I Left My Family for the Best Werewolf Academy

The day after I awakened my wolf spirit, my parents took us into the mountains for an outing. We were suddenly attacked by a pack of rogues. Tommy, my older brother, whose wolf spirit was weak, came bursting out of the bushes and hid behind Dad. Ella, my little sister, who hadn't awakened her wolf spirit yet, trembled uncontrollably in Mom's arms. My family pushed me into a cave and left me behind. I looked at them through the thorny bushes. Mom glanced back at the cave entrance before grabbing my siblings' hands. "There are too many rogues. Alice, stay hidden. We'll get the two of them to safety and come back for you." Dad urged anxiously, "Alice is agile. She'll be fine. We need to hurry. We can't let the rogues find Ella!" With that, he led the three of them down a narrow trail through the woods while keeping himself between them and the danger. The howls grew closer and closer. Although I'd awakened my wolf spirit, there was no way I could take on such an enormous pack of rogues alone. All I could do was hug myself and pray that Dad and Mom would come back soon. Suddenly, thunder rumbled outside the cave, and heavy raindrops pelted my face. I was reminded of the time I'd been hunted by hunters as a pup. The scene had been exactly the same. Mom and Dad had each scooped up one of my siblings and told me to run behind them on my own. I'd been caught by the hunters. When I'd finally managed to escape and return home, battered and exhausted, all they had said was, "You ran too slowly. You need more training." The thought alone made my wolf whimper in distress. The next second, a message from my mentor, Vera Lambert, popped up on my phone. [Royal City's Moonlight Academy has an extra exchange student slot. Would you like to take it?] I replied instantly. [I'll take it.] Chapter 1 I opened my chat with Dad and sent him a message. [Dad, can you come get me now?] Although the message was marked as delivered, ten minutes stretched into thirty, and thirty minutes became an entire night. My screen never lit up. My wolf, Seraphina, let out distressed whimpers. She desperately urged me to transform and protect myself, but I was so terrified that I couldn't bring myself to do it. It wasn't until the sky began to turn bright that I finally dragged my exhausted human body out of the cave. I cautiously circled around two groups of patrolling rogues before making my way home. My clothes were soaked with sweat and rainwater. At last, I made it back home. Firewood crackled in the fireplace, and its warm glow illuminated the living room. My parents, my older brother Tommy Gray, and my younger sister Ella Gray were huddled together beneath a thick blanket. Their arms were wrapped around one another. The bed could barely accommodate the four of them. If I tried to squeeze in, there wouldn't even be space for anyone to stretch out their legs. When I opened the door and walked inside, Mom looked up. Her expression immediately darkened as she lowered her voice and yelled at me. "Alice, it's still early. Can't you walk more quietly? Tommy and Ella were frightened last night and just fell asleep. Do you really have to wake them up?" Dad glanced at the mud caked on my pants with a disgusted expression. "You're covered in mud! Didn't you shower last night? Step back. Don't get mud all over the new wool carpet!" I stared at their irritated faces. Instead of backing away, I took another step forward. "I just got home. You promised you'd come back for me after you slipped past the rogues." A flicker of guilt appeared in Mom's eyes. "W-We didn't mean to leave you behind." "The cave I told you to hide in was well concealed. The rogues wouldn't have found you." Dad's expression softened slightly. "Besides, your mother and I lured the rogues halfway around the mountain. There was no danger where you were." Did they really lure the rogues away? All they'd done was howl a couple of times while running away. They hadn't lured the rogues anywhere. When I finally crawled out of the cave, several groups of rogues were still patrolling the area. I had nearly been caught. Recalling the scene made my heart ache. My eyes immediately welled with tears. "But I almost died out there!" My emotions got the better of me, and I raised my voice involuntarily. Ella stirred awake. She rubbed her eyes and let out a sleepy whine. Dad immediately pulled her into his arms and gently ruffled her hair. He then turned to me and frowned. "Enough, Alice! Tommy's wolf spirit is weak, and Ella hasn't even awakened hers yet. The rogues could've torn them apart at any moment! "You've already awakened your wolf spirit. You're