🐺🌙Never Wolf
Banished at sixteen for her inability to shift, Mabel Mason endures a solitary existence as a never wolf - a mysterious anomaly in the werewolf world. For eight years, Mabel roams the world alone, her heart marked by the painful memor...
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Fever grips me, and I pass in and out of consciousness. Sebastian's face illuminates my mind like bright bursts of lightning, but in the lingering darkness, a memory from eight years ago starts to replay in my head.
I stand in Hector's gloomy and oppressive office. My head is bowed, and I wait in anticipation of his judgment.
My parents and the high priestess flank his sides, casting glances my way.
Hector's gaze shifts to the high priestess, who subtly shakes her head. "She has failed to transform, my alpha."
A hardened line forms across Hector's mouth. Desperate for my father's protection, I turn to him, but he lowers his gaze, avoiding eye contact.
"We had high hopes for you, Mabel," Hector growls with disappointment. "But the Goddesses have deemed you unworthy of their gifts."
Defiance rises within me, and I tilt my chin up to meet Hector's bloodshot eyes. "I have a gift. I can sense death shades. I know when someone in the pack is about to die, and-"
The sharp sound of Hector's fist slamming against his desk stops me. "Do not talk over me, girl! You are a never wolf, a talentless freak. The goddesses have spurned you, and so shall I."
In desperation, I look to my father and mother. "Please, say something—anything," I plead. They remain silent, eyes fixated on the floor, unwilling to defy their alpha.
Hector's hand dives under his desk and pulls out a shotgun. A sharp gasp escapes my mother's lips, and my father's complexion turns white. Hector lifts the gun and aligns the muzzle directly with my face. Hector's eyes are bulging with rage. "I've got a silver bullet with your name on it. Run, Mabel. Don't ever come back. You've got ten minutes to leave my land before I come after you."
I stared into the two black ominous voids of the shotgun's barrels, urging my feet to move. My whole body was frozen in fear. Hector jerks the shotgun and cocks it. My survival instinct kicked in, and I whirled around, yanked the door open, and ran through the main house, out the front door, and down the drive. My legs carried me relentlessly until I hit the main road. I then collapsed on the tarmac, crying and vomiting. I was sixteen. I had no money and nowhere to go.
I cast a longing glance over my shoulder, hoping my parents or siblings might appear to help me — but they never did.
Sitting alone in the middle of the road, stark reality settled in: I was completely and utterly alone.
The old memory faded into darkness, but the pain from that day remained, lingering in my chest like a constant weight that pressed down on my heart, refusing to be forgotten.
I woke up confused and pissed off. My mouth was bone dry, and my body was sore. I barely remembered what had happened. I lifted my head and heard someone whisper my name, "Mabel."
I opened my eyes and saw Sebastian rising from a chair beside my bed. He was unshaven; his handsome features were framed by dark rings under his eyes and a five o'clock shadow.
