CHAPTER ONE
Another day of pretending. Another day of blending in.
My name is Liora Vale, and I was never meant to exist.
A hybrid. Half werewolf, half vampire. My father, the legendary Alpha, feared and revered in the supernatural world; my mother, a vampire whose beauty could kill with a glance. And me? I was the forbidden child whose very existence could tip the balance between humans and supernaturals.
"Liora!" my mother's voice echoed from the kitchen downstairs. "Don't forget what we told you. Keep away from humans."
"And never forget," my father added in his deep, measured tone, "humans are weak. Unpredictable. Dangerous. Especially the ones who seem… ordinary."
I pressed my fingers against my eyes, sighing. Yes, yes, I know, I thought, pulling myself out of bed. For eighteen years, they had drilled these words into me like an Incantation. Stay hidden. Never trust humans. Survive.
But the irony wasn't lost on me. Because no matter how many times they warned me, no matter how often I promised to follow the rules, something inside me defied their instructions. I was drawn to humans in ways I couldn't explain, in ways that made my pulse race and my heart ache.
I dressed in my school uniform, a crisp white blouse and black skirt that could have belonged to any human girl. My dark hair fell in soft waves over my shoulders, hiding the subtle flicker of amber in my eyes—the color that surfaced whenever my powers stirred. Powers I could not let anyone, especially humans, see. Not even the boy who had begun appearing in my thoughts more often than I dared.
My parents waited for me in the kitchen. My mother, elegant and poised, her skin pale and flawless, shot me a warning look as I descended the stairs.
"Remember, Liora. One wrong step around humans and everything we've protected for you is gone."
I nodded silently, forcing my expression into the mask they expected. My father, taller and imposing even when seated, added, "Your charm is only a temporary shield. Control yourself. Observe. Survive."
I swallowed, trying not to think of him—the human boy who had the audacity to smile at me as if he could see straight through the layers of secrecy I built around myself.
The drive to Rivenwood Academy was quiet. My parents rarely spoke during the ride, leaving me alone with my thoughts and the racing heartbeat in my chest. The school loomed ahead, its ivy-covered walls hiding more than they revealed. To the humans who walked past, it was a prestigious academy, full of laughter and learning. To me, it was a nest of predators, secrets, and power struggles that could shift the balance of the supernatural world.
I stepped onto the campus grounds, careful to keep my aura hidden beneath the charm necklace resting against my chest. Students milled about, chatting and laughing, oblivious to the danger hiding among them. Some were human, some not, and I had to discern which was which with careful attention.
That was when I saw him.
The human boy. Leaning casually against a locker, dark eyes scanning the crowd until they found me. He had a warmth in his gaze that both drew me in and warned me away, a dangerous mix I didn't know how to resist. I kept my eyes forward, reminding myself of my parents' warnings. Humans were dangerous. This one, in particular, could very well be the kind to destroy everything I held dear, though I didn't know it yet.
He smiled at me, easy and natural, and my chest tightened.
"Hey," he called as I passed. "Mind if I sit with you at lunch?"
I froze. "I… I'm fine," I stammered, forcing a polite smile.
"You don't look fine," he said, tilting his head with a knowing expression. "You look like someone just warned you not to breathe wrong and forgot to tell you how to survive it."
I blinked, unsure how to respond. My pulse raced in a way that my charm could not entirely suppress. I turned away and walked toward my first class, repeating the mantra my parents had instilled in me since I could remember: Stay hidden. Observe. Survive.
Class passed in a blur. History, math, and literature all seemed mundane, yet I caught glimpses of strange glances and whispered conversations between certain students. The supernatural world often hid in plain sight, and Rivenwood was the perfect example. Every hallway and corridor hummed with secrets I was only beginning to perceive.
By the time lunch arrived, I had claimed a quiet corner in the cafeteria, away from prying eyes and suspicious auras. I unwrapped my sandwich and ate slowly, scanning the room through the reflection in my charm. The necklace suppressed my powers but could not make me invisible to curiosity. I noticed a group of students clustered at the far side of the room, whispering urgently, their faces tense. They weren't human. I could sense it.
And then he was there. The human boy. He walked toward me with his tray, casual and unbothered by the throngs of students around him. He sat down without waiting for permission, close enough that I could feel the warmth radiating from him.
"I'm Liam," he said softly. "And I think you could use some company."
I tensed. Liam. Even his name felt like a warning.
"I'm… fine," I said again, though my voice sounded weaker than I intended.
He smiled, unshaken. "You don't have to pretend with me. I can tell."
I wanted to warn him. Humans were dangerous—not in the naïve sense my parents thought—but in the way they could slip into your heart, make you feel, and leave you vulnerable. And yet, even as I tried to pull away, I couldn't.
The cafeteria buzzed with noise, but I only had eyes for him, and the tension between us was impossible to ignore.
Then came the scream.
It echoed through the courtyard, sharp and filled with terror. Students rushed outside. I followed, slipping into the shadows, my charm humming faintly as it suppressed the surge of power I felt rising inside me.
A pale figure—a vampire—was cornering a freshman, icy fingers pressing against their throat. My instincts screamed at me to act, to unleash my powers. But doing so here would expose me, draw attention, and risk everything. My parents' warnings rang in my ears, sharp and insistent.
And then Liam appeared. The human boy moved with an unexpected strength, shoving the vampire back and saving the student. My eyes widened. Not just because he was human, but because he had acted with courage, without fear, and without knowing the danger.
I stared at him, my heart racing for reasons far beyond admiration. One glance, one touch, one choice… everything I had been taught to avoid, everything my parents had drilled into me, was unraveling.
What I didn't know then was far more terrifying. Liam wasn't just any human. He was the latest in a long line of hunters. His great-grandfather, grandfather, and father had all hunted beings like me, hybrids, vampires, werewolves. And he carried that legacy in ways I could never have anticipated.
For now, though, I could only watch, caught between my forbidden instincts, my growing feelings, and the storm I was only beginning to sense.
Rivenwood Academy was no longer just a school. It was a battlefield. And I, Liora Vale, the forbidden hybrid, was standing at the center of it, between love and survival, between power and danger.
One glance. One touch. One decision.
Everything was about to change.