Being born with a predetermined fate can be overwhelming. It’s baffling and exciting at times. And for Zane to have lived a life outside his fate, completely oblivious of it, he never expected that he is more than just an ordinary guy living in the small town of Tilbury.
When all he knew are the people dear to him and despite being abandoned by his biological parents, Zane loved his new family for giving him another chance to live his life and have a future to chase. But his joie de vivre will soon be caught in a turmoil of his real identity. The once normal birthmark he used to wear proudly will bring him into a new world he never knew existed and later finds out that he has the werewolf print.
Zane is a werewolf!
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All werewolves have soulmate marks. Each mark is a unique symbol, same as fingerprints, worn by each pair of werewolves’ mates (alpha-omega pairs). However, non-royal werewolves’ print/mark only appears when they reach maturity, usually the day they turn to werewolves, while royal werewolves’ prints appear upon birth. Difference between marks are royal werewolves’ marks are deep, almost like veins forming a symbol underneath their skin. It usually appears as rosewood color under the skin. Meanwhile, normal marks are just dark to black color which look like a normal birthmark. Marks/Prints can be found in any parts of their body and not necessarily at the same spot.
Among these marks, half marks are the rarest of them all and almost inexistent. It remains a mystery up to this day because no one has ever been born with it and no living werewolves of many generations have seen it. In other words, no one has the knowledge that there can be half marks. Half marks are werewolves’ print that instead of having a complete symbol, theirs are missing the other side/half. These fated soulmates usually have stronger bond and connection with each other as they are believed to be one. Once mark-fated werewolves mate, they can usually feel what their mate feel when they are close or nearby. Unlike when half-mark fated werewolves mate, they can feel what their mate feel even when they are away from each other and they are gifted in reading their partner’s mind through eye contact.
After mating, their mate becomes their lifeline. Although it is not that extreme with normal werewolves, they can still die if their mate suffers excruciating pain especially omegas. If their alphas go through an intense suffering, some omegas couldn’t handle it and eventually die. Later on, some mated alphas also die from sorrow or vice versa. Because of this, some werewolves decided not to mate with their destined partner and kill them, usually alpha does this to their omega, so they won’t become their greatest weakness and eventually be part of the rogues or rebel werewolves. Marks also hurt when an alpha or omega mates with others who isn’t their same print as this is a greatest act of betrayal to their fate.
For royal marked werewolves, since the connection with their mate is stronger than normal werewolves, if one dies the other dies as well. That’s why it’s the Moon Valley’s tradition, a hidden city of werewolves, that upon birth of a newborn royal, they keep their prints confidential and secretly try to search for it until the royal baby turns one year old. Upon reaching his/her first birthday, the king and queen will announce the mark on public, within Moon Valley, so they can secure the safety of the other half of the royal baby under the protection of the pack. Of course, some tried killing royal marked omegas or alphas but always ended up dead even before they successfully do it as this is the greatest sin a werewolf can commit in Moon Valley, so the punishment is also intensified. Hefty rewards await for those who can give information to the royal marked partners that’s why instead of killing them, werewolves have carried out this decree in good riddance instead for the longest years.
In this werewolf world, royals are determined by marks and not by blood, as marks are given by the Moon Goddess.
Newborn werewolves or those humans turned to werewolves (rogues are the ones turning them) usually don’t bare any mark. Once turned, they join the rogues as they are usually unwelcomed in any of the packs for being the “outsiders”. Some of them are killed if they try to join any of the packs.
How will Zane take in all these truths behind a world he originally was born in? Let alone accept the fact that he is indeed a werewolf?
Thud! Thud!Zane could hear the loud thudding sound despite the white pillow over his head. He started grunting and stretched his drowsiness away while the banging on the door continues.“Hey, sleepyhead! We’re going to be late!” Zane heard the faint scream from the outside of his room, and he exhaled in finality after realizing who was trying to destroy his door. Despite being sluggish, he dragged himself out from the comfort of his sheet and flung his door open only to be welcomed by Keira, his loud neighbor slash best friend, with a piece of bread in her mouth as she munched on it.Slap!A sound of his bare chest, where his birthmark was, getting slapped rang in his ear. He’s half naked with only his necklace hanging on his chest.“Ouch!” He rubbed his stinging skin in exaggeration while the lady walked straight inside his room and plunged her weight on his messy bed.
