Chapter one

I stared wide-eyed at the devastation before me, my chest tightening as tears burned their way into my eyes. This was the pack house. My home, the only place I had ever known. But it no longer resembled anything familiar.

Trees stood like charred skeletons, their trunks blackened and smoking. The sheds, once filled with life and laughter, were reduced to scorched ruins, silent witnesses to the chaos that had unfolded only hours ago.

Then I saw them.

Bodies lay scattered across the ground, lifeless. Men, women, children. Even infants. Their skin and clothes were badly burned, yet they were cruelly recognizable. My breath hitched as my eyes darted from one body to another, and panic clawed its way up my throat.

I searched desperately for my family, but I didn't find them.

Relief washed over me for a fleeting second. At least they weren't among the dead. But that relief shattered almost instantly when I remembered that they weren't among the living either.

Only a handful of pack members had survived the fire. Most of the others were either lying dead on the ground or caught somewhere in one of the sheds which was in ruins now.

"Tell us, child, how you started the fire." Alpha Vincent's voice cut through my thoughts like a blade. I turned sharply, my heart pounding heavily against my chest.

Alpha Vincent of Unity Pack stood before me, his expression cold and unyielding. Gone was the calm, patriarchal authority I remembered, this voice was sharp with anger, heavy with accusation.

"I—I don't know," I whispered, my voice trembling as tears spilled freely down my cheeks. "I don't know how it started."

I was only seven. I had escaped the flames alone, with no one to guide or protect me. It should have felt like a miracle, but with my parents and siblings missing, it felt more like a curse.

"I can't find my mom or my dad," I cried, my small body shaking. "Or any of my brothers and sisters."

My sobs echoed through the silence, but no one came to comfort me. Instead, they stared with eyes filled with suspicion, disgust, and something far worse. Blame.

"Your family started the fire," Alpha Vincent said coldly. "That explains their disappearance. Cowards fled after destroying everything. Unfortunately for you, they left you behind."

His words crushed me.

"No," I sobbed, shaking my head desperately. "My family didn't do this. They wouldn't—"

Alpha Vincent lifted a hand, silencing me, then gestured sharply to the warriors beside him.

Fear rooted me to the ground as they stepped forward. I tried to back away, but my legs felt weak, useless.

"She's only a child," one of the elders protested but Alpha Vincent didn't even glance at him.

Rough hands grabbed me, forcing me down onto my knees. My palms scraped painfully against the ground as I was pushed forward, made to kneel before the Alpha. I looked up at him through blurred vision, my heart pounding so loudly it drowned out my thoughts.

"For the sins of your family," Alpha Vincent declared, placing his hands heavily on my head, "I sentence you, Avira Holbrook, to a lifetime of banishment. You will never set foot in Unity Pack again."

The words echoed in my ears, final and merciless.

I was yanked to my feet and dragged toward the pack boundary. Behind us, the remaining members followed in silence. No one spoke. No one looked at me with pity.

Tears streamed down my face, blinding me, but no one cared.

I had survived one of the deadliest fire outbreaks in werewolf history alone. My family was gone, their fate unknown. I didn't know if they were alive or dead, free or imprisoned. All I knew was that I was being erased.

A sudden shove sent me stumbling forward. I fell hard onto my hands, pain shooting through my small body.

"The day you cross this border," Alpha Vincent's voice rang out behind me, "the day you return to Unity Pack, will be the day you die."

Then they turned away.

I was left standing at the edge of the territory. Alone, broken, and abandoned. I was left at the mercy of rogue wolves, bandits, and whatever horrors lurked beyond the border.

At seven years old, I lost my home, I lost my family, and the world showed me no mercy.

Twelve years later...

The whip split the air with a vicious whoosh before it struck, its bite searing into my bare back. Fire exploded across my skin, sharp and merciless, each lash sending violent currents of pain straight to my brain. I clenched my teeth until my jaw ached, gathering every shred of self-control I had left to swallow the scream clawing up my throat.

Twenty!

I counted silently. Ten more. A single whimper would mean starting over, and I refused to let that happen—not after Beta Maverick had already restarted twice. I would endure it all now and be done with it.

"I ask again," he thundered, his voice cracking like a second whip. "Who broke the earthen vessel?"

