Chapter 1: Rebellious

Raven POV

“You’ll do this or never enter these walls again,” my mother’s voice is harsh, unyielding, and her expression is thunderous.

My sister Marissa is speechless. For as long as I can remember, our mother has never spoken to her in that way. She had always been doted on, treated like a fragile porcelain doll that may break from the merest touch. She grew up spoiled, the centre of MaryAnne Sinclair’s world, and firmly believed the world revolved around her. This was, therefore, quite shocking to her.

“Do you think that I spent all this time teaching you, grooming you to become the perfect wife, was in vain?” our mother breathed, rising smoothly from her chair and regarding Marissa with narrowed eyes.

For once, the focus was on my twin sister rather than me. My mother’s eyes softened, and her tone suddenly became more cajoling. “This isn’t just anyone, Marissa. It’s Alpha Hades of the Blood Moon Pack that wants an alliance with our pack and you as his contract bride.”

Alpha Hades. It was rumoured that he had killed his own father to take over the role of Alpha of Blood Moon Pack. Within just a few years, he had built a massive empire, growing his pack, amassing a large amount of wealth, and extending his territory until he became the most powerful pack in the country. Not an easy feat when his pack had been one of the weakest to begin with. It was said he was cold, ruthless, and willing to kill anyone who dared to offend him or even look at him wrong. I would rather die than be married to a man with that kind of reputation. He might also be reputed to be one of the most handsome Alpha’s to exist, but good looks certainly were not enough to forget everything else. Marissa was more than welcome to him.

“Alpha Hades,” Marissa’s voice is filled with wonder. “Isn’t he worth billions?” Her voice rises in excitement.

I knew she would only be thinking of the money. Marissa was, quite literally, the very stereotypical dumb blonde, and that was putting it politely.

“Exactly,” our mother relaxed, “and he wants you as his Luna. He needs an heir. He has no living relatives that I know of and he doesn’t want his bloodline to die out. Think of the power you’ll hold as the Luna of the strongest pack in the country? Everybody will have to respect you, and whatever you want will be at your fingertips. This is the best possible marriage you could have hoped for.”

“When do I leave?” Marissa seems to have entirely forgotten her previous protests in her sudden excitement at the prospect of getting her greedy little hands on Alpha Hades's money.

“Tomorrow morning. He’s expecting you. You’ll become officially engaged first, and then a wedding will be held. I’m warning you, Marissa,” our mother’s voice turns hard, “you need to behave exactly as I’ve taught you and be the very example of the perfect lady. That means no mistakes. Until you’re marked, there is always the possibility of Alpha Hades breaking the contract. You have to do your best to win him over, using all your tricks and looks.”

It's a warning not to become complacent or depend entirely on the marriage going forward without some sort of effort coming from Marissa. There was no disputing the fact that she was abhorrently lazy.

Marissa nods, obedient as always. My mother’s gaze turns to me. “Raven will, of course, accompany you to Blood Moon Pack.”

“Raven?” Marissa sounds dismayed, “why? Isn’t she better off here with you? Besides,” she huffed, “what if Alpha Hades takes a liking to her instead?”

It was almost laughable. The thought that I would be anywhere near Marissa’s league was ridiculous. My mother echoed the same sentiments. “Why on earth would Alpha Hades show any interest in an ugly mutt like her when he has somebody as beautiful as you in comparison?”

The words no longer stung. I had grown used to the insults, the degradation, and the different treatment I was given in relation to my twin sister. Now it was like water off a duck’s back.

For as long as I can remember, my mother has always despised me. Despite being fraternal twins, Marissa and I couldn’t look more different. She resembled our mother, fair-haired, blue eyed, ivory-skinned, and with a slender figure. My hair, on the other hand was midnight black, thick and wavy, my eyes dark green like emeralds. My hips were curvy and I was short; my complexion was lightly tanned from being outdoors all the time. I was the black sheep of the family and there were often times I wondered whether I was truly my mother’s daughter at all.

Nothing I did ever pleased her. I remember the first time she punished me for having the nerve to touch Marissa’s precious ball when I was still a young. That day, she had beaten me so hard that I could barely stand, and the bruises that littered my body took weeks to heal. As I grew older, the punishments became even more severe, my mother finding any excuse to teach me a lesson. Wanting to please her, I tried to become perfect in her eyes. I tried to mimic Marissa, learning etiquette on my own, changing my voice to become sweet and gentle like hers. I perfected my posture, spending hours walking back and forth with torn and ripped books on my head for balancing. I became quiet, reserved, and blindly obedient. But nothing ever changed.

I was still given leftovers to eat from their plates as my only source of food. My clothes consisted of second-hand wear-me-downs from sympathetic omegas. Occasionally Marissa would give me one of her dresses when they became stained or ripped, unable to wear them out in public. My feet were burned, dirty and blistered, shoes apparently too much of a luxury for my mother to provide them. I slept in a makeshift shelter outdoors, the structure doing little to keep out the freezing cold in winter and provide protection against the heat in summer. I became an omega, spending long hours cleaning and maintaining the household. Finally, something inside of me snapped, and I rebelled.

I stopped being blindly obedient. I spoke back, regardless of the punishment. I stopped trying to be perfect and I threw away the etiquette and perfect posture. My tone became normal again. I attempted to escape numerous times, but was always dragged back by force. Eventually, I became resigned to never being treated like family, and the fragile bond that once bound me to them became a thread on the verge of dissolving.

“What if I refuse?” My voice is low and challenging.

I had no desire to go to Blood Moon Pack, let alone meet Alpha Hades. 

My mother’s smile turns chilling. “Oh, trust me, I’ve already made preparations in anticipation of that. You’ll leave tomorrow with Marissa, whether you want to or not.”

There was something about the way she was eyeing me that made my blood run cold.