“Aaahh! Get off me!” Despite having her eyes close as she struggles from the figure trying to attack her, she used all her strength to fight back. Zane instantly jumped on the creature and wrapped his arms around it to get it away from Keira. The creature was huge than a normal person and obviously stronger than him. Zane felt a lot of hair, or rather furs all over it. It smelled like a combination of earth, nature, and wet ground after it rained. It’s musky and strong all at the same time. Almost smelled like a wild dog. Zane thought it must be a wild wolf which happened to bump them, but it’s too strange to even call it one. “Aaahh! Zane!” Keira continued to wail as the creature snarled at her. Zane used all his strength to pull away the strange being from Keira, but it was too strong and too huge for his size alone. So, he coiled his right arm around its neck instead to stop it from biting his best friend. “Keira, run!” He struggled
The freezing night brought cold white and opaque sheet of snow blanket in every roof you can see in Tilbury. Even the day dawned crisp and clear, Keira could still feel the chilling shivers in her body despite the thick blanket embracing her. She naturally woke up from the pouring sunlight seeping in her room, making that nice warm touch on her cheeks.“Hmm…” she moaned, hugging herself with another pillow.But her forehead creased when a sudden flash of last night’s memory dashed in her head. Her confession.Her eyes abruptly opened wide. What happened? Keira tried to reminisce, whether she finally said it or not. But she instantly let out a sharp exhale when she remembered the distraction that stopped her from confessing. With a frustrated sigh, she ran her fingers through her hair.“Wait!” she uttered. “How am I –”“You’re up now?&
From the outside of the house, it looks old, but elegant. Though it’s built not to attract too much attention from the packs and to blend in with the rest of the werewolves’ houses to protect the fortress from outsiders, it is still one of the well-built houses in the territory.“How’s the hunt?” a lovely woman with her long dark wavy hair inquired the moment she laid eyes on her son.Tyr just kissed her head gently as his usual greeting. “Had captured more newborns than the last full moon.”The woman, a beauty that’s enthralling and exquisite despite the menacing aura around her, watched her son sit in front of her on their porch and gave him a sweet smile.“It must have been hard. Rogues need to stop exploiting humans into turning them into our kinds. If this continues, we won’t have any other choice but to eliminate those infecting them.” Her voice was of commanding demeanor, just as the
On their way to their next class, Keira and Theo were busy talking when Zane excused himself, telling his friends to go first. He waited for Zeev and Tyr to reach the corner not far from their first classroom and blocked their way.Zeev casually looked at him while Tyr still had those heavy eyes on him.“Oh, hi!” Zeev nonchalantly greeted with his hands in his pockets.“Are you following Keira?” Zane confronted with his serious tone.“Woah, easy.” Zeev chuckled.“Then why are you here?” Zane interrogated further.Tyr just coldly stared at him. Zeev sneered and laced his arm on Zane’s shoulder, guiding him in between them as they started walking again. Zane shrugged the arm at first, but Zeev winged his arm again on his shoulder.“Our first meeting isn’t nice, I know. We know. But we’re new in this town, okay? We just happened to bump into each other in the forest
Indescribable demeanor and everything about the man just scream confidence and supremacy. His presence is acknowledged with high regards by everyone present; paying close attention as the leader looked at his successor.Alpha King Frey.A title for the highest persona in Moon Stone; respected and praised for his decades of guidance and wisdom.“I never heard of this from the last council meeting,” Alpha Frey’s voice, though a bit calmer, sent tension to the two trainees in front while council elders listened.Tyr had no choice but to report what happened in the forest after knowing that Zane and Keira discovered Moon Valley. He told the alpha of the encounter in the forest, along with the fact that those humans reached their hidden territory. Werewolves have always protected their territory from human discovery to maintain the balance and peace of two worlds. They even protect humans from rogues by neutralizing them after they become new
Zane unconsciously stopped his classmate from reaching his lips with his left hand against Tyr’s chest. However, the contact just made the latter want more. So, he angled his head and aimed straight for Zane’s neck. The scent increased in his nose that it started to trance him for real.Hmm… He had his eyes closed, enjoying the omega’s pheromones emitting directly for him.When he was about to mark him, Zane snapped out from their mixed scent’s intoxication and pushed him away.“I said stop,” he wasn’t mad, only a bit scared. “What are you doing?”“Your scent…”“Keep your scent in, too! Omegas are vulnerable with your pheromones, so please don’t do that again. I don’t want anyone marking me.”Zane remained calm despite his churning stomach from the events. That’s when he remembered something.“Did Zeev mark Keir
Friday came and although the last conversation wasn’t smooth, Zane chose to play with Zeev and Tyr. As planned, the two invited Zane to go to the field but he asked them to leave first. Keira hasn’t been her usual self lately and he wanted to invite his best friend to watch the game.“It’s only one game. It won’t be long.” he insisted.“I’m really sorry, but Theo and I have other plans already.” Keira cutely pouted, albeit a bit pretentious and Zane could definitely tell.So, he didn’t want to push it. “Alright. Take her home after, Theo.”Theo just nodded and smiled before the two exited the room. When they were alone, Theo immediately spoke.“Why are you avoiding Zane?”Keira sharply exhaled. She knew it is so obvious by now. But she couldn’t help it. She’s been conflicted about what happened between her and Zeev last month. She wasn’t sur