CHAPTER 40: I’M GLAD WE MET

Kaya

I brace myself for the inevitable—the familiar look of disappointment, the shift in demeanor, the unspoken but unmistakable judgment. I’ve seen it too many times before. The moment people realize I don’t have a wolf, they decide I’m not worth their time.

But once again, Samantha surprises me.

"No wonder," she muses, casually pouring more wine into our glasses. "Sunny couldn’t sense you. She found it weird. So you can’t shift, huh? That’s... an interesting turn of events."

Her tone is thoughtful, not mocking. Not pitying. Just curious.

I tighten my grip around the glass, my fingers pressing into the smooth surface. Here it comes. The moment she realizes I don’t belong here. That I’m not like the others—strong, capable, worthy. This is a pack of warriors. There’s no space for someone like me.

But Samantha doesn’t pull away.

Instead, she leans in, her expression steady, her lips curving into a reassuring smile. "Hey, relax," she says, her voice as smooth as the wine in my glass. "If Alpha Magnus brought you here, it means he saw something in you that others didn’t. I trust his judgment. So you should, too."

Something inside me loosens, just a little. Maybe it’s the warmth of the alcohol settling in my stomach, or maybe it’s the sincerity in her voice, but for the first time since I arrived here, I don’t feel like I’m teetering on the edge of rejection.

No, I don’t fully believe her—I still don’t know why Magnus brought me here. But since he did, maybe... just maybe... I deserve to stay.

And for the first time, I choose to be honest.

"Samantha," I say carefully, my voice quieter now, my gaze searching hers. "Can you keep a secret?"

She meets my eyes without hesitation, a small smirk playing at the corner of her lips.

"Call me Sam," she says with a nod. "And yes. I can."

"I can shift," I finally confess, my voice steady, my gaze locked onto hers, watching for any flicker of reaction. "But no one can know about that."

Samantha doesn’t answer right away. Her expression changes—curiosity sharpening into something more cautious, more calculating. She studies me as if she’s trying to see past my words, to determine whether I’m lying or hiding something deeper.

"I see," she says at last, though the weight of her stare lingers. "But... if you can shift, then how come you don’t have a wolf? That makes no sense."

A sigh escapes me, and I absently tap my nails against the smooth surface of my glass. If only it were that simple to explain. If only I knew how to put into words the thing that has haunted me my entire life.

"I don’t know," I admit, my voice quieter now. "I can’t control how I shift either. Maybe it has something to do with my appearance... with my scars."

I roll up the sleeve of my hoodie, exposing the marks that have defined me for as long as I can remember. The silver scars gleam under the moonlight filtering through the window, catching the light in an almost ethereal way, as if someone had traced over them with liquid stardust.

Samantha inhales sharply, her blue eyes widening in awe.

"Whoa..." The breathy word slips from her lips as she stares, utterly transfixed. Then, after a long pause, she asks, "Are you, perhaps... cursed?"

A bitter smile tugs at the corner of my lips. "No, I don’t think so. But the longer I live with this... the more I start to wonder if maybe I am."

Samantha frowns at that, then—without hesitation—she reaches forward, gently rolling my sleeve back down as if shielding my scars from the world.

"I don’t think you are," she says firmly, refilling my glass. "So you’re different—who cares? Maybe you just need more training. Maybe you need guidance. I don’t know. But I do know that here, in Blood Moon, you can find both."

She offers me a warm smile, and before I even realize it, my lips curl up in response. There’s something about Sam—something effortless, something genuine—that makes it impossible not to mirror her energy.

I can’t believe I stumbled upon her tonight, of all nights, when I needed someone the most.

For the first time in a long while, I’m starting to believe that fate might actually be real.

"Speaking of which," Samantha says, setting her empty glass down with a quiet clink. "I don’t know if you have any restrictions, but would you want to join us for morning training?"

"Oh..." My breath catches, and just like that, the anxiety I had managed to push aside comes rushing back in full force. Training? I was never allowed to train before. Would it really be okay for me to start now?

"What?" Sam tilts her head, watching me closely. "Did Alpha Magnus forbid you or something?"

"Not really," I admit, shaking my head. Truthfully, he never said anything about it at all. So I suppose...

I made a promise to myself, didn’t I? That I would take control of my life. That I would become stronger. I can’t shift in front of others, but does that really matter? I can at least start by building my human strength.

"I’ll do it," I finally say, the words spilling from my lips before I can second-guess them. My body trembles—not just with nerves but with something else, something unfamiliar. Excitement.

"I’ll join the training... if that’s okay."

"That’s what I’m talking about!" Sam beams, clapping her hands together before leaning forward and giving my shoulder a firm, reassuring tap. "Tomorrow morning, six o’clock. Training grounds. Be there."

"I will," I nod.

"Great!" She springs to her feet, swiftly tucking the empty bottle behind the couch cushion as if hiding evidence of a harmless crime. "You’ll need some sleep then. Trust me, with the way we train, you do not want to skimp on a good night’s rest."

She chuckles, the sound light and infectious, and I nod in agreement. Though, deep down, I’m not sure I’ll be able to sleep at all. My mind is still racing, tangled in the events of tonight, but... I’ll try.

Just as I reach the doorway, ready to step into the quiet of the night, Samantha calls my name.

"Hey, Kaya."

I pause, turning back. "Yes?"

She smiles, soft and sincere, her blue eyes glimmering under the dim light. "I’m glad we met the way we did."

Something warm unfurls in my chest, melting away the lingering doubts and uncertainties. I can’t help but return her smile, feeling, for the first time in a while, that maybe—just maybe—I’m not as alone as I thought.

"Yeah," I reply, "me too."