ten times stronger than they are. What's the big deal about surviving one night on your own? Would you rather the whole family die with you?" He continued speaking in a hushed voice. He was afraid of waking Ella again. I clenched my fists and was ready to argue, but Mom climbed out of bed and impatiently pushed me toward the bathroom. "That's enough. Stop making a fuss. Ella and Tommy both need rest. Quit throwing tantrums and go wash that awful smell off yourself. Then go to bed!" She turned on the shower, and cold water came splashing over my head. I gasped and instinctively tried to step away, but she just grabbed my head and pinned me beneath the freezing water. "Mom, the water's cold! There's no warm water!" I shouted hoarsely. "You should be grateful there's water at all!" she snapped impatiently. "Ella used up all the warm water for a bath last night. It'll take two hours to heat more. Your wolf is already awakened. Surely a cold shower won't kill you!" The scratches on my back burned with excruciating pain as the cold water hit them. Deep inside my mind, Seraphina let out a desperate cry. After the cold shower, Mom casually grabbed a dark gray piece of cloth from the nearby shelf and tossed it at me. The fabric was rough and smelled awful. There were tiny grains of sand clinging to it. I picked it up and looked at it more closely. It wasn't a towel at all. It was the rag Ella used to wipe her rain boots. Mom froze when she realized what she'd handed me. Embarrassment flashed across her face, but the moment she met my resentful gaze, her guilt gave way to irritation. "Enough. The bathroom lighting is dim. I grabbed the wrong thing by mistake. It's not like I did it on purpose." She folded her arms and looked down at me. "Just get another towel. Stop looking at me like that. Hurry up and clean yourself up so you can sleep." With that, she yawned and walked away. I threw the rag onto the floor and headed to my room. Just as I walked past the living room, a wave of dizziness washed over me, and my temples began throbbing violently. I realized I probably had a fever. I had no choice but to turn back toward the living room to get some medicine, but Mom caught me by the arm and pulled me back. "Where do you think you're going? Don't disturb Tommy. He needs to prepare for the Royal Werewolf Council exam." "I have a fever. I need some medicine to bring it down." My voice was barely more than a rasp. Mom sighed. She rummaged through the first-aid kit and tossed me a brown bottle. I looked down at it. The label bore Tommy's name, and the first ingredient listed in bold letters was vetiver extract. I stared at Mom in disbelief. "I've been severely allergic to vetiver since I was a pup! You know that. If I take it, my throat will swell up and I'll suffocate to death! Have you forgotten?" "Tommy takes it all the time and he's perfectly fine. Why do you always have to be so difficult?" Mom interrupted impatiently and waved her hands dismissively. "Take it or don't. Why are you acting like some poor, pitiful victim? You make it seem as if I owe you something. The sun isn't even fully up, and you're already ruining everyone's mood," she added. With that, she climbed back into bed and settled down behind Ella for another nap. Clutching the bottle of medicine, I slowly sank onto the cold, damp floor. I received a message from my mentor, Vera Lambert. She had sent me the application form. [A private shuttle will take you to Royal City in three days. You won't be allowed to leave the academy without special permission.] Vera followed up with another message. [You said before that you couldn't bear to leave your parents. Are you sure you won't regret leaving now?] After reading her message, I looked up at Dad, who was half asleep but still pulled the blanket over Tommy. 'If there's no place for me here, then there's no reason for me to stay,' I thought. I wiped away tears I hadn't even realized I'd shed and entered my name into the applicant field without a moment's hesitation. [Alice Gray.] Chapter 2 When I returned to my room, my forehead was burning as if I were on fire. I'd barely closed my eyes when laughter and excited chatter from the living room woke me up. I dragged myself out of bed and opened the door. Ella was standing in front of the full-length mirror and twirling around proudly. Perched on her head was a golden crescent-moon tiara. It was the tiara I'd earned when I was seven after hunting down a crazed reindeer all by myself in the snowy forest. Mom stood beside her with a comb while lovingly fixing her stray hairs. When Mom looked up and saw me, her tone softened considerably. "Alice, you're awake? There's