Unraveling Secrets

「 Chapter 19 」

➳

Wearing a cheerful smile, Madeline strolled around the neck of the woods. It was the Mystic Moon's annual Fighter Day, a day dedicated to celebrating the strength and courage of the Pack's warriors.

The pavements around the territory were decorated with banners and graceful archways, blooming flowers of all colors were planted all around the land, and a joyful aura flowed through the atmosphere. The men engaged in friendly fights to refine their skills, while children ran and played together in the distance.

A tug on her skirt made her turn around. Behind her stood a little boy, his hands grasping the fabric of her clothes.

"Hello," He uttered, grinning adorably. "Are those cupcakes?"

Madeline crouched down to meet the boy's height, her smile widening. "Do you want one?"

He nodded eagerly and reached to grab the confection. "Thank you, Miss."

"Noah! Get back here." A woman ordered, rushing over to pull her son away. "Why are you speaking to the human?"

"She gave me a cupcake." He beamed, with icing smeared on his lips. The woman gave Madeline a snide glare, before picking up the boy in her arms and walking past her.

Although she did not say anything, her expression was enough to quell the young girl's gleeful spirit. Throughout her entire life, Madeline had received demeaning stares from werewolves, as if she were an alien of some sort. Perhaps she should have been used to it by now, but she couldn't help but feel hurt every time.

As they walked away, she could faintly hear the discussions between the boy and his mother.

"Why can't I speak to her?"

"She doesn't belong here with us. Humans are weak and..." Madeline did not hear the rest as she was too far at that point, but it was clear the woman was reviling her species.

Loud cheers broke her away from her thoughts. In the middle of a crowd, Matthew stood on a raised platform, fighting three werewolves at once.

By now, the entire Pack was aware he was a direwolf. But instead of feeling hostility towards him like other Packs have in the past, they respected him even more and praised his enhanced abilities.

"Go Alpha!"

"This is too easy for him."

"He's so strong!"

The crowd clapped in admiration as the last man fell to the ground, defeated, while Matthew wiped off the sweat from his forehead. Even after that intense fight, he hardly seemed tired.

Usually, Madeline would have been cheering with the others, but seeing her mate's incredible strength daunted her even more. If werewolves saw humans as weak, a direwolf would no doubt see them as even less.

She watched as another fight started. Within seconds, Matthew's opponent was on the ground, groaning in pain while the crowd applauded their Alpha.

The noise suddenly felt insufferable. Turning around, she pushed her way through the audience, wishing to be somewhere quiet. The woman's words from earlier clouded her mind.

She doesn't belong here with us.

Was it true? For as long as she's known, Madeline was surrounded by wolves. They could communicate telepathically via their mind-link, sense each other's emotions, and do so many more things she was completely excluded from.

But then again, she had also been separated from her own species her entire life. She knew next to nothing about human cultures. "Seriously, what the hell is a 'credit score' or a 'mortgage'?"