Chapter 1

Tonight was the coming-of-age ceremony. It was the night of greatest honor for our generation of werewolves.

Around me, the werewolves I had grown up with shifted one after another beneath the moonlight and the crackling bonfires. It was the first time any of them had ever shifted.

Elegant wolves emerged in coats of various colors. Their bodies were powerful and sleek.

The venue erupted in cheers and low growls. They were celebrating the newfound strength of strong bloodlines.

Meanwhile I, Eve Lewis, remained exactly as I was.

I had on the same linen robe as the other girls while standing barefoot on the cold stone floor.

There was no burning heat inside my body. I couldn't make any other sound other than the one when I breathed.

I stood there like a misplaced statue in the center of a celebration where I didn't belong.

"Next up, Eve."

Keith Stanton, chief elder of the kingdom, called my name in an old, crackling voice.

All eyes were on me now.

Some looked at me with pity, while others with curiosity. Most of them stared at me with open ridicule and disgust.

"Can a mute half-blood even shift?"

I clenched my fists inside my sleeves, and my nails dug into my palms. The judgmental stares were inescapable and suffocating.

My stomach twisted violently. Sweat slid down my temples and stuck strands of hair to my skin.

I couldn't even defend myself.

"Don't be scared, Eve."

I heard a gentle voice next to me.

It was Carla Smith, my adoptive sister. She was the daughter of a council member, Trevor Smith.

She had already completed her transformation. She was an elegant, silver-gray shewolf.

She took my icy hand. Her nails dug painfully into my skin, but she acted like an older sister with the perfect display of concen on her face.

"Although Eve can't speak, and she can't shift either, she's still one of us!"

It sounded like she was defending me, but the words she used branded me as 'defective' and 'different.'

The whispers around us grew louder. The looks of disgust around me made my skin crawl.

I pulled my hand free and lifted my head. I used all my strength to look up at the throne that sat at the highest point in the hall.

Jamie Carson sat silently on the obsidian throne.

He was young, but he had enough power and authority to make every werewolf in Silver Moon Werewolf Kingdom bow to him in submission.

He was the secret I kept hidden in my heart for sixteen years. He was the only guiding light I could turn to during the countless nights of being bullied.

I used all my strength to look at him with an expression of plea.

I hoped he could see me. I hoped he could see the helplessness and desperation in my eyes.

Fortunately, he did.

Our eyes met.

His molten-gold gaze was unreadable.

There wasn't a trace of emotion in those eyes. There wasn't the pity I hoped for. In fact, there was nothing.

After only a second, he looked away. It was as if I didn't exist and didn't deserve his attention at all.

My heart skipped a beat. I then felt a chill down my spine.

Keith's cloudy eyes swept over me before turning toward Trevor, Carla's dad. Keith then spoke with unquestionable authority to announce my fate.

"Eve Lewis has an impure bloodline. She's unable to awaken into her wolf form, and she can't howl. To preserve the purity of the bloodline, the Council of Elders has decided to exile her to the Forbidden Forest. She'll be left to survive on her own."

There was dead silence after he said that.

Then came murmurs of approval. It almost sounded like they were relieved.

Being exiled to the Forbidden Forest was practically a death sentence.

The flames along the walls burned brighter, casting shifting shadows across every face.

Keith's judgment pressed against my chest like a boulder. I could hardly breathe.

The world 'exile' cut deeper than any blade.

My body started trembling uncontrollably. It wasn't from the cold. Instead, it was from the terror in my heart.

I looked around. The werewolves I had grown up with all looked down to avoid my gaze.

Their silence meant they agreed. It was the cruelest thing.

"Elder Keith!" Carla suddenly raised her voice. Her expression was filled with shock and sorrow.

She quickly walked up to Keith and put on a pitiful act.

"Please reconsider. Eve is just different from us. She's my little sister! Exiling her to the Forbidden Forest is basically a death sentence!"

She performed beautifully.

Every tremble in her voice and every unshed tear drew sympathy from the werewolves with perfect precision.

Some younger werewolves seemed to waver.

However, Carla suddenly shifted gears and spoke with the right amount of concern in her voice.

"But the elders' concerns aren't entirely unreasonable.

"The bloodline is the most glorious gift from our ancestors. We've never seen a condition like Eve's before. What if–

"What if she carries a curse that could contaminate our bloodline?"

She hesitated deliberately.

The word 'curse' made everyone's expression change instantly.

They initially saw me as a defective item that deserved pity. Now, I looked like the source of a terrifying plague to them.

The last traces of sympathy vanished.

I stared at Carla's back. My blood felt frozen inside me.

But the final decision belonged to only one werewolf, and that was the one who sat on the throne.

I turned to look at Jamie again with a pleaful gaze. I hoped he would save me once more.

He remained silent for a long while.

Gradually, everyone in the hall fell silent.

They were waiting for the Alpha King's verdict.