Chapter 254: Side Story One

Chapter 254: Side Story One
Marcus's POV

I am a mixed-blood child, but I'm fortunate enough to possess all the werewolf traits.

"Why do I have a tail but you don't?" I looked up at my mother, my heart full of curiosity and confusion.

Mother smiled and affectionately rubbed my ears. "When our little Marcus grows up, he'll be just like Mommy and be able to retract his tail." Her voice was gentle, but a flicker of worry I couldn't understand passed through her eyes.

So before I turned four, I always stayed in our tiny room, waiting for the day when I'd grow up and could retract my tail.

The walls of our home were too thin, and I often heard the laughter of children, conversations of adults, and the noise of vehicles outside—all these sounds made me itch with curiosity.

Outside must be so much fun that nobody wanted to stay indoors.

Until one time, peering through a crack in the wall, I secretly watched children playing outside and realized they didn't have pointed ears or furry tails. This discovery left me utterly confused.

Was I sick? Why was I the only one with these strange things? I began to doubt what my mother told me—maybe I really was different from them.

Finally, one afternoon when Mother was out working, I gathered my courage and pushed open the door that was never allowed to be opened. The sunlight hurt my eyes, accustomed to the dim room. The outside world was more vast and bright than I had imagined.

"Can I play with you?" I cautiously approached several children playing, afraid of rejection yet unable to suppress my inner longing.

The leader didn't even turn around, saying readily, "Get in line over there!"

My heart instantly filled with joy, like I'd just downed a huge glass of juice. They hadn't rejected me! They were willing to let me join! I almost jumped up and cheered.

Only when the children beside him stopped did he impatiently turn to look at me. "I said you should go—"

His face suddenly turned pale, as if he'd seen some kind of monster, and stammered, "S-sorry, I didn't know you were..." His eyes filled with fear.

My smile froze on my face, my throat feeling like something was blocking it.

Before he could finish, another child grabbed his arm and shouted, "What are you waiting for? Run!"

I stood there, feeling like I'd been violently yanked down from cloud nine. Why? Why did they run at the sight of me?

I looked down at myself—except for my tail and ears, I wasn't any different from them. I scratched my head and walked toward less crowded areas, hoping to find someone like me.

But until nightfall, I hadn't found a second person like myself. The entire world seemed to have only one monster like me.

Loneliness and fear washed over me like a tide, and I ran home crying, tears blurring my vision.

Why was this happening? I had a mother too, so why was I different from other children?

Late at night, I walked the path home, my ears turning alertly, afraid someone might suddenly appear and point at me, shouting "monster." But I remembered what Mom had told me—when I grew up a bit more, I'd be able to retract my tail and ears just like everyone else. This thought gave me a sliver of comfort.

Finally reaching our door and seeing it tightly shut, I remembered I had snuck out, so I shouted at the door: "Mom, I'm back, please open the door!"

I hoped Mother would give me a warm hug and tell me everything would be okay.

I deeply regretted sneaking out, because the outside world wasn't nearly as wonderful as I had imagined.

After a long while, the door finally creaked open.

I looked up hopefully, but instead of my mother, a man stood there. He was bare-chested, the smell of alcohol and sweat hitting me in the face, making my nose wrinkle in discomfort.

As soon as he opened the door, he cursed at me: "Where did this little bastard come from, looking for his whore mother?" His voice was thunderous, full of malice and disgust.

I was terrified, my legs gave way, and I sat on the ground, crying uncontrollably.

The man's eyes widened in rage, his hand raised high. I instinctively closed my eyes, curling into a ball, waiting for the pain to come. Just then, I heard my mother's voice: "Who is it?"

I felt a spark of hope and looked eagerly past the man.

With a click, the light at the door suddenly came on, and I closed my eyes against the brightness. When I opened them, the man before me had lost his previous arrogance, his legs trembling so badly he'd actually wet himself, the smell acrid and nauseating.

I looked at my mother standing in the doorway, her expression changing from surprise to fear.

A strange chill ran through me—I'd never seen Mother look so afraid before. Was it because of me?

Without thinking, I immediately rushed toward her: "Mother, I was wrong, I shouldn't have snuck out, I'll never do it again." I clutched tightly at the hem of her clothes, afraid she would run away like those children.

But Mother said nothing, just kept touching my ears, rubbing them until they hurt. She seemed cold, her body trembling violently.

The man's puzzled voice came from behind me: "Shelly, is this your son?" His voice was filled with disbelief.

Mother's hand suddenly froze, and she urgently pushed me away from her embrace, crying out in panic: "No! I don't know him, he's someone else's child!" Her voice was shrill and unfamiliar, her eyes showing only fear and rejection.

"Mother..." My voice weakened with shock, my heart feeling like it had been stomped on. I could hardly believe my ears, couldn't believe these words came from my mother's mouth. This was my mother, the one who told me stories every night and cooked for me every day—how could she not know me?

The warmth on my body vanished, and I stared blankly at my mother's averted face, too shocked even to cry.

Her hands kept pushing me away, much harder than when we used to play, her nails digging into my skin, leaving stinging pain.

I felt an unprecedented coldness and loneliness, as if the entire world had abandoned me. I wanted to ask why, to hug her, to tell her I was scared, but my voice seemed frozen, unable to make any sound.

Suddenly my neck tightened as the man got up from the floor, grabbed my collar, almost choking me. He reached out to grip my mother's face, turning her toward me, placing us side by side.

I saw the fear in my mother's eyes deepen, and my heart instantly sank to the bottom.

He narrowed his eyes, studying us for a moment, then shouted loudly: "He looks so much like you, he's obviously your son!" Then he threw back his head, and I saw the smug smile on his face: "Everyone come look! This whore actually has a half-werewolf, half-human son, how daring!"

Sudden gasps came from outside the window, and I saw several faces pressed against the glass, their eyes full of disgust and contempt. I'd never seen so many people look at me that way before, and a deep sense of shame and fear enveloped me.

"Filthy blood traitor!" a shrill female voice called from outside.

"This kind of mongrel should be put to death!" a male voice shouted roughly. "They pollute the human bloodline!"

The fur all over my body seemed to stand on end. I couldn't understand why everyone hated me so much—what had I done wrong?

Mother knelt on the ground, hands covering her face, shoulders convulsing. When she looked up at me, the regret and despair in her eyes nearly drowned me.

"Why did you go outside?" Mother's voice was broken, like a wail squeezed from deep in her chest. "How many times have I told you never to leave this room!"

I sobbed, reaching out to touch her, but she jerked away. The gesture cut through my heart like a knife, hurting a thousand times more than the abuse from those strangers outside.

"Werewolf mongrel! Human disgrace!" The shouts from outside grew louder, accompanied by banging on windows and doors. "Hand him over!" The whole house seemed to shake.

I couldn't understand why my mother was so afraid, why everyone was so angry. I just wanted to play like other children, to know why I was different from them. Was that so wrong?

My heart was torn apart by fear and confusion, tears flowing uncontrollably.

"Mom..." I choked out, my voice barely audible, "What did I do wrong?"