Chapter 1

"Here comes the daughter of the witch! Run, boys!" a boy my age mockingly shouted and pointed his finger at me. I was just walking in the hallway of my school, Mortem University when they started cooing and making fun of me. It became their hobby.

They hated my long ginger hair and my white long dresses paired with a turtleneck shirt. I love wearing dresses like this because my mother put effort into making them hand-sewn.

I despised my classmates, but I couldn't do anything aside from bowing my head and walking faster. They have such pea-sized brains even at their legal age.

No one wanted to be friends with me because I'd drag them down the social rank, but that's okay because I enjoy my own company.

I live with my ever-dearest single mother in our village. She was rumored to be a witch just because we live in a castle near the mountains. She's the love of my life, my companion, and I couldn't ask for anything as long as she's at my side.

"Nathalie, wake up! You're going to be late for school!" Sylvia's voice reverberated in the room as soon as she entered and uncovered my blanket from my body. I ignored her and pretended to be asleep, but my mother knew me best.

"Don't give me that act! Come on, honey," she sighed and sat beside me.

"I hate school, Mom! They're just going to bully me!"

"But you have to study!"

"I don't want to study, Mom. Can I just be here at your side?" I murmured under my pillow, wiping away the tears on my cheeks. I always feel like I don't belong in my school. It's not just about the bullies and professors.

"Honey, please..." Sylvia heaved a deep sigh and touched my hair gently. I couldn't do anything when she started to use that voice. Without a choice, I went to my school and listened to my professors diligently.

My family has a low social rank in our community, maybe that's the reason why we are always the talk of the town. My mother wants me to study because that's the only thing she could give me.

She says I have to get that diploma and graduate, to slap those people who looked down on us. She has a point, but it's just that... it's draining to study and return to our house, then study again.

I want something new, something that will break the boring cycle of my life.

And I finally found it.

While going back to our house after a tiring day at school, I found a whimpering werewolf running inside an abandoned cabin. I don't usually go this way because it's dangerous, but it's faster to arrive at our house if I take this track.

"Poor dog," I whispered to myself and immediately ran towards the cabin. The door was locked, so I knocked three times. Nobody answered, so I squinted my eyes to look through the small hole in the door.

Just when I took a peek, I saw the helpless werewolf lying on the wooden floor. The huge creature was covered in blood until... he shifted into a man!

I gasped and took a step back. Blinking thrice, I took a peek again to see if I was daydreaming or not, but I didn't see a werewolf inside. My heart started racing when I confirmed that it was just a man covered in blood.

I couldn't believe what I saw! Is that even possible? What kind of creature was that?

My first instinct was to run as fast as I could because the creature might harm me. I have heard rumors in our village that there were missing teens who were eaten alive by wolves in the forest.

I was constantly battling with my thoughts on whether to pretend that I didn't see anything or return to the cabin and help treat the man's wounds. He seemed like he was dying if I wouldn't help him.

"Come on, Nathalie! Please, let's not meddle with others' business," I whispered to myself while looking at the dark sky. It seemed like there was a winter storm coming. I had to leave early or else I'd suffer during the storm.

"He's a grown man, so he knows what to do." I kept convincing myself and weighed down the pros and cons if I helped him. Finally, when I decided to leave the cabin, I started hearing the man groaning in pain. My heart clenched because of his agony and I wanted to do something about it!

Oh, poor man!

I heaved a deep sigh and cursed myself multiple times as I decided to come back and help the dying man. There was another door open, so I walked inside and looked at the man closely.

He looked shocked when he saw me. I gazed at his body covered with blood and scratches, as if he had just come from a fight. There were holes too, and it looked like they came from bullets.

I froze in my place. I didn't know what to do while we were staring at each other. He was breathing hard. Gulping, I knelt in front of him.

With a voice full of concern, I asked him, “Why were you covered in blood?”

He didn't answer. His pupils dilated and his front teeth grew. It was a reaction that definitely told me that I had to leave. But I didn't.

I was scared, but at the same time mesmerized that a man could do that. "What are you?” I asked him again.

"Leave, child," he hissed at me and tried to get the tissue beside him. I hadn't even noticed it. He put pressure on his chest using his hand and the tissue.

"I want to help you," I whispered in a hoarse voice and quickly scanned his face. He had hazel green eyes, a pointy nose, and plump cherry-red lips. He looked dashingly handsome for his age. I think he's in his late twenties. I admit that I'm attracted to him.

He groaned again, which made me jump back to reality. "Wait here, I know some herbs to ease the pain! I'll come back quickly!"

And so, I did.

My knowledge of herbs had grown over the years, nurtured by countless hours spent in the kitchen, watching my mother invent medicinal remedies for her friends and buyers. She even sold her herbal creations but the profit was not enough.

"Here," I whispered, cautiously taking a seat beside him, and gingerly attempted to place the fragrant leaves into the man's mouth.

To my surprise, he forcefully pushed my hand away.

"What did I tell you? I warned you to leave!" he growled menacingly, a guttural sound that sent shivers down my spine.

My heart sank because it had taken me an hour to locate these rare plants deep within the woods, essential ingredients for the life-saving herbal medicine.

Yet, his rejection didn't discourage me from what I wanted.

"I can't abandon you in this bad state. You're dying," I murmured, letting out a heavy sigh.

He fixed me with an intense, unrelenting glare and hissed, "Do you have no fear? You don't understand what I'm capable of! Aren't you terrified?"

His words held some truth.

Even in his weak condition, his formidable physique could easily snap my life with a single, swift motion.

Yet, there was something about him that made me stay, against all sensible odds.

I shook my head, determined with my decision.  "If you believe I'm afraid of you, then sorry to disappoint, but I am not!"