1: From the very beginning

Jaclyn's POV

Mama always said I was born on the night the Wild South was on fire over nineteen years ago. She didn't quite know if it was before she went into labour or after, but she had made it a tradition to retell the tale as often as she could since then.

My birth wasn't like others I've heard, usually whenever women went into labour, they beckon on the midwives for their help and guide. However, when she went into labour, she was on her own in her room and after four hours of excruciating pain and torturous labour; I came forth, bearing a birthmark shaped like a tear drop on my upper chest. 

The following day, when the neighbour brought the bad news of the destructive fire that burnt overnight, they learnt about the birth of her daughter, me.

The fact that mama had gone into labour without crying out for help couple with the mysterious fire that broke out on that night made them raise an eyebrow. Soon the whole town knew of the mysterious baby born amidst the wild south fire, bearing a tear shaped birthmark and the baby was named, "the freak."

Mama hated the name as I grew older and would always defend me with anyone that would as much as call me that in her presence.

She was born and raised in the Wild South and had lived her whole life there. However, when I turned four, the town's people grew tired of us and the mysteries that surrounded us and we were asked to leave. She didn't want to, despite having lost everything there but the only other option available was death, and she wasn't ready for that. So, with her head held high, she took me into her arms and never looked back.

Fast forward to fifteen years later and here I am, listening to the tale for the one millionth time.

"I took you into my arms and never looked back," I said along with her, stroking the brush in my hand against the paper board standing before me.

"Hey! It's a true story." She protested, dropping the crotchet  which she was knitting a new sweater with.

I paused and turned to stare at her, over on the brown sofa, "I know and I think you are a badass for what you did."

"Which one?"

"All of them! You actually gave birth to me unaided, and how you didn't scream out or cry for help still freaks me out and ."

"Well, many of them didn't like me, Jaclyn," her countenance became sad as she continued, "I was betrothed to marry the alpha's son and ended up pregnant two months to our wedding."

My gaze narrowed, and I set my brush down on the paint table before me, "You never told me this story before, mama." Now I wanted to find out more.

She signed deeply, "Well, you were not old enough to hear it then, but you are now. You are now an adult."

'Well I became an adult more than a year ago.' I said in my mind, but my mouth remained close. 

I moved to the sofa where she sat and took a seat beside her, "The marriage was arranged because my family despite being humans were the richest land owners in the Wild South. The alpha's family were the strongest and together we would have been the most powerful family in all of Wild South. When I conceived you, I brought a stain into the clan and made a mockery of them and their values, I was pronounced guilty by the alpha and a scarred so that no one born in the Wild South would ever marry me."

She tucked her hair behind her ear and there was a visible scar right below her ear and my heart squeezed at the thought of what she went through "I bore my cross but the town's people didn't make it easy on me and their hatred brought about the death of both my parents whose only crime was standing by me through it all." A tear ran down her face and she quickly brushed it off. "Oh, look at that, I'm sorry, I shouldn't be crying."

My hand reached for her cold ones resting on her lap. "You don't have to apologise for anything. You shouldn't have stayed in that town, mama, especially after what they did to your parents."

"You have to understand, my whole life and existence were tied to the Wild south. I didn't think I could survive on my own in a new place. Having your life threatened made me realise I had a choice, and I could leave and stand on my own two feet. I realised I had something...someone I needed to live for. You gave me courage, my dear child." She reached out and tenderly stroked my cheeks. "And you saved my life."

My eyes lifted to stare at her glassy ones not, wanting to add more to her plightful memory but needing answers. "Do you think the scar could be the reason I haven't experienced my premier shifting?"

She wiped her face and shook her head, "No, Gerald is an alpha not the god. I believe the moon goddesses has a reason for that and in its time, she will make all things perfect." 

I went to bed that night with a lot of questions. Mama had never told me about her life and family and always shut it down whenever I asked until today. Perhaps she was right, perhaps I wasn't old enough to take it, but now that I could, I wanted to know more. 

If possible, I wanted to know everything about my father. Who he was and what he looked like; I wanted to know why he never looked back after he left twenty years ago. I wanted to know what exactly about him made mama throw away her engagement to her betrothed groom. Was he her mate? Or just a random werewolf she met. 

Questions lingered until my eyes shuddered. 

My eyes open suddenly and, I threw the bedsheets off of me and got down from the bed. I had no control of myself and it all felt like a dream. I marched down the stairs and out of the house not knowing exactly where my legs were wandering to and not being able to stop it from moving.

After what seemed like forever, I snapped back into consciousness and coldness of the night gripped my skin and goosebumps littered all over it.

Being unconscious, I had stepped out without collecting my overalls from the armchair where I last left it and I wrapped my hands over my exposed and freezing arms. Panicking, I turned around, but no longer seeing my house in sight, and my heart doubled a beat. 

Why did I come here? How did I lose control of my body? 

I had never been a sleepwalker so this was terrifying. I'd have said Kenn had manipulated my mine telepathically but this felt different. 

I needed answers. 

"Hey, girl, are you going someplace you need me to take you?" a strange creepy voice asked from behind the shadow and I flinched. I spun around to see who it was, but it was dark and there was no way I could.

He chuckled maliciously, "Don't be scared, I will not hurt you." The man with the creepy voice finally stepped out of the shadows, wearing a black hood and a pair of black trousers. I couldn't make out his face due to the direction of the lights, but I could see the evil smirk that lingered on his round face.

"Stay back," I warned, my voice bold and authoritative, but he didn't do as he was told. My body jolted as it immediately sensed danger coming and panic clouded my mind.

"I can tell you're looking for your mate and I think you just found him." he taunted and howled pathetically.

My skin crawled, impossible.

Mama never hid who I was from me the day I was born. When I turned ten she told me that my father was a werewolf which meant that I was too and that was the first and last time she ever spoke about him. 

I attended the Unique academy, but I was still human being yet to experience my premier shifting. While almost every wolf I knew had experienced theirs and now had a sense of belonging and emotional changes (such as anger, sadness, loneliness and depression) which testified to the presence of the werewolf gene when they turned eighteen, I didn't. 

As far as I could tell, I was still a human and I could be hurt badly, pushed around and threatened.

"For your own good, I'd advise you to stay away." I didn't have any ability or power, but I have taken a sloppy self-defence classes when I turned fourteen so I wasn't completely useless.

"I don't think only you can take me on." He said, surging towards me with intent and determination to capture me. 

My hands balled into a tight fist and I set my leg before the other, already prepared to take the mountain of a man running towards me on, or go down trying. I dragged a sharp breath and did a mental countdown as he got closer. My fist launched forward, but before it could meet him, his eyes dropped and became dull, almost as one sleepy and the next second, he fell to the ground before me.

I stood still with my mouth ajar, wondering if this had anything to do with me being a werewolf. Nothing I've read and researched so far said a werewolf could knock someone out just by thinking about it, that was for witches and I wasn't one, but that was what just happened.

"Oh, shit!" I covered my mouth, eyes still glued to the man lying at my feet, yet to move. "Sorry, I need to take this." I shoved my hands into my pocket but my phone wasn't in my pocket, I left it at home.

There was no way I could get the proof of this and when telling the story tomorrow, Ken would probably think I made it up.

"He's right. You shouldn't be out here on your own at this time of the night." a deep, hoarse and equally terrifying voice spoke up from the corner of the street and my heart skipped in panic.