Past (Rewritten Version)

I remember. Ten years. Alone. Aimless.

All the faces that once smiled at me now looked at me with contempt. I was the unwanted child. But, deep down, I understood them. If not even my own wolf accepted me… why would the pack do differently?

I don't remember much of my life before the end. I only know what they told me. I was born during a rare eclipse—the Blood Wolf Eclipse. And, after my birth, no female in our pack could bear children. None. The blame? Placed on me. On a newborn.

"Maybe it was punishment from the Moon Goddess," they said.

But what did I have to do with it?

In our country, wolves live divided into five large packs:

Dark Moon, at the top of the hierarchy, commanded by the Supreme Alpha. They are immortal, gigantic, owners of an ancestral force.

Moon Guardians, below them, born warriors—the shields of the packs.

Moon Claw, masters of creation: they build, cultivate, shape the world.

Moon Valley, wise men and healers, those who care for the wounded and advise the leaders.

And, lastly, Full Moon. My former home. We are—or were—excellent sniffers, trackers par excellence.

In Full Moon, it is tradition that, at birth, the parents and the alpha's family feel the spirit of the child's inner wolf. But, at my birth… nothing happened.

The village elders, always disguised as gossips, whispered what happened on that cursed day. They said that everyone was anxiously awaiting the birth of the child marked by the eclipse. Being born under a special moon always meant something. The Moon Goddess never left it to chance—she gave gifts, missions, legacies.

But eclipse? It wasn't just any moon. It was rare. It was dangerous.

Only the children of the Supreme Alpha had the privilege of being born under one. So, when the news arrived—the daughter of a simple omega soldier being born under the Blood Wolf Eclipse—many found it impossible. Wrong. An error of fate.

Alpha Delta Omen personally went to the house of my parents, Cirrus and Stela Void. When he arrived, he was surprised by the silence. No scent of a newborn wolf. He transformed into a wolf, sniffed. He approached the crib and, with his sharp nail, made a small cut on the sole of my foot. My cry cut through the air. But when he took the drop of blood to his mouth…

Nothing. No sign of a wolf. No connection.

In silence, he returned to human form. And before leaving, my father, with pleading eyes, asked:

"Alpha, by the Moon Goddess… what will my daughter's wolf be like?"

The Alpha stared at the baby one last time, and replied:

"I feel nothing. Either she carries a wolf so powerful that it hides even from me… or she was punished. And was not born with one."

His gaze hardened.

"Cirrus, you know that humans cannot live among us. If this wolf does not manifest by the age of seven, she must leave at ten. She will be rejected by all."

My father could only nod, in silence.

From that day on, they said, he knelt every night and prayed to the Moon Goddess. He begged. He cried. He pleaded for me.

Until the age of seven, I was loved. Spoiled, even. Everyone believed that my wolf would appear, even if late. But my seventh birthday arrived. A Full Moon night. The Alpha and the entire pack gathered. I introduced myself, small and anxious.

Nothing.

My wolf did not appear.

Affection turned to contempt. Affection turned to fear. Love, disdain.

I understood that my fate was sealed.

I learned to fend for myself. I lit fires, fished, healed myself with herbs. Still a child, I was already a survivor. And the more the days passed, the more I felt the end approaching.

Then came my tenth birthday.

The entire village gathered in the field. The Alpha, imposing, stared at me and said:

"This is your last chance, Melinda. Show us your wolf. If you hide it, you will be rejected forever."

I tried. How I tried.

I ran. I screamed. I pleaded. I forced every muscle in my body. I begged the Moon Goddess. But… nothing. The emptiness. The silence. The rejection.

My mother walked up to me with teary eyes, handed me a backpack with clothes and food. She kissed my forehead and whispered:

"I love you, my darling. Never forget that."

My father just watched. Silent. Defeated.

And I, with my chest on fire, turned to everyone. To the pack. To the Moon Goddess.

"Pray. Pray that the Goddess never gives me a wolf. Pray that this cursed eclipse means nothing. Because if one day… if one day I awaken, and you need me, remember this moment. The moment when Melinda Acrasia became just Melinda. The rejected one. And if one day I have to choose between saving you or choosing a vampire… you already know my answer."

I turned my back.

I ran into the forest. The rain fell. The tears too. Warm and cold drops mixed on the face of an abandoned child.

I looked at the sky, covered with clouds, and shouted:

"Why?! What did I do to deserve this? Why did you choose me, Moon Goddess? Where is my wolf?! Talk to me!"

But the silence of the night was my only answer.

That night, I slept with an empty stomach, a frozen body and a broken soul. And I left everything behind.

Today, I am just Melinda, the Nomad. Without a home. Without roots. Always running. As if I were guilty of existing.

But I heard that there is a different pack… that accepts everyone—wolves, vampires, humans. A land where no one is judged by their origin. Where maybe I can, for the first time, really live.

