Chapter 1

Author’s Note

If you stumbled upon this story and it piques your interest enough to read it, thank you so much. I wrote this story in 2024, but I have to revise the entire thing and do some tweaking. It isn’t that the story is inadequate, but the first version felt dissatisfactory. I opt for a story that has resonance instead of flowery prose and poetic metaphors. I mostly lean on writing contemporary books, and the idea of merging both fantasy (as a big reader of it) and magical realism in a modern setting sounds rather ambitious. My first urban fantasy novel, “Under The Eclipse: The Blood Moon,” will be a sort of creative literary thesis instead of experimentation. It’s not a perfectly polished story with intricately woven words because I want it to be more relatable or enjoyable to the mass audience –– also because English is my second language and I’m still a novice author who has a lot to learn. What better way to gain more knowledge than first-handedly writing your stupidest ideas until they form into a coherent whole?

And if you’ve reached this part and have gotten past my unnecessary babbling, hop in and join Eleanor and the other characters as they navigate the mysterious world of Azen. I hope you enjoy reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it.

ﾒ𝟶ﾒ𝟶,

J. Aguilar

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DISCLAIMER

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. This story contains mature themes of violence, adult content, and explicit language that may be sensitive for some readers. Reader discretion is advised.

© 2026 A. J. Aguilar. All rights reserved

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The sky turned blood-red as darkness swallowed the moon. The fire, the howls, the silhouette of a man in a cloak: they all appeared so vividly I almost thought they were real. I hadn’t dreamt of anything eerily, not until last night. Mom had a notion that maybe it was just a representation of my repressed werewolf instinct –– since eerie dreams were common symptoms of that –– but I would disagree. I hadn’t turned since the last full moon and, unlike most werewolves in our pack, I didn’t have the ability to turn whenever I wanted. A part of me knew being half-blooded meant my supernatural nature had its extent. Goddess Selene wasn’t in favor of it, so she might’ve sneaked into my dreams. But why just now?

“The sun won’t give you the answers,” Mom said as if she read my thoughts, pulling me out of my trance. I realized the sun held my gaze. 

I turned my back from the window and found her putting down the cardboard boxes beside my bed. Strands of blonde locks cascaded to the side of her face before she stood upright, a small smile on her lips.

“I was just thinking about…” I hesitated. I couldn’t tell her that my thoughts were still preoccupied by that stupid dream. Not when she’d already packed and piled the boxes full of my stuff in one corner of my room. “Azen. I was thinking about what would happen after I move to Azen.”

“In a good way or a bad way?”

I shrugged. “Both? What if I just stay here with you?”

She stood upright, hanging on one hip and crossing her arms above her chest.

“Eleanor, if you’re thinking about the dream, it’s not a sort of premonition you should be worried about. Nightmares appear more often than you think, and nothing bad has ever happened since then,” she reassured, and it made me realize that, maybe, it wasn’t about the nightmares themselves but the meaning behind them.

“No.” I shook my head. “I just don’t think I can do this alone.”

“That’s what I thought, too, when I was pregnant with you. That I can’t do it alone.” She chuckled, and there was something about her smile that looked a bit strange. Like she was holding something in. “After your father died, I didn’t think I could raise a kid alone –– would always have nightmares about him and all random stuff. Then, before I gave birth, Luke came into my life to raise you with me.” It was followed by silence. The mention of my biological father maybe rang a different kind of familiarity in my head –– a distant thought about his existence. But Mom looked indifferent about it, so she continued, “What I’m saying is, you’re not going to be alone.”

“You’re joining me at Azen?” I asked, a little too hopeful.

She shook her head before answering, “No, silly. Someone else will.”

Before I could respond, the door creaked wider as a tall man came into view. The gust of wind from the open window swept against his brown curls. Those hazel eyes glinting under the direct sunlight gave me a sudden hint of nostalgia. When the side of his mouth creased into a grin, that’s when I recognized the guy standing in front of me.

“Harvey?” I said.

I couldn’t help but giggle as I ran towards him. I laced my arms around his neck to an embrace, and he pulled me by the waist, burying his face in my shoulder. He’d grown so tall I had to tiptoe to reach him.

“I missed you, Elle,” he almost whispered, his chest vibrating against mine.

I pulled away from the hug before I even melted into him. His face changed –– more chiseled than I last remembered it. He’d apparently shaved his beard to a goatee, which made him look a bit unrecognizable. His tanned skin looked golden under the sunlight, casting shadows perfectly into the crevices of his face.

“It’s been three years.” I stared into his eyes with longing.

“Yeah, it’s been a while.” There was a hint of distance in his eyes –– or more like sadness I couldn’t put my finger on. They were half-closed and glistening. “I’m so sorry I left.”

