have done for me. You saved my life. I can't thank you enough for that." The girl grabbed my hands and thanked me too in a grateful tone. She had a beautiful smile on her face. A smile that could melt anyone's heart. I was confused how come those assholes were not affected by that smile of hers.

It took me a few seconds to pull myself together. I was staring at her smile as if I was a perverted man and she was a little girl I was stalking. Tracy had told growl to pull me out of the oceans of my thoughts. "Ah! Sheeh!!! There is nothing to thank me for. I saw three grown ass men threatening to kill a little girl. I couldn't just stand there and watch. I had to do something." I waved my hand and spoke in a polite tone.

It was actually a coincidence that I got to that place in time. I was able to save her. Only god knows what might have happened if I hadn't gotten to the forest, looking for a trail to find Uncle Grey. Hearing me, the girl giggled softly. "Little girl? How old do you think I really am?" The girl asked me in a hilarious tone while staring at me.

I looked at her from head to toe. I had a confused frown on my face. She hardly looked my age. "Oh! Well, by the look of your face and the innocence in your eyes, I can say you are about 15 or 16." I replied to her in a low tone, unknown of her actual age. I just met her. For some reason, she felt like I had known her for ages.

Tracy was able to smell her powers. She was not like us. But she was not a human either. She was something else. Something more powerful than Elijah and Tracy. "Oh my Goddess! I can't believe it. How old are you, silly girl?" The girl asked me while laughing at me.

To be honest, I was a little ashamed of it. I was embarrassed the way a girl was laughing at me. But I couldn't help it. Either I was going crazy or she was already crazy. "Oh! I will be 19 in a few months. Why did you ask? Do I look older?" I replied to her in a low tone then I asked her if I looked older than my age.

I was never into stupid myths but I had heard quiet often that once you lose your virginity, whether you're a boy or a girl, you look older. Unless, you are born with a baby face and you are short. That's why, I suddenly became curious. "No! You look exactly how old you are. Unlike me. I am actually way older than you, sweetheart." The girl replied to me in a confident tone.

My jaw dropped on the ground as I heard her. She said she was older than me. Which was near to impossible. She looked younger. "What are you talking about? How old are you really?" I asked her in a surprised tone while staring at her from head to toe.

I was not so sure if I was supposed to be asking her those questions. But I was just so curious. "Let's forget about it for now. I didn't even introduce myself to you. My name is Lily Rose. You can call me Lily. And I am actually very old. My kind has looked like this for centuries." Lily finally introduced herself to me.

Whoever named her, surely knew their job. Her name suited her. She was stunning like a rose and innocent like a lily. "Oh! That's pretty cool. No one can actually think of your actual age. Nice to meet you, Lily. My name is Artemis Carter." I introduced myself to her as well.

Hearing my name, a beautiful and wide smile appeared on her face. "Artemis! That's a beautiful name. Who gave you this beautiful name?" She asked me in a low tone. The smile on her face was to die for. At that moment, I really thought for once in my life to be a boy. I thought if I would have been a man, I would have gotten down on one knee in front of her looking at that beautiful smile on her face.

It took me a few minutes to realise what question she actually asked me. I smiled but I knew well that it was a sad smile. "It was my mother. She named me. That was the only thing she could have done for me back then." I replied to her in a low tone as I remembered how much my mother had suffered because of my bastard father.

There were times when I used to think about getting the power to kill that bastard and his whore of a wife just to avenge my mother. Now that I had my powers, I never wanted to see his ugly face ever again. "That's beautiful! She might have known about the power this name actually possesses." Lily spoke in a polite tone.

My eyes went towards her face as I tried to understand what she was talking about. This world was still new for me. I hardly knew anything except for the things Elijah told me or the things I had read in Elijah's father's diaries. "I kind of don't know anything about my name." I replied in a nervous tone. I was rubbing the back of my neck nervously as I never asked my mom anything about my name.

Hearing my nervous tone, Lily started laughing hysterically. As if she couldn't control herself. It took her a few minutes to sober up. "Well, let me tell you then. This name that your mother has given you, is no ordinary name. She was the Goddess of wolves and shifters. Her name was Artemis. She was kind, brave and very smart." Lily told me the origin of the name I was given.

My eyes would have popped out of my sockets due to the surprise. I never thought my mom named me after a shifter goddess. I didn't need to know why she did that. She already told me in her stories. She might have named me Artemis because she believed that I would get the power she always wanted. "Yeah! My mother might have given me that name for a good reason." Lowering my head while smiling brightly, I spoke in a low tone. I knew the whole story behind that single name I was given.

