Chapter 1

Isobel

“Moonlight, please listen to the secrets in my heart? 

I am a man on a journey, just trying to find my part. 

Whisper to the stars, let them carry my plea. 

For love and acceptance to come and set me free.”

A smile formed in my lips I listened to my favorite DJ and singer, Midnight Wolf. The soothing melody of his voice filled my room, casting a comforting spell on the bitterness of the day. Whenever I'm feeling down or having an awful day, the only safe place I want to be is nothing other than my radio, drowning myself in the voice of my favorite werewolf idol.

Midnight Wolf wasn't just a singer; he was my anchor, my guiding light through the rough seas of my unfortunate existence. Listening to his voice was my sanctuary, a refuge where I could escape the harsh realities that often weighed me down. His lyrics spoke to the hidden corners of my heart, resonating with the struggles and yearnings I dared not share with the world.

As the final notes faded away, so did the troubles of the day.

 "That’s all for tonight, folks. I’ll talk to you all again tomorrow. This has been your Midnight Wolf, Adios!" His farewell marked the end of another musical journey, leaving me in a state of bittersweet longing.

“Adios, my Midnight Wolf,” I whispered, grateful for another trip to dreamland with his music. I turned off the radio, held my cheeks, dropped my body on the bed, and swayed my little feet from the edge of the bed. The daydreams of Midnight Wolf singing in front of me produced many butterflies flying around my tummy. The sparkles and sunshine he produced were enough to knock me down on my bed.

I got up and dashed towards my desk. Midnight Wolf’s face remained a mystery, making me one of those who tried to imagine what he looked like. I quickly grabbed the worn-out sketchpad and flipped its pages. Several sketches of a guy holding a guitar with different appearances were inside. There was a sketch where the guy looked muscular and handsome. The other sketch looked like a nerdy guy with a cute face. And another one with a bad look but has gentle eyes while the rest were unfinished sketches. I hugged the sketchpad and smiled, hoped that one day, I would get a chance to meet him in person.  

“Your voice always saves me. And for that, I will always be grateful. Thank you, my Midnight Wolf.”

I began writing my name and his, while drawing a tiny heart in between. “Isobel Reeves loves Midnight Wolf.” The Sound I made when I said it aloud was enough to make my heart flutter, a feeling that couldn’t be explained. This was one of those moments in life that I wanted to relive over and over again, healing the wounds of my challenging life. 

I was born as a half-breed, a living reminder of the forbidden mate bond between a wolf and a human. My father, the Alpha of a pack called Sunflower, went against the rules of our world for the love of his fated mate. Leaving his title and his old life behind, he chose a life in the human world to be with his mate, hoping for happiness and peace he desperately craved. 

In the beginning, the human world offered us comfort. However, fate, with its unkind twists, had other plans for us. When I was just two years old, tragedy struck. My father, the Alpha who had sacrificed everything in the name of love, experienced betrayal from supposed human friends who sold his real dentity to some hunters that resulted to his untimely death. Although my mother and I managed to survive that fateful night, we were left to confront the harsh reality of trying to survive alone in this cruel world.

Driven by desperation, my mother returned to Sunflower Pack, seeking help from the very beings who harbored an intense dislike for her. Out of respect for my father, my dad’s sister, Aunt Lydia, reluctantly accepted us, but this acceptance came with a significant cost. As a human and a half-breed in the den of werewolves, we were relegated to the lowest rungs of the pack hierarchy, forced to live as omegas in exchange for a roof over our heads and some food on our plates.

As I clung to the idealized image of my idol, a commotion outside caught my attention. Without hesitation, I hurried to see what was happening, my heart racing with worry. There, I found my mother sitting on the ground, facing the wrath of my furious Aunt Lydia. A simple accident had led to water spilling on Aunt Lydia's dress, and the consequences for this minor mistake were severe.

“Why can’t you do a simple task? Are humans that dumb?” Aunt Lydia's words were filled with disgust, her anger evident. In her rage, she raised her hands, ready to hit my mother once more. This was something I could no longer stand idly by.

“That’s enough, Aunt Lydia,” I said, stepping forward with a determination fueled by my desire to defend my mother. 

Aunt Lydia wore a sinister smile, with a cruel satisfaction written all over her face. “Well, well, well. So, the despicable hybrid has now learned to disrespect the hand that feeds her. What an ungrateful good-for-nothing cunt!”

The continuous battle for acceptance and survival in a place that deemed us inferior was a challenge my mother and I confronted daily.

“I own you and your trash of a mother! Remember that! As long as you’re here, you have no rights over your lives. If you don’t like my ways, you are more than welcome to leave.”

She seemed to enjoy watching us suffer, displaying heartless cruelty. Aunt Lydia's hostility began when my father chose my mother over everything. Her hatred intensified when my Dad was killed in the human world, blaming my mother for losing the only family she had left.

Aunt Lydia turned to my mother once again, finding another excuse to humiliate and hit her.

“This is all your fault, Nancy! You bring nothing but trouble to this family. I hate you, you filthy human! I fucking hate you!”

Aunt Lydia raised her hand, slapping my mother like a madwoman. I could no longer stand by, prompting me to react in a way any daughter who loves her mother would.

“Let her go, Aunt Lydia! You've hurt her enough!”

I pushed Aunt Lydia away, unable to control the anger surging through me. Her eyes changed to golden yellow, indicating the extreme emotion raging within her.

“How dare you fight back, you filthy human! You don’t even belong in this world!! My husband was the only reason why you’re still here. Know your place, you damn humans!”

"Please forgive my daughter's actions. She was too young to control her emotions," my mother pleaded, caressing the foot of my monstrous aunt with her trembling hands. My heart broke, and a lone tear escaped from my eyes. Seeing my mother being disgraced like this was a tough scene to watch.

Lydia, enjoying watching my mother plead like a dog, summoned the omega leader.

“Make sure these humans will be punished. Double their workload for the rest of the week. As for my disgusting sister-in-law, make sure that you will deny her food for two days.”

“What? Why are you punishing my mother? She is innocent! I was the one who opposed you. It is I whom you should punish and not her!”

But Aunt Lydia smirked, “This is exactly how I want to punish you. Every time you dare to disrespect me, the weight will fall on Nancy.”

I couldn't bear the unfairness any longer, and we both watched as Aunt Lydia walked away with a sinister laugh. I rushed to pick up my mother, brought her to our tiny quarters, and helped put some antiseptic cream on her skin.

"I can't endure this anymore," I admitted, holding my mother close. The bruises on her arms mirrored the wounds inflicted on our dignity. “Nothing matters to me aside from you, Mom. Let’s leave this miserable place and go back to the human world. I don’t care about anything else as long as we’re out of here and you’re safe.”

Mom hugged me in return, gently tapped my back, and whispered.

“This won’t last forever, Isobel. In a week, you will attend Silverwolf University. I have endured everything these past few years because of this opportunity, something I couldn’t provide if we were in the human world. So, treat this as a lifetime opportunity to change your future. Soon, our tears and hard work will pay off.”

I held my mother even tighter, realizing how much she had sacrificed. Uncle Jerry, Aunt Lydia’s husband, assured me that he would send me to college, something my mother was afraid to lose if she were to oppose my aunt. So, she was forced to endure mistreatment from Aunt Lydia, hoping for the day I would graduate from college and find the courage to leave this pack.

I made a solemn promise to my mother that I would earn the diploma to free us from oppression. My goal was to graduate from Silverwolf and return to the human world for better opportunities. College was our way out, a ticket to a future where we could live freely. 

I was determined to do everything necessary to graduate and give my mother the life she truly deserved.