Chapter 1

Ariana's pov

Deep down, I think I always knew. I was hated and unloved, the mistake they had to live with. But even after years of cold glares and insults, I never imagined their cruelty could go this far. 

I didn't think humans especially my own parents could be this heartless.

I stood in the center of the room, my head hanging low. I felt small, like a piece of trash someone was waiting to throw away. My parents and my sister, Caroline, stared at me, and all I saw in their eyes was a deep, chilling disgust.

"You should be grateful to us," my father’s voice boomed, shaking the air. "We are giving you a generous opportunity here."

Grateful? I thought. A single, hot tear slid down my cheek. Even the devil wouldn't call this a gift. 

My heart felt like it was being squeezed as I muttered "Why? Why do you hate me so much? What did I ever do to you?"

Caroline stepped forward, a wicked, mocking grin stretching across her face. 

"Oh, can you really blame us, Ariana? Look at you. You’re a disgrace. You’re over eighteen and you still haven't shifted into your wolf. Your hair is that freaky, ghostly white... the whole town thinks you’re a cursed witch. Do you have any idea how much you’ve dragged our prestigious family name through the dirt?"

I looked at my mother, hoping for a spark of pity but Instead, she just laughed. 

"You’re sending me out to die," I whispered, my voice breaking into a sob. "He’s a monster. You’re sending me to a monster."

"Don't be so dramatic," my mother snapped, looking at me like I was a buzzing fly she wanted to swat. "Think of it as your redemption. You’ve brought us nothing but shame. We’ve become the laughingstock of the pack because of you. We are finally doing what is best for this family."

"And what about me?" I cried out, the pain finally boiling over. "Am I not part of this family? Don't I deserve a life too?"

The words were barely out of my mouth when a violent slap sent me spinning to the floor. My vision blurred and my cheek burned like fire. I looked up, trembling, to see my father looming over me, his face twisted in pure rage.

"Shut up, Ariana! You ungrateful wench!" he roared. The very walls of our home seemed to tremble. "Do you have any idea how many times I thought about just killing you myself? You should be on your knees thanking me for keeping you alive this long! You have no right to question me."

"I am your daughter!" I screamed back, the grief making me brave for a split second. "Your own flesh and blood!"

In response, he buried his heavy boot into my ribs. The air left my lungs in a sharp gasp and for a few seconds I couldn't breathe.

"How dare you raise your voice at me," he hissed, leaning down so I could smell the anger on him. "I have only one daughter, and her name is Caroline."

I turned my head slightly and saw Caroline. She wasn't horrified. She wasn't trying to stop him. She was smirking, her hazel eyes sparkling as she watched me suffer on the floor. 

I wondered what I had done in a past life to deserve a sister who enjoyed my suffering.

"Papa, Papa," Caroline said in that sweet, fake voice she used to trick the world. "Don't waste your breath on that thing. It isn't worth it."

A thing. She had reduced me to an object.

My father took her hand, his expression softening instantly. To him, Caroline was perfect. She was beautiful, she was talented, and she had a powerful wolf. She was the prize he could show off to the world.

"If only you were a little bit like your sister," he sighed, looking back at me with nothing but loathing. "I’ve made the arrangements. You’re going to the King’s palace tonight with the other omegas. That is my final word. You can go, or you can end your own miserable life right here. I don't care which."

Caroline leaned down, whispering so only I could hear. "You should be proud, Ariana. You get to die in a King's bed. I hear he’s a beast in every way, in the battlefield and in bed. No woman survives a night with him. But honestly? He’ll probably just kill a filthy dog like you the moment he sees you."

I clenched my teeth so hard I thought they might break and slowly pushed myself up. "You’re all going to regret this," I hissed, blood trickling from my lip. "I promise you."

"Oh, please!" Caroline mocked. "What are you going to do? Haunt us from the grave?"

I looked at them one last time. I finally realized that no matter how much I begged or how hard I worked, I would never be enough. To my Alpha father, my existence was a curse. 

I was a shiftless wolf. An Omega with hair the color of winter, a sign of bad luck in our myths.

All my life, I had heard the names

"Ugly wench."

"Pathetic loser."

"Cursed wolf."

 I had almost started to believe them.

"I will not die," I blurted out and the room went silent. "I will survive tonight and I will survive the night after that."

Caroline chuckled. "Are you deaf? No one leaves his room alive."

"I will. Then I will make you pay," I said, my voice low and cold. I balled my fists so tight my nails drew blood from my own palms. "Every single one of you."

Slap! 

My mother’s hand caught my other cheek. "Shut up! Now, go pack your garbage and get out. You have a King to meet."

As I turned to leave, Caroline’s voice followed me like a poison. 

"You’re going to die tonight Ariana and I can't wait to hear the news."