---- mysteriously. "The wheels of fate never stop turning." After the check-up, Eira invited me to tour the Sanctuary. "We have wolves from all sorts of packs here, each with their own story," she explained as we walked. ''Some are lone wolves who've lost their packs, some are victims fleeing violence, and others are travelers seeking peace." As we passed an open training ground, I noticed a tall man instructing a few young wolves in combat. He had his back to us, but his upright posture and training style felt strangely familiar. "Who's that?" I asked, curious. "Kael, our newest member," Eira replied. " Arrived about a week ago. Highly skilled in combat, offered to help train the young ones. He's a quiet man, unknown origins, but he respects the Sanctuary's rules." ---- Just then, the man called Kael turned around. Even from a distance, I recognized those eyes - deep as obsidian, yet glinting with gold. My heart nearly stopped. Kaelen! Impossible. How could he be here? How did he find this place? More importantly, why was everyone calling him Kael? I spun around immediately, my heart pounding like a drum. "What is it?" Eira asked, concerned. "Do you know him?" "No, just... a little dizzy," I lied. "Could you take me back to rest?" Back in my cottage, I locked the door and windows, my mind racing. If that really was Kaelen, why had he snuck into ---- the Sanctuary under a false name? Why not just confront me? By Sanctuary rules, even an Alpha couldn't use force here. At dinnertime, someone knocked on my door. "Lady Sera, the Keepers invite you to the bonfire gathering tonight," a young voice said. I hesitated, but finally decided to go. I couldn't hide in my cottage forever. Besides, I needed to confirm who that "Kael" really was. Quite a few people had already gathered by the bonfire. I deliberately chose an inconspicuous spot to sit, but my eyes couldn't help searching for that tall figure. There he was, sitting across the fire. Even with the flames between us, I could feel his gaze on me. When the Keepers announced the start of the gathering, the man stood up and walked towards the center of the fire. ---- "Tonight, we're lucky to have our newcomer, Kael, tell us a legend from the North," Eira announced. The man stood by the fire, the light playing on his face. Up close, I was certain - it was Kaelen. Though he'd cut his black hair short, grown a beard, and was wearing simple clothes, those eyes and that proud stance were unmistakable. "This is a story of oaths and redemption," he began, his voice deep and magnetic. "About a proud wolf who lost what was most precious, and how he would give anything to win it back..." The story was about an Alpha who, through foolish pride and misplaced trust, misunderstood true love, only realizing its value when it was lost. Throughout the entire story, his eyes never left mine. When the story ended, the crowd began to disperse. I turned to go back to my cottage, but