CHAPTER 1

I didn’t know I was wolfless… until that night my mate rejected me. The butterflies I had always had down in my stomach all died.

The moon was full and shone so bloody. The air smelled of pine and betrayal.

And when every wolf shifted, including my twin sisters, Vireya and Thalina…

I didn’t.

“She has no wolf.”

The words echoed through the pack like a death sentence.

Gasps followed. Then laughter, like I was being mocked.

I stood there, frozen… as my mate—the Alpha—looked at me like I was nothing, like I was something to be discarded, something less than human.

He inched slowly away from me, and then he walked away. I ran after him, my shadow reflecting my embarrassment and anxiety under the full, red moon.

“Fyrus, wait.” My voice strained. I finally caught up with him, as if he had been waiting for me to speak. “Fyrus…”

“What do you want? Aren’t you cursed? How can everyone have their mate except me? Are you even part of us?”

“Yes. We’re one, Fyrus. Hear me out, please.”

Fyrus looked away, folding his arm across his chest. “You are eighteen, yet you have no scent. No shift. Nothing. How do you expect me to be convinced that you are part of us?” He continued coldly, “You’re not my mate. And even if you were… I would never accept a wolfless thing.”

He left.

I sighed, speechless. Well, yeah. Maybe everyone is right. I’m wolfless, for real.

I’m not part of them—the pack.

Anyway, this isn’t the first time I’ve been called wolfless. The pack has treated me differently right from when I was a child. Mom and Dad said I was born cursed. A heavy rainfall flooded the pack the moment I was born, immediately after my triplet sisters.

Isn’t that obvious enough?

But for my mate to reject me under the full moon, it indicates that there’s no trace of lycanthrope in me. Father said you might be cursed from birth, but if your mate can’t accept you, then you are more than cursed.

can’t kill myself. I’m also a creature… And at times, I feel like there’s something whispering indistinct words in my mind, like… You’re the one. But maybe it’s just my imagination. You know, you can get to a point, a level of depression, where you begin to imagine surreal illusions…

“Lunara…” That was a familiar voice with her consistent softness.

I turned around and saw Thalina standing perpendicular to the moon, a few steps away from me. Even though I was called ‘cursed’, Thalina always stood by me, unlike Vireya. Vireya hated me. She should be having a good time with her mate now.

“He left?” Thalina asked me softly, as she always did.

I nodded. “I’m not like any of you, you know. He rejected me.” Even the bitterness I had ran through my words.

Thalina walked closer to me. She whispered, “You’re a living creature, Lunara. You’re part of us. Don’t listen to what others say that will hurt you. Things will change. If you feel lonely, just be rest assured that I am always by your side, okay?”

I was unsure whether to nod or just stay quiet. “Thank you, Thalina. But how are you sure that things will change when you know that I’m cursed? I have no wolf in me.” I looked away in grief.

Thalina patted me with a caress. “Calm it, chérie. You know I have fore-eyes which are not really awakened, but I can assure you that whatever I see now always happens in the future.”

“What do you see about my future?” I glanced at Thalina, curiosity running through the palpable veins on my hands.

Thalina smiled back at me. “Well… dominion. I don’t know how to put everything together, but I’ll say I really see dominion in your future.”

I widened my eyes, thoughtless. “Huh? Dominion?”

“Yes.” Thalina nodded. She clasped my hands in hers. I felt the warmth in her palms, like the future she was talking about would actually manifest—but I wasn’t really sure.

I’m already in despair. No hope. I wasn’t even sure if I was going to live till the next full moon.

“I feel like what you said is true… but I don’t really believe in that,” I whispered.

She glanced at me. “Why do you say so?”

Her look needed quick answers. But then…

“Thalina! What are you doing with our cursed sister over there? Andrian has been waiting so long for you!” That was Vireya, from the sudden harsh voice.

Cursed sister, huh? I smacked my lips, my heart filled with tears. Tears that are tired of leaving my eyes. For how long will I keep crying?

Thalina patted me on the shoulder and whispered, “Lunara, you need to get back to the castle. I’ll meet you in your room later. Kisses.”

Vireya marched menacingly towards me and pulled up my chin to face her. “You’re cursed. You shouldn’t join the pack’s gathering. We don’t want you. And secondly, mind the way you mingle with my sister Thalina. Black sheep!” She pushed my chin and walked away with Thalina.

From the corners of my eyes, I watched Vireya talking and laughing loudly with Thalina as they slowly vanished from sight.

Is it a crime to be cursed? Can’t someone live a free, happy life the way they are? If everyone could treat me right the way they treat others as loved ones, maybe I wouldn’t be bothered about being wolfless… maybe I wouldn’t be overthinking… maybe I wouldn’t be planning a brutal revenge in the future—only if I survive up till then.

I glanced at the moon. It looked so big before me, like it was just steps away.

In a whisper, I said,

“If you, Moon, can look so big before my eyes, then there’s something about me that you are keeping away from the pack.”

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