Chapter 1

SELINA'S POV

"No! I hate her! Why don't you just take her back to wherever you found her?! She's a nobody. We don't even know what kind of creature she is!"

I was about to enter the house when I heard Ellaine's angry voice again. I couldn't understand where all her hatred for me came from. We grew up together, after all, there was only a one-year age gap between us. She was just one year old when Dad brought me home.

She was Dad and Mom's only biological daughter, while I was their adopted child. Dad told me that he found me floating down the river inside a basket. He brought me home, and he and Mom raised me as their own. I have never done anything to Ellaine, yet she hates me so much and has never wanted me around.

"What are you staring at?! You're so useless!" she shouted angrily the moment she stepped outside and saw me standing in front of the house. What did I do to make her angry this time? I had already stopped training with them because she didn't want me there. What have I done to deserve this?

"Selina, have you been standing there for long?" Dad asked in surprise when he saw me. I gave him a small smile before walking inside the house. "Did you hear what Ellaine said?" he asked worriedly.

"Don't worry about me, Dad, I'm already used to Ellaine treating me like this. She's hated me ever since we were little." I smiled as I answered, hoping he wouldn't worry anymore. Ellaine's hurtful words no longer affected me.

"The Mooncrest Trials are just around the corner. If you don't train with the others, how are you going to make it into the Top 10?" Dad's voice was filled with concern. I let out a quiet sigh. It didn't really matter to me whether I made it into the Top 10 or not, but whenever I thought about getting into Lunaris Royal Academy, I couldn't help but wonder if my life would finally change.

"Selina, you should train with them, not just to make it into the Top 10, but so you'll be strong enough to survive when the day of                  The Mooncrest Trials comes. Your opponents will be incredibly powerful. You're wolfless, do you really think you can survive when everyone is determined to enter the Top 10 and earn a chance to study at Lunaris Royal Academy?" Mom said as she placed the tray of food on the table. Her voice carried the same concern. Even though I was only their adopted daughter, I had always felt their love for me. It was only Ellaine and my classmates who treated me like I didn't belong.

"Your mom is right, sweetheart. Do you want me to accompany you to the training area?" Dad offered.

I shook my head. Mom and Dad didn't know that Ellaine and several of our classmates had been bullying me. If they found out, Ellaine would only hate me even more because she would think I had tattled on her and that I was trying to steal our parents' attention.

"I'm fine, Mom, Dad. Don't worry, no one has ever died during the Mooncrest Trials," I said with a laugh, hoping to ease their worries, but their expressions remained serious.

"Your wolf still hasn't awakened, Selina. Even if no one has ever died during the Mooncrest Trials, you might become the first. A werewolf's strength is completely different from that of an ordinary human, Selina."

I didn't answer Dad.

I didn't know why my wolf still hadn't awakened. My eighteenth birthday was only a few days away, which meant I would finally be able to recognize and scent my mate, yet I was still wolfless. I knew I wasn't human because even without a wolf, I possessed strength far beyond that of an ordinary person.

I left the house and headed toward the training area. All the upcoming first-year students were preparing for the approaching Mooncrest Trials. Only ten students are selected per pack to study at Lunaris Royal Academy, where future Alphas, Betas, and warriors are trained.

From a distance, I watched the students as they trained. Everyone was excited for the Mooncrest Trials because we would soon find out who would earn a place at Lunaris Royal Academy.

I headed into the forest where I always trained alone. If Ellaine thought she could stop me from becoming stronger by keeping me out of the training area, she was mistaken. Even if they refused to let me train with them, I already had my own place where I could continue improving myself.

I picked up my daggers and threw them at the tree with all my strength. Every single one hit its target, then I sprinted forward and leaped high into the air. I bent my knees slightly before pushing off with all my strength and delivered a series of powerful kicks into the air. I had been training like this by myself ever since I was a child.

I walked over to the wooden dummy I had made and unleashed a rapid combination of punches and kicks. My hands and feet no longer hurt from striking it because years of relentless training had hardened them.

Sweat was already dripping down my face, but I continued without stopping. I couldn't afford to waste even a second. If I wanted to make it into the Top 10, I had to become strong enough to survive against the powerful opponents waiting for me.

I suddenly stopped what I was doing. My eyes shifted toward my side while my head remained facing forward. I could smell him, and I could clearly sense his presence. Someone was watching me.

Without hesitation, I pulled the dagger strapped to my leg and threw it toward the spot where the stranger was hiding.

"Fuck! Damn it.” I looked at him as he quickly stepped out from behind the tree. I frowned. How long had he been watching me?

"Who are you? What are you doing here, and why are you watching me?" I demanded.

His expression remained serious. His brows were naturally furrowed as though he carried the weight of the world every day. His eyes were a striking shade of blue, and his jet-black hair was slightly messy. He looked around my age, maybe a little older.

"I was just walking around until I saw you training by yourself. Are you one of the first-year students participating in the Mooncrest Trials?" he asked expressionlessly.

I noticed how elegant his clothes were. He definitely wasn't ordinary, especially with the golden lining embroidered on his outfit.

Is he an Alpha?

"It's not my responsibility to answer your questions. What are you doing here?" I asked firmly. I had been training in this forest for years, and no one had ever found my secret training ground. He was the first.

"I was just taking a walk around this place. You should continue what you were doing," he replied coldly before turning his back on me.

This was the first time I had ever seen him. I knew he wasn't from our pack.

"Are you a rogue?" I asked.

He stopped walking, but he didn't turn around.

"Do I look like a rogue to you?"

That was all he said before walking away. He shifted into his wolf, and within seconds, he disappeared from my sight. Judging by the size of his wolf, he was no ordinary werewolf.

Is he a Beta, a warrior, or an Alpha?

Who is he, and what is he doing here?