Chapter 2

_Anya’s POV_

“I am sorry,” I said again, my voice trembling. “I did not see you. It was an accident.”

Leon looked down at his soaked blazer and then back at me. His expression only grew darker.

“An accident?” he repeated. “Do you even understand what you have done?”

“I know I made a mistake. I am very sorry.”

“How dare you ruin my blazer?” he snapped. “Do you know what this is? This was a designer piece. It was specially tailored for my engagement. What am I supposed to do now?”

My lips parted but no words came out at first. I had never seen Leon look at me with such anger.

“I can clean it. Or maybe I can ask someone to bring another jacket. Please do not be angry. I did not mean to ruin your clothes.”

“Bring another jacket?” he said sharply. “You think it is that simple? Guests from other packs are here. The ceremony is about to begin. I cannot stand before everyone looking like this.”

I lowered my head. “I am sorry.”

That was all I could say. But it changed nothing. Then I heard heels striking the stone path.

It was Talia.

She came rushing toward us in her silver dress. Her eyes went to Leon’s blazer, then to the spilled drinks on the ground, then finally to me. Rage filled her face.

“What have you done?” she shouted.

More guests turned to look.

I shook my head quickly. “Talia, I did not do it on purpose. I was not looking where I was going. It was a mistake.”

“A mistake?” she repeated. “You wretched bitch. You want to sabotage my engagement party.”

“No,” I said. “That is not true.”

“Yes, it is true,” she hissed. “First you tried ruining my dress and now, you are targeting my fiancé. You have always been jealous of me.”

Her words hit me hard. “I am not jealous of you. I only made a mistake.”

Talia laughed coldly. “You expect anyone to believe that? You are always looking at things that do not belong to you. Always wanting what you cannot have.”

“I did not want to ruin anything,” I said, my voice breaking. “Please believe me. I was carrying drinks and I was not paying attention. I bumped into him by accident. I did not do it intentionally. I am so sorry. Please forgive me. It was a mistake.”

Talia’s face twisted. “You think saying sorry will fix everything? Look at him. Look at his clothes. Do you know how important tonight is?”

“I know,” I said softly. “I know it is important. That is why I would never do this on purpose.”

Leon said nothing in my defense. He only stood there, angry and silent.

Then I heard a voice that made my heart sink.

“What is going on here?”

It was my father.

He strode toward us with a dark expression. My mother followed behind him. She was already looking at me as if I were guilty.

Talia turned to him at once. “Father, look what she did. She spilled drinks all over Leon’s engagement clothes. She is trying to ruin everything.”

The Beta looked at Leon’s wet blazer, then at me. His eyes were full of disgust.

“You are such an embarrassment,” he said.

I took a shaky breath. “Father, please. It was a mistake.”

“A mistake?” he said coldly. “You have tried to ruin your own sister’s engagement party.”

“That is not true,” I cried. “Please believe me. I was clumsy, that is all. I did not mean to do it.”

His face hardened. “We took pity on you. We raised you all these years as our own daughter, and this is how you pay us back?”

I stared at him. As our own daughter. That lie hurt more than anything else.

“Please,” I whispered. “Please believe me. I did not do this on purpose. I did not want to ruin his clothes. I am so sorry.”

Before I could say anything more, his hand struck my face.

The slap was so hard that my head snapped to the side. The tray fell from my hands and crashed onto the ground. My cheek burned, and for a second, everything around me went silent.

Gasps rose from the guests but no one stepped in. Tears spilled down my face. I slowly turned back to look at him.

“Enough,” he shouted. “Stop lying. I know very well what your intentions are.”

I pressed a hand to my cheek. “Father…”

“Go back home immediately,” he barked. “I will decide your punishment later. Do not show your face here again tonight. Go away.”

My lips shook. I wanted to beg him one last time. I wanted someone to say it had only been an accident. I wanted one person to take my side.

But no one did.

I looked at Leon.

He still looked angry. There was no kindness in his eyes. Then he looked past me and said coldly, “Guards.”

Two guards came over at once.

“Take her away,” Leon ordered.

The words broke something inside me. The guards grabbed my arms before I could speak. Their hands were rough and they dragged me across the edge of the venue as if I had committed some terrible crime.

“Please,” I said, sobbing now. “Please, let me walk by myself. I am going.”

They did not listen. Guests stepped aside as the guards dragged me past them. Some stared. Some whispered. Some looked amused.

“She caused a scene.”

“On the engagement night too.”

“She always brings trouble.”

I cried harder because no one had taken my side. Not one person. No one said it had only been a small accident. No one looked at me with pity or kindness. In that moment, I felt lower than dirt.

The guards pushed me past the outer gates and let go of me so suddenly that I almost stumbled.

“Do not come back,” one of them warned.

The gate shut behind me.

I stood there crying in the dark road outside the venue. The lights from the ceremony still glowed in the distance. Inside those gates, everything was warm and bright.

Outside, there was only darkness.

I wiped my face but the tears kept coming. My cheek still stung from the slap. My chest hurt even more.

I had no money for a cab. So I started walking.

