The day of my departure had finally arrived.The sky was covered by a thin layer of clouds, as if even the moon wanted to hide a little during this farewell. In front of the house, the family driver was loading my last suitcases into the back of the car, while my father, Lucrecia, and my siblings, Rosa and Sebastián, watched me silently.I never imagined leaving would hurt so much.
My father was the first to break the silence. He walked toward me with steady steps, but his eyes were slightly glassy. I had rarely seen him like that. Although he's an alpha, he has always had a special gentleness with me, one he doesn't usually show in front of the pack."Are you sure about this, Sofía?" he asked in a low, grave voice, holding back more than he said.I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. Despite everything, yes. I was sure."You can stay," he insisted. "You're good at training the young wolves. You could become a leader within the reserve. You don't need to go so far to have a purpose."
His words were soft but full of love. It wasn't a plea... it was concern. Fear disguised as advice."I know, Dad. But I need this. Not just for what I want to be… but for who I want to discover I am."
Lucrecia watched me from a few steps behind. Unlike other times, she didn't say anything. She just nodded slightly, and in her gaze, there was something that, for the first time, seemed like a hint of respect.
My siblings hugged me tightly, not fully understanding what it meant for their older sister to leave. Rosa cried silently. Sebastián slipped a bracelet made of moon thread onto my wrist—something he had learned in one of his trainings. I wore it with a smile.
I took a deep breath.I turned one last time to look at the house where I grew up, the trees that saw me run as a wolf for the first time, the ground that witnessed my transformation… and my wounds.
It was time to leave.
I got into the car. The engine purred softly, and as we drove away down the dirt road cutting through the forest, I saw in the rearview mirror how my father raised his hand in farewell. He didn't say anything else. He didn't have to.
I felt Laisa move inside me. She was calm. For the first time in a long time."We'll be okay," she whispered.And for the first time… I believed her.
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The first day at university was a mix of chaos and wonder.The campus was huge, modern, full of human students from all over the country—and the world. No one knew who I was or where I came from. They didn't carry the history of my pack, nor the shadow of Gabriel. They expected nothing from me… and that was, for the first time, freeing.
I went to the Medical Faculty area. The facilities were impressive: state-of-the-art labs, huge classrooms, study rooms with glass walls. They gave me my schedule, ID, and access to the digital system.
My classmates were kind but distant. Everyone was too focused on their own lives, goals, their worlds. And I liked that. I didn't have to pretend. I didn't have to explain anything.
During a break, I sat on a bench in front of the library, coffee in hand, and watched the students pass by as if they were part of a movie.I was a stranger here. A wolf among humans. But I didn't feel out of place… not yet.
The city had its own rhythm, its own way of beating. And as I watched, something inside me began to relax. As if this was, somehow, the place I was destined to reach.
At last, I was starting to live for myself.And although the past was still part of me, I decided in that moment not to let it control what came next.
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The third class of the day was Molecular Biology. A large room with double desks and digital screens everywhere. It was almost full when I entered, so I looked for a free seat near the center. I didn't want to sit at the front or too far back. Close enough to focus… but not to draw attention.
I settled, took out my notes, and just as I opened my tablet, someone sat beside me."Is this seat taken?" asked a male voice, warm but confident.
I looked up.A boy with dark, slightly messy hair, and eyes I couldn't quite define as gray, green, or gold—because they changed with the light—was looking at me with a half-smile. He wore a black hoodie jacket and had that relaxed attitude that revealed someone who didn't have to try hard to fit in… but didn't seem interested in it either.
"No," I answered, somewhat surprised. "Go ahead.""Thanks," he said, dropping his backpack softly on the floor.
He sat and began pulling out his things with slow, measured movements. He didn't look at me again, but somehow, I felt his presence as if it radiated energy.
Instinctively, Laisa stirred."Strange…" she murmured in my mind.
And yes… there was something about him. It wasn't just his scent—which wasn't completely human but not like a wolf's either. It was something more subtle. Something ancient. As if part of him was veiled, camouflaged beneath his skin.
When class started, the professor began talking about DNA synthesis. I tried to focus, but every time the boy next to me took notes or murmured something quietly, I found it hard not to glance at him out of the corner of my eye.
"Are you a freshman too?" he asked in a low voice during a pause in the lecture.I nodded."Yes. Medicine. You?""Same. Though I have a couple of credits already done. I'm kind of… restless with these things."
His smile was brief but sincere. Then he extended his hand."Aidan.""Sofía," I replied, shaking it.
His touch was warm, firm… but not invasive. Just enough. Just enough to make me doubt everything.
When class ended, we packed up at the same time. Just before I left, he said without looking at me:"You're different. Not because of what you say… but because of what you don't try to hide."
I stopped dead. Turned to look at him, confused.He was already walking away down the hall, hands in his pockets.
Laisa breathed deeply inside me."He's not human."
And I didn't know if that scared me… or intrigued me even more.