I remembered how my father used to torture my mother. He didn't even care to hide his ill behaviour with my mother from me. It was like he was born to hurt her. After watching her happy with Victor with my own two eyes, I was finally able to find peace within me. I always thought that I was the reason my mother couldn't be happy. "Anyways! What are you doing in these forests? I can see, you are far away from your own territory. People from other territories hardly come here." Lily asked me in a low tone while staring at me.

Hearing her question, I finally realised what I was actually doing there. I looked around the place. I could say that I hardly ran for fifteen minutes. And yet, it felt like I was far away from New York City. "Yeah! It looks like it. I was following the only lead I had in my hands to find a missing pack member. If I don't find him, a bitch is going to destroy everything. I can't let that happen." I replied to Lily in a low tone while I was staring at the surroundings.

There was no doubt at the fact that I had come far far away from the pack land. And I didn't know how. I couldn't say where I was and how I got there. But that's the only lead I had left. "By the determination in your voice, I can say it is someone you hold dear to your heart. Are you looking for your lover?" Lily spoke in a low tone then she asked me a question.

I gasped as I understood her question. Though, it took me a few seconds to understand her question. "What? No! No way! Uncle Grey is more of a father figure to me. He is the Uncle of my alpha and my mate. I just can't let that bitch destroy everything." I replied to her in a nervous tone. I almost told her everything. Because I felt like I had known her for ages.

My face fell as I remembered how rudely Elijah had treated me. He never talked to me that way. He never raised his voice at me. He was not the only one who had lived alone his whole life. I was the same. And just because he had gotten his mother back, didn't mean he could change. I got my mother and I was hardly allowed to live with her. Elijah never let me stay with my mom because he couldn't sleep without cuddling with me. It broke my heart realising how easily he changed. "Grey! Like, Grey Wilson. Alpha Elijah is his nephew." Lily asked me after a few minutes.

Her question made me turn my gaze back at her. I wiped my tears because I didn't want her to see my tears. "Yeah! How do you know him?" I asked Lily as she asked me about Uncle Grey. It looked like she knew Uncle Grey.

I was curious to know if she knew anything about Uncle Grey. I badly wanted Uncle Grey to come back because I knew he could fix everything. "I don't. I knew his older brother. Alpha Adam Wilson. Brilliant man with a kind heart. His world was his children and his wife. Until she cheated on him with his best friend. The previous Beta of that pack." Lily replied to my question and my jaw dropped again on the floor.

Yes! I have read all of his diaries. But I hardly knew anything about Elijah's father. I couldn't even blink for a while as I heard that Lily knew Elijah's father. "Oh my God! What a bitch! And she has been filling Elijah's head that she was the victim and his father used to force himself on her." I spoke in an angry tone as I was finally able to understand the game Grace was playing. It finally started to make sense why she arrived right after Uncle Grey's disappearance.

Or rather I could say, Uncle Grey disappeared right before she arrived at our pack. Maybe there was indeed a connection between both of the incidents. Maybe Tracy and I had been right all along. If only I could make Elijah see that. "She is a bitch indeed. Adam was very respectful towards women. He never looked at another woman before or after Grace. And he was always so gentle with her. He never even grabbed her hand without her permission." Lily told me how Elijah's father was with his wife.

That bitch didn't deserve someone so gentle and loyal like Elijah's father. After everything she did to him, she had the audacity to come back and claim her place as the Luna of our pack. When she clearly cheated on Elijah's father. Moreover, she was making Elijah hate his father when actually, his father was the actual victim. "Really! Then why would she come back. And I have a feeling that she is involved in Uncle Grey's disappearance." I finally told Lily what I actually felt about Grace and her involvement in Uncle Grey's disappearance.

Lily pinched her chin as she heard me. She saw scratching her chin while thinking. "It couldn't be just a hunch. She must be behind it. Adam kicked that bitch out. She is a wild wolf. And the only one who knows the truth about Grace is Grey." She replied in a low tone, repeating my words. I actually couldn't believe my ears. Grace was a wild wolf. That's what Lily told me. But I couldn't understand why Tracy was unable to catch that pungent scent of a wild wolf. It just didn't make any sense. Tracy always picked up that scent so easily. Perhaps, there was a trick that I was unaware of.