Chapter 2

I woke up on the cold floor.

My mind was stuck in the summer three years ago, before Swelina had appeared.

Holden had been so good to me then. The pack's wolves all said he was the most loving brother in the world, and we were the happiest siblings alive.

Back then, he would run with me across grassy fields and buy me human dresses and makeup. When I was sick, he would carry me to the healing center and kiss my forehead over and over.

He had said, "Anria, if it meant you'd get better, I'd trade my life with the Moon Goddess herself."

Then, one stormy night, I climbed into his bed like usual, whining to be held. I told him I wanted to stay with him forever.

He had smiled and asked, "What if I have a Luna in the future?"

I had pouted and begged him not to find a Luna, telling him I was enough for him.

Holden laughed and nuzzled my nose, agreeing.

However, the next day, everything changed. He glared at me and told me to leave, saying my touch made him sick.

From then on, he was cold toward me. Later, he brought Swelina home, saying she was his fated mate and future Luna.

The storage room door was locked, and it was pitch black inside.

A fire of pain burned through my stomach, reminding me of last night.

Memories of prison clawed back. There, there was no day or night—only endless torment.

Every day, we were injected with a terrible serum, severing our connection to our wolf spirits.

"You harbor feelings for your siblings? That's shameful for wolves!"

The head warden in a white uniform, codename "Priest", always said this to us.

"Only by completely killing your wolf can you find redemption."

He believed I was worse than any wolf in the prison, so he was the cruelest to me.

I once fought back. I tried to shift, using my barely-alive wolf form to bite them, but it earned me even harsher punishment.

They tied me to a silver cross and whipped me with a lash soaked in wolfsbane.

"Look at you. You have such a beautiful body," Priest said while touching my skin with his cold hands.

"Such a shame that it belongs to a mad wolf."

He pried my mouth open and forced the silver-powdered potion down my throat. "Drink up. This is a gift from the Moon Goddess. It will cleanse your sins."

Silver burned through my throat and stomach. My wolf spirit howled in pain until it finally went silent.

I could no longer feel it.

I lost the ability to shift and the healing power wolves were proud of. I became a useless wolf, beneath even an Omega.

I lost track of time. When the door finally opened, two Omegas dragged me to the pack's altar.

As the Alpha, Holden stood before the Moon Goddess statue with Swelina. He frowned at me. "Anria, do you know what day it is?"

Before I could answer, he added casually, "It's your coming-of-age ceremony."

The coming-of-age ceremony marked the day a wolf received the Moon Goddess' blessing and their wolf spirit reached full maturity.

However, my wolf spirit was already dead.

They forced me onto the altar.

A circle of pack members surrounded us, waiting for the Moon Goddess to choose my fated mate.

However, the moonlight never gathered.

"Has the Moon Goddess abandoned Anria? Anria, summon your wolf spirit and pray in your wolf form."

A sly glint shone in Swelina's eyes, but her expression was considerate toward me.

Holden's face turned serious. "Anria, shift into your wolf form."

Terrified, I stumbled back and mumbled, "My wolf… is gone…"

His expression darkened at my words. He grabbed my hair, forcing me to look at him. "Anria, how dare you say stuff like that just to play the victim?"

He threw me to the ground. "I'm giving you one last chance. Shift, or I will break every bone in your body myself and see if that forces you to shift."