Wolfless, but fearless

Chapter 1

Severa's POV

Call me Severa.

In the werewolf world, there’s an unspoken rule: if you don’t have an inner wolf, you belong at the absolute bottom of the food chain. Dropping a wolfless girl into an elite academy overflowing with arrogant Alpha and Beta heirs, she instantly becomes their target.

But those entitled rich kids were wrong. Wolfless didn't mean weakness.

I was just passing the school's gothic clock tower when I heard crying.

I stopped. Under the shadow of the stone archway, a short girl called Lily was sprawled on the ground. Standing over her was Janice.

Janice was Alpha's daughter of the Bluemoon Pack, and the undisputed Queen Bee of our academy. She was gorgeous, wealthy, and absolutely ruthless. Right now, her high heel was planted firmly on the crying girl's chest.

"Who do you think you are?" Janice sneered. "What gave a lowly thing like you the right to wear the same necklace as me?"

"I-I'm sorry! I didn’t know, I swear!" Lily sobbed.

Janice leaned down, her manicured fingers snatching the delicate silver chain from the girl's neck. With a sharp yank, she broke it and tossed it onto the ground. "Remember your place. In the Bluemoon Pack, only I get to wear things like this."

My blood boiled. I didn't even think. My feet were moving before my brain caught up.

"Let her go!" I shouted.

Janice turned, brows arching. “Well, well. If it wasn’t our famous wolfless freak.”

I didn’t slow down. Three strides and my palm cracked across her cheek. Smack. She stumbled, clutching her face, eyes blown wide.

“I really hate that word.” I said.

Her shock curdled into rage. “You b***h! You don’t even have a wolf!” She threw a wild haymaker. I ducked under her fist, caught her wrist, twisted, and slammed her into the concrete. My knee pinned her shoulder blades before she could gasp.

In human form, she was nothing. I had her completely overpowered. A dark, hungry part of me loved it. This was what I was born for—not magic, not claws, just raw skill.

But her temperature spiked beneath me. Bones popped. Fur erupted.

She was shifting.

I shoved backward as her human form ripped apart, a massive wolf exploding outward. She lunged before I could reset my stance.

I threw my arms up, Victor’s drills taking over. I dodged the jaws, landed a kick to her ribs—but it was like kicking stone. Without a wolf, I was fighting a war my body wasn’t built to win.

If I had a wolf, I thought, desperation clawing at my chest. Even a small one. Even weak. Just something to make this fair…

Her paw swiped through the air. I tried to roll, but the beast was too fast. Razor claws raked my face.

Fire erupted across my cheek. I hissed, pressing my hand against the wound as blood swelled between my fingers.

Her bones cracked; She shrank back to human. Naked and unbothered, she looked down at me with a twisted smile.

“Look at you,” she sneered. “Already a wolfless freak. Now you’re scarred, too.”

I glared up at her, refusing to show a c***k.

She stepped closer, savoring it. “Tonight’s the graduation prom. Your eighteenth birthday. The night you meet your fated mate.” Her grin turned venomous. “I can’t wait to see his face when he realizes he’s tied to damaged, wolfless trash.”

I kept my chin high, burning hatred into my stare.

She faltered. “What are you looking at?”

I guessed my gaze must be very menacing. Janice didn't want to have one more fight with me. She spun and marched away.

Once Janice was gone, I let out a deep breath. I turned to Lily and reached out my hand to help her up.

"Are you okay?"

Instead of taking my hand, Lily pushed away my hand with surprising force.

"Don't touch me," she snapped, scrambling to her feet by herself.

I froze, staring at her in confusion.

Lily backed away from me, her face was with a mix of fear and disgust. "Who asked for your help?! I might be bullied, but at least I have a wolf! I would rather be stepped on by Alpha's daughter than being saved by a wolfless freak!"

The words hit me harder than Janice's claws.

"You stepping in just makes me look even more pathetic!" Lily cried, her face red. "You're disgusting!"

For a moment, all I could do was staring at her. I dropped my hand and looked her up and down.

"Wow," I said, shaking my head. "Why weren't you this tough when Janice was stepping on your chest?"

Lily stammered with embarrassment, "I… I…"

"I'll tell you why," I interrupted, my voice turning cold. "You only have the guts to yell at me because you know I won't pick on the weak like Janice. "

Without waiting for her to respond, I turned my back on her and walked away, leaving her standing there, red-faced and speechless.

--

I was sitting on my bed.

Viola sat beside me, gently dabbing a cotton ball soaked against the three deep claw marks on my cheek. I hissed as the medicine burned.

"Mom," I mumbled, trying not to move my jaw too much. "I got into a fight with Alpha's daughter today."

Viola scoffed, tossing the cotton ball into a small bin. "Janice is too arrogant for her own good. She needed to be taught a lesson. I'm glad you hit her."

"But I lost," I whispered, staring down at my hands. "She shifted, and I couldn't."

Viola paused. She reached out, placing her fingers under my chin, lifting my face so I had to look at her. "Sweetheart, she shifted into a crazy beast, and you fought her with nothing but your hands. You didn't lose. Your bravery beats everyone."

"I really love you, Mom."

Viola grinned. "I love you too. You know, if you want, I can find an excuse to run into Janice next week. I'd be happy to teach that little princess a lesson."

I laughed. "Please don't. Knowing you, you'd probably accidentally kill her, and then we'd have to go on the run again."

We shared a warm laugh.

My mom Viola stood up and smoothed out my bedsheets.

"Alright," she said cheerfully. "Now my beautiful warrior is patched up, you need to go get ready. Tonight is graduation prom! It's your eighteenth birthday, Severa. Tonight is the night you find your fated mate."

My smile vanished instantly.

I looked over in the mirror.

"Mom…I don’t think I want to go to the prom."

Mom frowned. "Why not? You've been looking forward to this for years."

"I'm scared. What if my mate finds me? What if he realizes I'm the famous wolfless freak of the Bluemoon Pack? What if he looks at this scarred face, and publicly rejects me in front of everyone?"

I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly feeling very small.

The memory of my thirteenth birthday hit me. The seer announced I was wolfless in front of everyone.

It was so humiliating.

I never wanted to go through that again.

Never again.

Mom reached out and gently cupped my face, forcing me to meet her eyes.

“Sweetheart, listen to me,” she said softly but seriously. “The man destined for won’t care about your status. He won’t care about the scars on your face, and he definitely won’t care if you have a wolf or not. He will see your soul, and he will love you for exactly who you are.”

Before I could process her words, the bedroom door swung open. My dad Vance marched in, holding a tray with a proudly beaming smile. But the meat smelled burnt.

“Master Chef’s special BBQ is served!” he announced.

Mom rolled her eyes. “Can’t you see we’re having a girls’ talk in here? What are you doing?”

“Well, my two girls can talk and eat at the same time, right?” Dad grinned.

Mom sighed, picked up a blackened piece of meat, and took a bite. Her face instantly scrunched up. “Eww, gross!”

She turned back to me, pointing a thumb at dad. “See? Your father’s cooking is an absolute disaster, but I still love him. That’s what a fated mate is.”

Dad set the tray on the nightstand, looking offended. “Oh, really? Well, look at your mother. She has a terrible temper and yells at me all day, but I still love her!”

Mom gasped in mock outrage and shoved Dad’s shoulder. He lost his balance and landed flat on his butt .

I couldn’t help it. A loud laugh bubbled up from my chest.

“Who has a terrible temper?” Viola demanded, crossing her arms.

Looking at them, I smiled for the first time all day. “I get it, Mom, I’ll go to the prom.”