Chapter 1


    I had one day until I turned twenty-one then I could leave the hell-hole I called pack and live as a


    lone wolf. At eighteen, wolves are considered adults but lone wolves are a rarity as living without


    the ties of a pack can drive a wolf to insanity. Ourws prohibit wolves under the age of twenty-one


    from living solitary lives to keep the rogue poption in check.


    “Tomorrow, Rena, you and I will leave this hell and find a real home.” I stroked the fur of the stray


    ck wolf that became my friend a year ago.


    “What are you doingzying about?” A sharp voice cut into the serene air behind the pack house.


    “Do we keep you here to waste our air?” I hurried to my feet as Felicity approached me. “You article


    of nomercial value!” My face snapped to the side and I stumbled as her palm connected with


    my left cheek in a resounding p.


    “I am on my break.” Indignation rang in my tone as I cradled my cheek. “I deserve rest after working


    nonstop for twelve hours –“ Another p cut me off.


    “This filthy bitch!” She screamed, red in the face. “How dare you talk back at me?” She stepped


    closer but paused when Rena growled low in her throat.


    “Rena, back off,” I warned my friend. She had suffered enough cruel torture for my sake yet every


    time I pushed her to leave, she came back to me.


    Unlike me, Rena was an ordinary wolf and not a shifter. I could not tell if she understood me when I


    told her to leave the pack, to find somewhere else or to stay in hiding. She always stood beside me


    and it always ended in her getting hurt.


    “You and this your stupid mutt,” Felicity grumbled, eyeing Rena who kept growling, the intensity of


    the sound rising the more time passed. “Whatever,” she rolled her eyes, pretending the sounds


    “Rena, no –“ Without looking back, I knew what would happen next. Rena charged at Felicity, ws


    sinking into her arm as the other girl tried to shift. “Get off her. You’ll get in trouble!” My eyes


    scanned the ce. I couldn’t hear anything but with the scent of blood rising in the air, people would


    soon be here.


    “Rena –“ I cried in a voice choked with emotions. “Please –“ If she could understand me, she


    showed no sign. She fought Felicity like a rabid dog. The Alpha’s daughter shifted to her brown wolf


    but shecked the murderous intent tobat Rena who fought like a crazy animal ready to kill.


    “Felicity!” A voice thundered from behind me. Turning, I faced Kade as he ran over to the battling


    wolves. Two others came with him and they separated the fight in seconds.


    “What did you do?” The expression on Kade’s face made me gulp, cowering backwards. He red


    at me with red eyes, taking a step forward while I stepped back again.


    “Kade,” Felicity cried with a wretched sniffle as a man put his coat over her. “She set that violent


    wolf on me.” She pointed a shaky finger in my direction.


    “That’s not what happened. She bumped into me on purpose and Rena defended –“ I jumped to


    argue for my friend.


    “Enough.” I flinched at the icy venom in those words. “Why can you not stay a day without causing


    trouble?” He growled in my face. “What will you gain from hurting Felicity?” He put a hand around


    his sister, hugging her to his side.


    I would say something in my defense but no one ever believed me. My words held no water against


    Felicity’s. In truth, if he came to see her pummeling me to the ground with only a scratch on her


    face, it would be my fault. Felicity was the precious daughter of the Alpha and a beloved member of


    the pack while I was the wretched omega daughter of the Beta, the wicked child that killed her


    mother. These treatments were not new to me. I spent all my life trying to earn their love but now, I


    gave up. Their hurtful words did not faze me anymore. After dealing with them for twenty-one years,


    onest day meant nothing to me.


    “I am sorry.” I bowed my head, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill from my eyes. The


    entirety of Silver Moon had seen enough of my tears. They didn’t deserve the satisfaction of seeing


    me broken onest time.


    “Be sorry for the wolf you just killed.” My blood ran cold at those words spoken with hostility and


    hard eyes. “Chop off its head.” He gave themand to the men standing at alert behind him.


    “No, not Rena! It was my mistake –“ I screamed, unable to hold back the tears as I heard Rena’s


    whines. Two hefty men pulled my friend away while she fought. “It was my mistake.” I tried to run


    after them, to help Rena with my useless hands but Kade stopped me.


    “Stay.” Themand of an Alpha was impossible to disobey for any wolf under theirmand.


    When Kade spoke in his Alpha voice, my bodyplied, forcing me to a stand still.


