The Daughter of a Curse

The whole pack had gathered in the square. Rina stood in the front, her small hands shaking. She was only eleven. Her feet were bare, her clothes thin. But her eyes, wide with fear, were fixed on the man about to be hanged.

“Papa…” she whispered, her voice cracking.

The man had kind eyes and a soft smile, even now, as ropes were tied around his wrists. He was once a respected guard of Alpha Glint of the Sauna pack. He had protected the pack for years. He had never done anything wrong.

But now, he was being called a traitor.

“He gave our secrets to the enemy!” someone in the crowd shouted.

“He let them in!” another voice said.

“It’s not true!” Rina cried out. Her small voice was drowned by the crowd’s anger.

Alpha Glint stood high above them all. He wore a dark robe and his face showed no pity.

Rina ran to him, pulling at his sleeve. “Please, Alpha! My papa didn’t do it! He’s loyal! He never betrayed anyone!”

Guards pulled her away.

Alpha Glint looked down at her. “The evidence is clear,” he said coldly. “Your father is guilty.”

“No!” Rina screamed, her knees hitting the ground.

Her father looked at her one last time. “Be strong, my little moon,” he said softly.

Then the platform dropped.

Rina’s scream filled the air.

That night, she cried until her eyes hurt. No one came to comfort her. She had no one. Her mother had died the day she was born. The women in the pack often whispered about that.

“She brought death with her,” they said. “Her mother died giving birth, and on that same day, the pack was attacked.”

It was true. On the day Rina was born, a neighboring pack invaded. Many wolves died. The air was filled with fire, smoke, and blood. Since then, people said her birth had brought bad luck.

“She is cursed,” they said. “Nothing good will ever come from her.”

After her father’s death, Rina had nowhere to go. No family. No friends.

She was taken to the Royal Pack House—but not to live like the others. She was put in the servant quarters, a small dirty room under the stairs. It smelled like mold. There was only one old blanket and a broken stool.

Her days were long and painful. She cleaned the floors, washed clothes, carried heavy firewood, and scrubbed the toilets. Other servants avoided her. No one wanted to be friends with the cursed girl.

She was always hungry. She ate the leftovers, and sometimes, there were none.

Rina was always tired. Her back hurt. Her fingers bled from hard work.

But she never cried in front of anyone. Only at night, in her tiny room, did she let the tears fall. She would press her face into her blanket and sob quietly.

The worst part of her life in the pack house was Leah.

Leah was the Alpha’s daughter. She was also eleven but treated like a queen. She wore soft clothes, had long black hair, and always had servants around her.

She hated Rina.

“Stay away from me, cursed child,” Leah would say.

If Rina walked into a room, Leah would wrinkle her nose. “Ugh, what’s that smell? Oh, it’s you.”

Once, Rina made a mistake while cleaning the dining room. She dropped a plate.

Leah laughed loudly. “You can’t do anything right, can you?”

She told the guards Rina had broken the plate on purpose.

That night, Rina didn’t eat. She was locked in a small wooden box as punishment. It was cold and dark, and she cried for hours, whispering, “Papa… I miss you…”

Eight Years Later

Years passed. Rina grew up in pain and silence.

By the time she turned 19, she was beautiful. But she didn’t know it.

Her hair was long and ginger, thick like a waterfall. Her skin was pale but smooth. Her eyes were soft green, full of sadness.

Men in the pack started to look at her. She didn’t ask for it. She only walked quietly and did her work. But still, their eyes followed her.

This made Leah furious.

“She thinks she’s special?” Leah said one day. “She’s nothing but a cursed slave!”

Leah called Rina into her room. “Cut your hair,” she ordered.

Rina looked at her in shock. “What?”

“I said cut it! Or I’ll do it for you.”

Rina refused. She couldn’t let go of the one thing that made her feel like herself.

So Leah dragged her to the back of the house, grabbed a knife, and chopped off her hair.

“Let’s see who looks at you now,” she hissed.

She also gave Rina old torn clothes to wear. From that day, Rina looked like a beggar.

Still, her hair grew back quickly. In a few months, it was just as long and full as before. The servants whispered about it.

“It’s not normal,” one said. “It must be the moon goddess.”

Leah saw it too. Her anger grew.

Rina tried her best to stay out of everyone’s way. She worked harder than any other servant. But still, she was punished often.

One evening, after being slapped by the head maid for something she didn’t do, Rina ran into the woods. She didn’t stop until she was deep among the trees.

She fell to her knees and cried. “Why me? Why do they hate me?”

Inside her, a voice spoke gently.

“Rina… I’m here.”

It was Mel, her wolf.

“I can’t do this anymore,” Rina whispered.

“You are stronger than you know.”

“I’m tired of being weak.”

“You are not weak. One day, they will see what you really are.”

Rina wiped her tears. “When? I’ve waited so long…”

Mel was quiet, but Rina felt her warmth. She was not alone—not fully.

The next day was worse.

Rina was carrying heavy firewood across the yard when she tripped and fell. The wood scattered everywhere.

Leah, who had been watching, laughed. “What a mess. Can’t even walk straight.”

Rina didn’t respond. She started picking up the wood quietly.

“Don’t ignore me,” Leah snapped.

Still, Rina didn’t say anything.

Leah’s face turned red. “You think you’re better than me because of your hair? Because boys look at you?”

Rina stood up slowly. “I don’t want anyone looking at me.”

“You lie!” Leah screamed.

She looked around. No one else was there. Just the two of them.

She grabbed Rina’s arm and dragged her toward the woods.

“Leah, stop—what are you doing?”

“I’ll make sure no one looks at you again.”

Rina struggled. “Let go!”

They reached a thick part of the woods. Leah pulled out a small blade from her pocket.

“You think your hair makes you special?” she shouted. “Let’s see how special you are without it!”

Rina backed away. “Please don’t do this again—”

Leah grabbed a handful of her hair and slashed with the blade.

The ginger strands fell to the ground.

Rina gasped, eyes wide with shock.

“You’ll never shine again. It won't grow so fast this time. They'll take their eyes off you now,” Leah said with a cold smile.