{1.} Terrible Luck Wearing a Pretty Face.😭

MOONLESS’ POV.

Every single day, I pray to the Moon Goddess to let my family see me for who I really am instead of the curse they believe me to be. But my prayers have remained unanswered.

And today, I’m being punished for being cursed all over again.

“You scumbag.” Dad’s voice echoed through the living room as he stormed toward me.

I instinctively stepped backward, my heart already pounding against my ribs.

“What do you mean you can’t attend the party?” he demanded.

“I—I didn’t mean—”

Barely getting the words out of my mouth, a hand grabbed my arm from behind. My body was violently spun around and a fist slammed into my face.

Pain exploded across my cheek as I stumbled backward and crashed onto the tiled floor. For a moment, I couldn’t hear anything except the ringing in my ears. Something warm trickled from the corner of my mouth and I slowly touched it with trembling fingers.

Blood.

“Son,” Dad said, pulling my brother who had just punched me backward. “I don’t want you getting stained by this trash.”

Jeddy lowered his fist with a satisfied smirk.

Mia, who had been watching everything with amusement, stepped forward, her eyes landing on me before she scoffed.

“Dad, I can’t afford to miss the party. It’s the perfect opportunity for me to meet the sons of the high ranking families in the Pack.”

Dad looked at his twins, then at me lying helplessly on the floor.

“He is nothing more than a pretty face,” he said coldly. “He knows what he has to do to survive in this house.”

“W-Why do you always treat me like this?” I asked, forcing the words past the lump in my throat. “What have I ever done to deserve this?”

Dad’s expression hardened, his eyes filling with such disgust that I wished I could disappear beneath the floor.

“Don’t forget, Moonless. Ever since you entered this family, nothing has gone right. You’re nothing but bad luck wearing a pretty face!”

“Dad…” The word slipped out before I could stop myself.

“I’m not your father, Moonless! Don’t ever call me that again because I’ll never accept you as my son.”

His roar made me freeze.

“The biggest mistake my wife ever made was bringing you into this family and every time I look at you, I’m reminded of the day I lost her!”

The words hurt more than Jeddy’s punch.

I swallowed hard, fighting the tears gathering in my eyes.

My mother—the woman who had been the only person in this world to ever make me feel wanted.

Mia stepped closer and knelt beside me. I stared at her, confused. Then she scrunched her nose in disgust and spat directly into my face.

My eyes widened.

The warm saliva landed across my cheek and eye. I immediately squeezed my eyes shut as tears slipped down my face.

“Again,” she said with a cruel smile. “That is for sending our mother to the jaws of death.”

My fingers curled against the floor.

I wanted to scream.

I wanted to ask her how she could still blame a ten-year-old child for something he never intended to happen.

But I said nothing.

I had learned a long time ago that speaking only made things worse.

Dad crouched, joining Mia in front of me.

For a moment, he said nothing. He simply stared at me, and I lowered my eyes because I already knew what I would find in his.

Disgust.

“Every day I see you, I remember how helpless my wife looked on that hospital bed.” He paused, letting his words settle deep within me. “Every single day, I curse the moment you entered this family.”

“Please…”

“If there is even a little gratitude left inside you, you will do exactly what I asked tonight.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

“I will.”

“Good.”

He reached for my arm and pulled me up from the floor. My legs were still weak from the blow, and I stumbled against him.

For one foolish second, I thought he would steady me. Instead, he shoved my arm away as though touching me would somehow contaminate him.

Behind him, I heard Mia laugh. “Come on, Dad. We’re going to be late.”

“Move.” Dad grabbed the back of my shirt and pulled me toward the door.

I stumbled after him.

He dragged me all the way outside and toward the waiting car while the twins followed behind us.

At the car, Dad shoved me toward the passenger door.

“Get in.”

I wiped my face with the back of my hand and climbed inside.

The twins followed, laughing as they took their seats.

“And you can’t wear that to the party.” Jeddy smirked as his eyes dropped to my bloodstained clothes.

“The new clothes are in the trunk,” Mia added. “Once we arrive, don’t wait to be told what to do.”

Jeddy leaned closer, his breath brushing against my neck as he patted my back twice. “Failure to do that will result in a serious punishment. Be a good boy.”

I stared straight ahead.

“You kids, take care. Okay?” Dad bid us goodbye.

“Driver, let’s go rock that party!” Mia cheered.

The engine roared to life, and the car rolled out of the compound.

I turned my face toward the window and watched the house disappear behind us.

“I miss you, Mom,” I whispered under my breath.

For the first time, I wondered what it would have been like if she had never died.

Maybe Dad would have loved me?

Maybe Jeddy and Mia wouldn’t have hated me?

Maybe I wouldn’t have spent years wondering what was so wrong with me that even my own family couldn’t love me?

The twins laughed, cheered, and took pictures of themselves while I sat silently in the passenger seat, staring through the window.

I didn’t even own a phone.

While they showed off their clothes and discussed which influential families they wanted to impress, I watched the dark roadside pass by.

This had been my life for ten years since Mom died.

After that, I became nothing more than a slave in the house she had once called home.

I cleaned, I cooked, I endured their insults, I served Jeddy and Mia, and when they were unhappy, I became the easiest person to blame.

Even at college, things weren’t any better. Despite being raised by a middle-class Beta family, I was constantly mocked—I had no friends. No one wanted to be associated with me. They called me the cursed student. The boy who was destined never to awaken a Wolf. I was the scentless omega who brought bad luck wherever he went.

My only identity was my name—Moonless.

And sometimes, I wondered if they were right. Maybe my name really was a curse. Maybe I really was born to lose everything.

A sudden gunshot shattered the silence.

My entire body went rigid.

The twins screamed.

Before I could understand what was happening, the car violently swerved to the right. The tires screeched against the road. My shoulder slammed against the door as the vehicle spun slightly before coming to an abrupt stop.

For a few seconds, nobody moved and my breathing was the only sound filling the car.

I slowly turned toward the driver.

My chest tightened.

The driver’s side window had been shattered and his body covered in blood.

“Help…” He weakly reached toward me.

I immediately stretched out my hand but another gunshot rang through the night.

The driver’s head snapped forward and slammed against the steering wheel.

“Ahhh!”

A scream tore from my throat as my entire body began to tremble.

I had never seen someone die before.

Then the window beside me exploded and shards of glass rained across my lap.

I yelled.

Something seized the back of my neck.

My eyes widened.

I tried to pull away, but the grip tightened, dragging me toward the shattered window.

My heart hammered violently.

I slowly turned my head.

A man stood outside with a black bandana covering the lower half of his face, leaving only his cold eyes visible. He stared directly at me and for one terrifying second, neither of us moved. Then he lifted a communicator clipped to his collar.

“Target confirmed.”