some fever medicine on the table. I've kept some oatmeal warm in the kitchen. Go get yourself a bowl of oatmeal and take the medicine." A wave of warmth spread through my chest. But Mom continued, "Look how lovely your old tiara looks on Ella. You're all grown up now, and it's just gathering dust in a cabinet. Why not give it to Ella?" Ella deliberately walked up to me and spun around. "Well? Doesn't it look pretty on me?" My feelings were a tangled mess. I hesitated before asking, "Mom, do you remember how I got that tiara?" The moment Ella heard me, she stuck out her tongue. "You're so petty, Alice! If you don't want to give it to me, just say so. Why do you have to quiz Mom about it? "What are you so proud of anyway? Once I awaken my wolf spirit, I'll be way stronger than you! You couldn't even beat a few rogues in the mountains yesterday. You got trapped out there all night. How embarrassing!" Looking at her arrogant expression, I forced down the anger churning inside me and fixed my gaze on the tiara atop her head. "I earned that tiara by killing a crazed reindeer to protect Mom and Dad. If you want one, why don't you earn it yourself?" Ella burst into tears. Dad hurried over and grabbed my wrist. "Alice, give Ella the tiara! You're too old to be fighting with her over something like this! Haven't I bought you enough things already? "On the day you awakened your wolf spirit, I ordered a fruit cake just for you! Can't you be a little more generous? Besides, that tiara really does look better on Ella." I stared at Dad's stern face and felt a suffocating tightness building in my chest. The cake he'd supposedly ordered for me had actually been half a fruit tart that Ella had left over the day before. When I was little, whenever I earned a reward, Dad would lift me high above his head and proudly proclaim that I was the pride of the Gray family. But after Ella came along, all the attention that had once belonged to me turned into whatever scraps they had left over. The door to the upstairs study swung open, and Tommy emerged in his pajamas. He looked extremely irritated. "What's all the noise this early in the morning? I'm taking the Royal Werewolf Council exam next month! Can't you all let me have some peace and quiet?" He glanced sympathetically at Ella, who was crying so hard she could barely catch her breath. He then glared down at me. "Alice, don't think you're so special just because your wolf spirit is strong! That doesn't give you the right to bully Ella! "There are plenty of werewolves powerful than you in Royal City. Once I join the werewolf council in Royal City, I'll be able to move the whole family into the inner city. You'll be counting on me to help you then! So stop sulking and apologize to Ella!" Seraphina let out a vicious growl deep inside me. I smiled. "Of course we'll be counting on you, Tommy. After all, being able to protect yourself when danger strikes is pretty important." Tommy immediately realized I was referring to the way he'd hidden behind Dad when the rogues attacked the previous day. His face flushed bright red. Dad slammed his hand down on the coffee table. "Alice! Is that any way to speak to your brother? His wolf spirit is weak. He was born with a weaker physique than you, so it's already an achievement for him to have developed the skills he has! "Apologize to him right now! He was frightened yesterday, and now he's under a lot of pressure preparing for his exam. Can't you be more understanding?" Mom sighed and took my arm while trying to coax me into backing down. "All right, Alice. I know you were hurt yesterday. I'll go to the market later and buy some fresh beef to make you a nice, nourishing soup. "But your brother's future is a matter of importance to the whole family, and Ella is the youngest. You're the only one of our pups who's fully awakened her wolf spirit. Can't you be a little more sensible?" 'Be more sensible.' It's those words again. Ever since Ella was born, whenever I had an argument with my siblings, I was always the one at fault. I was always the one expected to be sensible. But what about them? One stole my belongings, while the other humiliated me. Yet no one ever demanded that they compensate me or apologize. In this family, I was always the only one who had to be sensible. Tommy and Ella never did. I stood my ground and stared at them. I refused to give an inch. Mom finally released my arm with a helpless sigh. She turned around, pulled out a thick, custom-made design catalog, and wrapped her arms around Ella, who was still crying. "All right, Ella. We don't need Alice's tiara anymore. I took a closer look, and the gold plating is already