"Jane, how was your tour around the village?" Reena asked while arranging the house the villagers had given us to stay in.
"This place feels like hope," I said as I looked at her. "I never thought there would be Lycans living here."
Reena smiled as she folded the blankets we found inside the house. She then walked toward me.
"Yeah. This village might be the hope we've been searching for," she said softly.
I looked away, my gaze drifting toward the window.
"I hope so," I murmured before looking back at her. "But to me, Lycans are still Lycans."
I swallowed hard.
"What they did in the past can never be erased—at least not in my heart. I once dreamed of living a peaceful life like this in our own home, back in the city. Not here… hiding like rats."
The anguish was evident on my face.
"Trauma can't be erased just by telling yourself that not all Lycans are bad."
"I know," Reena said gently. "I understand your pain. Everything you've been through—it can't simply disappear."
She tapped my back reassuringly, and I knew she truly sympathized with me.
"I don't want to be pessimistic," I admitted, my voice trembling. "But I'm scared, Reena. Being surrounded by Lycans makes my mind restless. I want to believe. I really do. I want to hope so badly… and I wish everything will turn out fine."
Reena nodded, trying to calm me down.
"I was happy when I saw that Lycans and werewolves could live together—that maybe a peaceful future is possible. But for us… things might never be the same."
"Believe, Jane," Reena said firmly. "Someday, your heart will find peace, and we'll make that happen together. For now, let's hope. Let's give everything we have to build the future we want. Let's fight for our future."
I nodded slowly.
"We will," I said. "I want that future. For now, I won't fight for myself—but for the future. I'll set myself aside for now."
"No, Jane," Reena said, shaking her head. "We're not fighting just for others—we're fighting for ourselves too. Don't say you're setting yourself aside. This is for us as well. We have feelings. We're not animals acting on instinct alone. We are capable of rational thought."
" You're right."
I nodded and smiled faintly.
For now, I won't let my emotions control my future.
Our future.
And deep inside me, a small hope began to sprout.