Cursed

 "She's cursed!"

 My glassy eyes ran around the hall as everyone backed away from me, and my heart was clouded with confusion.

 How did things get this way?

 I was born on a rare moon and this was a sign that I was going to be an early bloomer who was going to awaken her wolf at a young age, because of this my parents treated me like an egg, especially my father the Beta of the Greymoon pack.

   I was dotted upon, however, for my sister was born on a bad moon and everyone said that she was going to bring misfortune to the pack.

  But I didn't believe any of them. I loved my sister dearly and I would often defend her against those that would bully her.

  If anyone told me that I would become the object of scorn in her place I would have never believed it.

  If anyone had looked me in the eyes and said;"Clara, you are going to be viciously despised by your entire park and even your own family, I wouldn't have believed it."

  But it happened.

 And I wasn't ready for it.

 Some months before my 18th birthday I started experiencing muscle spasms and aches all over my body. Of course this instantly caused a panic in the Beta household and I was rushed over to the pack doctor.

 He promptly told everyone not to worry that the fact that I was experiencing these kinds of things was a good sign that my body was going to be taken over by an extremely powerful wolf.

 My parents were over the moon, and for the next few months I was treated like a pregnant woman.

  I wasn't even allowed to do my normal chores anymore, and my father would literally tear down the roof if he saw me even picking up a pin.

 Finally the night of the shifting ceremony came, and my betrothed who was the son of the Alpha of the Grey moon pack came to witness it, I had even heard through the grapevine that the respected Alpha prince twins were coming as well since the rumour that I was going to have a powerful wolf had spread far and wide.

 I had heard about the Alpha prince. He was the son of the Alpha King, both known to be very cold, ruthless and powerful more than his own father was at his age.

  I was looking forward to seeing him because many said they were handsome too.

  The only person that wasn't coming to my shifting in the entire Kingdom was my own sister, Becky.

 "Becky, are you sure you don't want to come? It will be really nice to see you there," I said as I stood at her threshold.

 "No," she said in a cold voice.

"Nobody will even notice if I'm there and even if they do they will be happy that I'm not, so I'm doing everyone a favour now…"

 "But your best friend is going to be there!" I said referring to my betrothed, Jake, who was also her best friend.

 Both of them had been extremely close as children, and I really started getting to know Jake as we were betrothed when I was sixteen.

 Sometimes if we were together and Becky passed by he would look at her as if she would disappear the moment he took his eyes off her and I would have to struggle to get his attention.

 I had asked him several times if he was in love with her and he would always deny it vehemently.

 I noticed soon as I made that comment I saw all the blood rush out of my sister's face and then she closed the book that she was reading abruptly

"... Why can't you just get it tonight is about you and it's always been about you, I don't want to be there just to be another piece of furniture that nobody cares about so just leave…"

 It really pains me deeply that my sister felt that way but then I realised how selfish I have been tonight was really about me, but…

 "You are wrong, Becky, a lot of people care for you,"

 I had wished that she would be there too for such a big moment in my life.

" Well if you change your mind… "

I said stretching forward to help her. She didn't push me away but she didn't accept the hug either and it was as if I was hugging a statue.

 As I was walking down the hallway I saw Jake and he looked like he was going to jump out of his shoes when he saw me.

 "What are you doing here?" He asked me looking around as if she was expecting somebody else to pop out of nowhere.

"I came to see if I could convince Becky to come to my shifting ceremony…"

 I paused.

"I guess you were going to see her, right?"

 He blushed and froze for a moment then he walked over to me and wrapped his hand around mine.

"No of course not I came here for you I was looking for you after all today is your big day!"

  The forced enthusiasm that was in his face made my heart sink a little bit, the truth was that had actually fallen for Jack even though I never admitted it to him.

  Despite the fact that everyone in the pack looked at me with love and adoration, he was the only one I really wanted that look from.

 He escorted me to the hall in the Alpha household that looked like a miniature ballroom and there were other wolves that were standing in the centre of it surrounded by friends and family waiting for the full moon to come so they would shift.

 I was the youngest there because most people often shifted in their twenties, and I joined them feeling the eyes that were on me bubbling with expectancy.

  But what happened next was something nobody expected.