Chapter 1

_Anya’s POV_

I do not remember my parents. I do not remember where I was born or who carried me in her arms when I was a baby. The only story I know about myself is the story the Alpha told many years ago. He said that some guards on patrol had found me near the southern border of the Silvercrest pack. I was wrapped in a thin blanket and left near the trees. I was crying, cold and hungry.

No one in the pack had claimed me. No one had come forward saying they had lost a child. The elders had guessed that I was the daughter of rogues. That word had followed me since I was a baby; rogue, stray and unwanted.

The Alpha had looked at me and said that I was only an innocent child. I had done nothing wrong. Then he had asked if any family would take me in.

The Beta had stepped forward. Everyone had praised him for it. Everyone said that he had a good heart. Maybe he did. Or maybe he only liked looking noble in front of the whole pack because after he brought me home, the kindness ended.

His wife never wanted me. I knew that from the way she looked at me, as if I were dirt dragged into her clean house. Their daughter, Talia, was the center of their world. She had warm food, soft blankets, new dresses and gentle words. I got whatever she no longer wanted. Her old shoes. Her faded dresses. Her broken hair clips. The scraps left at the bottom of serving bowls.

As I grew older, the difference between us only became worse. Talia was their daughter and I was the orphan they had rescued.

I woke up early every morning to clean the house, wash clothes, cook and do all the work. Talia would wake up late, eat the food I cooked and then complain that it did not taste good. If anything went wrong in the house, it was always my fault.

Today was a very important day. Today was Talia’s engagement ceremony with Leon, the Alpha’s son.

Leon.

Even thinking about his name made my heart beat faster. I had liked Leon since I was a child. Back then, he had smiled at me once when I tripped in the training yard and dropped a basket of herbs. He had helped me pick them up. Just that. Just one small act of kindness. But when your life was filled with cold words, even a small kindness could feel like sunlight. I had kept that moment inside my heart for years.

But I was stupid because Leon was far above me. Someone like him would never look at a girl like me. I knew that very well. He would only marry someone strong and important. A girl like Talia, who had Beta blood.

Leon and Talia were the same age and they had been dating for a long time. Their parents had already approved their relationship, so today was their official engagement ceremony.

I stood behind Talia and helped her wear her engagement dress. The dress was the most beautiful dress I had ever seen. It was a long silver dress that shone like the moonlight. The fabric was soft and flowed like water when she moved. There were small crystals on the top part of the dress that sparkled like stars. The dress fit her perfectly and made her look like a princess.

“Be careful, Anya!” Talia snapped. “If you ruin my dress, I will never forgive you.”

“I am sorry. I will be careful,” I said softly.

I was trying to close the buttons at the back of her dress when one button suddenly came loose and fell.

“Talia, one button came off,” I said quietly. “I will stitch it back quickly.”

“Then hurry up!” she said angrily. “Leon will already be there. I cannot keep him waiting. Do you want to ruin my engagement?”

“You won’t be late,” I said softly. “I’m almost done.”

The dress fabric was smooth beneath my fingers. I worked quickly. My hands were used to hard work, to long days of sweeping floors, washing clothes, carrying heavy baskets and scrubbing until my fingers went raw. But today they felt clumsy and I knew it was because I had barely slept.

My hands were shaking as I tried to stitch the button back. I was nervous and I did not want to make any mistake. Suddenly, Talia screamed.

“Ouch! You stupid girl! You poked me with the needle!”

I was shocked. “I am sorry, but I did not…”

“Are you calling me a liar?” she shouted.

Our father, the Beta, walked into the room. “What is going on here?”

“Father, Anya poked me with the needle on purpose,” Talia said, her eyes filling with fake tears. “She is jealous of me so she wants to ruin my big day.”

“That is not true,” I said quickly. “I would never do that.”

He looked me up and down as if he could already see the guilt in me. He never needed proof when it came to me. Talia’s word was enough. “Enough. I do not want to hear any excuses. You will be punished.”

My heart dropped. “Punished?”

“You will not attend the engagement ceremony,” he said. “You will help the servants. You will set the tables, carry the supplies and clean after the ceremony. That is your punishment.”

My eyes filled with tears. For a moment, I could not breathe. I had been looking forward to the ceremony for weeks. Not because I had any right to dream about Leon. Not because I thought I belonged there. But because there would be food from faraway packs and dishes I had never tasted; sweet berry pastries, roasted meats covered in herbs, honey cakes and fruit wine. All the things I only heard about when the cooks spoke in the kitchen.

“Father… I… I just wanted to watch the ceremony. I will stand quietly in a corner. I will not cause any trouble,” I said softly.

“I said my decision is final!” he shouted. “I do not want to hear another word.”

I lowered my head. “Yes, Father.”

Talia looked at me and smiled slightly but there was no kindness in her smile.

