CHAPTER 4: Different like a monster

After the encounter with Alexander and Natalie, I felt a sense of satisfaction.

But also strangely hollow.

Yeah, I won—but victory didn’t chase away the loneliness.

Maybe it’s my fault. I’ve hidden my strength for so long. My wolf, too. That’s why everyone thinks I’m weak. And maybe it was silly to hide my beauty just because I was almost molested once. Maybe.

But I’ve always believed that staying hidden is what kept me safe. Peaceful, even.

Still, there’s this nagging feeling in my gut—a warning I’ve carried for years. If I ever reveal who I am, if I show the world my strength and my wolf… everything will change.

And not in a good way.

You’re probably wondering why I’m saying all this, why I care.

Well, here’s the truth.

I’m not just a different kind of werewolf.

I’m something else entirely.

I don’t even know what I am.

My human body sheds skin every three months, like a snake. My body temperature is unnaturally cold, while werewolves are supposed to radiate heat.

I’m not a fish, but I can stay underwater for hours. Half a day, even, without breathing.

And the weirdest part?

I don’t have a heartbeat. Or maybe I do, but it’s silent. Still. Empty.

Maybe that’s why I always feel like something’s missing.

My wolf is even stranger.

She’s huge—Alpha-sized and then some. Stronger. Faster. Wilder.

Her fur and eyes shift with the sun. At night, she’s jet black with glowing golden eyes. By day, she’s snow white, her eyes an icy blue.

And her scent…

She can release an addictive, almost hypnotic scent. But if anyone inhales it? They pass out cold for days.

That trick only works once every two days, though. And if I don’t let her out and feed her at least once a month?

She loses control.

She’ll devour anything with meat and blood—animal, werewolf… it doesn’t matter.

She drinks blood, too. So we always hunt something big. She has a hunger that doesn’t quit, and I have to manage her—or she’ll manage me.

I was so caught up in my thoughts, I didn’t even notice class was still going. The bell snapped me back.

School wasn’t over, but I didn’t care. I packed my things and walked out.

My feet took me into the woods without direction. I just needed away.

I’m not unaffected by Alexander. I wish I could say I didn’t care—but I do.

Seeing him with Natalie burns like hell. My blood boils every time I see their faces together. Keeping my cool in front of them is getting harder.

But here's the weird thing…

Since I rejected him, I should be shattered. It’s what every werewolf feels after rejecting their mate—pain. Emptiness. Total emotional collapse.

But I don’t feel that.

Instead, I feel free.

Relieved.

And that’s what scares me most.

I didn’t even realize how deep I’d wandered into the forest until the sun started dipping behind the trees.

I turned to head back—then tripped and fell.

I gasped.

Cedric stood beside me.

Where the hell did he come from? I didn’t even sense him.

He could’ve killed me without me noticing. That alone sent a chill down my spine.

He took a step forward, extending a hand to help me up.

I hesitated.

Then reached out anyway.

The second our skin touched, a jolt of electricity surged through me—hot, sharp, and addictive.

I gasped and snatched my hand back, but he held on tight.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing? Let go!” I shouted, panic rising.

He blinked, like he was waking from a trance. Then he let go and stepped back.

“What was that?” I asked, my voice sharp as I stepped closer.

He said nothing.

“You felt it too—the sparks. How can I feel that from you when you’re not even my mate?” I demanded, heart pounding.

His face remained unreadable. That infuriating, calm expression of his.

“You’re not ordinary,” he finally said, like it was obvious.

“Neither are you,” I shot back. “Who the hell are you? And what do you know about me?”

He frowned, jaw tight, and stayed silent for a beat.

Then he turned.

“It’s getting late. Go home.”

“What the fuck? We’re not done!” I grabbed his wrist, ignoring the sparks that jolted through me again. “You owe me answers.”

He froze.

“I want the truth,” I snapped. “Now.”

He raised his hand and placed a single finger over my lips.

“Shhh… you talk too much, darling.”

His voice was low. Velvet and danger. My whole body tensed.

He leaned in—closer—his breath warm against my skin. Our noses almost touched.

I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t move.

Sparks raced across my skin. Butterflies stormed through my stomach.

“Stop provoking me,” he whispered. “And just go home.”

I finally found my voice. “And why would I do that?”

“Because you don’t know what I might do if you don’t,” he said, voice dark, playful.

Goosebumps prickled my arms.

“You think I’m scared of you?” I growled. “Answer my fucking questions, or no one’s going anywhere.”

His eyes—green and stormy—locked on mine. He frowned.

“You’ll regret provoking me… darling.” The smirk that followed made something in me twist.

He leaned in again.

Closer.

Then—snap.

The sound of a twig breaking a hundred meters away tore my attention away from him.

