Chapter 33 Balancing Lives.

The sun was just beginning to rise, casting a gentle light over Ashwood. As the first rays filtered through the curtains of my room, I felt the familiar rush of adrenaline that marked the start of another busy day. My life had become a complex web of balancing school, family, work, and my new identity as a werewolf. Each day was a tightrope walk between the ordinary and the extraordinary. I slipped out of bed, careful not to make a sound. The house was still quiet, my family asleep, oblivious to the changes in me. I had grown accustomed to this double life—one as Jessica, the high school student, and another as a member of the Ashwood pack. It wasn’t easy, but I had managed to keep my secret well-hidden. After a quick breakfast, I headed to the lab for my shift as an apprentice with Mr. Smith. The days at the lab had become a routine part of my life, a normalcy I clung to amid the chaos of my new reality. Mr. Smith was a meticulous and brilliant scientist, and I was determined to lea