Analise's POV

"A few days. Just five days. Then I can finally leave this place behind me." Evelyne, my best friend, grumbled, as she sat across me at the table. She frowned as she went through the last assignment of our school year.

"You have been repeating the same thing for the past hour Evie. I think I got it." I said as I went over my own work. Flipping the last page, I closed the file.

"Because I need the motivation to do this." She said, irritation clear in her tone. "Who gives an assignment during the last week of school?" A groan escaped her as she aggressively flipped pages while I leaned back and watched her, amused.

"Mr Johnson does." She sent me a glare. I just rolled my eyes at her.

"Done!" She exclaimed, slamming her file shut and beamed at me, pride gleaming in her eyes.

"Keep it down Miss Scott!" The librarian's voice reached our table from not far away and Evelyne just gave the old lady an awkward smile.

"You are so noisy Miss Scott." I mimicked the librarian's voice, knowing very well what she would say when we passed her desk on our way out.

"You should learn the basic rules of being in a library" Evelyne added, grimacing. We both held our laughter in. Getting scolded by our librarian- a petite woman in her mid-sixties, with a round face, pale skin with occasional wrinkles, always wearing a severe, strict face- has become a routine for Evelyne to the point we already know the exact words. "I know the drill."

"I think everybody knows. Miss Evelyne Scott- The most famous name in the library. Not for good reasons though." She rolled her eyes as I added the last part.

"Trust me, she will miss me once I get out of this hell hole. Why?" She asked. "Because she will not have anyone to scold anymore and her job will be boring." She answered her own question, glancing at the librarian.

"I highly doubt that!" I scoffed.

"Speaking about leaving, what are you going to do?" Suddenly the mood changed from a light, joyful one to a heavy, tensed one as she raised the question I have been avoiding for so long.

"I have yet to decide." She frowned, waiting for me to continue. "It's not an easy choice."

"You are not considering going back there, are you?" I stayed quite knowing very well what 'there' meant- My family. "Ana?"

Evelyne and I have been best friends for years now. When I first came to the school, she was not yet enrolled in. The first day she came, I caught her crying alone. Her parents were omegas in her pack. Hence, many people looked down on her and her family. She was bullied by fellow members of her pack. That day was our first conversation. Then with every passing days, we confided in each other and now we were best friends. Over the years, Evelyne has changed a lot and I could not wait for her to go back to her pack show the people there what she made up of.

"It's not an easy choice Evie" I sighed, fumbling with the pen in my hands. "You know how difficult it is for me to decide"

She placed her hands on mine, clasping them together and looked me in the eyes, a warm feeling enveloping both of us. "I know. I can't make the choice for you. However, if you need somewhere to go, you can come to my pack. My parents are omegas. Nobody cares about what we do. You could stay with us. I am sure they would be more than happy to have you at our house" She gave me a small smile. "You are not alone Ana. I will always be with you. Don't let their words affect you anymore. This is your life. Their opinions don't matter. Not after what they put you through."

"I may not have the best family, but I do have the best best-friend." I smiled at her. "Thanks a lot Evie but I can't come to your pack. If your pack recognises me as the werewolf princess, and word gets to my parents or even my siblings, things could get ugly."

"So you neither want to go to my pack nor back to your family. Right?" She questioned

"I don't know. Maybe they changed?" She gave me an incredulous look. "It's been a long time since everything went down. My brother even got a mate and my sister has also changed a lot. So maybe, you know?" I left the last part hanging.

"It's good to have hope Ana but I really care for you and right now, things are unlikely to turn out the way you are imagining." I let her words sink in. "I don't think the people who treated you the way they did at the mere age of 7 would change. If they did, it would most probably be for the worst"

"My other option was settling in the city. Try to blend in with the humans and live a normal life." I shrugged. "I could get a job and pursue some higher studies on the long run."

"You are a werewolf Ana. The princess!" She exclaimed, earning another retort from the librarian. "You can't just completely let go of your origin and just live as a human. As time goes by, it will get harder. You will have to connect with your wolf, go for runs and in your case, you even have to control your mysterious powers. What if people find out who you are? Most importantly, what about your mate?"

I groaned. "I feel like my head is going to explode."

She sighed before speaking again. "Look Analise, I don't want to impose anything on you. Like I said earlier, it's your life, your choice. But we both know you need to make up your mind by the end of this week."

"Thank you Evie." My voice came out as a whisper due to the lump being formed in my throat. "I will make up my mind soon. I can feel it."

"Choose what's best for you. Don't let anyone influence your decision. Not even me. Don't let them hurt you again." Her eyes turned glossy and I felt bad for ruining her mood with this discussion. "I love you."

"I love you too." I forced a small laugh, blinking the tears away. "Enough of this talk now. Why don't you go first? I have to return some of the books I took last time."

"Fine." She replied after a few seconds. "I need to get back to my speech for graduation too. I have not even started yet!" She quickly stuffed all her things in her bag, slung it over her shoulder and was of the library in a flash -perks of being a werewolf- but not before hearing the librarian's usual remark.

As I packed up my own things, I could not help but think about my plans after school. Despite what many others say, this school has been a safe place for me. If not for it, I would most probably be dead by now. Due to this school and the teachers, I was safe from the horrors lurking in the world outside. I still remember vividly that night when everything changed for the better.

The cold, chilly, dark night was strangely calm as I walked through the empty streets. Ignoring the prickling sensation of the cold winds, I continued down my path. Kicking the pebbles in my way, I walked towards a nearby bench where I sat down. I leaned my head against the backrest and closed my eyes, relaxing upon hearing the familiar rustling of leaves combined with the howls of owls and occasional gusts. I took in a deep breath, the cold air hitting my nose.

My thoughts went back to the daily nightmare I have. Ever since what happened that night, the same nightmare has been playing in my head again and again. Everyday. Every night. No matter what I do, I can't escape it. It has plagued my memories and I am afraid it will be forever. Waking up 3 a.m. again this morning, I needed to clear my head. I snuck out of the house without being seen by the Christine- my nanny. Ever since my parents sent me away, Christine has been taking care of me. She catered to my food, clothes, school and recreational activities though she never showed any affection to me. All she did was out of her sense of duty towards the king and queen of werewolves.

Growing up, I have always heard stories about princesses' lives, the perfect life- a loving family, beautiful dresses, being pampered, getting everything on a platter, a prince charming and a lovely castle. However, in my case it was different. Very different. I had a family but they were not loving. I had dresses but those already worn by my sister. I was never pampered and I rarely got what I wanted. A prince charming never entered the picture. Instead of a castle, I was in an apartment with a nanny and no contact to my family. The only thing I awaited most was my shift.

At 16, I am supposed to shift and I am still 13. Once I shifted, I would no longer be alone. I would have my wolf who would act as my friend, my sister, my confidante and hopefully like me. With her by my side, I would be different. I would be stronger, smarter and more confident. At times I can't help but wonder I my parents would be proud of me if I shifted. Would they want me back? As much as the latter seemed impossible, it is one of my earnest wishes. I wanted to feel loved by my parents, my siblings. I wanted their support. I wanted to make them proud.

A sound from the vicinity made me open my eyes. Looking around, I found nothing but I felt someone's eyes on me, following my movements. A rustling noise from the bushes caught my attention. At the same moment, the light near the bench started flickering and the wind blew stronger, making the leaves rustle. Dread settled in my stomach as my hair stood on end. I took in deep, silent breaths, straining my ears. The rustling in the bushes became louder and more violent as I felt my heart beat in chest rapidly.