Unshifted

It had been 279 days since the full moon, the night I was supposed to shift and prove that I was worthy of the Moon Blessed pack. But my wolf never came, and ever since that day, my father reminded me that I was a failure.

“An Alpha’s daughter should not be treated like this,” I thought to myself.

The whip slashed across my back once more, jolting me out of my thoughts.

“Faster, omega,” my father snarled.

I bit down on the scream clawing up my throat, and continued scrubbing the floor.

I said nothing. I never said anything. Words only made the punishment worse.

“Useless,” he said, spitting on me.

“You can’t do the only thing you’re good at. A wolf that cannot shift isn’t a wolf at all. You are nothing, Lira.” He turned and walked into the courtyard.

The Moon Blessed pack wasn’t supposed to be like this. We were known for powerful visions, gifts from the goddess herself. But me? I couldn’t even shift. I was renowned as the only daughter of an alpha who wasn't even good enough to be ranked as an omega.

When I finished the chores, I stepped out to the courtyard to have a moment of rest. That was when I saw him.

Ronin, tall and golden-haired. He was everything I wasn’t, and he was my supposed mate.

But there was no spark when his eyes met mine across the yard. He didn’t smile. Instead, he walked to my father’s side like he belonged there more than he ever belonged to me.

I wanted to hate him, but I couldn’t. The desperate and stupid part of me hoped he would change one day.

As I walked toward the barns to retire for the day, the voice I feared most echoed through the air.

“Lira, come here,” my father said, stepping to the middle of the courtyard.

I set down the bucket. I wiped my damp hands over my skirt and forced myself to move towards him.

His eyes scanned my entire body as I approached. Ronin stood beside him, mimicking his every move.

“Yes, Alpha,” I bowed my head.

“Look at me,” he snapped.

I obeyed, feeling knots form in my stomach.

“You shame me,” he said with a hateful smirk.

“A daughter of my blood who cannot even shift. Do you know what the others say when they look at you? Worthless. A stain on the Moon Blessed.”

His words burned through my soul, but I stayed quiet.

“You should have been a vision bearer, Lira. A jewel of the goddess. But instead, you are nothing but a burden to my pack.”

I flinched as the insults stung me.

Ronin’s gaze was fixed on the ground, not saying a word in my defence. 

“Perhaps…” Salcan said, encircling me like a predator, “Your only use is obedience. You will serve where you cannot fight.”

My heart felt heavy, but I refused to let the tears fall.

Finally, he stopped in front of me, staring down with disgust.

“There is a war on the horizon,” he said. “Damien of the Blackthorne pack has gathered his wolves. He believes he can stand against me. He is wrong. But war requires strength. And you…” He spat, “You give me none.”

My lips parted in protest. “Father…”

“Enough.” He cut me off with a backhand slap, letting out a snarl.

I staggered, biting down a cry.

He leaned down, his hot breath against my ear. “If Damien comes, you will stay hidden like the weakling you are. Do not embarrass me further, Lira.”

I swallowed hard and nodded in fear.

He turned away, dismissing me like I was nothing more than dust beneath his boots.

I slipped away before my father could summon me again. My cheek still burned because of the slap, but it was nothing compared to the ache I felt from scrubbing floors all day.

I ducked into the corner of the kitchen, crouching behind the basket of grains. It was only then that I let the tears come down my cheeks. I pressed my hands over my face to muffle the sound.

I hated the way I showed weakness when all I wanted was to stay strong. It wasn’t the slaps. I could take those. It was the way he looked at me, like I was already dead to him.

“I’m an omega,” I whispered to myself. “ I'm not a wolf, just a servant.”

I heard footsteps echoing down the hall. I stayed still, trying not to make a sound.

“I heard Damien’s pack is gathering at the border,” one voice said. “Our Alpha sent scouts out last night. His army is large.”

The other scoffed. “Let them come. Alpha Salcan will crush them like ants.”

“Don’t be so sure,” the first murmured. “The Blackthorne wolves fight like demons. And they say Damien hasn’t taken a mate yet. He is restless, and will stop at nothing to prove himself.”

The second warrior spat on the floor. “Then that will be his downfall. Salcan has already arranged his alliances. With Ronin by his side, no one will break us.”

Their voices faded as they walked towards the end of the hall.

I leaned back against the wall, hoping it would make me forget my ache. “If Damien of Blackthorne truly came for us… Perhaps he would burn everything down.”

Perhaps that would be my only chance to be free finally.

Before the thought could settle, the ground shook with pounding feet. Warriors dashed through the halls. They grabbed blades, armour and knives. From a small peephole, I could see the terror on their faces.

“They’re here!” someone shouted. “Blackthorne wolves are at the border!”

There was chaos everywhere. Wolves shifted all around me and howls split the air from every corner. My father barked orders from the balcony, with Ronin, his minion, at his side, shining like the warrior he was meant to be.

And me? I stood alone in the shadows, my heart beating fast enough to dislodge from my chest.

War had come.

And with it, the end of everything I knew.

I could hear the sounds of war drums erupt from the distance. Some half-morphed wolves were already marching towards the border.

 But me… I ran. 

Not towards safety because there was none. I ran to the only place I had left, the shadows.

Behind the old storehouses, past the broken well, there was a hollow sewer no one visited. It smelt like rot and damp stone. That was my secret place and would probably be my grave when death came for me. I squeezed through rocks, scraping my elbows and knees, until the light in the courtyard was just a faint glow.

