The Devil's Return

The world of the unknown, to humans, that world is like a fairy tale, a fantasy, just stories, and we intend to keep it that way. The moment we are oblivious to everything. (Lara’s POV) Hi, my name is Lara, and this is my story. Since I was a kid, my parents have always told me I was different. At first, I thought it was because I was dull and dumb at school. So, I didn’t think much of it. “They just don’t want to hurt my feelings,” I used to say to myself. As I grew older, I started noticing strange patterns in the behaviour. They would disappear every so often, especially during full moons. “Where do you guys go at night?” I once asked my mom. She’d smile and reply, “Work. You know we’re scientists.” And they were. My dad was a space observer, and my mom worked in a medical lab. So, I believed them. Until one night... everything changed. They left as usual. Same as always, but only my mom came back, and she was badly bruised. I stared at her in horror. “Mom… what happened? Where’s Dad?” She didn’t answer at first. Just hugged me so tight it hurt. I was fifteen. A few days later, she sat me down in the living room, wrapped in a blanket like I was five again. “I need to tell you something,” she said softly. “Something about who we really are.” That was the night my world, the world I thought I knew, flipped upside down. “We’re werewolves, Lara. Not just me and your father. Our whole family.” In shock, I respond. “What?” “It’s true,” she nodded. “Your transformation would’ve started at age five, but… we suppressed it. We just wanted you to live a normal life. We thought we had time to make you understand. But after what happened to your father…” She trailed off. I swallowed hard. “What happened to Dad?” She hesitated, then looked me straight in the eye. “He didn’t make it back. We were attacked by hunters on our way back home. He sacrificed himself so we can live.” I couldn’t speak. Dad’s gone? Just… gone? And who are these hunters? What do they want from us? She explained, “In this world, we are a different breed from humans, we are… like a fairy tale, and… there are people, humans, and sometimes people from this fairy tale world that hunt us for their benefit.” The days after that were a blur. Mom tried her best to cover up his disappearance. It was a hard time. Painful. Confusing. Almost broke us apart. But somehow, we pulled through. At sixteen, I joined the pack, the same one my parents belonged to. That’s when I got hit with the biggest surprise. “Uncle Max is the pack leader?” I said, staring at the man who once spilled ketchup on his socks and called it a ‘fashion statement.’ He just grinned. “Still think I’m uncool, huh?” Honestly? Yeah, I still don’t understand how. But it didn’t take me long to see why. My school life has always been a mess. Honestly, I can’t think of one good memory. At the end of junior high, I had a boyfriend. He was sweet… cool… kind of the perfect guy. “We’ll hang out this weekend, yeah?” he’d text. And I’d reply, “Sure, can’t wait!” But guess what? I’d cancel. Every. Single. Time. Why? Because I never knew when I was going to transform into my wolf form. Like, seriously, how do you explain that? “Sorry, babe, can’t make it. Might grow fur and fangs in public.” Our relationship didn’t last. It ended like it started, a spark. He wasn’t the only one I bailed on. My project partner, my classmates, and even the girl who became my best friend. It went on for so long, I can’t even remember all the people I let down. One evening, my best friend caught me mid-transformation. She wasn’t my best friend yet, just a girl from my school I sometimes hung out with. We lived in the same area. Her eyes widened. “Lara?! What the hell is happening to you?!” I panicked. “Wait, wait, wait! I can explain!” She just stared. Frozen. I had to beg her. “Please don’t tell anyone. Please.” She eventually nodded. “Okay… okay. I won’t.” After that? Boom, we were best friends. Sometimes, she’d ask the wildest questions. “So… what food do werewolves actually like?” “Are you and vampires, like, enemies?” “Wait… are vampires even real?” I answered a few. Dodged a few. Made up some stuff just to mess with her. Later, I found out why I couldn’t control my transformations. It was because of the suppression. My parents tried to delay it, to let me live a normal life. But now… nature was rebelling. “Something I should’ve gone through like six times at age five… and now it just happens anytime. Like I’m on some supernatural rollercoaster with no brakes,” I once yelled out, halfway crying, halfway laughing. It drove me crazy. Every day felt like a gamble. Would I stay human or not? But after two exhausting years, I started gaining control. Not perfect control—but progress. Then came my first hunt. “Tonight, you hunt with us,” my uncle said, standing tall at the front of the pack. We were after a unicorn. Yeah, I know. Sounds like a fairy tale, right? But according to legend, the blood and meat of a unicorn boosts a werewolf’s mystic strength. So the newbies, including me, were sent out to prove ourselves. It was intense. Wild. Almost surreal. And even though I didn’t do much… It was a successful hunt. And I was finally, officially, part of the pack. After a week of consuming the unicorn, the others started manifesting their mystic wolf arts, awakening left and right. But me? Nothing. I waited. Hoped. Still... nothing. One night, during a pack meeting, the elders introduced a new ritual. “We understand dating in the human world is difficult,” they said. “So, we’ve created a tradition. Choose a mate from the pack. Build a bond. Grow love from connection.” Honestly? I was all in. I experienced it myself, so yeah, I agreed without a second thought. Everyone, including me, picked someone. And I didn’t hesitate. I chose him. The guy I’ve been crushing on like forever. The hottest, strongest, gorgeous guy in the pack, who’s my age and also an alpha. “Hahaha, darling,” I giggled to myself. “This is finally happening.” And it did. We hit it off almost immediately. He was charming. Sweet. Flirty. Everything felt perfect. For once, my love life, school life, and life were actually going right. Then, out of nowhere… one night