And that's where I'm going. Once again with my backpack on my back, ready to try. Or not.

Noam Arescco

I am Noam Arescco, the Supreme Alpha of the Central Pack, known as Black Moon.

Unlike other packs, not only wolves live here — vampires and humans also share the same territory. I created this place with a single purpose: to allow all supernaturals to coexist in peace, away from hunters and human ignorance. Here, no one is excluded. Humans live among us, without even imagining what is really happening around them. The vampires, in turn, know the only unbreakable rule: never be discovered. As long as I live, this peace will be maintained.

I was born during the Blue Moon Eclipse, a bright and rare supermoon. They say that whoever is born under this light carries the direct blessing of the Moon Goddess. And, in fact, I was blessed — or cursed, depending on the point of view.

She gave me strength, speed, intelligence, and a gigantic wolf: Vadon, with fur as black as night and eyes as red as embers. Both in my human form and as a wolf, I am impossible to ignore. But… there is a part of me that even I cannot control. Within me also lives a Crinos.

Crinos are beasts — 15% man, 35% wolf, and 50% werewolf — uncontrollable, savage, bloodthirsty. No one dominates them. Not even me.

I have lived for 150 years. And, during all this time, I have never found my mate. My Luna. I confess that I spent centuries searching, keeping myself pure, waiting for her. But, in the end, I got tired of looking for what might never have existed. I closed my heart. Today, the only ones who share my bed are occasional lovers who help me endure the curse of the full moons.

My oldest advisors insist that I need to get married. They say that an Alpha needs to leave heirs. — I feel like ripping their tongues out whenever they mention that.

The elders, however, speak of a prophecy. According to them, in the next Blood Wolf Eclipse, a rare woman will emerge — a she-wolf marked by suffering. They say that her heart has been broken so many times that, if she doesn't find her mate in time, she will die… but before that, she will burn everything around her.

What kind of power is that?

Who is this woman that even the oldest fear?

Could it be… she is my Luna?

But how will I recognize her? How will I know it's her?

These questions don't leave my head. I've given up on having hope, and I don't want to make room for new illusions. I don't want to hurt myself — and much less Vadon.

Over the years, our pack has grown. The village has become a city. For the supernatural world, we are Black Moon. For humans, we are just Maville — a quiet town in the middle of nowhere. Little do they know…

I am the Supreme Alpha of five large packs:

• Black Moon (my own),

• Moon Guardians,

• Moon Claws,

• Moon Valley,

• and Full Moon.

Each pack has its own Alpha. But above all, there is me.

We are Lycans: 70% wolf, 30% human. Unlike common wolves, we can transform whenever we want. But, in my case, I am even more complex. I carry the spirit of a Crinos — a curse that the Goddess may have imposed on me.

Crinos are monsters. Wolf's head, body of a man down to his knees. During the full moon, they lose control and kill anything — human, vampire, even other wolves. No one wants to be around when that happens.

I come out of my reverie when I hear the office door open. Gael, my right-hand man, enters with his usual frown. This wolf urgently needs to find his Luna. He is becoming increasingly difficult to endure.

"What is it now?" my voice comes out harsher than I expected.

"New humans have arrived in the city. They are looking for work and a place to live."

"And that's been my problem since when?"

"One of them… the redhead. She said she only has one requirement: she wants a house in the woods. But not too far from the city."

I frown. That's weird.

"Are they camouflaging their scent?"

"I couldn't identify anything. They may be hiding something."

"Keep an eye on them. Personally. Sooner or later, they will falter."

Humans in the forest are a risk. Even more so with the next full moon approaching. When I'm transformed… I don't remember anything the next day. I'm not just a wolf. I'm a beast. And on those nights, we warn humans to stay locked up. It's for their own safety.

Later, I go to the bathroom. I need to relax. The hot bath soothes the muscles, but a scent in the air awakens me. Vanilla and cinnamon. An enveloping and unexpected mixture. I feel Vadon stirring inside me. I try to ignore it.

I close the window. I get dressed. I lie down on the bed… and fall asleep.

⸻

Dream on

The full moon shines in the sky. In the middle of the woods, a girl is kneeling, crying. Her heartbeats echo in my ears — accelerated, desperate.

She looks at the sky and screams:

"Please! Give me my she-wolf! I'm tired of suffering! What did I do, Goddess? What did I do?"

She repeated these words like a mantra, without an answer. Until, suddenly, her eyes turned red. Flames arose around her. The fire burned everything where her gaze landed.

⸻

Dream off

I wake up panting. Sweating cold. My heart racing. I run my hands over my face, trying to understand what that was.

"What the hell… who was that woman?"

I get up and go to the kitchen to get water. I find Ava, my younger sister.

"What a miracle to see you awake. What happened?"