“They'll never find me here,” I whispered, though I wasn't sure if I believed it.

“Interesting.”

A voice came from deep in the dark. I froze, scanning the dark for signs of movement.

“Who's there?”

“A little wolf hiding in a hole. I didn't think Salcan's kin to be cowards,” he chuckled.

My throat went dry. “You don't know me.”

“I don't need to. I can smell you. Weak, broken and without a wolf.”

I flinched. Even in the darkness, I couldn't run away from the truth.

“I am not afraid,” I whispered, even though my body was shaking from weeks of starvation.

He moved silently, inching closer to me. “Then why do you hide while your pack prepares to bleed?”

“I bring no strength and my father wishes that I stay hidden,” I said, digging my fingers into my palms.

There was a brief moment of silence.

“So he throws his own daughter into the shadows, he discards his own blood?”

I swallowed hard. “He is right. I am useless.”

“No,” the stranger said, sounding almost certain. “A wolf is never useless. Even the smallest has fangs. Perhaps your father is blind. Or a fool.”

Something about the way he talked about my father sent a chill down my spine.

No one had ever spoken about him like that.

“Who are you?” I said, squinting to see through the dark.

“Someone you'll know soon enough.” His tone dipped. “Tell me little wolf, if war tears your home apart tonight, what would you choose to do? To run? Stay and watch it burn to the ground?”

The words came out of my mouth before I could stop them. “To be free.”

A long silence followed and all I could hear was the sound of breathing.

“Then maybe…” he said, his voice sounding like a promise and a threat all at once, “ you will get your wish.”

The stampede forming outside distracted me. The ground shook as wolves dashed into battle. When I looked up, the stranger was gone.

But his words stayed with me because for the first time in my life, I felt something I thought was lost forever. Hope.

Dawn came and with it an unusual silence. I couldn't hear the clashing of swords and claws anymore.

 I pushed my body through the crack in the wall, peering into the courtyard.

As I tried to stretch my head a little further to see what was going on, I felt a strong grip on my arm.

“Got one,” a voice growled.

Two men grabbed me. Their raw scent hit me immediately. They weren't Moon-blessed. It was then that I knew we had lost.

“Let me go,” I yelled.

“Save your breath, little wolf. You belong to Alpha Damien now.”

They dragged me towards the courtyard. The proud Moon-blessed pack were now on their knees. 

And my father, Salcan, the once mighty Alpha, was strapped to a pole like an animal.

Ronin was there too, made to kneel like an ordinary wolf. At that moment, he was a prisoner of the defeated pack. He had no rank.

A man stepped forward. He was broad-shouldered with scars across his jaw. His name was Marcus. Every wolf in the borderlands had heard stories of Damien's right-hand man.

He raised his hand, commanding silence.

“The battle is over and the Blackthorne pack has emerged victorious.” 

His gaze swept over us. “ You have lost and now tradition must be upheld.”

Murmurs rippled through the crowd, but they died the moment Marcus lifted his hands up.

“ The blood of those lost in battle must be atoned for. You will bargain for your lives. Every minute you waste…”

His lips curved into a smile. “...one of your own will die. Your Alpha Salcan knows the terms.”

One of the guards dragged a trembling Beta to the middle of the crowd, placing a dagger over his throat.

“Choose quickly or watch them fall one by one,” Marcus said, stepping away.

My eyes immediately darted towards my father, with hopes that we would react or at least surrender ourselves as atonement.

The silence that followed was bloodcurdling. Everyone stared at Salcan.

After a long wait, he raised his head up, battered but still proud. He had a firm look on his face, and for a moment, I thought he felt empathy.

But the next words I heard were like a stake to the heart.

“Take her,” Ronin said, lifting his head.

I looked behind me, hoping he was referring to someone else.

He lifted a trembling hand and pointed at me.

“Take the alpha's daughter. She has pure blood running in her veins. She will serve as the atonement for the entire pack.”

“Father…” My blood ran cold.

I waited for an objection from Salcan, but all I got was a nod in concordance.

“Please…” I said, feeling life already seeping from my body.

“You heard him,” Marcus said, signalling the guards to take me.

The tears I thought I'd long forgotten dropped down my cheeks. I knew my father hated me. But I never imagined the day would come when my own father would lay my life on the line.

“I will do better, Father. Please, I don't want to die,” I said.

The pack stared at me in disbelief at what had just happened. Ronin smiled at my father, like he had just spoken his mind.

“You mean nothing to me. You're not even a real wolf,” My father said, looking away.

And then, another voice cut through the courtyard.

“Oh, really?”

Every head turned.

A tall figure stepped out of the shadows.

“If she's worthless to you, Salcan, why do you think she would be of value to me?” 

I saw fear in my father's eyes for the first time.

“Alpha Damien,” he said, bowing.

“She is Moon-blessed and she may yet…”

“May yet?” Damien interrupted him. 

“You reduce her worth before me and still offer her as a bargaining chip?”

Damien turned to face me, grinning widely.

“Do you agree with your father, little wolf?”

His words pierced through my mind, taking me back to the night before. It was the same voice, the

way he asked me why I hid.

 The same faint growl in his tone. His breath… It couldn't be.

“You…” I whispered, half lost in my thoughts.

But Damien only smirked, tilting his head as if savouring my realisation.

“We meet again, little wolf.”