It was already dark when Katherine arrived home.
She found the marquis and his wife waiting for her at the entrance. They looked mad.
Before she could even process her confusion, she noticed Rose standing next to the marquis. She had the expression of a lastborn after snitching on her older siblings.
"What lie did she tell? I swear, if we were still Alpha Queen, this girl's head would have already rolled off by now," Ker said, clearly in a foul mood.
Katherine had noticed that Ker had been agitated ever since they met that man in the library. This situation wasn't helping her mood at all.
"Where have you been?" the marquis barked. Veins popped on his forehead, his face flushed with anger.
'What did Rose tell him to make him this mad?' Katherine wondered.
"Darling, calm your nerves. It's not good for your health. Let's hear it from Katherine. Katherine dear, tell your father the truth. I'm sure he'll forgive you if you apologize."
On the surface, it sounded like the marchioness was trying to ease things, but in reality, she was telling Katherine to admit to whatever they were accusing her of.
The most irritating part was, she didn't even know what they were accusing her of.
"I see you don't even have the decency to admit and apologize when you're wrong," the marquis said after noticing her silence.
Katherine was usually quiet, but she did speak when spoken to. To him, her silence meant guilt.
"Pardon me, Father, but may I ask what I did wrong? Last time I checked, going to the library wasn't against the rules. And if it's about curfew, are you seriously this angry because I'm half an hour late?"
This shocked the marchioness and Rose. Normally, Katherine would have already been begging for forgiveness, even without knowing what she did wrong.
What changed?
The marquis grew even angrier. "Did you really think we wouldn't find out that you went to meet your lover at the library? How shameless can you be? Do you not care about this family's reputation?!"
Lover?
Katherine blinked in confusion. Since when did she have a lover?
"Is this the reason you wanted to call off your engagement to the crown prince?" Rose added, acting shocked. "And I heard your lover is a baron's son."
This mother and daughter were far too good at starting rumors. Since when did Katherine even know a baron's son?
Katherine had had enough. She was still confused about the man in the library, why Ker seemed agitated, and now this?
Her mind was all over the place. She could barely hear what her father was saying anymore—something about being grounded, something about this not reaching the news.
Back in her room, Lilly helped her change into her nightgown.
"Are you okay, m'lady? You look a bit pale."
"I'm fine. Just bring me some water." Katherine massaged her temple.
She had a headache. It felt strange... she had never experienced one before. Werewolves had strong healing abilities; sickness was rare, especially for Alpha royals.
'So this is what it feels like to be in a human body…' she thought bitterly.
At that moment, she felt like dying had been better than transmigrating. Why was she even given a second chance? It wasn't like she had lived as some saint. She was anything but righteous.
Maybe this was her punishment.
"What's wrong, Ker?"
Her wolf had been pacing restlessly in her subconscious.
"I need to shift. I need to run... anything to cool my head off," Ker said in one breath.
"Cool off from what?" Katherine frowned. Was it because of that man?
"I can't stop thinking about it," Ker muttered, still pacing.
"About what?" Katherine was getting irritated. Why wasn't her wolf making sense?
First her family, now her wolf. No one was giving her a full answer.
"Relax. We'll go for a run tomorrow. Right now, let me rest. My head is killing me."
Katherine tried to sleep, but it was impossible with her wolf this restless.
It shifted beneath her skin, uneasy… alert… as if waiting for something she couldn't name.
With a quiet sigh, she turned over and reached for the books she had brought from the library.
If sleep wouldn't come, at least she could make herself useful.
…
She flipped through the pages lazily, not reading word for word—just picking out what mattered.
Earthia…
So that was the name of this world.
Three continents—the Central, Southern, and Northern.
She paused briefly.
Celestia… Central Continent… alongside Avalora and Solara.
A small hum left her.
"The largest and richest, of course," she murmured, more to herself than anything.
Ker stirred faintly. You sound unimpressed.
"Earth was bigger and I ruled over a huge chunk of it."
The page turned.
Magic.
It was different from the magic in her world, the one that witches possessed and used.
Everything here revolved around it, built with it, sustained by it.
Everyone had mana… but not everyone could use it.
Only a few.
Mages.
Rare.
Valuable.
Dangerous.
Her gaze lingered a little longer this time.
A kingdom's strength is measured by its mages…
"Then Celestia isn't just wealthy," she said softly, "it's dominant with the most mages..."
Another page.
The royal family…
Her fingers stilled.
Once all mages… now none for two generations…
A faint crease formed between her brows.
"Abandoned by the goddess?" she murmured.
Ker gave a quiet scoff. Or perhaps they simply grew weaker.
Katherine didn't respond immediately. "Wait, does this world even have a goddess"
Her eyes drifted over the words again, slower this time.
Weaker… or something else?
…
A yawn slipped past her lips before she could stop it.
Her grip on the book loosened.
The words began to blur.
And before she realized it__
Sleep finally claimed her.
The next morning, her wolf woke her up before sunrise.
"You said we'd go for a run today. Let's go before people wake up," Ker said excitedly.
"Calm down, Ker. I'm going."
Katherine didn't bother changing out of her nightgown. She was going to remove it anyway before shifting.
Werewolves always tore their clothes when they shifted, so it was common knowledge to strip beforehand.
The marquis' estate was about thirty minutes away from town, surrounded by open forest... the perfect place for a run.
Once she was far enough from the house, she stripped and prepared to shift.
(Silence)
"Huh…?"
Katherine frowned.
Then she tried to shift again
(still silence)
Panic...
Why couldn't she shift?