It all began when Luna, the wolf mother who raised me, snagged Sera Dubois's favorite dress. Liam Thorne, Sera's childhood sweetheart, actually summoned a brute to hack off Luna's four paws and then had her cast into a vat of sulfuric acid. I held Luna, her breath shallow, and roared at Liam, "I told you from the start that I was raised by wolves! How is this any different from cutting off my own mother's limbs?!" But Liam simply looked at me, his face cold, covering Sera's eyes with his hand. "You're clearly just some wild stray my stepmother, Martha, picked up from God knows where. Don't think you can deceive me with those stories!" Luna, still bleeding profusely, struggled to inch her way towards me. I crawled to her, cradling her in my arms. "I stayed willingly, a gesture of gratitude for the Thorne family providing a sanctuary for my pack. You followed me for hundreds of miles because you couldn't bear to let me go, but I never meant for this to be your undoing." That night, clutching Luna, I knelt and bowed deeply several times before Aunt Martha’s memorial tablet. "Aunt Martha, the Thorne family's wildlife parks are now nationwide. They no longer need my ability to command animals. I should have left long ago." … I was about to blow the bone flute hanging from my neck, but Luna struggled, stopping me. Wolves know gratitude. The Thorne family took in old and infirm animals, giving the pack a home. I knew she didn't want me to ruin the Thorne family unless it was absolutely unavoidable. The vet, seeing the bare bones, flesh eaten away and cracked from the concentrated sulfuric acid, shook his head, saying there was nothing he could do. "Doctor, she used to be the fastest wolf in the forest. To not reattach her limbs, doesn't that mean you're letting her die?" My cries were torn from my soul. Luna stretched out a mangled limb, attempting to wipe away my tears, but realizing she had lost her paws, she curled up dejectedly. I stayed by Luna's side all night, eventually weeping myself into unconsciousness. With a loud bang, the main doors were kicked open. Mr. Davies, the butler, dragged me to kneel before the grand hall of Thorne Manor. Sera lay limply on a plush armchair, her face meticulously made up to appear frail and wounded, looking as though her breath might give out any second. As I tried to rise, Liam's hand lashed out, slapping me hard across the face. "Sera went out for a wilderness survey and was bitten by these ungrateful beasts! Tell me, did you instruct them?!" He pointed to a nearby iron cage. Only then did I see several wolf pups trapped inside – Their hides were torn open, their breathing shallow and ragged. I bit back the searing pain in my swollen cheek and crawled towards the cage, desperate to free them, but Mr. Davies dragged me back several feet. Liam's face darkened. "You don't care about the person injured because of you, but you rush to these animals! Bury them alive!" I dragged my aching body, throwing myself towards the cage. The pups still wore the leg bands I had personally tied on them – I had delivered them myself, deep in the forest. Their tender paws brushed against my palm, as if telling me not to worry, yet their mournful whines sent a bitter ache through my heart. I gritted my teeth, glaring at Liam. "They didn't hurt Sera at all! They said they saw Sera being taken by force, and they scared off the attackers and saved her!" Liam froze for a moment, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes. But Sera immediately burst into tears, grabbing Liam's hand. "It was clearly these animals that hurt me, Liam, why would I lie to you?" "She's definitely playing her tricks again. No one can understand animals!" "If she truly could, would she have tolerated her pet snake biting you? Doesn't that just prove she did it on purpose?" Liam glared furiously at me, then ordered the entire cage to be taken to the back hills of the estate. Earlier, to save Liam, I had been bitten all over by that snake, but it turned out to be completely non-venomous. I still couldn't understand why a usually docile snake would suddenly attack Liam. Before I could finish, Liam suddenly gripped my throat, as if to strangle me. "Then how did I get poisoned so severely? Eleanor Vance, there's a limit to your lies! If Sera hadn't brought the antidote, I would have died." I tore free from his grasp, arching my back like a wolf, leaping onto the cage, and baring my teeth. Everyone recoiled in fear. "Anyone who dares touch them will have to step over my dead body first!" 