Chapter 1

Nova

In this world dominated by werewolves, being human means discrimination, unstable jobs, and a life with no respite.

“You’re fired. A werewolf will be taking your place.”

“Did I do something wrong?” I asked. “I’ve been a nanny for your household for three years now, and I know I’m human, but I thought I’ve proven that I’m more than capable of doing the job—”

“I’m firing you because you’re a human,” Mr. Rivers said curtly. “With my pup so close to awakening his werewolf gift, I can no longer allow a human to care for him. It might hinder his development.”

I felt my heart crumple in my chest. “But…”

“Listen…” Mr. Rivers’ voice softened somewhat. “It’s not that we don’t like you, Nova. You know that my son and wife both enjoyed having you around while it lasted. But you must understand—”

“No. I get it.” I stood, smoothing down the front of my neat uniform. “This is an important age for a werewolf pup. One wrong move and he could lose his gift forever.”

Mr. Rivers nodded stiffly and gestured toward the door, quietly muttering something about severance pay. I lifted my chin and turned on my heel, leaving without another word.

Mrs. Rivers was waiting in the foyer. When I approached, the woman’s face darkened with shame and guilt. She hurried forward and held out a small white envelope.

“I hope you know just how much we appreciated your help these past three years,” Mrs. Rivers said softly. “And I know you’re a single mother, carrying a medical loan all by yourself. So I wrote you a letter of recommendation for your next job.”

I managed a small smile and took the envelope. “Thank you.”

Mrs. Rivers sighed. “I really am sorry for my husband’s discrimination, Miss Brooks. It’s not your fault that you’re a human.”

Gee. Thanks, I thought, but maintained a polite smile. I didn’t feel like smiling, not when I had a six-year-old little girl at home to support on my own and a mountain of medical debt from her previous illness, but I had no choice.

This was just the way things were. Humans weren’t equal to werewolves in this society, and that was just a fact.

I would find another job, but it wouldn’t be easy.

Just then, the little boy I had nannied for three years since infancy came barreling into the foyer, all chubby cheeks and clumsy little legs.

“No-ba!” he cried, throwing his arms around my legs. “Where you going?!”

My heart clenched at the toddler’s confusion. I stooped and wrapped my arms around him, pulling him close to press a kiss to each of his cheeks. “I’m going away, buddy,” I said gently. “Be a big boy and take care of the house, okay?”

The toddler, not understanding, just began to wail. The new werewolf nanny who had been hired, a beautiful young woman with a head of dark hair and big brown eyes, rounded the corner and scooped him up without even looking at me.

He cried as she carried him away, but his cries subsided as she promised to give him a cookie.

I turned toward Mrs. Rivers, whose eyes were faintly shimmering with tears.

“The Alpha House is currently hiring a nanny,” Mrs. Rivers said, gesturing to the envelope. “If you give them that letter, you might just get the job.”

The Alpha House. My heart skipped just at the thought of working in the mansion where Alpha Dominic Blackwood lived. I hadn’t seen his face before—he kept a low profile—but I’d heard rumors that he was cold and overly professional. A man like him likely wouldn’t hire a human.

I nodded and headed for the door. “I do hope you get it,” Mrs. Rivers called after me as I left. I smiled and waved goodbye, but inside, I was dying.

At just twenty-eight years old, I had already been through too much for one lifetime. Six years ago, just before I was supposed to give birth to my daughter, my husband, Henry, had cheated on me.

Even when I was in the midst of labor, Henry had been with his lover.

I had divorced him right away and raised my daughter on my own. But my daughter was sick from birth, and required specialized medical treatment to keep her alive.

Thankfully, my daughter made a recovery by the time she was three. But the medical debt was insurmountable for a single mother, and being a human in this society made finding a decent, well-paying, stable job extremely difficult.

I found some success in becoming a human daycare teacher for a few years, although it didn’t pay well and work was scarce. Then I became a nanny for upper-class werewolf families, and everything went somewhat smoothly for a while—until now.

As I climbed onto the bus that would take me home, using the last bit of cash I had on me for the fare, I opened the recommendation letter and scanned it. It was sweetly written, and I appreciated Mrs. Rivers’ efforts, even if it felt hopeless.

Still, thinking of my little girl at home, I decided I would apply anyway. I couldn’t waste any time, not with my next debt payment coming up in just a couple of weeks. And I was short on rent this month, too.

Quickly, I pulled out my phone and checked the Alpha House’s website. I found the job listing right away, and was surprised to find that it was an open hiring process; they were holding in-person applications and interviews today.

I hardly dared to hold onto hope as I rode past my usual stop and instead toward the large Alpha House overlooking the town of Wintercrest. Soon, the bus stopped at a rural intersection at the base of the hill, where several other women—all werewolves—got off.

I followed them up the hill, looking up in awe as the mansion came into view. It was even more massive in person, tall spires atop each conical roof and large, ornate windows overlooking the sprawling gardens.

There was a gate manned by a werewolf at the end of the driveway. He stopped me as I approached.

“Name and purpose?” he asked, which he hadn’t asked the werewolf women that came before me.

“Nova Brooks. I’m here to apply for the nanny position.”

The security guard wrinkled his nose slightly, hesitating. “Alpha Dominic likely won’t hire a human as a nanny, you know. He has high standards—he has an entire city to run, after all.”

“There’s nothing on the job listing that says a human can’t at least apply,” I pointed out.

The guard looked uncertain, but finally let me in. I pulled my shoulders back as I strode past him and made my way up to the front door.

It was true; Alpha Dominic oversaw the entire city of Wintercrest. It was his pack, his domain. Humans lived there too, but it was werewolves—particularly the Alpha—who really controlled everything.

Inside, the mansion was even prettier than the outside. Buttery sunlight bathed the old hardwood floors, and upholstered furniture was arranged neatly around a spacious parlor where the applicants were waiting.

The air smelled like old books and wood and something baking somewhere in the house.

I was just about to take a seat on one of the chairs when a werewolf woman shoved past me, taking the seat first.

“Humans wait outside,” the woman said.

Some of the other women snickered at me, and it was then that I noticed I was the only woman here—werewolves, unless they were wolfless, often had distinctive features such as uniquely-colored eyes or particularly beautiful skin and hair.

Like gods and goddesses walking amongst mortals.

I suddenly felt as if I had stepped foot into a world that wasn’t meant for me. I knew little about werewolf culture or hierarchy, and felt like an outsider even in my normal life when surrounded by other humans.

Being the only human amongst a group of she-wolves made me feel even more out of place and uncomfortable and very much unwelcome.

“What are you still doing here?” another woman asked, shooing me away with her hand. “Go wait outside. You’re stinking up the room.”

My jaw clenched but, not wanting any conflict with the she-wolves, who had already decided I was the outsider and wouldn’t be changing their minds anytime soon, I made my way over to a set of French doors leading out into a small courtyard.

I stepped out into the cool early summer air and inhaled deeply, the scent of roses soothing me.

“What are you doing here?”

The male voice startled me, and I whirled around to find a cold-faced man in a well-tailored suit standing off to the right, beneath the cloister. He was partially standing in the shadows.

But what stood out about him were his eyes—an ethereal hazel, like warm honey or liquid gold, shimmering faintly in the darkness.

Just like my six-year-old daughter, Lila.