CHAPTER 1

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Matilda groaned as she heard her roommate Chloe’s voice from the living room, "Matilda, would you hurry up already? You're missing half the show!" She was heating up dinner and rolled her eyes as she yelled back, "Well I wouldn't miss it if you could just pause it."

Every day, Chloe and Matilda would watch some trashy reality shows while having dinner. With Matilda’s exams coming up and Chloe’s own life, they rarely had time for fun. Matilda quickly grabbed the chicken noodles once they were hot and ran back to the living room.

Chloe was always out and about, while Matilda preferred to stay indoors. She would never understand where Chloe found the energy to stay out all the time. For her, snuggling in bed and watching Netflix or reading books was the real dream. She wasn't an introvert, but her social energy was almost completely depleted by the time she returned from college. It was nice to enjoy some alone time, but it was also enjoyable to share it with Chloe.

After dinner and the episode, they sat and listened to Chloe talk about her on-again-off-again boyfriend. It seemed like things were about to be off again. Soon enough, they both headed off to bed with the dread of having to wake up early the next day.

Matilda fell asleep with thoughts of exams and Chloe’s boyfriend flooding her mind. The loneliness sometimes got to her, as it probably did to everyone else. Even though she had moved away from home a long time ago, this loneliness always felt inherent. She thought it might have something to do with her wolf, Jade, who never got the chance to become a part of a pack. It was unusual for werewolves to live by themselves, but since her mother was a human, the wolf part of her didn't take up as much space as other werewolves. This made it easier for her to survive on her own, and for that, she was thankful.

At 5AM, the sunlight peeping through her windows jolted her awake. Jade was antsy and wouldn't let her go back to sleep. It was probably because she hadn't taken her out in a week and she was getting restless. That's what happened when you lived away from people of your kind, the part of you that resembled them tended to get neglected.I decided to go for a run, like I usually do on certain days of the week. I get up early and head to the woods, since no one is out at that time and I can easily hide my wolf form. Jade, my wolf, is very calm and we don't really communicate, but we understand each other. I can feel her heightened emotions sometimes, but it's rare. She is powerful and fierce, but she lets me be and only takes over when it's her turn. That's a good thing, since werewolves can lose control in moments of extreme emotion and living around humans would be a disaster.

I got up, made my bed, and freshened up. I put on a sports bra and black tights, and put my hair up in a ponytail. I ran out, trying to be as quiet as possible so I wouldn't wake Chloe . Once I was in the woods, I took off my shoes and clothes and put them behind a tree. Shifting into a wolf causes all the clothes to tear off, so I didn't want to walk back home naked. I felt my bones cracking and changing shape as I shifted into my wolf. Fur sprouted on my skin and my nose became a snout as I landed on my paws with a thud. I could feel my senses getting sharper as I ran deeper into the woods and let Jade take control.

I shifted into my wolf for the first time when I turned eighteen. She has blonde fur that matches my hair and green eyes, which is why I named her Jade. She's strong and big for a werewolf that is supposed to be half human.

My mother didn't know about werewolves until one day she found a trail of blood in the woods and followed it. It led to a man sitting under a tree and clutching his stomach. My mother, being the nice person she is, rushed to help him. She put pressure on the wound, even though he kept stopping her. Eventually, he passed out and when she removed the cloth, she saw that he had healed. He woke up and told her that she was his mate. That man was my father and he was the head warrior of the Blood Moon pack. Having human mates is rare, but not unheard of, so after a while, my father took my mother to his pack and introduced her to his world.

My father was known for his cruelty, so when he refused to let my human mother into the pack, it was a shock. To spare my father the pain of leaving his family and pack, my mother decided it was best that they both went their separate ways. Little did she know, she was pregnant with me at the time. When she found out, she kept it a secret for my safety, in case the pack didn't approve of my existence. Unfortunately, she couldn't keep it hidden for long, as I started showing signs of shifting before my eighteenth birthday. My bones were aching and I felt like there was another person living in my brain. I begged my mom to take me to a doctor, but instead she took me to my father's pack.

My father had married another werewolf and had two kids with her. He was shocked to find out about me, and I was equally shocked to learn about my father and his species. The Alpha still had a problem with my mother, but had to accept me since I was a werewolf too. Despite my attempts to convince my mom to take me back home, I had to stay with my father so he could teach me everything there was to know about myself. He told me about the pack hierarchy and how each individual wolf was blessed by the Moon Goddess with a mate. I didn't believe in the power of the supposed 'mate bond' because if it were that strong, my parents would have stayed together.

At the pack, I learned about werewolves and trained a little so I could defend myself. Sadly, people in the pack didn't like me, especially my father's wife and his kids. The young wolves were always bullying me, calling me names, saying I was impure, and even trying to hit me sometimes when no one was watching. So I decided to leave. I sometimes visited my father, but that was a very rare occurrence. He died when I was twenty in some pack war. I wasn't that attached to him, but the news of his death still hurt me. It turns out he was super rich and left me lots of money, so I decided to go to medical school. I wanted to live my life as a human, as pack wars and treating anyone that wasn't a werewolf as less than was not my style.

My mom got married a little while after I left for college, and I was really happy for her. Now I'm in my last year of medical school. Life is tiring and hectic, but I like keeping myself busy and enjoy helping other people at the hospital. I also have a special bond with my inner werewolf, Jade. Even though we don't communicate, I can still feel her existence in my conscience. She is me and I am her. When I first found out about my werewolf heritage, I was so angry. I didn't want to turn into an animal. But then I met Jade and fell in love with her. I wouldn't give her up for anything in the world.