My name is Isadora Bellini, and I’m twenty-five years old. I work as a maid in a condo, living in a dumpy building in the middle of Bellavista. I'm at that point in life where I'm trying to figure out what to do with myself. You know, that age when you start asking, "How did I end up here?"

I guess you’re probably wondering the same thing. Well, let me tell you—it’s not that complicated. I’m not exactly normal. I’m actually a werewolf. Yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking. You're probably rolling your eyes, thinking I'm crazy. But trust me, we exist. We keep our existence hidden from humans. Our packs usually live in the middle of nowhere, far away from people.

And me? Well, I guess I’m the exception. I've been living with humans for the past eight years. Suddenly, two members of my former pack appear and pull me back into the clan. It’s precisely what happens when you get rejected.

Let me give you a little taste of my life. I used to belong to the Luna Nera Clan in Isola del Sole, the strongest and most respected pack in the US. I grew up there, with a loving family—a mom, a dad, two older brothers, Luca and Marco, and my identical twin sister, Giulia. I had everything any girl could want. My family was close—especially me and Giulia. After all, we were twins.

Then there was my best friend, Lorenzo Ricci. He was supposed to be the next Alpha. We told each other everything. I truly mean everything. I shared my most embarrassing stories, and he shared his secret. He told me he loved my sister, Giulia. It hurt, honestly. Deep down, I had always hoped that maybe—just maybe—he’d be my mate.

But let me tell you something—I can't stand hearing his name now. Every time it crosses my mind, I feel the urge to punch something. It doesn’t matter that he grew the guts to ask Giulia out and they started dating. We were still close, or at least I thought we were.

Then everything changed when I turned 16 and Lorenzo turned 18. We discovered that we were mates. But, instead of embracing that bond, Lorenzo rejected me.

He said it simply, "I don’t love you, Isadora. I love Giulia. I’ve always loved her. You’re like a little sister to me. I’ll always protect you, but I can’t love you the way I love her. I want Giulia to be my Capo, my wife, and the mother of my children, not you. So, Isadora Bellini, I reject you as my mate."

He walked away like nothing happened, leaving me lying on the beach, broken.

I didn't run away at first, though. At least not right away. I stayed. I stayed through the pain. You might be curious about what happened to Giulia’s mate. Well, when she was 14, she felt him die. She felt a sudden jolt in her heart, instantly realizing that her mate had passed away. She never had the opportunity to meet him, which perhaps explains why she found it so easy to develop feelings for Lorenzo.

After that, I returned to our house, crying myself to sleep at night as Lorenzo and Giulia were engrossed in their own worlds. During the day, I was like a zombie, watching them love each other. Meanwhile, I was trying to piece my broken heart back together, along with the wounds of my wolf.

I stayed when Lorenzo announced Giulia as his Luna. I stayed when he proposed to her. I stayed when they got married. I had the honor of serving as her maid of honor. All the while, I wore a fake smile and tried to keep from falling apart.

Then came the night he marked her as his. That was the worst pain I had ever felt. I wouldn’t wish that kind of agony on anyone—not even Lorenzo. But honestly, maybe he deserves it. One week after their wedding, Giulia came back, and they announced to the pack that she was pregnant with their first child.

Lorenzo gazed at me as he recounted the story to the pack, and I sensed regret in his eyes. Perhaps he was also experiencing some pain. But it was gone just as quickly as it came. I must’ve imagined it. Either way, I knew I couldn’t stay there anymore. My mate was building a life with someone else, and they were about to have a baby.

So, I did what I thought was best. I cut all ties with the pack and with my family and left. I chose to live with humans. Living with humans was the last place they would expect to find me.

The pain was too much to handle. So, I left on my 18th birthday.

Now, here I am, back where it all started. But not because I want to. I’m here because I have to be. My sister, Giulia, is gone. She passed away, and I had no choice but to return for her funeral.

The house looked just as I remembered it. I could see the front door from here. I made a promise to myself that I would never walk through that door again.

I stopped in front of the gate, the wind tugging at my hair.

"Is this really happening?" I whispered to myself.

But before I could turn away, the door creaked open. Two figures stepped outside. Of course, they’d come. They felt obligated to come.

"Isadora," one of them said softly. I didn’t need to look up to know who it was.

Luca.

His voice was familiar and comforting, and it made the knot in my stomach twist even more. He wasn’t the problem. Never was. But the rest of them?

I didn’t answer right away. What was there to say?

"You shouldn’t be here," Luca said, taking a few steps closer. His tone wasn’t harsh, but it wasn’t comforting either. It was just—there.

I sighed. "I didn’t have a choice."

He studied me for a moment, like he was trying to figure me out. "You’ve been gone for a long time. This place—" He motioned to the house, to the pack. "It’s not the same without you."

I didn’t respond. How could I? With everything already shattered, what more could I say?

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw him. Lorenzo.

The sight of him made my chest tighten. I didn’t want to look at him, but I did. I couldn’t help it.

He was watching me, his face unreadable.

Luca noticed my gaze and followed it. "You need to talk to him, Isadora."

I shook my head quickly. "I don’t have to do anything."

"You’re not a little girl anymore. You know that, right?" Luca’s voice was low, and I could tell there was something behind his words.

I didn’t say anything.

Lorenzo took a step forward, and I felt every muscle in my body tense. "Isadora," he said, his voice a little more than a whisper, "I never wanted to hurt you."

I almost laughed at that. "You already did."

He flinched. But he didn’t back away.

"I know you’re angry," he continued. "And you have every right to be. But can we just—"

I didn’t wait for him to finish. "You don’t get to make excuses anymore. Not after everything."

The silence that followed was thick. I could feel the weight of the past pressing down on me. But I wasn’t the same person I was before. I wasn’t the girl who waited.

"I’ll go inside," Luca said, cutting through the tension. "Take your time."

But I understood there was no time to waste. The damage was already done.