2 Liam's eyes flickered, startled by my strange posture, and his tone softened. "I genuinely don't understand you. Why do you care so much about these animals, why do you have to act like them?" A bitter taste filled my mouth. He used to adore animals because of me, allowing me to keep all sorts of creatures in the manor, even praising me for being as cute as a little wolf. But now, after he was bitten by the venomous snake, all my companions had been sent away, leaving only Luna by my side. Now he claimed he "didn't understand." My eyes were red, warning everyone to keep their distance, when suddenly, a heavy object struck my head. My vision went black, and I lost consciousness. When I woke again, a searing pain erupted across my scalp. I clutched my head, rubbing it ceaselessly. A familiar cold voice reached my ears. "I told you to go easy on her. Why isn't she awake yet?" Mr. Davies bowed, apologizing. Seeing I was awake, he quickly alerted Liam. Liam strode to the bedside, about to sit down, then hesitated, a mocking sneer on his lips. "Now you know what a headache feels like? Weren't you so stubborn just now? Those animals are dead. Apologize properly to Sera, and this whole thing is over." I clutched at his clothes, my voice trembling. "Liam, why are you doing this to me?" Liam's eyes hardened with cold indifference. He flung my hand away. "Martha, my stepmother, was a homewrecker who caused my mother's death. You're her bastard child, brought back by her. You then released a venomous snake to bite me, trying to seize my family's wealth. What else do you expect from me?" "I already told you, if you just behaved, I'd let you live comfortably in the Thorne Manor. But you insist on defying me again and again for these animals." "Aunt Martha was not a homewrecker! She and Grandfather only met because of their shared love for animals after your mother's suicide—" With a resounding CRASH, Liam swept all the teacups off the table, cutting me off. "You're going to tell me that outlandish story about being raised by wolves again. I must have been truly cursed to have believed you before!" With that, he stormed out, his face icy. Watching his retreating back, my heart turned to ash. Years ago, Aunt Martha, during a wilderness survey, had stopped a hunter who was aiming his rifle at me. She approached me cautiously, only to discover, to her astonishment, that I was a naked young girl. I growled at her, baring my teeth, yet she extended her hand. From then on, she taught me to read, to walk upright. Using the Thorne family's resources, she expanded a vast wolf sanctuary. And I, with my unique ability to communicate with animals, helped her gather countless rare data, making the Thorne family a global leader in animal research, securing numerous patents. She brought me back to Thorne Manor. Years later, Liam and I fell in love. He held my hand and swore he would marry no one else. That is, until his childhood friend, Sera Dubois, returned from overseas, bringing with her photos of his father having an affair with Aunt Martha, and then suddenly, he was poisoned. After that, Liam became a changed man, viewing me as an enemy. Assistant Green, Aunt Martha's only trusted aide, walked in, her face grave. "Ms. Vance, I've investigated everything. You need to prepare yourself." Assistant Green handed me a stack of documents. Photo after photo made me feel as if I might collapse! Liam had sworn to me during our wedding. The Thorne family would only send orphaned animal cubs and animals incapable of hunting to zoos for care, never greedily training animals for dangerous performances. But the documents showed that for years, the Thorne family had been building zoos across the country, under the guise of animal welfare, constantly capturing rare animals to expand their collections. The photos showed all sorts of animals crammed into tiny cages, unable to even straighten their bodies. They used whips to force tiger cubs to jump through fire hoops, and monkeys to hold their breath underwater. Cheetahs had their fangs and claws ripped out for photo opportunities, brown bears were shackled in steel, their bile extracted daily. Those deemed cheap and useless were euthanized; the expensive ones were sold cheaply to circuses. Many of the miserable wild beasts in the photos had been my childhood companions. I still remembered the exhilarating freedom of running through the forest with them. Now, their eyes were filled with pure terror. A forest fire had destroyed their habitat, leaving them severely injured. I had believed the Thorne family's zoo would be a safe haven, never imagining I was personally sending them to hell. The original wilderness sanctuary had also been developed into a hunting ground for the wealthy. Watching them display severed animal heads to the camera, I finally couldn't hold back the nausea and vomited. It was all my fault… Assistant Green gently supported me, her face full of concern. "Ms. Vance! Animal protection was Aunt Martha's lifelong creed. Now, it's all up to you." I bit my lip and nodded. I would take Luna. I would blow the bone flute. And I would make the Thorne family reap what they had sown! Luna had been placed in a locked room. I limped to the door, only to see a trail of blood leading from inside the room towards the back hills of the mansion. A cold dread washed over me. I rushed out. Before I even left the gate, I heard Liam's voice from inside the house: "You want wolf fur? I'll find you some other kind, why would you—" 3 Sera pouted playfully, "That old wolf dragged those buried little beasts into the house and made a bloody mess everywhere! It scared me half to death when I walked out! I just had to blow off some steam." "Liam, do