Chapter 4

SELINA'S POV

"Selina, don't you have anything to say?" Mom asked.

"Mom, I didn't do anything to Adrian. He choked me earlier, then all of a sudden he—"

"Liar!" Ellaine cut me off. Just as I expected, she didn't want Mom to find out that they had been bullying me at school. "Now you're trying to ruin Adrian's reputation too? He suddenly started acting strangely and left the moment he touched Selina earlier. What kind of spell did you use on him, huh?!"

"I said I didn't do anything! How many times do I have to tell you that I did nothing to him? Why don't you ask him what happened so you'll know? I don't even know what he was feeling," I shot back angrily. Mom could only rub her temples in frustration.

"Both of you, stop."

"Mom, are you really going to wait until Adrian's father comes here? Why did you even adopt that girl when all she's ever brought to this family is bad luck?!"

"Ellaine, I said enough!" Mom shouted. Ellaine let out a bitter laugh while glaring at Mom.

"You're taking her side now, Mom? Are you really going to stand by your adopted daughter until the day you die? I'm your real daughter!"

"You were there earlier, Ellaine. You saw everything that happened, and you know I didn't do anything to Adrian. Please don't disrespect Mom. We both know that you'll always matter more to her because you're their biological daughter. I'm not trying to take your place in this family. You're the only one who keeps thinking that."

"Oh, really? There you go again, acting pitiful so Mom will take your side. That's what you're good at, isn't it? Pretending to be the victim so everyone will feel sorry for you. I really wish Dad had never picked you up and brought you here. You stole my parents' attention that should've belonged to me alone. I hate you. I'll never like you, no matter what. For all we know, what kind of creature are you? What if you're actually a Lycan? A monster."

She emphasized the last word before turning to Mom.

"I just hope you and Dad won't regret adopting her. She might be the one who kills all of us once we find out she's really a monster," Ellaine added before storming out of the house. Mom could only let out a deep sigh.

I didn't know what kind of creature I really was either. What if I really was a Lycan?

"Mom, I'm sorry about that. I swear, I didn't do anything to Adrian."

"Selina, sweetheart, tell me what's going on. What really happened to Adrian? Ellaine wouldn't be this angry for no reason. We both know she's liked Adrian for a long time." I sighed and looked away from Mom. Should I tell her that Adrian was my destined mate?

She would definitely be heartbroken for Ellaine, especially since Ellaine was her biological daughter.

I looked back at Mom when she gently stroked my arm.

"Tell me, I won't tell anyone," she said softly. I trusted Mom because she had always been a good mother to me.

"Mom, I already found out who my mate is." My answer shocked her, but after a moment, the surprise in her eyes was replaced by a smile.

"Shouldn't that make you happy? That means you're a werewolf and not a human. Who is your mate?" I sat down on the sofa and let out another slow breath.

"It's Adrian. He suddenly left earlier because he realized that I'm his mate too." Mom didn't answer right away. I looked at her and saw both worry and fear reflected in her eyes.

"I don't want anyone to know, especially Ellaine, because she's hoping she'll be Adrian's mate and become the future Luna of the Shadowfang Pack. If she finds out, she'll just hate me even more," I said quietly.

Mom sat beside me and gently rubbed my back.

"She'll find out eventually, but if you want to keep it a secret for now, then I won't tell anyone. She has to accept that she isn't Adrian's destined mate. Once she meets the person the Moon Goddess has chosen for her, she'll eventually move on from Adrian."

I simply gave Mom a faint smile.

For the next few days, I continued training in my secret hiding place. I even tried making myself angry, hoping my wolf would finally awaken, but no matter what I did, nothing happened.

When exhaustion finally caught up with me, I sat down and wiped the sweat from my face. What if I really am a Lycan? What if I'm not a werewolf at all?

Lycans are the greatest enemies of werewolves. According to our history, they nearly wiped our entire race from the world. We only managed to recover after surviving their attacks. That's why every student is being trained to fight, because another Lycan invasion could happen at any time, and they could try to exterminate our kind once again.

I took a deep breath. If I really was a Lycan, they would kill me the moment I shifted and they discovered the truth.

As soon as I entered the school, I carefully observed my surroundings. I was exhausted from constantly becoming the target of whatever they decided to throw at me. I'd rather avoid them and let them grow tired of setting traps for me.

I was about to enter our classroom when I saw Adrian blocking the doorway. I let out a quiet sigh. What did he want this time? What was waiting for me now?

I walked toward him, his cold glare never leaving me.

"We need to talk." He grabbed my hand and pulled me away roughly.

"Adrian!" Ellaine called after him.

The other students had already started looking at us because Adrian was dragging me away. I simply followed him to avoid causing an even bigger scene. He brought me behind the school where there were no students and no one could see us.

Even after we stopped walking, he still hadn't let go of my arm.

"Let go of me," I muttered irritably as I pulled my arm away and stepped back. Adrian ran a hand over his face. Was he still angry because of what he had discovered?

"Are you still going to blame me for the Moon Goddess choosing me as your mate? Don't worry, just like you, I've also been asking the Moon Goddess why, out of everyone I could've been paired with, it had to be you." He let out a bitter laugh.

"You're the picky one now? I'm the future Alpha of this pack, Selina, and I can't accept you as my Luna. I only wanted to talk to you so you'd understand your place. Let me make one thing clear, you are not to tell anyone that you're my mate. The moment someone finds out that you're my mate, I'll kill you." After threatening me, he turned around and walked away.

If he really didn't want me, then why didn't he just reject me and put an end to all of this?