2. IT’S YOU

**Sibyl**

Sitting at the bus station, I stared at the ominous clouds as lightning streaked across them with dead eyes. The night was deserted, with only a few cars passing by. Soon, heavy rain began pouring down, despite it not being the rainy season. As expected, even the weather seemed to have turned against me. Ten minutes later, I boarded the bus, taking the last corner seat by the window, while my mind filled with memories of Edwin's abuse and betrayal.

No matter how many times I tried, I couldn't forget the image of him and Daisy together. Hearing him call her by my name while he fucked her made me feel even sicker. My whole body still ached with the intense pain of his betrayal. It had already been half an hour, but I could still feel the pain coursing through my body, even though I had broken the bond from my side.

The memories of the moment that we first recognized each other as soulmates along with all the other sweet moments we shared in the past shattered in my mind, making my heart shred to the point where tears silently flowed down my cheeks.

How could my world crumble like it had been made of sand? Or had it always been this fragile and tainted?

The rose petal covered nest that I had believed was my home actually had thorns hidden beneath. I had lost everything in the blink of an eye. At this point, Edwin had turned out to be no different from the other men from my past. My drunk, abusive father, my perverted uncle, and my trash of a brother—all of them were a disgrace to the name of men.

There was already enough hate for men built up inside me thanks to all the shining examples of male in my family life. Now Edwin had added another layer of hatred to all the others. My hand went to my throat, where a handprint and pain were still palpable. Just then, Edwin's words crossed my mind:

“I want my mate and mistress both.”

“Nothing can be over unless I say it is, Sibyl!”

I tilted my head and gazed at the rain outside.

“I don't need a soulmate. I don't need a man. I don't need a pack,” I murmured to myself, wiping my tears away and putting my glasses back on.

An hour later, the bus dropped me off at the bus station in the next city. It was the city that I had been born in, my old pack used to be settled here, I had spent the first 21 years of my life here before I met Edwin and followed him to his pack. While looking for a taxi, I noticed all the shops had closed, which was strange as this city was home to mostly werewolves-pack wolves, some lone wolves, and even rogues. Sixty percent of the city population was werewolves and they never slept at night, let alone closed their shops so early. How could the city have changed so much in just three years? Was I missing something?

I got so distracted by the gloominess of my surroundings that I didn't notice someone walking towards me until I collided with them. I froze in place when my head hit something hard, that ended up being someone’s chest. The scent coming from the person was so strong and masculine that it rooted my feet to the concrete. He... was a werewolf. No, he was an Alpha. His cold aura surrounded me with its dominance, to the point that my wolf, Zara, paused in my mind holding her breath just like me.

His silence unsettled my heart, it was at this point that I realized he was not alone. There were many others behind him. That was when the smell of fresh blood hit my nose, I blinked behind my sunglasses and found his white shirt splattered with blood. Not only that, I sensed some of them were in their wolf forms. Shit! It turned out that I had bumped into someone dangerous.

My mind screamed one word: avoid. I immediately pulled away from his chest, secretly opened my folded white cane, while I kept my head low, never allowing him to see my face. I didn't know why, but I had a feeling he had been looking at me.

“I am sorry,” I apologized then walked past him, the sound of my white cane echoing in the surroundings.

“She is blind?” one of the wolves commented. I was sure they were from the same pack. I continued walking at a normal pace, yet I still felt that man’s eyes on me. It was as if he had turned around and was watching my every move with predatory eyes. Was it only my imagination? Whatever it was, I was not looking for trouble with anyone. Especially with that kind of man who was obviously dangerous.

Taking a taxi, I arrived at the apartment in the middle of the city. Nothing in the building seemed to have changed until my eyes fell on the broken doorknob of my apartment. It was proof of poor maintenance that made me frown.

Using my key, I entered my house, only to be greeted by my four-year-old nephew playing in the living room.

“Aunt Sibyl!!” He excitedly rushed all the way over to hug my legs. My heart warmed,my depressed mood was lifted slightly by this innocent child's hug.

I smiled and squatted down to his height. “Did you miss your aunt?” I lovingly kissed his forehead.

“Yes! I missed my aunt and chocolates too!” He eagerly looked at my hand for treats, knowing that I always bought him some.