    “Please, she is the only one I have. I promise – I promise I will never cause any trouble again. We


    will never cause any trouble if you –“ I begged, my legs locked underneath me.


    “Shut up, you are giving me a headache,” he snapped, pushing his hair out of his face while holding


    Felicity who pretended to be hurt. The injuries on her arms were knitting themselves together


    thanks to her Alpha blood but she breathed harshly through her mouth in pretense.


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    “Your punishment will be decidedter,” he said. Felicity raised her head a fraction to smirk at me


    before going back to her limp position in her brother’s arms. “I gave you numerous chances to get


    rid of that dog but you kept it. Her blood is on your hands.” I looked down at my trembling hands as


    he walked away, leaving me with those words that weighed heavy and crushed my soul.


    My friend‘s distant howl echoed in my ears and unfroze my legs. I trembled from head to toe as I


    ran, following the pungent scent of blood that belonged to my onlypanion. Unfortunately, I


    bumped into my superior as I rounded a corner.


    “There you are.” She grabbed my hand. “Your thirty minutes break ended ten minutes ago. What


    are you still doing out here?” As she spoke, she pulled me with her. “Never mind that. There is a lot


    that needs to be done or have you forgotten we will be receiving guests from tonight?” She took my


    hand and stirred me back into the pack house.


    “Ma’am –“ I tried shaking her off but her grip on my hand was like iron. She lost her temper when I


    tried to shake her lose the second time.


    “There is no time for your drama!” She snapped, all forms of niceties evaporating from her tone.


    “We have too much to be done in preparation for tomorrow’s hand-over. If you don’t behave


    yourself, I will have to call the Beta,” she threatened, wagging a finger in my face.


    “But my friend –“ I looked in the direction where I heard Rena’s howls.


    I expected Beta Maria to understand how I felt in this situation as she was the only one in this pack


    to show any bit of affection for me. She may be stern and focused on work all the time, but she


    showed me empathy from time to time. I hoped this would be one of those times.


    “That wolf is dead!” She snapped, putting her hands on her hips. “Do you want to follow after it?”


    She demanded, her eyes sparkling with impatience. “If you want to keep your head, you must get


    back to work. Kade is about to be our Alpha. Tomorrow will usher in a new dawn for Silver


    Moon pack. We must all do our work except you want to offend the incumbent Alpha and his Luna,”


    she warned me. I nodded in understanding but I did not understand. Not fully. Why could I not


    mourn my friend who I just lost because I had to n a party for someone I hated!?


    “If you abandon your duties, you will suffer more and I am sure that wolf would not like that.” Maria


    patted my shoulder. “Keep her in your heart and mourn herter. Right now, you must attend to your


    duties.”


    It was easy for her to advise me in a situation she had no experience of. How easy it was for her to


    tell me to postpone my mourning and continue my duties as a ve for a pack that never valued my


    hard work. All my life, I bent over backwards for this pack, hoping that one day they would see my


    sacrifices and appreciate me. I gave up everything – my person and dignity –to please these people


    but the only thing they did was take more than I could give, strip me bare and punish me for crimes I


    did notmit.


    My Rena died for nothing.


    My heart ached. Pain crushed me from the inside while I went to theundry room to continue my


    work as the ve of this pack. Despite my father being the Beta of this pack, they never allowed me


    any luxury. I lived from hand to mouth for as long as I remembered, living as an orphaned ve


    despite my living father’s high status.


    For the next seven hours, I had to iron the sheets and take them up to the guest rooms. My tears


    sttered against more than one bedsheet as Iy the bed in more than twenty rooms in


    preparation for the arrival of the guests invited to celebrate Kade’s session as Alpha.


    The longer I worked, the more tears fell from my eyes. My limbs were tired but my sorrow and grief


    fueled my work. The weight on my chest suffocated me and I felt the need to run, to leave


    everything behind and never look back. Yet the fear of turning rogue made me continue working.


    Until I was old enough to survive as a lone wolf, I stood a high risk of turning feral if I left my pack.


    I changed thest sheets after midnight and made my way downstairs to my room on legs that


    wobbled. By four a.m, less than four hours from now, Maria expected me in the kitchen to join the


    preparations for the pack’s breakfast.


    Upon entering my dark and clustered room, I met Kade half-sprawled on my bed with a pinched


    expression.