Chapter 1

Oliver

I'm 30 years old and since I was 25, I've taken control of the pack "Red Moon." We're hidden in plain sight, no one on the island knows what we really are. Yes, we live on an island called Chiloe, and in this country, it's impossible to find packs of werewolves, I can assure you we're the only ones.

The island is full of stories, there are mythological characters, but none of them resemble wolves. My grandparents came here, escaping a war initiated by the high ranks of the werewolves. They didn't want to be part of it, so they took what they could and settled in this place, near a river and surrounded by native forests. Far from the chaos of war, my grandfather, who was the alpha, along with his beta and gamma, their respective mates, and some other friends who decided to follow them.

They built their homes in a place that was secluded and hard to find at that time. The only way to reach it was by crossing the Chacao Channel in boats.

Here, they learned to work the land, bought cattle, and thus, the pack grew and prospered.

A few years after they arrived here, maybe around 2 years, letters began to arrive for my grandfather with requests for refuge from young wolves, both males and females. Some of them were renegades. My exceptional grandmother couldn't turn away those young ones who needed a chance to grow, meet their mates, and be happy. This included the lone wolves who refused to become wild at such an early age.

The pack isn't that extensive, as those who can't find their Mates here go out into the world in search of them. We don't force them to stay; they have full freedom to do whatever they deem necessary for their lives, such as studying, traveling, or simply staying.

We are approximately 400 people, among us are humans, who if you ask, most of them are women. There must be around 50 of them, and yes, they are destined partners to some members.

Here, the wolves are divided into those who lead the pack, me, my beta Lucas, and my gamma Manuel. We grew up together, in fact, we were born just a few weeks apart. My beautiful sister, who helps me in any way she can, is also part of the pack.

We also have sentinels who take care of and watch over the surroundings. They are skilled fighters, not out of fear of attacks, but to protect our people. We have 2 doctors, and no less important, the pack's midwife, who helps women with their pregnancies and deliveries.

If you're wondering if I'm alone, my answer is yes. I found my destined mate on one of my trips to my grandparents' former pack. However, we went through the rejection ritual, something that broke my heart. She was very young, just a few months after her first transformation, around 17 years old, and she was deeply in love with the pack's beta. The only good thing about this rejection story is that the beta turned out to be her second chance mate. He had already had a mate, but an accident took her away from him.

I'm sure they are very happy now.

"Hey, cutie," my sister says behind me.

"Hey, gorgeous, how are you?" I respond, giving her a tight hug.

"I just came to tell you that my new classroom assistant will arrive in a few days."

"Can you please explain why the hell you searched for someone so far away for that job? Aren't there any girls on the island that you can hire?" I question.

"I couldn't find any 'girls' here who wanted to work with me. Most of them are scared of you," she says mockingly, knowing she's right. "Plus, she comes with a great recommendation letter and she worked with one of my friends from university as her assistant for 2 years."

"Okay, it's your area, you know what you're doing. Now I have to go, my love, I need to prepare the contracts for the new administrator and the veterinarian who will be arriving in the next few days. See you for lunch," I say goodbye to her, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

That's how I spent most of my time locked in my office, drafting contracts, having virtual meetings with potential clients for the dairy farm, which is not industrial, and we supply milk to some businesses that produce cheese and other derivatives.

Aurora

I'm on my way to catch the bus that will take me to my new and long-awaited destination.

I was recommended to work at a kindergarten in Chiloe. I love the countryside, if there's nature, there's no way to stop this journey, especially when what drives me to leave this city is the toxicity of those who call themselves my "family."

I'm 29 years old and I'm...very nice, hehe. I don't really have much to say about myself, especially about my physical appearance. I fit the typical look of a Chilean woman, not very tall, in fact, I'm short in height. My uncle took the extra inches away, my dad's brothers are really tall.

I'm a little chubby, I have pronounced breasts, they are large. Most of the time, I just don't wear a bra, I always hide them under big shirts. I'm good, or should I say, an expert at breaking fragile things. Glasses and cups are always in danger when they're in my hands.