“I didn't bring chocolate with me, but I'll take you out for ice cream in the morning, okay?” I rubbed his head.

“Okay!” He hugged me happily.

“Where are your mommy and daddy?” It was strange that they had left such a small child alone at this time of night or just home alone in general.

As soon as I asked this question, the sound of the main door opening came from behind us.

“Sibyl, what are you doing here?” a woman's gasp entered my ears from behind. It was none other than my sister-in-law, Nina.

She stood on the doorstep with a pack of beer, her eyes wide and mouth slightly agape, as if she had seen a ghost.

I got to my feet and asked, “What's there to be surprised about? This is my house, I can return whenever I want, right?” I looked at her closely, studying her expression, which changed when she was reminded once again that she was only a tenant in this apartment.

Four years ago, I had purchased this apartment with my hard work, blood, and sweat in the middle of the city. I had only lived here for a month or two because Edwin wanted me to move to his pack. I did as he asked, but I never told him or anyone else about this apartment, so Edwin was unaware of this place.

When I had returned to grab some stuff at a later time I encountered my brother, who had accidentally impregnated a she-wolf that was not his soulmate. He had to take responsibility for his actions, but due to our old pack being destroyed, he had no pack to live in or money to sustain himself and he was also unemployed. I disliked my brother due to his drinking and rogue behavior that came from our father, but I pitied the innocent life growing in Nina's womb. They were close to sleeping on the streets. That was when I decided to let my brother use my apartment to stay until he found a job and a place to live. He started his life as a lone wolf and promised to live a respectful life with his new little family.

"Where did you go, leaving Abraham all alone?" I questioned, grabbing a water for myself.

"I was at my part-time job," she walked to the fridge and started placing beers inside. "You know, feeding three mouths is not easy in the city. You are so fortunate living in a pack like a queen enjoying the treatment of Luna," she sighed meaningfully.

“When both people earn a living then feeding three months is not a big deal,” I commented and she shut her mouth. “Plus, Jonathan runs the restaurant, right? He should make more than enough money to feed three months,” I added the same way she did.

“Yeah…” she tried to paste on a fake expression that I did not buy. Why had she looked away?

Nina had been born a warrior’s daughter from a reputed pack, but she was a slut. That's why her parents disowned her when she got knocked up by my good-for-nothing brother. It was unbelievable that she had been able to hide her pregnancy from her parents and pack for seven months. After my brother married her, they both started living in the city in my apartment as lone wolves.

Of course, she had always been envious of me for some reason. I could read her easily. The knowledge of my life turning upside down, my mate bringing home a mistress causing me to leave his pack and reject him, would surely bring her unimaginable satisfaction.

Or maybe I had been wrong about her because I noticed her panicked eyes landing on my luggage in the corner of the living room before snapping back at me. “Sibyl, did you…” she choked, then hurriedly checked the mate mark on my neck.

“I am staying here from now on,” I announced, dragging my luggage from the corner ready to enter my bedroom.

“You are staying here? How is this possible?” Nina suddenly grew louder, earning a blank stare from me. I always knew that she never wanted me to return so that she could steal my apartment but this time her panic seemed to have a different source than the other times. Something was off but I could not put a finger on it. She immediately controlled herself and stated, “I mean, you can always come to your home and stay, but what about your soulmate and pack?”

I smiled at her fake concern. “Don't worry about my affairs, Nina. Take care of your child, he seems hungry,” I gestured to Abraham, who was picking up a lint covered candy from the floor.

“Don't eat that! It is dirty!” Nina scolded him harshly, mercilessly smacking his hand away, proof of her horrible parenting.

I shook my head, pulling my keys out to open my bedroom door only to catch an unexpected scent.

“Where is Jonathan?” I turned towards Nina.

She looked extremely nervous. “Jonathan is…” She couldn't find the words though she didn't need to answer as he walked into the house drunk.

“Ninaaaa…” singing an absurd song, he staggered into the living room. The putrid unkept stench rolled in the garbage, emanating from him, along with the smell of alcohol and... the unmistakable scent of too many she-wolves to count, which could only come only be explained if he had returned from a brothel.

