Chapter 1

Gray... That was the color that would perfectly describe my mood today. From the doorway, I found myself unable to take more than two steps, as if the center of the room could turn my gray into black.

"Hi, my name is Eliza Singer, I'm 16 years old, and I'm from Heington. It's a pleasure to be part of such a prestigious school as Siram High School." That was my formal introduction in front of a bunch of unfamiliar gazes from teenagers with wolf blood.

Some looked at me with such curiosity that I felt like a rare museum piece, while others seemed to roll their eyes with disdain at the sight of a newcomer who was born and raised among ordinary humans. Among them, a red-haired girl sitting in the back completely ignored my short introduction, fully engrossed in what seemed to be the work of a lifetime. Her fingers moved silently and gracefully over a piece of paper, and her eyes sparkled at what could be a masterpiece—or just random scribbles...

In my head, all I wanted was to get out of here, run back to Heington, and pretend that nothing had happened over the past few weeks. But it was impossible to ignore the great summons. At best, I would be imprisoned and judged as a rebel, but I knew it wouldn’t stop there.

The great summons was a decision made during the grand clan conference, held in the city of Heington, located east of Siram. Heington is a major human metropolis, central to negotiations and the distribution of goods between clans. Due to its excellent location and the fact that it doesn’t belong to any clan, it is considered the ideal neutral ground to host the important Alpha conferences, which take place annually.

"Hey, newbie! You can sit here next to me." A boy with an athletic build, curly black hair, and a wrinkled uniform pointed to the seat beside him. I preferred a seat further back, and as I walked down the aisle, I noticed his confident wink, as if thinking I had noticed him.

I rolled my eyes, walked past him, and settled into the empty seat in front of the distracted redhead. Taking a quick glance at the paper she was focused on, I noticed small black circles tracing a path along a set of lines. Musical notes forming a melody that felt oddly familiar.

I sat quietly, smiling, as the biology teacher continued with the lesson. Even though I had missed a few days of class this semester due to the move, I didn’t feel lost at all with the material being explained.

"And this is how genetics..." The piercing sound of the bell rang, making the students quickly get up and rush out of the room. I calmly put my notebook back in my backpack and noticed the teacher muttering something to himself.

"Eliza!" He called just as I was walking past him. I looked straight into his light brown eyes, making him avert his gaze as he stroked his white beard.

"Do you need something?" I asked, my voice flat. I didn’t want to prolong the conversation since I still needed to find my next classroom, and being late on the first day wouldn’t be a good look.

"I know this is all new for you, and maybe you're struggling to keep up..."

"I’m fine!" I cut him off before he could start the usual speech about how he understands what I’m going through and wants to help. I had heard the same speech dozens of times this week, and I didn’t need anyone’s pity. Moving here was my choice, and I was adapting as best as I could. "Professor, I appreciate the concern, but it’s not necessary."

I tried to sound as gentle yet direct as possible. I stared at him seriously, waiting for him to let me go, and I heard him sigh as he looked at me in a slightly different way.

"Eliza, I know your background, and I can already imagine the kind of performance you’ll have here. Don’t let these changes stop you from continuing to shine." I smiled at him and nodded. Siram High School didn’t hold a candle to Genius School, the one I attended until last semester. But I couldn’t openly admit that, or I might lose my place in the only school in this village with decent education. "Annie, could you show Eliza where the next class is?"

I looked back and noticed that the distracted redhead was still sitting there, the only one left behind.

"Annie!" The teacher walked over to her and yanked a wireless earbud from her ear, finally snapping her out of her trance.

"Huh? What? Class is over?" she asked, completely lost.

"Annie, could you take Miss Eliza to the next class? I believe you’re in the same group."

"Eliza?" This was probably the first time she had looked at me since taking her eyes off her music notebook. I wondered how someone could get so completely lost in their own world.

"Hi, nice to meet you!" I said, waving at her. A look of realization immediately crossed her face, and her freckled cheeks turned red. She shoved her things into her bag haphazardly and walked toward me, keeping her gaze down the entire way. I decided to break the silence first.

"Annie, right?" She nodded slightly but kept her eyes on the floor. We stopped in the hallway in front of the next classroom door. "I noticed you were writing a score. Can I take a look?"

"Well, yeah... NO! It’s just that it’s not finished yet." She tried to explain, nervously gripping the sides of her skirt.

"I’m a composer too. Maybe I can help." She looked straight at me, probably trying to gauge if I was telling the truth.

Realizing I was serious, she opened her backpack and handed me her precious work. I grabbed a pen and quickly started correcting the off-key and off-rhythm notes, as well as completing the last missing line.

Her eyes widened in shock as she realized the "damage" I was doing, her trembling arms reaching out in an attempt to snatch her notebook back.

"What are you doing? Give it back!"

"Done!" I didn’t bother explaining. I just handed her the composition and walked into the classroom, leaving her behind, flustered.

Said you’d keep a low profile, but you’re already standing out, murmured my wolf inside me.

I couldn’t help it. Her lack of focus was already annoying me. Consider it my one act of goodwill, I snapped back at my wolf.

My wolf, Lisa, was right. My goal was to go unnoticed and finish this year as invisible as possible. To do that, I had adopted a nerdier look—baggy clothes, oversized glasses, and my long black hair tied up in a bun. If I couldn’t stay invisible for the next year and a half until I finished high school, I’d end up in trouble.

"See? I can do this!" I whispered to myself after the bell rang, marking the end of my first day of school.