CHAPTER 1

Alexis's perspective.

Sometimes life gives you many reasons to let go of everything, to ease all the tension and suffering you experience. Yet, somehow, you still cling to one thing, the only thing that keeps you going through all that sorrow. And that happened to me too.

I too cling to one thing that keeps me moving forward. A partner.

A partner who one day will surely love me and end all my suffering with their extraordinary love.

A partner who will love me so deeply that they won't mind my worst flaws. I am a lantern, a werewolf who cannot transform into a wolf.

I cannot turn into a wolf, and I live as if I have been demoted within the pack. Every day, the members of my pack keep their distance from me.

My family hates me and will do anything to get rid of me.

Why not? My condition is nothing to be proud of, at least, that's what they always tell me.

I still remember that terrible day as if it happened yesterday.

Flashback

"Can you imagine? Beta's daughter didn't turn into a wolf?"

"Oh my god! That's great news! I wonder what that arrogant Beta will do now," muttered the pack members with contempt.

"You weirdo! Why didn't you turn into a wolf?" And suddenly, a hard slap landed on my face, causing me to stagger and fall to the ground.

"Father? Please, I'm your daughter..." I hadn't even finished my sentence when a powerful kick hit my stomach, followed by the terrible sound of breaking bones echoing through the air.

It was extremely painful, but the hatred in his eyes was far more painful to me.

"How could I have a daughter like this? If I had known you would end up like this, I would have killed you the moment you were born!" he shouted, before kicking me repeatedly once more.

"Dad, please believe me..." I tried to speak before coughing up blood.

When he finally stopped, I looked up and saw my sister.

A glimmer of hope appeared inside me. I thought, maybe this time, she would help me.

"Okay..." she said as she approached.

I thought she would help me stand up. However, all she did was stare at me. I continued to look at her hopefully, until she finally spat at me.

"Who are you, little sister? You are also a Beta princess, but what kind of princess are you? A princess who can't turn into a wolf?" she sneered.

"This is ridiculous! Look at yourself! You're just a little omega! I'm so ashamed of you! Don't ever call me sister again, you filthy, disgusting creature!" She kicked me before walking away, as if I were just a speck of dirt that wasn't worth her attention.

My throat felt too dry to make a sound. I turned to my mother, my last remaining hope. I was sure she would help me. I was sure she would defend me.

But my heart felt pierced when I saw the look of disappointment in her eyes.

I caught a glimpse of sympathy behind her cold stare. But I was never sure if it was real or just my imagination, because she immediately turned her face away and never looked at me again.

"You're a disqualified girl! Get out of this group and never come back! I hope you die!" my father roared.

Father grabbed my neck, lifted my body, and threw me to the ground. "Please..." I whispered, tears welling up in my eyes. But he immediately stopped me by pressing down on my neck, as if he really intended to break it.

The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth, making me almost vomit. My vision began to blur.

Then I heard his voice.

"Fuck you!"

The roar was so loud that it silenced everyone. A strong figure pushed through the crowd and stopped beside me before pushing my father away.

"What do you think you're doing?" he snapped, his eyes burning with anger.

Even though my tears blurred my vision, I knew who he was.

Brandon. Alpha's son.

"He's staying," he said in a frozen tone. Those were the last two words I heard before everything went dark.

End of flashback

I shook my head, forcing myself out of the memory. I looked at Brandon standing in front of me before blinking. What was he doing with that slice of smoked meat?

"Come on, Brandon. You're terrible at cooking. Let me do it, okay?" I laughed at his pitiful attempt to cook for the two of us.

"Whatever, you. Just hurry up and finish it. I don't want us to be late for school," he said mockingly as he left the kitchen.

You might be surprised to see Brandon, the heir to Alpha, in our kitchen.

I admit that Brandon didn't come here for me. In fact, years ago, he was the one who defended me in front of everyone and protected me from being kicked out of the group. Now, instead of being a handsome prince like in a fairy tale, he's my sister's boyfriend.

Guess what? My older sister knew that I was in love with him and, like any other cruel girl, she decided to destroy my romantic dreams.

Even though I am an omega who cannot turn into a wolf, my older sister managed to transform and become the pride of our parents.

Because she was a Beta's granddaughter, Brandon was naturally attracted to her. Their relationship was approved by all members of the group. They were the golden couple, as they were called.

However, I still couldn't get rid of my infatuation with Brandon. Secretly, I still dreamed of him as my hero. At least until I found my true soulmate.

"Yes, the hero who already has his beloved," a mocking voice echoed in my head.

