Tuesday
7:00 AM
In the small village of Rodunki, a young girl named Lilian walked cheerfully along the stone-paved roads. She stopped in front of the local bakery—her bakery.
As soon as she entered, she tied her apron, ready to start her baking day.
There was only one hour left before the shop opened.
One of her employees was late, but he had sent her a bird with a message apologizing.
Because she was kind-hearted, she forgave him and decided to come early herself to start working.
Quickly, she prepared the brownie and cookie dough and put them into the old traditional oven. After that, she began making a batch of cupcakes.
About half an hour later, the heavy wooden door opened with a soft creak. It was Matt, her close friend and employee. Many people in the village believed he worked with her because of their friendship, but the truth was that Matt had real talent in baking—though not at Lilian's level.
Many villagers envied Matt for being close to her.
Lilian was Rodunki's true gem. She always helped others whenever she could. Some boys hid their desire for her beauty, while others wished to protect her and treat her like a queen. Most girls found her sweet and cheerful, except for a few who did not care much about her.
Matt said, breathing heavily as if he had been running: "Sorry I'm late, Lilian… my little brother refused to get up for school."
In the village, boys attended school from the age of six until sixteen, while girls went from seven until fourteen. After graduation, they took private lessons to prepare them for the roles they would play in serving the village.
As for Lilian, once she graduated, she devoted herself to baking.
She attended baking lessons every day, tested recipes at home, and made sweets for her family.
To earn some money, she babysat her friends' children. After three years of hard work and saving, she managed to buy her own bakery—which soon became the beating heart of the village.
Lilian smiled gently at him and said: "It's okay. I've taken care of everything. Put on your apron and start preparing the cake balls."
Matt nodded, fully aware of how understanding she was.
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Somewhere both near and far at the same time, deep inside the forest, there was a monster.
A monster who could take the form of a human or a werewolf.
At the moment, he was in his human form.
He lay on the grass, his eyes staring at the sky, wondering when his destined mate would appear.
Or if she would ever appear at all.
Day after day, his hope faded.
"When will you come?… I need you," the monster whispered to himself.
Suddenly, his ears caught the sound of approaching footsteps.
"Alpha, the Beta of the Red Moon Pack has come to warn us about trespassing on their land. Give us your orders," his deputy's voice reached him through the mind link.
"Tell him we are not trespassing. We've owned this land for many years. Now they complain just because it borders theirs? Warn them and drive them away. I don't want this headache right now," the Alpha replied through the link.
The Red Moon Pack had recently started accusing them of "crossing borders," which only fueled the monster's anger. In truth, his pack had lived in this part of the forest for over ten years without a single complaint. They had always stayed away from the human village and the other pack.
The monster had thought many times about entering the human village, but he knew its small size would raise too many questions. So he stayed away.
The footsteps grew louder, and the monster turned his head.
His deputy said, "Alpha, they want to see you. They refuse to leave."
The monster sighed as he stood up from the soft grass. "Fine. Start heading back. I'll follow."
His deputy, Jake, walked ahead slowly.
To anyone watching from afar, the scene might look innocent—as if they only wanted to live freely.
But the truth was far from innocent.
Yes, they lived on land that was not officially owned, which alone made them innocent of the Red Moon Pack's accusations. But that was the only innocent thing about them.
They had killed countless humans who dared to enter the forest.
They slaughtered any rogue werewolf they considered weak.
They even executed members of their own pack for the same reasons.
As for the Alpha himself, he took pleasure in torturing others—humans or werewolves alike.
His day was complete whenever a human got lost in the forest, giving him the perfect chance to "play" with knives, ropes, fire… and more.
His favorite hobby of all was shifting into his wolf form, pouncing on his prey, tearing it apart, and enjoying the meal while it screamed in despair and pain.
He had killed the first Alpha and Luna in his life—his parents.
When he turned eighteen, they told him he would not inherit leadership. They wanted the title to be decided through combat, where the strongest and most dominant would win.
He hated the idea… so he killed them.
He framed another pack member for the crime, who took the punishment and was executed. No one ever learned the truth, and leadership passed to him as the "rightful heir."
Now, only one thing was missing—his Luna.
He swore that when he found her, he would hide her from everyone and protect her with his life. He would keep her away from his dark and twisted world… and make her his alone.
Suddenly, a mocking voice interrupted him: "So here you are at last, Zachary. I was wondering when you'd show up. You know a true Alpha doesn't abandon his pack."
The monster—Zachary—growled, angry at the Red Moon Beta's lack of respect.
He said in a low, threatening voice: "Watch your words, boy. I may not belong to an official pack, but I am still an Alpha. And I can tear you apart in seconds…"
The Beta smirked mockingly. "Was that a threat I just heard?"
Zachary smiled coldly. "No… it was a warning. Go back to your pack before I start a real war. And you know very well who would win. My pack is made entirely of trained men, except for their mates. One hundred and fifty warriors against only a hundred of your men and women—some of whom are barely five feet eight. Leave before I change my mind."
The Beta almost replied, but swallowed his protest. Being an "official" pack did not mean being the strongest. He stepped back with a dark expression and returned to his group.
Zachary muttered in annoyance: "Will I ever have a moment of peace?"
But one of his pack members approached him and said: "Alpha, there's a girl in the forest right now… she seems to be picking from our fruit."
A dark smile spread across his face. "Finally… another foolish human. This will be fun."
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