Chapter 1

(Mia's POV)

“Mia, we are having some guests visiting us today,” my mother, Lucy Anderson, said as I returned from White Hills Academy and entered the kitchen to meet her.

“Mom, who are the guests?” I asked, gazing at her face.

Ever since I moved back here to live with my mother in the White Hills area and gained admission into the academy—a college for grown‑up students where she teaches—I still could not feel comfortable.

I am Mia Anderson, a seventeen‑year‑old girl. I used to live in London with my father, Rafael Anderson, before Mom requested that I return home and apply for admission to White Hills Academy.

The academy grounds were sparsely populated, and I had heard wolves howling at night. It sent chills down my spine to know wolves lived around us. So, I was not truly comfortable here.

“Mia, I know you are trying hard to get used to this place. But I promise you, you will love it,” Mom said softly, walking up to me in the kitchen and holding my hand in hers.

“There’s nothing for me to like around here. First, we have 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 feel so scared at night that I cannot sleep—and yet, there are people living around us too,” I complained, my voice nervous.

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

“Mia,” Mom said, her lips curling into a smile as she let go of my hand and walked around the kitchen to check the delicious meals she had prepared for her guests.

“I understand you are not happy coming back here. If it weren’t for your father traveling from place to place, you wouldn’t have grown up so far away,” Mom said, her voice tinged with sadness, while she checked the pot of rice and chicken she was setting up for dinner.

“Mom, I understand you love this place—the forest, the waterfall, the green plants surrounding us. But I do not like it. I want to apply for a transfer to return to London. Please, I know you and Dad are planning to divorce, but he hasn't moved on with his life. This place doesn’t suit me, please,” I said, stomping my foot on the kitchen floor. My mother smiled and covered the pot of jollof rice she had finished cooking.

“Look, Mia. There’s something I need to tell you about yourself before your eighteenth birthday,” Mom said, walking up to meet me. She wore a white dress that barely covered her thighs. My mother could pass for my elder sister—she is light‑skinned and only thirty‑six.

“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.

“Mom, if this is a joke, please stop. What is that supposed to mean?” I asked, feeling my heart about to explode from the revelation. She smiled and held my hands.

“Look at me, Mia. You are a werewolf—a Beta wolf, not just a human,” Mom said, her blue eyes glowing brightly. 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? What is a werewolf? Do they even exist? You seem to read so many fantasy books that you’re starting to believe werewolves are real—that they live among us, let alone that I am one too. Please, Mom. I’m not in the mood for jokes. Just let me apply to go back to London. I’ll call you, we can video chat every day,” I said, knowing my mother found it hard to let me go.

“Listen to me, Mia. Your father isn’t human either. He was a werewolf, like me. But he’s a researcher—that’s why he traveled from place to place for his work, and he ended up taking you to London. He refused to let me 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 the animal protectors in London might take you and lock you up in a zoo for scaring people,” Mom said, laughing. My jaw dropped at her words.

“Mom, you’re scaring me. What do you mean I’m not human? How is that even possible?” I asked. She smiled sadly.

Before my mother could say another word, the doorbell rang, and she smiled.

“Our guests have arrived. Don’t worry, Mia. I’ll tell you everything tonight. Your eighteenth birthday is just one month away, and you need to prepare to meet your mate and experience your first shift as a wolf.”

“What? Mom…” I watched her run to the kitchen door to open it.

“Come on, Mia, my guests are here. Let’s go welcome them.” My mother dragged 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 before I returned. After all, she is the chairwoman at White Hills Academy. I didn’t want to study there, but Mom insisted—and she refused to let me 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 spine as my mother and I went to the living room door to welcome her guests. My mother has servants who work for her and clean the house. She is a rich woman, and I was still surprised she was single. Why hadn’t she remarried? She has a slim figure and nice curves.

Ugh. I grimaced as I looked at the door my mother opened.

To my shock, the three bad boys from White Hills Academy—Luis, Liam, and Leon Oscar—entered the living room.

They were triplets, wearing identical white tank tops that revealed their masculine abs, black jeans that hugged their long legs, and black boots.

“What? Mom! What are these three rascals doing here in our house?” I screamed, glaring at the three bad boys from White Hills Academy.