Serene’s POV
“Wolves are no different from cats. If they spot a defect in one of their own, they’ll eliminate it on the spot,” said one of the she-wolves, glancing at me with a scornful look.
I just glanced back briefly, then stood up, slung my bag over my shoulder, and walked away. I could still hear their whispers.
A bastard...
Defective...
A trash...
I wasn’t surprised by their words because it was all true.
I am indeed a bastard. The result of a brief affair between my father—the alpha of one of the strongest packs, renowned and respected—and my mother, a pure human. I never knew the details of their whirlwind romance, other than the fact that I was among werewolves who—even if they never said it out loud—always looked down on me.
My father and stepmother treated me well, it seemed. However, of course, the fact that I was the result of my father’s betrayal couldn’t be denied.
My mother is an alcoholic—I don’t know since when. She handed me over to Dad so I could live in the pack with a group of creatures who were different from me, which made me never feel like I belonged—I couldn’t run fast, shift, or even fight.
That’s how I came to understand why, even though my mom and Dad once had a one-night stand, Dad never even considered bringing her into his life.
My stepmother remains the most important person to him, and when I see how my father acts within the family—as a husband who loves his wife and a father who loves his children—I understand why, even though he was ever betraying her, my stepmother still accepts him.
My stepmother, Luna of the Night Hunter Pack, was an elegant, composed woman who always spoke to me in a gentle tone. Yet behind her beautiful eyes lay a wound, as if she were holding back the voices that said I was born of her husband's infidelity and unworthy of her acceptance.
“Have you heard from Dad?” my stepsister asked, but I shook my head.
“What news? If it’s about the pack, I don’t think I’ll be involved. I’m not a she-wolf. I’m just a weak human who’ll eventually be a burden, so it’d be better if they gathered worthy candidates,” I replied, and that was indeed the case.
Humans, even with alpha blood flowing through their veins, will still remain human—without special abilities or physical strength, without a wolf spirit, and not equipped with the ability to communicate with other pack members with a mind-link.
I’m not even sure if I have a mate like most werewolves do.
“This isn’t about the warriors’ activities,” my stepsister said again. “It’s about something else that I think will still involve you.”
I didn’t rush to respond, but instead pondered what kind of activity might require my presence. My stepsister had never been hostile toward me, though she wasn’t exactly close friends with me either. She was simply as kind as any sister should be. Beyond that, she had a world of her own.
She was the pack’s pride and joy as a Luna-in-training and was always the talk of the town. The she-wolves wanted to be her friends, and the male wolves were eager to have her as a lover or mate.
However, my stepsister never let that kind of popularity bother her.
“I’ll wait for Dad to tell me himself. If he doesn’t say anything, it means I don’t have to go,” I finally replied, then stepped into my room to pack the things I’d deliberately set aside in case I ever got the chance to escape from this place.
I’ve already submitted applications to several universities and am just waiting to hear which ones have accepted me.
My eyes fell on the passport tucked between my shirts in the suitcase, and I was putting it away when my stepsister walked in without knocking.
She stared for a long time at the suitcase I’d managed to hide away, then turned to me and looked deeply into my eyes. There was no exaggerated reaction from her—just a silence that actually made me realize she might have seen something she wasn’t supposed to find.
“What were you hiding just now, Serene? Why did you seem so afraid I’d see it? Let me see it,” she said.
“No, it’s nothing.”
“Serene... give it to me or I tell Dad about that. You know, if Dad sees that, you’re done for.”
"It's nothing. Just say, what's wrong with you coming again?" I asked. Slowly, I breathed a sigh of relief as she no longer urged me.