"I dreamed about a woman…"

"Could it be… you're finally going to find your promised one?"

"I hope not," I say, dryly.

"Have you thought that maybe… she wasn't born yet?"

The idea hits me like a punch.

"No… it's not possible. It can't be!"

I put my hands to my head, trying to control myself. But deep down, something stirs. And it's not just Vadon.

It's like… something is awakening.

Today, I turn 19. That's right... nineteen, and my wolf still hasn't awakened.

I've spent entire nights begging the Moon Goddess. I pleaded, shouted, cried… but she never heard me.

For years, I lived alone in the forest. I hunted what I could, ate what I found. I found a cave where I could, at least, hide from the rain. Little by little, I dragged myself to nearby villages, and with a few handouts, I managed to make my shelter a little more habitable. Survival. That's all I knew.

At fifteen, I arrived in the village of Maladorm, where I got a humble job—serving tables and cleaning floors. The money was little, but it was enough to stay alive. Today, at nineteen, I still live in the forest. I built a small house, simple but comfortable enough just for me.

I am redheaded, thin, and 1.72m tall. My eyes are dark as the night, and freckles mark my face with sweetness. I am beautiful, I know. But sometimes, looking in the mirror hurts me. Because behind this beauty there is an emptiness that no one sees.

In recent days, the questions have returned to torment me: who am I? Where did I come from?

And today, seeing the son of the former Alpha pass through the village, the fear returned to suffocate me.

Without thinking twice, I started packing my things. Once again, running away.

Will I ever have peace?

Will I ever stop living as if I owed something to the world?

I come out of my thoughts when I hear knocking on the door. I walk slowly to it… and I come across Safira.

"Did you come to say goodbye?" I ask with a slight sarcasm.

"Actually, no. I came to go with you. I can't stand this city anymore. It will be good to start over. Can I go with you?"

"You know I have no direction, right?"

"I know. But I want to go with you, Melinda. Please. You know I have no one either." She puts her hands together and looks at me like a lost puppy.

"Okay... you can come with me."

She jumps into my arms, showers me with kisses, and thanks me like a happy child.

"Come on, it's time. We have to catch the bus to Maville."

We get on the bus, each with only a backpack and a few coins in our pockets.

We didn't know where we would live, let alone work. But, for the first time in my life, I felt... confident.

It was as if the simple name of that city—Maville—awakened something in me.

Something inside my soul whispered that there was my place. That, finally, I would find myself.

The trip was long. Hours and more hours on that tiring bus.

We stopped from time to time to go to the bathroom. We ate some cookies that Safira brought in her bag.

Looking out the window, I finally see the city surrounded by woods, with a large sign announcing:

"Welcome to Maville."

I see Safira next to me, excited.

I've never told anyone how we met... but the truth is she saved my life.

I was sixteen years old. Food was scarce, I ate, at most, once a week. My body ached from hunger and exhaustion.

And the marks that life left me... were too deep.

It had been exactly one year since I was raped.

And that trauma still consumed me like poison.

That night, I decided it would be the last.

I went to the woods, with a knife in my hands. I cut my wrists, and watched the blood run down my white skin. The vision began to darken...

That's when I saw Safira. She ran to me, even when I asked her to leave.

She ignored me, took care of me, took me to her house...

And since then, we have lived practically together.

Safira never asked me about my past. And out of respect, I never asked about hers either.

I learned something living like this:

Everyone carries scars.

We all have memories that hurt.

Memories that silence us.

"Melinda? Melinda, are you listening to me?" Safira shouts, pulling me back to reality.

"I'm sorry, I got lost in thought..."

"I'm going to ask where we can get a job and a place to live, okay?"

"Can you see if there's anything near the woods?"

"Sure. I'll be right back."

I watch the city. Maville is beautiful. It's not big, but it's surrounded by mountains and woods. The climate is dry, but pleasant.

I remember the stories I heard in childhood about a place like this—where supernatural beings and humans lived in peace. A welcoming place.

A tear runs down my face.

If a place like this has always existed... why did they abandon me? Why did they reject me as if I were a monster?

"Melinda!" Safira comes running, euphoric.

"I found it! A little place for us to live! And the guy said there are some bars needing waitresses. He's going to take us after showing us the house."

I smile at her innocent excitement.

"That's great, let's see."

We arrive at the house. Small, cozy. And the forest surrounds it as if protecting it.

I feel something in me calm down. A peace I haven't felt in a long time.

"Melinda, are you okay?" Safira approaches, wiping away with her finger a tear that rolled down without me noticing.

"I'm sorry... it's just that this house reminded me of something. But it doesn't matter. It's beautiful.

Sir, we'll take it."

"Okay," says the man. "Now let's see where you can work?"

I don't even know his name. I haven't paid attention to anything they've said so far.

All I can feel... is that I am where I should be.