Chapter 1

Hazel's Pov

Have you ever felt so helpless that you were forced to return to a place you had sworn never to see again? That was exactly how I felt at that moment.

I had spent eight years running away from that world, convincing myself that I would never go back no matter what happened. I had built a life away from them and had done everything I could to forget about my past. But now, all of that was about to change.

“Your brother is going to die if the surgery isn’t done,” the doctor said. “It is the only thing that can save him.”

I sat across from him, crying so hard that I could barely breathe. My tears kept falling, but they weren’t going to change anything. Crying wasn’t going to save Ian. It wasn’t going to pay for his surgery.

I wiped my face with trembling hands, desperately trying to think of something I could do. “I would advise you to keep trying to reach your mother,” the doctor said. “You might be lucky.”

I almost laughed at that, but I didn’t have the strength. My mother was nowhere to be found. Her phone had been switched off, and I had already contacted most of the people I knew were close to her. None of them knew where she was or how to reach her.

I had run out of options, I slowly stood up from the chair and walked out of the doctor’s office. I couldn’t bring myself to return to Ian’s ward. Seeing him lying there helplessly would only make everything worse.

I walked through the hospital until I reached a quiet corner and stopped there. My back rested against the wall as I pulled out my phone with shaking hands.

For a few seconds, I simply stared at the screen. Then I opened my contacts and searched for a number I had promised myself I would never call again. My father’s number.

I had promised myself that I would never reach out to him again. I had also promised myself that I would never set foot in the werewolf world again. But I couldn’t let Ian die.

I stared at my father’s number for a long time before finally pressing the call button. The phone rang for a few secs then he finally answered 

“Who is this?” His voice came through the phone. I swallowed hard, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall again.

“It’s Hazel,” I said quietly. “I need your help, Father.” There was silence on the other end, I could almost feel his shock through the phone.

I hadn’t seen or spoken to my father in eight years. Eight years ago, I had packed my bags and walked away from his world without looking back. I hadn’t explained where I was going or given him any reason for my sudden disappearance, I had simply left.

I closed my eyes and waited for him to reject me. A part of me expected him to be angry but his response was completely different.

“Come home, Hazel,” he said. “Your inheritance is waiting for you. I’m dividing everything while I’m still alive because I don’t want there to be any shady fights between you and your half-brother.” I remained silent, listening to every word. “Besides, I’m dying,” he continued. “I need to see you one last time.”

My eyes immediately filled with tears, I closed them tightly as his words sank in. 

I needed to save Ian more than anything in the world, and my father was the only person who could help me.

But going back to the one place I had spent eight years trying to escape. Western Sun Republic. Just thinking about it made fear run through my entire body.

If the Lycan King discovered that I had returned to the country, he would hunt me down and this time, I knew he wouldn’t let me escape, he would kill me.

The Lycan King, Blade Voss, believed I was responsible for the death of his niece, Gianna, who had been my best friend back then.

Gianna had died on the night of my eighteenth birthday. Her body had been found at my birthday party, burned beyond recognition. King Blade believed I was responsible for her death and he would stop at nothing until he found me and killed me.

“Are you there, Hazel?” My father’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. I blinked and realized I had been staring into space.

“I need you to come and see me, please,” he said. “I don’t want to die without seeing you.”

My heart tightened at his words, I had spent eight years staying away from him, but hearing him say that he was dying made everything feel different. “I will come back,” I finally said but I’m not staying for long,” I continued. “Once I get what I’m there for, I will leave and come back here.”

I wasn’t willing to risk my life by staying in Western Sun any longer than necessary, I only needed my inheritance. That money could save Ian.

If my mother were here, she would probably tell me that returning to Western Sun was a terrible idea. But she wasn’t here. She had already disappeared from our lives, taking with her the money I had worked so hard to save for Ian’s surgery.

I had spent months saving every little bit I could because I knew Ian needed the surgery. Now, everything I had saved was gone, and I had no idea where my mother was or why she had done it.

“Just let me know the date you’re coming,” he said. “I’ll arrange everything as soon as possible.” There was excitement in his voice, and I could tell he was genuinely happy that I had agreed to return.

I couldn’t say I felt the same way, I had mixed feelings about going back. Part of me still wants to see him, even though he was not the best husband to my mother and a horrible father to me. Despite everything that had happened between us, I couldn’t deny that I still loved him.

A few days later, I stepped out of the airport with Ian held tightly against me. The moment my feet touched the ground, a strange feeling washed over me. I looked around slowly, taking in everything around me. Western Sun, I was finally back.

 A car was waiting for us outside the airport, and my father stepped out. He rushed toward me and pulled me into a tight hug, I stood there in complete shock.

For a moment, I couldn't believe I was actually seeing him again. He much healthier than I had expected. The only noticeable difference was that he looked older than I remembered.

I slowly pulled away and stared at him. “You said you were dying,” I said, unable to hide my confusion.

“Well, look at you,” he replied, looking me up and down. “You didn’t tell me you had added all this weight. I don’t think your mother loves you at all.”

My expression immediately fell.

“She watched you gain all this weight?” he continued. “Who is going to marry you like this?”

I wasn't surprised. That was how my father had treated me for as long as I could remember. He had never been the kind of father who made me feel beautiful or confident. Instead, he always found a way to remind me that I wasn't the daughter he wanted.

My father was the Alpha of a small pack. He was a fourth-level Alpha, and for years, he had hoped to use me to improve his position. But those plans had fallen apart because, in his mind, no powerful Alpha would want a plus-size Luna.

He had never stopped making me feel like my body was a disappointment.

I forced myself to ignore his words, his eyes suddenly moved past me. “who is he?” he asked, pointing toward Ian, who was hiding behind my legs. He studied Ian for a moment before looking back at me. “He looks like you. Are you his mother?” he asked seriously.

“No,” I quickly replied. “He is my younger brother, my mother's son. He is the reason I am here.”

Dad stared at Ian for a few seconds without saying anything. Then he shook his head. “I can't believe Joanna got married again,” he muttered. I frowned but said nothing.

“Come on, let's go,” he said before turning around and walking toward the car.

I stood there for a moment, watching him leave, something didn't feel right. If he wasn't dying, then why had he lied to me? Why had he made me return to Western Sun?

I took Ian’s hand and led him toward the car. We got inside, and soon, the car pulled away from the airport. I sat quietly in the backseat with Ian beside me, watching the familiar streets through the window.

It had been less than ten minutes when the car suddenly slowed down. I looked ahead, a vehicle was stopped in the middle of the road, completely blocking our path. “What is happening?” I asked, my heart beginning to race.

Before anyone could answer, several other cars appeared from different directions and surrounded us.Men dressed in black suits quickly stepped out of the vehicles.

One of them raised a gun and fired into the air, I screamed and instinctively pulled Ian closer to me.

More gunshots followed, panic immediately filled the car. The men surrounded us, and there was nowhere for us to escape. One of them walked straight toward our car.

He opened the door violently and looked directly at me. “Get down, fat bitch.”

I barely had time to process his words before he grabbed me, I struggled desperately, trying to hold on to Ian. “Let me go!” I screamed.

But the man dragged me out of the car with force, I reached for Ian, but another man grabbed him before I could get to him. “Ian!” I screamed, fighting against the man holding me.

Within minutes, I was being dragged away from the car while Ian was being taken in another direction. My worst nightmare had become reality on my very first day back.