The Last Halfblood

LYRIANNE

Have you ever looked at your life and wondered what the point of your existence was?

I do. All the time.

A sharp knock on my door makes me turn my attention away from the book in my hands. I tuck it under my pillow and stand up quickly before taking the two steps it takes me to reach my door.

I open it a crack and find Madam Sophie glaring at me, nostrils flared. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I...uh...Eliane told me—"

"Zorah will be home at any minute and you're here, killing time by doing nothing!" she spits, slapping her hips. "By the Goddess, can't you ever do anything right, halfblood?"

I swallow the knot forming in my throat and say in a small voice, "I'll go to the kitchen now."

Madam Sophie shakes her head at me, then walks away, leaving my bedroom door wide open. I put my shoes on before hurrying out of my room. Quietly, I make my way to the kitchen, where Eliane is decorating Zorah's birthday cake.

As soon as I walk in, she yells at me. "Didn't I tell you to go to your room!?"

"Madam Sophie told me to come here and help," I explain. "If I go back, she'll yell at me again. Might even beat me this time."

Eliane shakes her head and mutters something under her breath. She then jerks her head in the direction of the kitchen door and says, "Take the trash out. It's going to stink up the kitchen soon. Afterward, you go to your room. That's an order. You've done way too much today, more than all of us combined. If you don't get your rest, you won't be able to make the most of Zorah's birthday party."

I smile. "I think she'll be happy with everything. Don't you?"

"Of course, she will," Eliane replies with a wink before putting the piping bag down. "And I'm sure she'll have a million and one questions to ask you, so you better be alert. I bet she was sad that she missed your birthday."

"Yeah. She told me so in the letter she sent me."

My eighteenth birthday was two months ago, and I spent it in this kitchen with Eliane, who baked me a little cake. Zorah has been away from the Northern Territory—her father thought it would be nice for her to spend some time with his sister before her big move at the start of autumn.

In the wolf world, eighteen is an age that symbolizes the very beginning of life. Wolf spirits mature, unlocking their full potential where healing, strength, and speed are concerned.

It also unlocks the potential for each wolf spirit to locate its other half.

Its mate, that is.

So, it's safe to say that it's the happiest moment in a young wolf's life. After the age of eighteen, everyone is supposed to enroll in an academy. Here, in the Northern Territory, it's Crescent Hollow. Once there, you'll pick a career that best aligns with what the Head Oracle sees for you, and you'll spend the next three years preparing for a future within your pack.

Zorah will be heading there this autumn.

I won't.

That's because I'm a halfblood, not a full-blooded wolf. I'm a hybrid between a werewolf and a human.

The offspring of a forbidden pair.

"Oh, well," Eliane remarks, going back to work. "The two of you will have more than enough time to catch up."

I take the trash out, then decide to hang around in the garden for a little while to avoid Madam Sophie. Who knows? Maybe she's waiting for me to head back into the room so she can punish me the way she did when I was much younger. She's never made it a secret that she hates me, and honestly, deep down?

I don't really blame her.

Technically, I should be dead, but my guardian, Zorah's father, Morian Zicco, felt sorry for me and decided to spare my life. Well, that's what I tell myself anyway. I have no idea why he didn't kill me when I was a baby like he was supposed to, and he's never told me about his reasons either.

I tried to ask him about it once and it was the worst thing I ever did. I never asked him again. I'm alive and that should be enough.

But occasionally, I find myself thinking it all through and none of it makes sense. I don't know why I'm not dead. What's the point of keeping me, a halfblood, around when I could never have a chance at a normal life? I've never stepped foot outside the Zicco property. All I do all day is help the staff cook and clean. When there are guests over, I have to hide and never make my presence known.

I content myself with watching them from the crack of my door whenever I can, but if someone gets too close, I have to lock it and stay put.

Because if anyone sees me...

Morian has made things very clear for me. If anyone finds out about me, I'll die, and so will the rest of the Zicco family. Do I really want to endanger them when they've sacrificed so much to keep me alive, even if I don't understand why?

Can I find it in me to be so cruel?

The answer is a clear no, so I do what I'm supposed to. I follow all their rules, even the ones that make me feel like I'll die of claustrophobia in this massive, gloomy old house.

When I was younger, things were much better for me. I had Finn and Zorah, Morian's only two children, to keep me company and play with me.

Though they were always encouraged by their mother, Madam Sophie, to stay away from me, they never cared about any of that. It's safe to say that Zorah is my best friend.

Finn, on the other hand...I've been in love with him for as long as I can remember. He's never looked at me any other way, though, and I haven't seen him in two years. He's at Crescent Hollow, too busy to stop by and say hello. Now, Zorah is leaving, too, and I'll be all alone.

I'll still have Eliane, but it's definitely not the same thing.

I suppose I should get used to this. Once they leave Crescent Hollow, they'll move on with their respective careers, start families, and I'll always be here, long after Morian and his wife are gone. And the staff. Sometimes, the thought depresses me. Other times, I just shrug it off and accept it as my reality.

I know I'm not supposed to, but sometimes, I wish I could taste liberty, even just once.

Just so I can have something to dream about.

I close my eyes to fight back tears and sigh. Suddenly, someone creeps up behind me, startling me. I whirl around and see Zorah staring back at me with her big, sky-blue eyes.

"Zorah!" I exclaim, throwing my arms around her. My friendly attack makes her lose her balance and we go crashing down, laughing like maniacs.

"I missed you so freaking much!" she cries out, planting a huge kiss on my cheek. "Gosh, it was sooo boring at Aunt Belinda's. You have no idea how much I hated Dad for making me stay there."

I shrug. "At least it was a new experience, right?"

"Meh," she sticks her tongue out. "I could've done without it. It would've been a thousand times more fun to spend the weeks before the academy with you."

My heart is torn in two at the mention of her departure, but I try to put on a brave face. "We can always talk to each other, right?"

"Would've been easier with a mind-link," she mentions, "but since you don't have one...we'll just keep sending letters!"

I smile. "Sounds like a plan."

We both hear Madam Sophie calling her name, and she sighs. We stand up. "Gotta run. She wants to take me out to buy a dress for tonight."

"I thought you already had your dress for the party?"

"I mean the afterparty," she claims with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "All my lame classmates will be there, and Mom wants me to start socializing before starting the semester. Apparently, Crescent Hollow can be a scary place."

"Oh, sounds cool."

"You bet your ass it does," she remarks before squeezing my hand. "I'll tell you all about it when I get back from shopping. We'll try dresses on together. Make sure we look great."

I arch a brow. "We?"

Zorah races toward the house, fighting off a smile. I call out, "Zorah, what do you mean by 'we'?"

She doesn't answer me, and I decide not to take her seriously. Between the three of us, she was always the prankster.

She means nothing by it. Of course, not.

It's not like I can leave the house anyway...

Right?