I turned toward it.

When I looked back… he was gone.

Just vanished. Like smoke in the wind.

My eyes scanned the trees.

That’s when I caught it.

A scent in the air. Sweet. Familiar.

Alexander.

veal my wolf and my strength to everyone, my life will change drastically, and I know it's not a pleasant change.

You might be wondering why I'm saying all this. 

Well, to make things clear, I'm not an ordinary werewolf.

And I'm not just different from the rest, I'm way too different. My human self is quite unusual, I don't know what breed I am actually. 

I change skin every three months like a snake, and my body's temperature is unusually cold, whereas werewolves have warm bodies.

I'm not a fish, but I can stay in the water for half a day without breathing.

And the weirdest part of me being different is that I don't have a heart, or maybe I have, but it's not beating, and maybe that is the reason why I feel like a part of me is missing.

My wolf's also different from the rest. She's as big as an alpha wolf and way stronger and faster. 

Her fur and eyes change from pure black fur and golden glowing eyes at night to white fur and blue eyes during the day.

My wolf can produce a very addictive scent, but the problem is that anyone who inhales it will fall unconscious for a few days.

Of course, my wolf has limitations, too. She can only do that once every two days.

She needs to be let out and eat once a month, or she might go out of control and eat whoever's around, be it a werewolf or an animal as long as it has meat and blood.

She also drinks blood, so we have to hunt a bigger prey every time, because she has quite a big appetite, even though she eats both blood and meat, we still have to hunt some more to quench my wolf's hunger.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I forgot I was still in class. I snapped back when the bell rang.

School's still not over, but I don't feel like staying there any longer, so I went outside the school, walking aimlessly into the woods.

It's not that I don't feel anything towards Alexander or am not affected by the mate bond. It's hurting me like crazy. Seeing him with that bitch Natalie makes my blood boil, keeping my cool in front of them is pretty hard, but I managed to do it anyway.

I know it's normal to be attracted to your mate, but I'm not attracted to Alexander enough for me to forgive him and accept him. 

And something is bothering me since I rejected Alexander. I'm hurting, but not to the point of breaking, which is what I'm supposed to feel.

I felt at ease after I rejected him, and it's so unusual.

I was so lost in thought that I didn't realize I had gotten deeper into the forest.

It's quite late too, the sun's starting to set.

I turned around to go back, but I stumbled and fell to the ground. surprised seeing Cedric standing right beside me, I didn't even notice.

How long has he even been there behind me? I had no idea at all. I could have died had he attacked me.

I flinched as he took a step closer to me, he extended his hand to help me up.

I hesitated but took his hand anyway.

I let out a gasp when I felt sparks elicited from the touch of our skins.

I quickly shook my hands from his, but he gripped my hand tightly, refusing to let go.

" What the fuck do you think you're doing? LET GO!!" I shouted at him in panic.

It seems to have snapped him back, and he then let go of my hands and took a step back away from me.

"What was that?" I said as I took a step closer to him.

He didn't say anything.

"The sparks... I know you felt it too! How come I can feel it from you when you're not even my mate?" I asked, confused.

He remained quiet, he's wearing that unreadable face he wears all the time, so I really can't tell what he's thinking.

" Who are you? There's no way you're an ordinary werewolf." I said, trying to get a reaction from him.

" You're not ordinary yourself!" He said like it's something obvious.

" You... What else do you know about me? And how did you know?" I asked, getting nervous.

He furrowed his brows and stayed silent for a moment.

" It's late! You should go home!" He said as he turned around to leave.

" What the fuck!!!! We're not done talking yet!" I said grabbing his hand, ignoring the sparks from the touch of our skins.

He stood frozen. " I want answers from you, and you better t--" I stopped as he put his finger on my lips to stop me from talking.

"Shhhhh!!.. you talk too much Darling!" He said as he leaned in, giving me shivers down my spine.

His face is too close to mine that our noses are almost touching.

I can't say anything as I was overwhelmed with the sparks and butterflies he's making me feel.

"Now stop provoking me and just go home, darling..." He said huskily.

"And why would I listen to you?" I said.

"Because you don't know what I might do if you don't!" He said, giving me goosebumps for some reason.

" You think I'm afraid of you? Answer my fucking question now! Or no one's leaving!!.." I said impatiently.

He stared at me with those green eyes again, a frown on his forehead.

" You'll regret provoking me, darling.." he said with a smirk.

He leaned his face closer to mine, and we both heard a twig snap a hundred meters away from us. I looked in the direction of the sound, taking my eyes off Cedric for a second.

When I looked back, Cedric was already gone; he disappeared. Just like how he came, I wasn't able to notice his movement.

I smelled a very sweet scent coming from the direction where the sounds of twigs snapping.

'Alexander!'...