worn out. How could something like that be good enough for my precious daughter's tenth birthday party? "I'll commission the finest craftsman in Royal City to make you a brand-new solid gold tiara studded with rubies. We'll pair it with a custom-made velvet dress too. How does that sound?" I froze in place while my fingertips trembled. Ella's tenth birthday was still a full six months away, yet the entire family was already making elaborate plans for her tiara and dress. But just two days earlier, on the most important day of my life, my awakening ceremony, Mom had simply bought a box of discounted candles from a street stall. She hadn't even bothered to prepare a proper meal. The moment Ella heard that she'd be getting a new solid gold tiara, she pursed her lips dismissively and pulled the old one off her head. "Fine, fine! Take it back! I don't want some old, worthless thing anyway!" She tossed it into my arms so carelessly that I couldn't catch it. My fever had left me weak and exhausted. Clang. The tiara hit the floor and shattered into pieces. The entire living room fell silent. Mom merely glanced down at the broken tiara and said flatly, "There. It's broken. So what? It was old anyway. No one can wear it now. Come on, Ella. Let's go upstairs and pick out the color of your dress." Dad patted Tommy on the shoulder. "Come on, Tommy. I'll take you to the backyard to work on your basic physical training. Don't let these trivial matters distract you from your preparation." No one apologized. They simply went about their business, chatting and laughing as their footsteps faded away. I stood alone in the empty living room and slowly crouched down to pick up the largest piece of the shattered tiara. Its sharp edge pierced my skin, and blood trickled between my fingers before dripping onto the floor one drop at a time. Deep inside me, Seraphina let out a low, anguished whimper. It was the fading echo of a hope I could no longer hold onto. Chapter 3 Late that night, I sat at my desk while carefully organizing my application documents one by one. Suddenly, the door opened. Mom walked in with a cup of warm milk. She set it on the corner of my desk and spoke gently. "Alice, drink some milk to help you relax. Ella was out of line when she broke your tiara today. I already scolded her for it. You've always been the sensible one, so don't hold a grudge against her." I watched the steam rising from the cup but felt no warmth in my heart. I knew there was a hidden cost to this glass of milk. Sure enough, as soon as Mom sat down on the edge of my bed, she said, "Your mentor from Moonlight Academy, Vera, called this afternoon to ask about the exchange program. I've already turned it down for you." My hand froze in midair. I stared at her in disbelief. "What did you just say? Moonlight Academy is the most prestigious werewolf academy in the nation! People would give anything to get in!" "But you can't go." Mom sighed, and her tone was full of reproach. "How could you make such a decision behind our backs? We're a family. We should discuss these things together. "You're a young shewolf. Royal City is so far away, and you'll have to endure all kinds of hardships there. You might not even be able to come home for years. Wouldn't it be better to stay here in town, where your dad and I can look after you?" I shot to my feet and yelled in a trembling voice. "I already told you about it! You were too busy choosing Ella's dress to even let me finish!" "Can't you see how hard I work to take care of your siblings?" Mom frowned. Her expression darkened. "Tommy is under enormous pressure preparing for the Royal Werewolf Council exam, and Ella hasn't even awakened her wolf spirit yet. Don't you think I have enough to worry about? "You've already awakened your wolf spirit. Why are you still so selfish? If you go to Royal City, who's going to help out when something happens at home?" "What could possibly happen at home that requires my help?" I stared at her as Seraphina, the wolf spirit lying dormant inside me, stirred awake and let out an angry roar. "Do you need me to lure a pack of rogues away from you in the mountains again, like I did yesterday? Is that all I am to you? Someone you can abandon whenever it's convenient? I'm your biological daughter too. Have you ever actually cared about my safety?" Mom froze for a moment before throwing a fit. "Alice! How dare you speak to me like that? Your dad and I brought you into this world and raised you. Have we ever harmed you? We've always had your best interests at heart, and this is how you repay us? How could you think so badly of your own family?" 'My best interests?' My nose stung, and bitterness rose in my chest. 