“Get me something to drink…” he shouted, starting to strip right there in the hall until he stopped in front of me. His expression changed slightly into a frown, his eyes blinking a couple of times to see clearly. “Nina? Why do you look like my sister…” he drew closer to my face, his hands on my waist.

I pushed him away, delivering a harsh slap across his face. His face snapped to the side as the burning sensation spread across his cheek waking him up. “Sibyl!” he gasped, placing a hand on his cheek, his eyes wide in surprise. “How come you are here…”

“How can a person that is supposed to smell like sweat from working all day at his restaurant smell like wine and she-wolves?” I raised an eyebrow.

He broke out in a cold sweat at my question. “I… I…” He couldn't find the words and exchanged a look with Nina, who stood to the side with an ugly expression.

“Don’t tell me you lied to me all these years about running a restaurant,” I remarked, realizing from his expression how correct my suspicion was.

During all these three years, I hadn't returned to this apartment due to my duties as a Luna and my busy life. However, Jonathan used to come and meet me every three months. He begged me for money to rent a restaurant so that he could run it to make a living. I thought he was beginning to understand responsibility, so every time he came for money, I helped him with funds from my own pocket. I even lent him money for Abraham, as he used to bring his son along every time. Though as it turned out everything had been a lie. That had been why Nina was so nervous earlier.

“What did you do with all the money I gave you?” I demanded, walking over to him.

Still holding his hand to his cheek, he took a nervous step back, avoiding eye contact. My blood boiled at the thought of him squandering my money on wine and brothels. I had trusted him and he had betrayed me.

I clenched my fists as I glared at him through my glasses. “Get out of my home, I’m giving you a month,” I ordered.

“What?” Nina's jaw dropped, her expression akin to someone who had just heard shocking news. I paid her no mind, my attention was solely focused on Jonathan's pale face.

“Sibyl, what are you saying?” Jonathan panicked, moving closer to me. “I'm truly sorry for lying to you, but please don't kick me out. Where will I go? I have a family to look after.”

“It's laughable that you suddenly remember you have a family. Do you think I give a damn about that when you don’t even care about your own family or life?” I glared at the person who was a stain on the term man. It had been foolish of me to trust him. “You've enjoyed being a freeloader in my place for three years, but not anymore. Crawl out into the city or become a rogue in the woods, I don’t care. I need my apartment empty. And yes, if you have guts then leave Abraham with me. I will gladly take care of that innocent child. You have a month to move out,” I declared, turning sharply to enter my bedroom, noticing Nina's horrified expression from behind my black glasses.

The terrified look Jonathan and Nina were sharing didn't seem to be solely because of my statement, there seemed to be something else that I found quite unsettling.

***

After taking a shower to clear my mind, I applied a patch over the mate mark on my neck to cover it. If I could not get rid of his mate mark, I was going to hide it, not wanting unwanted attention.Then I lay on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. It felt as if I had traveled back in time to when I had bought this apartment after my old pack had been destroyed, I had been struggling to make a living as a lone wolf. I had no pack, no support, and no love...

Edwin once again crossed my mind, and a feeling of disgust rose in my heart. I had to move on and start my new life. The best thing I had ever done was never telling him about this apartment, so we were never going to see each other again in this lifetime. Curling up on the bed, I fell asleep on an empty stomach. I didn't even take a dime from Edwin with me so I was in a bad financial condition. I had to earn money before my dwindling bank account became completely empty.

At least that was my thought until a month had passed.

"Here is your cat food and collar. Is there anything else I can help you with, sir?"

I intentionally placed the items on the counter with a loud thud, hoping to draw the attention of a man that had been staring at me incessantly.

"Are you blind?" he asked, his sickening excitement evident.

Behind my sunglasses, I returned his gaze with my wolf-like eyes. Only I knew how I managed to refrain from ripping this man's tongue out after enduring his repetitive question for the past week. Did people normally visit the pet store daily like this guy?

"Your bill comes to $250," I remarked as I began to pack up his purchase. Once he paid, I promptly moved on to assist another customer. However, the manager of the pet store that I worked at had observed the entire interaction and called me in for a chat at lunchtime.

"Sibyl, your sunglasses make everyone uncomfortable and could tarnish our pet store's image. Is the infection in your eyes still not healed? You mentioned it would be fine in a few days, but it's been over a week. Your sunglasses are really disconcerting. Some of out customers even think we've hired a blind person," he said, frowning.