"Shut up. Let me live in my fantasy a little longer, okay?" I replied to the voice. Over the past few months, I had completely immersed myself in fantasy. Sometimes I even wondered if I had lost my mind.

"I think breakfast is ready," Brandon said as he returned to the kitchen. He had just come out of my sister's room with a strange look of satisfaction on his face. I knew what had happened between them.

"Here you go," I replied, swallowing my jealousy and placing the food in front of him.

"Uhmm... this is really good. You don't know how much I love your cooking. When it comes to food, I can't control myself," he said, groaning after a few bites.

His groans made my cheeks flush. I wanted so badly to make him groan like that with his arms wrapped around me as we hugged, in the midst of our growing love.

"Hello? Are you daydreaming?" he said, waving his hand in front of my face. "I want to know if you need a ride to school. It's already eight in the morning, and with your slowness, I don't think you'll be on time." His words made me smile slightly.

"No, he's teasing you," my conscience interrupted again.

"No need. Mark will pick me up. He said he wants to talk about my position," I replied.

"Mark? What does he want from you now?" Brandon asked irritably.

"Didn't I just say? It's about my position in the group," I replied, shoveling pancakes into my mouth.

Mark, the son of the council chairman, was the person who had made me most uncomfortable with discussions about my position over the past two years.

Every time I asked why they paid so much attention to me, they just said it was because I was a rare case, an omega who couldn't change. They wanted to make sure I was treated well. I knew they meant to protect me, but did that really help?

"Mark is suspicious. Didn't he come here last week? Why does he keep coming?" Brandon asked, trying to sound indifferent, though I could still sense his anger.

"I don't know. He's just following the chairman's orders. Maybe he has no choice," I replied.

"So now you're defending him?" Brandon stood up, his face tense.

"Hey, since when did I defend him? I'm just stating the facts," I said, but my sentence was cut off when he walked away with an angry look on his face.

That's strange.

I don't know if it's just my imagination, but since last year Brandon seems overly protective of me. Or maybe that's just my own hope. He's an Alpha, of course he protects his pack and his people.

I shrugged and started clearing the dishes.

***

The weekly meeting with the council is actually a good idea, but I never tell them the truth.

How could I tell them that the people who were supposed to love me hated me because I couldn't change? How could I admit that my own family was the source of my suffering?

I couldn't take that risk. If they found out, I would be kicked out of the pack, and my only hope of gaining my parents' love would be completely gone.

I was intimidated, but I chose to endure. Fortunately, even though I didn't change, I still had some werewolf abilities.

One of them was healing.

Without this ability, the council would have known that since I was fourteen, I had been abused by my family, and that my father had almost killed me because he considered me a disgrace.

Even though Brandon defended me that day, he was still just Alpha's son. Life in the pack after that incident was never really easy.

Fortunately, the next day the council summoned my parents. If they hadn't, I'm sure I would have died. It was the only day my mother ever spoke softly to me, and it was also the last.

I sighed and smiled slightly, trying to push away those bitter memories.

A car horn blared loudly. Mark had arrived. I took a deep breath before leaving the house.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey, princess," he replied, making me smile.

Mark was the second person I liked. He was always calm, polite, and handsome. After Brandon, he was the only man who treated me like a normal person.

I smiled at his messy blond hair and unconsciously fixed it. My eyes widened when I realized what I had done.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry. I just..." I said nervously.

"It's okay," he said with a laugh. "Let's go to school. You can tell me about your week." His serious tone made me look down, because I knew I was going to lie again.

I told her lies about the school hall, about Brandon helping me. I hid the fact that I had almost been beaten up and locked up by jealous girls, including my own sister.

"Is that true?" Mark looked at me as if he knew.

"Yes," I replied briefly.

"Today is your birthday, isn't it? What do you want?" he asked.

I was silent. Of course today was my birthday. The day my life was destroyed four years ago.

"Tell the chairman thank you for me, but..." I stopped when Mark suddenly slammed on the brakes.

"I didn't do it on my father's orders," he said softly. "I just wanted to make sure you didn't feel alone today."

His face was so close. His smile was warm.

"I... I..." I stammered.

"This is for you," he said, handing me a box decorated with a ribbon.

As I remained silent, Mark kissed my cheek.

"Open it when you're alone. No matter what happens, I will always protect you. That's my promise," he said.

I looked at the box, then smiled slightly when I realized we had arrived at school.

"I'm going in," I muttered as I got out of the car.

I smiled faintly. It was the first gift, and perhaps the only one I would receive on my birthday.