'Are you really thinking about my future, or are you simply afraid of losing a free maid you can order around?' Seraphina thrashed violently inside me. I fought with everything I had to keep her under control. Just as I was about to suppress her, the door was suddenly kicked open. Dad barged in with a furious expression. "How dare you!" His angry roar was accompanied by a crushing wave of pressure that slammed down on me like a massive boulder. Caught completely off guard, I tasted blood in my throat. I was forced backward into my chair, and my back struck it painfully. "You've only just awakened your wolf spirit, and now you dare talk back to your own mother?" Dad pointed at the application forms scattered across my desk with a cold look in his eyes. "Your mother is absolutely right. Ever since you awakened, you've gotten too ambitious. "You think you're strong enough to spread your wings and fly away! We're keeping you at home for your own good, and you have the nerve to throw our kindness back in our faces!" He snatched the application form off my desk and tore it to pieces right in front of me. "Stay in your room tonight and think about what you've done! If you still don't understand your mistakes, you can go without dinner!" He slammed the door shut so hard that dust fell from the doorframe. I stared at the scraps of paper scattered across the floor. My eyes were warm with tears, but I bit down hard on my lower lip and refused to shed a single tear. Right then, my phone vibrated. It was a message from Vera. [Alice, your mom called me, but Moonlight Academy's rules are clear. Any student who has awakened their wolf spirit has the right to make independent decisions. As long as you're willing to sign the agreement yourself, the slot is still yours. Bring your ID card to the academy's administrative office before noon tomorrow.] Seraphina growled inside me. 'Go. You have to go!' The next morning, I braved the bitter wind and made my way to the administrative office. Vera slid the official admission agreement across the desk. Her gaze landed on the abrasions around my wrist, and a flicker of sympathy appeared in her eyes. "The first year's tuition and miscellaneous fees are quite high, but I've secured a full merit scholarship for you. Your wolf spirit is exceptionally pure. You shouldn't have to waste your potential in a remote town like this." I took the pen, but my fingers were still trembling uncontrollably. Still, I carefully wrote my name. [Alice Gray.] This time, I was making a decision for myself. I returned home just in time for lunch. The dining table was laden with roasted lamb chops and creamy soup. The laughter and cheerful conversation of my family of four came to an abrupt halt the moment I walked through the door. Tommy kept his head down and cut the meat without even glancing at me. Ella was sucking blueberry sauce off her fingers while Mom affectionately wiped her mouth with a napkin. Dad sat at the head of the table with a glass of red wine. His gaze swept over me indifferently. "Come over here and serve us the soup before you eat," Mom said coldly. "After lunch, do all the dishes. Also, you'll be doing all the household chores for the next three months. We'll consider yesterday's matter settled." In their eyes, this was considered an extraordinary act of generosity. But I didn't move. Instead, I turned around and went straight back to my room to pack my belongings. My enormous wardrobe contained only two sets of worn-out clothes. Looking at the nearly empty backpack, I realized how little I was leaving behind, just as I'd left so little of myself in this family. As I walked out of my room with my bag, Ella suddenly ran over and tugged at my clothes while pouting coquettishly. "Alice, I want the bacon bolognese spaghetti from that restaurant on the east side of town! Go buy it for me!" Mom continued sipping her soup without even looking up from the dining table. "You made Ella upset yesterday. Don't you owe her an apology? If you can't bring it back, don't bother coming home." Dad briefly looked up but said nothing. He was silently agreeing. I stood in the entryway and looked at the four of them sitting together so harmoniously. They could have been a family portrait in an ornate frame. From the very beginning, there had never been a place for me at that table. I chuckled and said, "Sure. You said it yourselves." I then pulled open the front door and stepped into the cold wind without the slightest hesitation. Outside, the shuttle from Moonlight Academy was already waiting with its doors open. I took two quick steps and climbed aboard. I never looked back.