My heart pounded in my chest. Did he already suspect something?

"If you don't take off those sunglasses, I'm afraid we can't continue employing you," he said helplessly, sighing with resignation.

I clenched my fists at my sides. So, the day had finally come.

"Alright, I resign. Please deposit my pay into my bank account," I said firmly, grabbing my phone and leaving the pet store.

How many times has this happened to me? By my count this was the fourth time, I guess. Finding this job has been difficult enough. I had obviously lied about the eye infection to secure the position because there was no way people would hire someone wearing sunglasses. They would demand I remove them, something I could never do because it would reveal my blindness. They had no idea that I could only see when I allowed my white wolf eyes to surface.

On the way home, I checked my bank account, where I had accumulated some money over the month from part-time and odd jobs. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to cover bills and food expenses. Every job I landed seemed to come to an end within a few days, with the demand to remove my glasses.

Lost in thought, I returned to my apartment. The upside was that I owned the place, so I didn't have to worry about paying rent. Thinking about that, Nina’s ugly attitude for the past month surfaced in my mind. She had finally shown her poisonous character as soon as I ordered them to get out of my home. It was clear that she never wanted to leave my apartment, that she already thought of the place as hers. I had been generous to let her and Jonthan stay for the month while they looked for another place to live because of Abraham. Jonathan had packed his luggage last night. When I entered my apartment, expecting them to have left already and for my house empty, what I found horrified me.

“What the hell is going on here?” my voice was barely above the whisper but it caught the attention of every werewolf in the room that had surrounded Jonathan. He had been beaten to the point that blood was oozing from various places on his body and his face was unrecognizable, the scariest thing was… A man with sharp brows was aiming his claws at Jonathan’s neck. Everything and everyone paused as soon as they spotted me in the room.

“There she is!” Jonathan suddenly pointed his finger at me, “She is my sister!! Did not I tell you I really have a sister! There she is!!” He cried. My muscles instantly tightened. Why was Jonathan telling them about me? Who were these people? And why were they in my home?

“So she is the one,” the man let go of Jonathan’s head and looked at me from head to toe with another werewolf in the room. Their eyes stopped at my sunglasses.

A very bad feeling settled in the pit of my stomach, “What are you people doing in my apartment?”

“Your apartment?” the man frowned at me. He seemed to be superior to others though he was not an Alpha blood. I guessed he was Beta and for some reason his voice sounded familiar.

“Yes, it’s my home. Now get out,” I sternly ordered. I did not know what kind of mess Jonathan had brought into my home but I did not want to do anything with it.

“It seems you don’t know,” he chuckled, walking over to me. “This apartment was sold to the Eclipse Moon Pack when your brother could not pay the installment on his debt,” he grinned.

“What did you say?” My phone slipped from my hand as I stared at him with wide eyes in shock. He simply shrugged his shoulders as if he was letting me process the shock. Zara shook me back to reality as I glared at first Jonathan then at the man, “THIS IS MY APARTMENT! NO ONE, THAT MEANS NO ONE CAN SELL IT TO PAY THEIR INSTALLMENT OR DEBT, WHATEVER IT IS OTHER THAN ME!” I declared, my voice echoing in the small space.

The expressions on all the men’s faces turned bitter from offense then the sound of shoes came from behind me as someone entered the apartment. Every wolf's eyes turned to whomever had just arrived, their eyes fearful. Suddenly I felt someone’s presence right behind me, a familiar dominance that I had felt a month ago slammed into me hard.

“The installment has been taken care of, how about paying me the principal?” a deep sexy voice entered my ears.

Surprised, I turned to look behind me, my blue eyes intenstally locking with a pair of hazel ones. An extremely handsome face came to my view. Never in my whole life had I seen such a handsome man before, he looked like pure sin. However, his cold aura surrounding me finally made me realize that it was the same Alpha that I had bumped into a month ago.

“What Principal?” My feet took a step back of their own volition, wanting to put some distance between us when he suddenly pulled me to his chest.

“Of course, it’s you,” he whispered, locking eyes with me as if he could see through my sunglasses.