Chapter 131
Scarlett’s POV
I traveled under a fake name, clutching a passport Ethan’s men had handed me before I boarded the private jet. I didn’t have much—just a small bag of clothes and my sketchbook.
As the plane soared over the ocean, I looked out the window. Every mile was another layer of distance between me and the life that had tried to kill me. Zoe was quiet now, her head resting on her paws in my mind. She was exhausted, and so was I.
When the plane finally touched down in Nigeria, the first thing I felt was the heat. It wasn’t the soft, gentle sun of France. This heat was heavy… powerful… like it was sinking deep into my bones.
A man was waiting for me on the tarmac. He was tall, with skin the color of deep mahogany and a smile that reached his eyes. He didn’t look like a soldier or an assassin. He looked like a father.
“You must be Scarlett,” he said, his voice deep and smooth. “I am Alpha Samuel. Ethan told me you were coming. Welcome to the Silver-Back Pack p>
“Thank you, Alpha,” I whispered, feeling a bit overwhelmed.
He led me to a dusty but sturdy jeep. As we drove away from the airport, the scenery changed from busy city streets to lush, green forests and tall mountains. The air smelled different here—it smelled of earth, rain, and wildflowers.
“My pack is old-fashioned,” Samuel explained as he drove. “We stay away from the politics of the Western packs. Here, family and the land are everything. You are safe here. My house is your house p>
We eventually arrived at the packhouse. It was a beautiful, large building made of stone and wood, nestled at the base of a great mountain. As soon as I stepped out of the car, a woman rushed out. She was beautiful, wearing a colorful wrap around her waist.
“Oh, you poor thing,” she said, pulling me into a hug before I could even say hello. “I am Amara, Samuel’s mate. You look like you haven’t slept in a week. Come inside. We have food, and your room is ready p>
For the first time in two years, I didn’t feel like a secret or a problem. I felt like a guest.
As we walked into the packhouse, I felt eyes on me. Not hostile… just curious.
Most of the people there had deep, rich brown skin.
And then there was me—lighter, out of place, like I had stepped into a world that wasn’t mine.
I lowered my gaze slightly, suddenly aware of how different I looked.
My fingers tightened slightly around my bag.
Amara must have noticed, because she gently touched my arm.
“Don’t mind them,” she said softly. “You’re just new. They’ll get used to you… and you’ll get used to us p>
Her smile made the tension in my chest ease just a little.
After a hot meal that burned my tongue with spices I didn’t recognize, Amara led me to a room on the top floor. It had a balcony that looked out over the mountains. The sun was starting to set, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple.
“Rest now, Scarlett,” she said gently, closing the door.
I walked out onto the balcony. The sounds of the African night were loud—insects chirping, the wind whistling through the trees, and somewhere far off, the sound of a waterfall.
“We’re here, Zoe,” I whispered.
“It feels… different here,” Zoe replied, her ears twitching. “The magic in this earth is strong. Maybe here, we can finally hide p>
I leaned against the railing. For the first time since the wedding photos appeared on my screen, I didn’t feel like crying. I just felt numb. England was thousands of miles away. The triplets were married. People I once saw as family had betrayed me.
But I was alive.
I went back inside and opened my sketchbook to a blank page. I didn’t draw Liam, Leon, or Leo. Instead, I drew the outline of the mountain outside my window.
“New world, new Scarlett,” I whispered to myself.
I fell asleep the moment my head hit the pillow, but it wasn’t a peaceful rest. My dreams were filled with masked men and the sound of gunshots. I woke up suddenly, not because of a dream, but because of the noise coming from downstairs.
There were voices—panicked, loud voices.
My heart started to race. My first thought was that the assassins had found me again. I jumped out of bed, my breath coming in short, panicked gasps. I stood by the door and used my hearing abilities, focusing my ears on the floor below.
“We are losing him! His heart is slowing down!” a woman cried out.
“Samuel, do something! The poison is spreading too fast!” That was Amara. She sounded like she was sobbing.
It wasn’t assassins. It was an emergency. I rushed out of my room and ran down the stairs. In the large living room, I saw a group of people gathered around a sofa. Amara was sitting there with a young boy, about ten years old, lying across her lap. He was shaking violently, his skin turning a sickly shade of grey.
A woman, who I assumed was the pack healer, was pressing her hands against his chest. Her forehead was covered in sweat, and she looked desperate. “I’ve tried everything! The mountain adder’s venom is too strong. My magic isn’t enough p>
“What is happening?” I asked, my voice trembling as I stepped closer.
Amara looked up at me, her eyes red and full of tears. “Our son… he was playing near the rocks. He didn’t see the snake. Scarlett, please, stay back, it’s p>
I didn’t stay back. I couldn’t. Something inside me—something older and deeper than my own fear—pushed me forward. I reached out and touched the boy’s cold, sweaty forehead.
The moment my skin met his, a strange heat flooded my body. It wasn’t the heat of the Nigerian sun; it was a golden, pulsing energy that started in my chest and flowed down my arms. My vision blurred, and for a second, I could see the boy’s veins. I could see the dark, black poison moving toward his heart.
“Help him,” Zoe whispered.
Without thinking, I closed my eyes. I imagined pulling that black ink out of his blood. I felt a sharp pull in my stomach, and the heat in my hands grew so intense it almost burned. The boy let out a long, shaky breath. The shaking stopped. Slowly, the grey color left his skin, replaced by a healthy glow.
I pulled my hands away, feeling suddenly dizzy and weak. I stumbled back, catching myself on a chair.
The room went dead silent. The healer gasped, her eyes wide as she checked the boy’s pulse. “It’s… it’s gone. The venom is completely gone. He’s sleeping normally now p>
Amara hugged her son tightly, weeping with relief. Alpha Samuel stepped toward me, his expression full of shock and wonder.
“You healed him,” Samuel whispered. “Scarlett, you have the gift of healing p>
“No,” I said, shaking my head. I was confused and scared. “I’m just an artist. I’ve never done that before. I don’t have that kind of power p>
The healer stood up and walked over to me. She took my hands in hers, looking at them like they were made of gold. “You do. You just didn’t know it yet. It was buried deep inside you, hidden by your pain p>
She looked at Alpha Samuel, then back at me. “I know someone in this pack who can train you. An old teacher who lives high on the mountain. She has been waiting for a student with a unique gift like yours. The question is… do you want to be trained p>