1

ONE

I always despised Fridays. It was an odd feeling, knowing that most people eagerly awaited this day to spend time with their loved ones and relax for the weekend. But for me, it meant something completely different. The last Friday of the month always brought a sense of dread, as I knew what was to come. With the full moon in the sky tonight, the markets would be filled with frenzied werewolves, preparing for the Crimson rituals. The streets would be chaotic and dangerous, as these creatures reveled in their primal nature under the moon's hypnotic spell and It was not advised for anyone to be roaming the crowded places at night if they weren't a fully realized werewolf shifter, like me. I tried to quell the ache that formed in my chest at that thought yet again.

I'd been thinking about that a lot lately.

"Are you just going to stand there Freya? You don't have somewhere to be?" Morgan, a coworker at the villa where i worked called out to me.

"Uh.. yes! Wait up!"

I hastily gathered my bags and the stained sheets that I had been using as my makeshift canvas all day. It was time for me to leave the villa where I worked as an assistant cleaner. This job was my safe haven, a place where I could escape the chaos of the outside world. The owner of the villa was a well-connected magistrate with ties to the Alpha and his royal family. That's why he rarely visited the villa himself. Our only responsibility was to keep the place spotless for his occasional visits. We were free to do as we pleased otherwise.

But at home, it was the complete opposite. After my mom passed away, my father had taken another woman as his partner and he suddenly cared less about me. He cared more about his wife and step daughter who never passed up the opportunity to make my life a living hell. My father always told me I was only being mistreated because I was still wolfless at my age which is not a normal thing. Since I turned 16, the year which every teenager became a full werewolf shifter, I haven't been able to transform into my wolf form. The worst thing that could happen to any werewolf was being wolfless. It felt like the essential part of your existence did not exist. There was this constant hollow deep down in my chest and sometimes I wondered if I would ever be a true werewolf. I often wondered what my animal skin would look like. Would I be white or black? Or brown? I guess I would never know.

"Are you done yet?" Morgan approached me. My heart skipped a beat when I saw who was walking beside her: Daniel Stonecrow, another coworker. His charming appearance was hard to miss. I tried to calm my breath as our eyes met.

"Hi, Freya," he said softly, a smile lighting up his handsome face.

"Hi, Daniel," I managed to reply, trying to keep my voice steady. I glanced at Morgan, who was watching us with a small knowing smile playing on her lips. Morgan was aware that I had a crush on Daniel Stonecrow even though I had never openly admitted to it. Morgan had the gift of sensing someone's feelings just by being close to them. There was no way she wouldn't know that I liked Daniel considering how I acted whenever he was around me.

"Daniel was just asking about you," Morgan mentioned, her eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Do you want to attend the crimson rituals with me? I saved four seats for my pals" Daniel said to me, that cute smile on his face making my stomach flutter uncontrollably.

"I.. I wish I could but I have some important work to do as soon as I get home.." I responded.

"Alright. How about I walk you home then? If you don't mind?" He asked again, staring at me with a hopeful look in eyes.

I hesitated for a moment, feeling a rush of nerves at the idea of spending more time with Daniel outside of work. But then I nodded, unable to resist the pull of his warm gaze.

"Sure, I'd love to," I said, feeling a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.

As we walked out of the villa together with Morgan following behind, I couldn't help but wonder if this would be the start of something new and exciting in my life.

The evening had descended like a soft-spoken secret, whispering through the trees and casting elongated shadows over the path that meandered towards the heart of the crimson pack. My steps were rhythmic, syncing with the crunch of gravel underfoot as I walked alongside Daniel.

"Did you hear about the hunt next week after the rituals?" Daniel asked, breaking the silence that had settled between us like dew on morning leaves.

I nodded, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "It's all anyone can talk about," I replied, my voice tinged with a note of wistfulness. The hunt was more than just a tradition; it was a rite of passage—a celebration of strength and unity among our kind. Yet, amidst the excitement, that familiar hollow feeling gnawed at me. I fought the urge to tear up and tell him that I was not qualified to join.

"Are you participating this time?" Daniel's eyes sparkled with curiosity as he glanced over at me, the fading light of day casting a warm glow on his sharp features.

A sigh escaped my lips before I could stop it. "I wish I could," I murmured, my gaze dropping to the ground. "But how can I? You know I haven't... changed yet."

Daniel's brow furrowed in sympathy. "Oh, I understand." He kicked a pebble along the path, watching it skitter until it came to rest against a tuft of grass. "Must be tough, especially when no one from your family is like you."

"More than you know," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly feeling the chill of the evening air seeping into my bones. Every ritual, every gathering, served as a reminder of my difference—a glaring absence of the gift that defined my peers. Where others boasted about their forms and the power they wielded within, I remained painfully human in a world that revered the beast.

"Sometimes I feel like I don't belong," I finally said after a moment of silence, my words carrying the weight of years of unfulfilled expectations. "Like there's this part of me that's just... missing."

Daniel slowed his pace, turning to face me fully. I couldn't help but admire his handsome face. His expression was one of understanding, the empathy in his eyes as clear as the stars beginning to emerge above us. we stood there for a moment, I wondered if he would to try to kiss me? I'd never been kissed once in my life and I felt like now would be a good time.

Daniel reached out, his hand hesitating in the air before gently resting on my shoulder. The warmth from his touch seemed to push away the chill that had settled over me, and I found myself drawing comfort from the simple gesture. No kiss then.

"Freya," he said, his voice steady and sincere, "you're one of the most special people I've ever met. Maybe there's a reason you haven't changed yet—a purpose you're meant to fulfill that only you can."

His words hung between in my head like a sacred vow, and something flickered in my chest—a spark of hope that refused to be smothered by doubt. I raised my head, meeting Daniel's gaze, and the world around us seemed to quiet.

For that fleeting moment, we simply stared at each other, an unspoken understanding passing through our shared glance. Then, as if breaking from a spell, I turned toward my house, the afterimage of Daniel's supportive gaze warming my back as I walked away after a short wave at him.

It was time to face the nightmare I called family.