Chapter 1 THE DEVIL'S DAUGHTER

THE DEVIL'S DAUGHTER

Rowena sat quietly on the grassy floor, several thoughts playing in her head.

It's been too long since I let Abigail out; she's becoming restless with each passing day. Her inner wolf stirred within her chest, pacing anxiously beneath her skin. I'm sure her feet are weak because I've been reluctant to transform.

> "Let's run, Rowena," Abigail communicated through their shared mind link.

Her voice had grown desperate lately, more like a whimper than a command. She longed for freedom, for the open wind and the thrill of the hunt.

Humans are too complicated, Rowena thought. Their world is difficult to understand. I haven't seen anything that interests me here.

She missed Moonstone Den-its dense forests, silver streams, and howls under the full moon. Most of all, she missed her friends: Aiden, Lupus, Maxin. They would play, laugh, and transform freely, chasing each other through the hills and valleys like wild spirits under the stars. Life back then had a rhythm-raw and unfiltered.

But here? Here, everything was different.

Their new human environment felt like a cage. Their bodies were free, but their spirits weren't. Transforming was forbidden. Showing their true nature was dangerous. Rowena had spent nearly a year suppressing who she was, forcing Abigail into silence.

Being wolf-blooded in a human world is like hiding a volcano inside a teacup.

"I miss the wind in our fur," Abigail growled softly. "Let's just run."

Rowena hesitated, glancing around. The woods were quiet, and no humans were in sight.

"Okay, fine... but just this once."

The transformation was more painful than she remembered. Her muscles resisted, stiff from disuse. Bones cracked, twisted. Her skin rippled, fur sprouting in streaks of oxblood and deep brown. Her fingers curled into paws; her eyes shimmered to glowing emerald.

Abigail was free.

She leapt into motion instantly, sprinting through the trees with a low, happy growl. But the joy of freedom was cut short. Her ears twitched-she heard something.

A faint, wounded whimper.

She skidded to a stop, sniffing the air, her hackles raised. Following the sound, she darted through the thicket until she came upon a small clearing.

There, hidden in the shadows, was a rusted cage. Inside it, a wolf. He looked sick-his fur matted, eyes sunken, ribs visible. The cage was too small for him to stand properly.

"Hi buddy, how did you get in here?" she asked, already shifting back to her human form. She crouched beside the cage, Abigail's sorrow rippling through her soul.

Rowena gritted her teeth. Humans again. Always caging what they fear or don't understand.

With a growl, she used both her strength and Abigail's to lift the latch and pry open the bars. The door creaked, then gave way.

The wolf staggered out and collapsed.

Suddenly, his form began to shimmer. Fur dissolved. Limbs straightened. His body shifted into that of a young man-around 5'6, lean but powerful, with silky black hair falling around a chiselled jawline.

He looked up, lips twitching into a small smile. "I'm Soro. And you are?"

Rowena blinked. "Rowena..."

Their eyes locked. Something strange passed between them-an odd familiarity neither could explain.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"My family came here for safety. But safety is a lie. You're a wolf too. It's been years since I met one of my kind, apart from my parents."

Rowena's brows furrowed. "How long have you been here?"

Soro's eyes dimmed. "Let's say... five years. And still counting."

Her mouth parted in disbelief. "Five years-?"

He chuckled, though it sounded bitter. "I knew you'd be surprised. My parents... they broke the Circle's law. Dad married Mom against their traditions. Their packs cast them out."

Rowena sucked in a sharp breath. The Circle was the highest law among all packs. To defy it meant exile-or worse.

"They endured shame and insults," Soro continued. "Then came threats. Eventually, they had to run."

"I'm sorry," Rowena whispered. "That's... heavy."

He nodded. "We all carry something. But listen, Rowena. Learn to blend in. It'll help you in the long run."

Rowena looked away. "I've tried. I really have. But humans are... exhausting."

"There's a reason I haven't left yet," he said cryptically, his voice soft. "A reason I can't."

Before she could question him, he added, "It's late. I should go," then transformed and disappeared into the trees.

And just like that... he was gone.

But something about Soro lingered. Something unfinished.

---

Rowena returned home, still shaken. Dinner was already on the table. Her mother hummed quietly in the kitchen, but her father sat stiffly at the head of the table-his jaw clenched, his mind clearly elsewhere.

They had made this place "home," but it never felt like one.

Their house stood out like a scar in the city. Black and white walls. Long, tinted windows. Its eerie architecture made people uneasy-and Rowena too. Kids whispered that it was haunted. Even adults avoided walking past it at night.

At school, things were no better.

Her classmates either avoided her or stared too long. Whispers always followed her down the halls.

> "Her hair's so... weird."

> "She talks like she's from another century."

> "Freak."

It didn't help that Rowena looked different. Her wolf-blooded genes gave her slightly sharper features, eyes too bright, and a presence that made people either curious or afraid.

One girl in particular-Ella-made life hell.

Every insult, every jab, was calculated.

One day, Rowena snapped.

Ella bumped into her on purpose, laughing, "Careful, Devil's spawn."

That was the last straw.

Rowena's instincts surged. She grabbed Ella's arm and bit her-deep and deliberate.

A LUPIVORA bite.

A venomous wound from a wolf-blooded being. It caused fever, hallucinations, even temporary paralysis.

The news spread like wildfire.

She was summoned to the principal's office. Her father came too, silent and unreadable.

> "Mr. Aiden, your daughter harmed another student," the principal said coldly. "This isn't the first complaint. Frankly, we've been patient, but this is the final straw."

> "She's been trouble since the first day," the assistant principal added.

Rowena stood outside the office, listening through the cracked door.

Her father's voice came, weary but composed. "It's fine. I've heard enough."

He left without another word.

That day marked the end of her time at that school.

But what none of them knew was-Ella's bite wasn't the end.

It was only the beginning.