I'm an educational assistant, something like the assistant to the preschool teacher. This opportunity doesn't always come around, it's not a good salary for any of my colleagues, but it's far from here. It will allow me to start over, far from those who hurt me. I need to disappear for my mental health. This job is perfect for me, you could say it's the job of my life.

I've been in Puerto Montt for 5 days now. I came a week earlier, just in case there were complications with my move. The distance from the metropolis to here is approximately 1,000 km, maybe a little more.

The journey to the island is by ferry, which is like a ship that crosses the Chacao Channel, filled with cars and buses.

In the boarding house where I stayed these days, I met two very nice girls. Both were young, one is 23 years old, her name is Lilly. She is a beautiful natural redhead with honey-colored eyes. She's tall and seems to be the calmest of the two. She's a veterinarian. The other girl is named Lucia, she's 26 years old and a whirlwind of energy. She's just as tall as Lilly, with long blonde hair and dark, almost black eyes. Surprisingly, they are going to the same place as me. Lucy will be working as the administrator of the dairy farm there, and Lilly will be the veterinarian in charge of the livestock.

They are equally excited, they say they love the charm of the island. They know many myths and legends that come from the island, they even claim to have seen some of the creatures believed to exist there. I find it hard to believe, if that were true, they probably wouldn't be alive. I enjoy listening to them tell stories.

One of the days we went out for a walk, they entertained me with stories about shapeshifters and such. According to them, there are...how can I put it...werewolves on the island? It's funny to think about that because there are no wolves in this country unless they mean the ones at the zoo located in the central region of the country. I find their claims amusing.

How exciting! Tomorrow we leave Puerto Montt to board, I'm so eager to arrive!

"Good morning, how are you for our journey?" I ask the girls, with a zombie-like face thanks to the hangover I have.

"Terrible," Lucy responds. "I think we shouldn't have drunk that bottle of wine last night, I feel awful."

"I hate to say I told you so, but...I told you so!" Lilly exclaims. "I begged you to leave the bottle, but of course, you both decided to drink even the water from the vase. Now I want you outside the boarding house so we can leave before the shuttle bus leaves us behind."

With Lucy, we grabbed our bags and followed Lilly, and thus we set off to catch the bus that would take us.

On the Big Island, a friend of Lilly's who lives in Castro will be waiting for us, and they will take us to Dalcahue.

My dear readers, the new edition only consists of spelling corrections.

Chapter 2

Oliver.

I am looking at the large courtyard of the main house, which houses the kindergarten on one side. My sister Rocio is running around the courtyard with the puppies from the pack who are on recess. She is a beautiful woman, tall, with long black hair. She is an Educator at the kindergarten, responsible for the 3-year-old children. She is the best for that job because she is sweet with each of those children. Lately, I am worried about her, I see her a little sad and downcast.

I go out to the courtyard to keep her company for a while, before she resumes her work and I have to go to the meeting with the council of elders.

"...Are you going to tell me what's going on in that little head? What are you thinking about so much?" I whispered when I reached her side.

She turns towards me, searching for my gaze, thinks for a few seconds, and responds.

"I still haven't figured it out, brother. I think it's been too long without finding my mate; I think it's time to leave the pack to search for him," she says with a sad tone, but I can sense determination in her gaze.

"Hey, calm down," I say, taking her cheeks and looking at her tenderly. "I'm sure he will appear soon, I can sense it."

She smiles at me, takes a long sigh, and is silent for a few moments, then turns and asks.

"And you? How are you? Have you stopped feeling pain?" she says, clearly wanting to change the subject. "I hope that our Goddess guides you to a good Luna. Even if you don't want to admit it, you know you need one to keep going. I hope to have nieces and nephews," she says dreamily, and I hope with anticipation that our Goddess forgets to give me a partner. I want to be alone, or at least that's what I long for at the moment.

"Oh, by the way, my dear brother," she interrupts my thoughts. "My assistant will arrive tomorrow. I will take her to live with me at my house."