It had been a while since we’d last seen each other. It was before we separated; before his parents had to divide the pack to live as one with the humans; before college… before hiding. But I could still recall the time Harvey and I would walk by the shore, write our names in the sand, and collect different seashells we put inside a mason jar. He would comment about my blonde hair bleaching after I soaked too long at the beach; would tease me about the redness on my face every time I’d get sunburnt. I remembered when I laughed at the face he made when he got stung by a jellyfish, and he was so irritated that he promised not to surf with me again. Those times… I wish we could go back to those times.

I frowned at him and nudged his arm. “You didn’t even call. It’s like you disappeared and I never heard from you again. I waited for you. I thought you’d never come back.”

He searched for my eyes and tucked some strands of hair behind my ear. I almost flinched at his gesture. I didn’t know how I would react to him now. His eyes appeared more sunken, lids heavy as if from exhaustion.

“My parents, for some reason, want me to lose all contact with the pack, including you and your mother. Then they realized it did more harm than good, now we’re here.” He looked behind me, where Mom stood. 

“He’s coming with you to Azen,” Mom said, and I glanced at her in surprise. 

Harvey laced his arm around my shoulder, pulled me close to him, and responded, “Don’t worry, Agatha. I’ll take care of her from now on.”

“As you should. I know she’ll hesitate to leave, so I thought you’d be the one to convince her.” Mom giggled at the face I made as she moved past us. “Anyways, I’ll leave you two be. You both still have time to talk it out.” 

As Mom left the room, silence filled the gap between Harvey and me. He didn’t know what to say, just as much as I didn’t. And I wasn’t used to the quietness or the awkwardness our distance created.

“How did you feel when your mom told you you’re moving to Azen?” He broke the silence, and I’d just realized his voice sounded deeper, almost croaky.

“To be honest, Azen is an unfamiliar place, so I didn’t know what to feel.” I sat at the edge of the bed and patted the seat next to me as he complied with my gesture. “How about you? What happened?”

“They’re good, somehow,” he shortly answered, and I could tell he was hesitating. Distance really did something. It was almost like we couldn’t pick up where we’d left off.

“I mean, why did you have to leave?”

“It’s a very hard decision to make on their end.” He leaned back a little before clearing his throat. “But they have to decide what’s best for their pack as the alphas.”

“Yeah, but what happened? Did they tell you why they divided the pack?” I tried my best not to make him uncomfortable by asking too many personal questions involving his parents, but knowing Harvey since childhood, he used to always tell me everything.

“I think there was a threat from the humans after the incident where one of our pack’s betas accidentally killed a hunter in the forest,” he answered while he looked around the room. “Mom and Dad decided it would be best to blend in with the humans. We’re the only pack in this town that’s still alive. The rest, as far as I know, live in Azen,” he explained. “But we’d lost contact with most of our werewolves.”

He answered the question that had been swirling in my head for the past few years. I thought his parents –– the alphas –– abandoned the pack because we couldn’t live as werewolves in this town. That was partly true, but at the same time, denial only led to more confusion. And that nightmare… Mom was right when she said it suppressed werewolf instinct. Even she knew it without being one.

“So the possibility of reuniting the pack ––”

“They’re working on it,” he said, and it almost gave me relief, “but it might take some time.”

“We’re moving to Azen: a completely different place or world where most of the supernaturals live –– you and I, without anyone to have our backs. And I’m leaving my mom behind. Are you sure we should be doing this?”

“I know this scares you.” He reached for my hand on my lap, and the warmth of his palm made me almost flinch. “But I won’t let anything bad happen to us. Besides, this world is far more dangerous for our kind. It’s why we hid for so long.”

But I didn’t have to hide here, I thought to myself. I hadn’t turned since the last full moon, and it somehow suppressed every werewolf part of me: the hunger, the instinct, even the strength. I had never felt more human than I did now. It made it easier for me to blend in because I disregarded the regression of my supernatural abilities. Moving to Azen now, maybe, triggered that part of me that I hadn’t fully acknowledged.

“Are you alright?” Harvey asked, concerned, watching as I stared past him. I almost got lost in my thoughts. I couldn’t decide whether to tell him about it or just shrug it off like I always did.

“Yes––yes, I am,” I answered instead, which received a chuckle from him.

“You know, I’m also scared to move away. I know it’s been years since we parted ways, but the fact that I’m doing this with you now is enough of an assurance. I hope you feel the same way because I wouldn’t have decided if you weren’t coming.” He didn’t pull his hand away from mine; instead, he caressed it with his thumb. Heat rushed to my face, so I slightly scooted over from him and casually distanced myself.

“I––uhh, I do. I mean, we’re best friends. We do things together.”

He stood from the bed, took a deep sigh, and smiled at me.

“I’m glad we’re on the same page then.” He tucked his hands inside the pockets of his pants. “Mom and Dad are waiting downstairs. They have a very specific mission for us two.”

“Mission like?”

He tugged his lip to a smirk before responding, “To find our mates in Azen.”