“Fix my makeup,” she said coldly. “And do it properly this time.”

I carefully applied her makeup but no matter what I did, she was not satisfied.

“Why are my eyebrows uneven?” she complained.

“They are not uneven,” I said quietly.

“They are! You are doing this on purpose!” she shouted.

Her mother came and adjusted the makeup a little. “There, it is fine now,” her mother said.

Talia looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. She looked so beautiful.

I looked at her reflection and then looked at my own reflection behind her. I was wearing old clothes that were faded and worn out. My hair was tied in a simple braid. I looked like a servant standing behind a princess.

I lowered my eyes and thought, I will never be able to wear a dress like that in my life. Talia is so lucky.

Sometimes I cursed my fate. Why did I have to be born this way? Why did I have to be the unwanted child no one claimed? Why had I been abandoned like trash near the border?

“Get out,” Talia said. “And do not let anyone see you near me during the ceremony.”

I nodded and left the room.

Not long after, we rode to the venue. Talia, mother and father rode inside the car in comfort. There was no space left for me.

“Get in the back,” father said without looking at me. He meant the trunk.

I crawled in without a word. The space was cramped and dark. The lid shut above me and the air grew hot almost at once. Every turn of the road made my body slam lightly against the sides. My knees ached. My back hurt. I pressed my lips together to keep myself from making a sound. I had learned long ago that pain did not soften anyone’s heart. By the time the car stopped, my whole body was stiff.

When I climbed out behind the venue, a few people nearby turned and stared. I froze.

I was wearing one of Talia’s old dresses. It was faded, torn at the hem and too tight across my shoulders. One sleeve had been mended so many times that the stitches were obvious. My shoes were worn thin. I had tried to smooth my hair but the ride in the trunk had ruined it.

Laughter rose nearby.

“Well, look who came crawling out,” one girl said.

Another covered her mouth and giggled. “Isn’t that Talia’s sister?”

“Sister?” the first one said. “Why is she dressed like that? She looks worse than a maid.”

My face burned with shame. My own family walked ahead and did not even look at me. They kept their distance from me so that no one would think that I was connected to them.

I joined the other maids and waiters. They told me how to arrange the tables, where to put the plates and how to carry the trays.

I started working quietly. After some time, a group of girls came to take drinks from the table. They were dressed in soft colors and expensive fabrics, their hair curled and pinned with gems.

One of them looked at me slowly and smiled with cruel delight. “Oh, look. It’s Talia’s sister.”

Another laughed. “Sister? Are you sure? She is dressed like a beggar.”

A third tilted her head. “Maybe Talia keeps her as a servant.”

They all laughed. I kept pouring drinks.

The first girl leaned closer. “Tell me, Anya, did they forget to give you proper clothes? Or is this your best?”

I said nothing.

“Maybe she likes dressing like this,” another said. “It matches her face.”

“That’s enough,” I murmured.

“Oh?” the first girl lifted a brow. “The little maid can speak.”

“I said that’s enough,” I repeated, still not looking at them.

She gave a mocking gasp. “Did you hear that? She has spirit.”

Another girl smirked. “Not enough spirit for her own family to claim her in public, though.”

That one hit hard. For a moment my hands tightened around the tray. But I kept my calm.

They laughed again, but after some time, they got bored and left.

I continued working until everything was ready. When I finally stopped, I looked around the venue. The ceremony hall had been built in the open garden beside the Alpha’s house. The decorations were beautiful. There were silver and white flowers everywhere. Crystal lanterns hung from branches overhead. In the center stood a raised platform where Leon and Talia would exchange rings. Everything looked like a dream.

Talia is so blessed, I thought. She will become the Luna of the Silvercrest pack. She will live like a queen. And I will always live like this.

Sometimes I wondered what would have happened if my parents had not abandoned me. Maybe they did not abandon me. Maybe they died. But if they had died, their bodies would have been found near me. So it was more likely that they left me because they did not want me.

How cursed am I that even my own parents did not love me?

Still, I held on to one small comfort. The Moon Goddess had allowed me to live. There had to be a reason. I did not know what it was yet, but maybe one day I would. Maybe one day my life would mean something.

I was lost in my thoughts while carrying a tray of drinks. I was not looking in front of me and suddenly, I bumped into someone. The tray tilted and the drinks spilled all over the person’s clothes.

“I am so sorry!” I said quickly. “I did not see…”

I looked up and my heart stopped.

It was Leon.

The drinks had spilled all over his blazer. His face was dark with anger and his eyes were cold as he stared at me.

“What have you done?” he said in a furious voice. “Are you blind?”

I could not speak. My hands were shaking and my heart was beating so fast that I thought I would faint.

“I… I am sorry,” I whispered.

He kept staring at me.

And I felt like my world was about to collapse.