"I imagine that if she comes from the Metropolis, she must be a human," I respond. "I don't have a problem with receiving humans. They usually come looking for seasonal jobs, but it bothers me when they are women. They always try to get my attention or the attention of the boys."

"Yes, and I already told you that she comes recommended by my friend Fran. And for your own good, and the good of your balls, I hope you don't scare her away with your unpleasant sense of humor and your antics," she threatens.

"I'm not going to promise something that I probably won't be able to fulfill," I respond with a big wolfish smile.

"Don't even think about it," she says, pointing at me as a threat.

In the council meeting

I feel so tired, my mind is anywhere but at the meeting.

My Beta, Lucas, my dearest friend, my second in command, we grew up together with Manuel. The three of us used to torment the old ladies in town, according to them, we were unruly kids.

He nudges my ribs, trying to get my attention on what the elders are saying.

"What's wrong? What are you thinking about so much?" he asks. "You seem absentminded."

"I'm just worried about Rocio, her eyes no longer sparkle like before. She thinks she will never find her mate," I comment in a low voice.

"Friend, I have a feeling that he will arrive soon," he says hopefully.

"I think the same, and I told her yesterday when we talked. She told me that she had made the decision to go out and look for him outside the pack. I don't want her to leave, I need her by my side to lead the pack. Without her... I won't be able to do it," I say sorrowfully.

"Relax, everything will turn out fine," he assures me.

Chapter 3

Oliver

"Hello, darling," I greet Rocio as I enter the kitchen. She is sitting by the fireplace, trying to light the fire. "Today, I have to go out with Lucas and Manuel. We were called by Castro last night to sign some contracts. Unfortunately, I won't be able to accompany you to pick up your friend," I say with a joking tone.

"And who are you making deals with this time?" she asks as she takes a sip of her coffee.

"With Leandro. You've talked to him before. He is Don Remigio's son and will now take over the management of the cattle company. He might come back with us. He wants to see the land," I explain.

"Alright, I'll have one of the guest cabins prepared in case he decides to stay," she says with her mouth full. "Do you need anything else for his arrival?"

"No, Lucas already talked to Mrs. Elvira. She will come to organize everything else here," I reply, grabbing my bag from the table to leave. "I'm off now. See you later. I love you."

Aurora

We arrived at the island. It's truly a beautiful place. Every time I've come here with my family, I haven't been able to explore more than the main square of Castro. This time, being alone, I want to tour the whole island or as much as I can. I want to make the most of my time here.

"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Lilly asks me.

"I was just thinking about how comforting it is to be so far away from my family, especially my mom. She is such a toxic person," I whisper, sighing, as I gaze at the landscape.

My therapist will be happy in our next session. A week ago, I made the decision to leave that house and never go back. I did it without fearing the repercussions it might bring.

"I don't know what kind of toxic relationship you had with those people, but I hope... well, we hope that at some point you feel safe and comfortable enough with us to talk about it without going into the same state of shock that we found you in a couple of days ago," Lucy says, looking at me with affection.

Flashback

"That day, we were at an internet cafe. I had just finished sending my documents and important papers that Rocio, my new boss, had requested. I hadn't done it earlier because I didn't want the people in that house to know that I was moving to the other side of the country. As I finished attaching the files and clicked to send, my phone started ringing non-stop. I realized the girls were looking at me, and they asked if I was going to answer. When the ringing stopped, a barrage of messages started coming in, all from my mother."

Messages

"Where are you? Why aren't you answering the phone? Stop being insolent with your mom. I can't believe you disappeared without facing the consequences after the bomb you dropped. You're not woman enough."

"I demand that you come here and face the music."

"I can't believe you decided to destroy this family and then disappear..."

"And many more messages like that. I stood there paralyzed with the phone in my hand and a blank look in my eyes. Before the girls could reach my side, I ran out of the internet cafe. When I finally snapped out of it, I was standing in the middle of the market, staring into space with a horrible pain in my stomach. I was starting to panic until I felt Lilly and Lucy hugging me, and at that moment, I could only start crying."

End of flashback.