Chapter 2

Renae's POV

My name is Renae Hart. I am the illegitimate daughter of Alex Hart. I have no knowledge about my biological mother and I can't ask either. Any time I asked, my father always beat me up, mercilessly.

My stepmother, Lucy, despises me. Not only her, I believe my father hates me too. My existence is a shameful reminder of his reckless youth. 

Despite my mother's absence, he never showed me fatherly affection. Even though I shared half of his DNA like Alice, my step-sister, he never treated me the same way he treats her. All he wanted was to push me out of his life and he did it. 

On my twelfth birthday, we had a visitor. I was made to serve him and even as young as I was, I noticed his keen interest in me.

The visitor had a discussion with my father behind closed doors and when they were done, I was dragged away by a guard that came with the man.

I was dragged down to our pack's hospital where I realized that I had been sold to the traditional medical treatment department of the hospital.

My life of horror began that day.

The department is nothing compared to the human medical schools. It's a completely different world.

 We, werewolves, are magical creatures. This made our healing more complex than humans'. Therefore to become a healer, we are subjected to more brutal medical training.

We're forced to ingest various poisonous herbs, and only those with genetically unique bodies that can withstand the toxins, survive.

We also undergo strict military-like management where we learn various healing techniques.

The daily death toll of trainees sometimes surpassed that of patients as many trainees died as a result of the training.

Well, I am a survivor. I am one of the few who excelled and survived the harsh training. I am not proud of it, If I had a choice, I would prefer an ordinary and mundane life. But life isn't a buffet, and I don't have many choices.

The scars and near-death experiences that became a capital to boast about in my family are truly laughable.

But we've also become outcasts among werewolves. As healers, we ain't respected, we are relegated and treated as a member of the low class. 

My story is pathetic. My admission into the school wasn't by enrollment, I was typically sold out. Everyone knew about this and I was almost regarded as a slave.

All my life, I live in the school dorm and seldomly see my family. I dislike my father so much that I don't even want to see him.

I made a few friends. While a few remained, I lost many to the cold hands of death and sometimes I wondered why I was spared.

It was the morning before my eighteenth birthday. I signed the necessary documents before walking out of the principal's office. I had just officially informed him that I would be taking the next day off, it was my eighteenth birthday and my first shift. The man wished me good luck and I went on my way.

"Don't forget there will be a Mate too!" My best friend, June exclaimed excitedly as soon as I walked into the shed.

"Mate? That is the least on my mind," I thought.

"You hope so!?" I said out loud, chuckling with a faint smile spreading over my face. June's enthusiasm lifted my spirits, even when I thought it was almost impossible.

She is truly an embodiment of the sunshine of June, always radiating positivity. It's hard to imagine that she is one of the survivors, she is full of energy and optimism.

"Where are you planning to go for your shift?" Her eyes sparkled.

 "I heard the Hollow Creek is nice, but there are too many mosquitoes!"

June was two years younger than me and hadn't reached her shift yet. She was an orphan who joined the school when she was very young. Too young to have any memory.

"Hey, Eden, where did you complete your shift?" June called out to Eden, our bookworm classmate.

"Um… same as everyone else, in the Apple Grove area."

"Boring," June pouted. 

"You'll find at least a hundred people shifting there with you," Eden added.

"Thanks for the suggestion, but I already have..."

"Of course, of course, you'll go to your secret hideout!" June complained to Eden, slightly annoyed. 

"She still refuses to tell me where it is! Hate you!" She poured and Eden looked at her, smiling foolishly.

Those two fit each other and it beats me that they weren't each other's mates.

"Anyway," June said and handed me a small gift. It was a white rectangular box with a blue ribbon tied around it.

"Wishing you a happy birthday and shift, dear Renae!"

"Wow! Thanks, June," I said, hugging her tightly. That night, I couldn't fall asleep, all that was on my mind was the next day and my first shift. 

I had heard a lot about how painful the first shift used to be.

The next morning came and it was a long day for me. I watched the clock at every passing hour and I almost blamed myself for taking the day off.