The road home was long and I knew it would take hours to reach the house on foot. It was dark and mostly empty. Trees lined both sides of the road. Every sound from the forest made me uneasy.

I wrapped my arms around myself and kept moving.

My stomach growled painfully. I had not eaten all day. I had worked from morning until evening, helping everyone get ready, carrying trays, setting tables, running from one task to another. I had been too busy to think about food and now, the hunger twisted inside me.

I glanced back once. Far away, I could still hear the music from the ceremony. I imagined Leon and Talia dancing. The thought hurt more than I wanted to admit.

I imagined her silver dress moving under the lights. I imagined him wearing another blazer, clean and perfect again, his hand resting on her waist. I imagined the guests smiling at them and calling them a perfect match.

I swallowed hard and forced myself to keep walking. I told myself not to cry because this was not the first time I had been blamed for something. I should have been used to it by now. But no matter how much I tried to be strong, the tears still slipped down my face.

Suddenly, a strange pain started in my chest.

At first, I thought it was from all the walking and the hunger. I pressed a hand over my heart and kept moving. But the pain grew sharper. It spread through my ribs and down my arms.

I slowed down.

“What is this?” I whispered.

Another wave of pain hit me, stronger this time. I gasped and bent forward. My knees trembled. It felt as if something inside me was waking up.

Then suddenly I remembered; today was my eighteenth birthday. I stopped walking. I had totally forgotten it.

Of course I had. I had been too busy taking care of everyone else. It had always been easy to forget my birthday because no one ever celebrated it. Most years, no one even mentioned it.

Another wave of pain tore through me. It was so hard that I cried out. My body folded and I fell to my knees on the cold road.

It felt as if my bones were shifting beneath my skin. My hands shook violently. The pain moved through my spine, my legs and my shoulders. I clawed at the ground and tried not to scream.

“No,” I whispered. “How to stop this?”

It was my wolf trying to come out. I was shifting. My bones cracked and stretched. My body changed. I could not stop crying out.

Then, all at once, it was over.

I stood there breathing hard but everything felt different. I felt lighter and stronger. I looked down and saw white fur.

I froze.

White.

Not gray... not brown....not black....but white.

I was surprised. I had never heard of anyone with a white wolf. White wolves did not exist.

Something must be wrong with me, I thought in panic. Maybe I really am cursed.

Then a soft voice filled my mind.

Hello, Anya.

I went still.

The voice was calm and gentle.

"Who are you?" I asked silently.

I am Maya, she replied. I am your wolf. I am pleased to meet you.

For a moment, the fear inside me loosened.

"Maya", I repeated.

Yes, she said warmly. I have waited a long time for you.

No one had ever sounded pleased to meet me before.

Maya’s excitement stirred inside me. I want to run.

I hesitated but then answered, "Alright."

I let Maya take the lead.

At once, we ran into the night. The wind rushed through my fur. The road blurred beneath my paws. Every scent became sharper. I could smell the earth, trees, flowers and smoke from far away. The world felt bigger, clearer and freer than it ever had before.

Maya ran toward the forest and I let her. The shadows of the trees closed around us. The earth was cool beneath my paws. For the first time in my life, I did not feel small. I felt alive.

Then suddenly, I heard shouting from the road.

“Leon, what is happening? Where are you going?”

I stopped at once. Maya turned and we looked back through the trees. Several figures were running along the road.

I could see Leon, Talia, the Alpha and the Luna.

My heart jumped wildly. What were they doing here?

I started to panic. No one could see me like this. If they saw my white fur, they would mock me. Or worse. They would call me strange and cursed. They already treated me badly. This would only give them another reason.

Hide, I told Maya.

We slipped behind a thick bush near the edge of the trees and crouched low. Through the leaves, I watched them.

Leon was ahead of everyone. He suddenly stopped in the middle of the road and inhaled sharply, his body going rigid.

Talia reached him first. She was very upset. “Why did you leave our engagement ceremony halfway? Why are you behaving like this? What is wrong with you?”

But Leon lifted one hand without looking at her. “Shh,” he said.

Everyone fell silent. Leon’s face changed. His eyes looked wild. “She must be nearby,” he said in a low voice. “I can smell her.”

My body went cold. Then he turned slowly toward me....toward the bush where I was hiding.

At the same moment, Maya stirred inside me.

Mate.

The word exploded through me.

Mate?

I could smell Leon now too. It was a scent that reminded me of pine trees after rain, cool night air and cedar wood smoke, with something wild and male beneath it.

No.

No, this could not be happening.

How could this be possible?

Leon began walking toward the bush.

Panic shot through me. Maya, shift back. Please. If they see your white fur, they will know. They will laugh. They will punish me even more.

Maya obeyed at once.

The change back hurt but not as badly as before. A moment later, I was human again, crouched barefoot behind the bush. I was breathing hard. I looked around desperately.

There was nowhere to run...no place to hide.

Branches cracked under Leon’s steps as he came closer. Then he pushed through the edge of the bushes and found me there.

His eyes widened with shock. For one long, terrible moment, we only stared at each other.

Then he said, in a hoarse voice, “No. Not you.”

I could not breathe.

“It cannot be you.”

And in that moment, I knew that the worst was only beginning.