Chapter 1

(Mia's POV)

When I returned from White Hills Academy, I walked into the kitchen and found my mother, Lucy Anderson, who told me, "Mia, we have guests coming today."

"What? Mom, who are the guests?" I asked, gazing at her face. Even though I had moved back here to live with my mother in the White Hills area and gained admission into the academy—where she teaches—I still couldn't feel comfortable.

I am Mia Anderson, a 17-year-old girl, and I used to live in London with my father, Rafael Anderson, before Mom requested that I return home and apply to White Hills Academy. The academy area was sparsely populated, and I had heard the sounds of wolves howling at night. It sent chills down my spine to know that we had wolves living around us, so I wasn't truly comfortable here.

"Mia, I know you're trying hard to get used to this place, but I promise you, you will love it," Mom said in a soft voice as she walked up to me in the kitchen and held my hand.

"Mom, there's nothing for me to like around here. First, there are the woods, the forest, and wild animals like wolves living around us. Aren't you scared that one of these wolves might jump on you one day and bite you to pieces? I'm so scared at night that I can't sleep, and yet, there are people living around us too," I complained bitterly.

I was wearing a short blue denim skirt, a long red sweater, and white canvas shoes. I was of average height, and so was my mother.

"Mia," Mom began, her lips curling into a smile as she let go of my hand and walked up to the gas cooker to check on the delicious meals that she was preparing for her guests.

"I understand that you're not happy about coming back here. If it weren't for your father, who traveled from one place to another, you wouldn't have grown so far away from here," she said, her voice filled with sadness as she checked the pot of fried rice and chicken she was preparing for dinner.

"Mom, I understand that you love this place—the forest, the waterfall, and the scenery of the green plants surrounding us—but I don't like it. I want to apply for a transfer to return to London. Please, I understand that you and my father got divorced, and Dad has moved on with his life, but this place doesn't suit me," I said, stomping my feet on the kitchen floor.

My mother smiled and covered the pot of fried rice that she had finished cooking. "Look, Mia, there's something I need to tell you about yourself before your 18th birthday," she said as she walked up to me.

The white dress she wore barely covered her thighs. My mother could pass as my elder sister because she was light-skinned and a 36-year-old woman.

"What is it, Mom?" I asked, watching her face curiously. She took a deep breath and said, "You are not really human, Mia."

"What?" My eyes widened in shock at her statement. "Mom, if this is a joke, please stop it. What is that supposed to mean?" I asked, feeling my heart about to explode from the revelation.

She smiled and held my hand. "Look at me, Mia. You are a werewolf—a Beta wolf, not just a human," she said, her blue eyes glowing brightly, and I staggered backward.

"Mom, please. Tell me you're joking. I don't understand what you're saying. How do you make your eyes glow like that? First, what is a werewolf? Do they exist? You seem to read too many fantasy books, and now you're starting to believe that werewolves are real and that they exist among us, let alone that I am a wolf too. Please, Mom. I am not in the mood for all these jokes. Just let me apply to go back to London. I will call you on the phone, and we can video call every day," I said, knowing that my mother found it hard to let go of me.

"Listen to me, Mia. Your father isn't human either. He is a werewolf like me, but he's a researcher, and that's why he traveled from one place to another, working on his research. He ended up taking you to London to be with him. He refused to allow me to tell you about your life here, but he knew the risk if you didn't return to the pack. You could shift one day, and maybe the animal control unit in London might get hold of you and lock you up in a zoo for scaring people," she said, laughing, and my jaw dropped at her revelation.

"Mom, you're scaring me right now. What do you mean that I'm not human? How is that even possible?" I asked, and she smiled sadly.

Before my mother could say a word, the doorbell rang, and she said, "Our guests have arrived, Mia. Don't worry, I will tell you about it tonight. Your 18th birthday is just a month away, and you need to get prepared to meet your mate and also experience your first shift as a werewolf."

"What? Mom..." I watched her run to the kitchen door to open it.

"Come on, Mia, my guests have arrived. Let's go and welcome them," she said, dragging me out of the kitchen to accompany her to the living room.

You wouldn't believe that my mother lived in this big duplex alone. After all, she was the chairwoman at White Hills Academy. I didn't want to study there, but Mom insisted, and she refused to allow me to stay in the academy hostel, so I stayed at home with her and followed her to school. I was studying banking because I wanted to work in a bank in London, but now I had to live in a pack full of wolves.

Anxiety crept up my back as my mother and I went to the living room door to welcome her guests. Mom had servants who worked for her and cleaned the house. She was a rich woman, and I was surprised that she was still single. Why hadn't she remarried? She had a slim figure and nice curves.

"Hmmm," I sighed as my mother opened the door. To my shock, the three bad boys from White Hills Academy—Luis, Liam, and Leon Oscar—entered the living room. They were triplets, wearing the same white tank tops that revealed their masculine abs, black jeans that hugged their long legs, and a pair of black boots.

"What? Mom! What are these three bullies doing here in our house?" I screamed and questioned my mother, glaring at the three bad boys from the White Hills Academy.