you like this wolf-skin bikini I made?" Liam's voice became thick and syrupy. "You little rascal, you look best without anything on." I slammed the door open. Sera, clad in a wolf-skin bikini the same color as Luna's fur, was draped around Liam's waist, writhing. I lunged forward, maddened, limping as I tried to tear off Sera's clothes, but then I froze, seeing the bone flute hanging from her neck. My eyes blazed crimson. I seized her throat. "Sera! What is that around your neck?" Sera choked, veins bulging, unable to speak. Liam seized the opportunity to pull me away. "Eleanor Vance, are you insane?! It's just a dying old wolf! I can catch you another one, can't I?" Around Sera's neck was a bone flute crafted from Luna's bones. It was identical to the one around my own neck. This bone flute could command animals. Luna had deliberately twisted her tail years ago, allowing me to fashion it. I had told only Liam about this. Now, he had told Sera, and even indulged her in killing my wolf mother. Sera, still draped on the armchair, pretended to gasp for breath, but a smirk played on her lips as she raised an eyebrow at me. I cast aside years of learned human decorum, reverting to instinct. I collapsed to the floor, letting out a mournful howl, my nails digging blood trails into the ground. Liam recoiled in fear, stepping back repeatedly. Sera, however, leaned in, pinching my chin to examine my face. She suddenly turned to Liam and said, "This is bad. Eleanor Vance has been afflicted by the wolf-taint, which is why her behavior is so similar to a wolf's." In a rage, I grabbed Sera's wrist, intending to snatch the bone flute from her neck. Liam, who had been hesitant, saw me bruising Sera's wrist and immediately ordered his men to restrain me. Sera winked at me. "Getting rid of this affliction isn't hard, actually. I learned from an elder in the rainforest." She had them force me into a dark room. In the pitch black, deafening gongs exploded around me. I screamed, painfully covering my ears. Bright lights pierced my eyes, like a sharp sword thrust into my eyeballs. I was raised by wolves. For over a decade living with them, my hearing, sight, and smell were a hundred times more sensitive than a normal person's, indistinguishable from a wolf's. Liam had always known about my condition. He once pretended to be a ghost and shrieked next to my ear to scare me. That single scream caused my eardrums to bleed, sending me to the hospital for seven days. He had slapped himself, swollen-faced with remorse, weeping before me. But now, because of Sera's baseless claim of a "wolf-taint," he was doing this to me. My eyes stung too much to open. I could only yell into the darkness, "Liam Thorne, you know I can't stand bright lights or loud noises. Do you really believe this 'wolf-taint' nonsense?!" In my panic, a cold voice responded near my ear: "I don't believe it, but you bruised Sera's hand. This is your punishment." The gongs crashed in waves. Mr. Davies brutally held my eyelids open, forcing me to face the blinding light directly. Liam steadied my falling body. He saw the blood flowing from my eyes and ears, and his lips pressed into a tight line. "Help Ms. Vance to her bed." Then he took Sera's hand, which I had bruised, gently rubbing and blowing on it. Liam took Sera to the hospital to check her neck, which I had scratched. After Aunt Martha passed, Grandfather Thorne had been devastated. He was just recovering some strength when he hobbled in, leaning on his cane, trembling. Seeing my wretched state, he gasped, unable to stand, and collapsed to his knees. "Eleanor, I've wronged you, and I've wronged your Aunt Martha. I've raised such an unworthy grandson in Liam!" "I know it's your ability to command animals that kept them docile in the sanctuary." "Those wild creatures were friendly to us because of your command, allowing us to collect experimental data, which preserved the Thorne family's standing in the scientific and business worlds." Seeing the old man kneeling before me, I gasped, enduring the pain, and spoke. "Now that Aunt Martha is gone, and the wolf pack has been harmed, there's nothing that will make me stay here." "Eleanor, it's all my fault. The Thorne family's legacy cannot be ruined by Liam! I'll cast Liam out of the family, and order no one to help him. Please, I beg you, don't leave. Please, help the Thorne family one last time, won't you?" I coughed up a mouthful of blood, stroking the bone flute on my neck. My voice was calm. "Sera has already made a bone flute from my wolf mother's blood and bones. Go beg her. After all... Liam said she's a hundred times better than me." I no longer listened to his pleas. A faint smile played on my lips. I raised the bone flute, blowing it with all my strength. A powerful wolf howl tore through the sky. Grandfather Thorne's face went ashen. "It's over, it's all over..." Within minutes, muffled thuds shook the Thorne Manor's grand gates. CRASH—BOOM! The next second, the gates burst open! Through a swirl of dust, a pack of wild wolves, standing taller than men, roared!
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