I flinched despite myself, but I stayed silent, just as I had for the past thirty minutes. What was I supposed to say? That I broke it?

Hell no!

He lifted the whip again, a smirk tugging at his lips before he brought it down harder. He enjoyed this. That much was obvious. The lash struck the same ruined patch of skin, and it took everything in me not to scream.

"Who broke the earthen vessel?" he repeated.

Panic coiled tight in my chest. If I lied, I'd be whipped more. If I told the truth, I'd be whipped even worse. Either way, there was no escape.

My wolf whimpered inside me, her pain bleeding into mine. I didn't know how much longer she could hold on. Beta Maverick raised the whip again, his face blank now, as though he were flogging livestock—or worse, a thing that barely qualified as human.

"I didn't do it," I blurted out. "I swear. It was already broken when I picked it up to wash. It must have fallen from the windowsill."

The answer earned me nothing.

The whip came down with the same brutal force, slicing through my skin anew.

"I don't believe you," he said, smiling.

I exhaled shakily. Believe me or not, I wasn't admitting to something I hadn't done. He probably broke it himself when he shifted last night.

I braced for the next strike—but it never came.

"Beta Maverick!"

Kyle's voice rang out behind him, sharp and formal. Alpha Demian's most trusted servant never raised his voice without reason. His presence alone meant something important.

I held my breath, unsure whether this interruption was a rescue or merely a pause before more pain. Either way, I'd take it.

Beta Maverick dropped the whip and strode toward Kyle. He glanced at me briefly, his eyes empty of anything resembling sympathy and I looked away. Of course I was not expecting him to be sympathetic. No one has ever felt that way for me, and I was already used to it.

They were walking towards the stock where I was held but stopped a few feet away, and began to speak to each other in hushed voices after which Beta Maverick turned towards my direction, and waved me away.

I got out of the stocks, picked up my clothes from the ground and went into the house, the part of the pack's settlement which was reserved for the Beta. There were alot of chores I needed to do, and I had better start them now. I felt pain with each step I took but the chores were more important unless I enjoyed the whipping I had just received, and was wishing for more.

There was the healing portion of course, but Beta Maverick would rather see me suffer to perdition than give me a drop which is all I need to heal perfectly. But no worries, my wolf had the ability to heal faster than most of the others, although it could only heal once a day, so fuck the healing portion.

I arranged the plates that needed washing on the sink, and leathered up the sponge. If there's any reason I hate being human it was because of dishes. I hate doing the dishes. I might as well remained in the stocks and be whipped nonstop. That's not true but I sure as hell hated doing the dishes.

As I washed, I thought about Kyle's visit, and wondered what important message he had brought to the pack's Beta who doubles as my master, or parent when we are in good terms with each other. Whatever had made Kyle leave the Alpha's part of the mansion to ours, must be damn important.

I tiptoed to see if they were still out there, and yes, they were, and their voices were hushed still even though they were alone. I rushed through the dishes, and went into laundry immediately. If I was fast enough, I'd be done by noon which was about four hours away.

The clothes were a large heap, making me wonder just how many people lived with us even though it was just the Beta and I. The fact that I did as much laundry as this just yesterday caused me to wonder just how the Beta managed to wear all of these robes on a single day. There was lunch to prepare also, and I was already tired but the heap remained what it was – a heap despite the number of clothes I had washed.

I took the clothes I had washed to spread them on the line outside, and also as a disguise to know if they were done talking yet but they weren't there anymore, and my guess was that they had gone to the Alpha's quarters where the pack's palace was located.

Quickly, I spread the clothes on the line, and rushed back inside, then with the speed of lightning, I selected the clothes from the heap which weren't dirty, most of which I had washed yesterday or sometime ago, dunked them inside the bowl of clean water, and spread them on the line to dry. By the time I was done, only a few clothes that actually needed washing remained, and I had enough energy to see to lunch, and get every room in this quarter cleaned.

I finished less than an hour later, and headed for the kitchen. There, as is my daily routine, although secretly, I made myself a steamy cup of tea but not before shutting the door. Breakfast was forbidden, and only the Alpha Demian could have breakfast. Not even his Luna or any of his sons. Just him!

Of course I had laughed out loud in my head when the Beta had told me the rule the day I was handed over to him, it was the same way I had laughed the first time I heard of it, just as I laughed at many other laws of the pack. Laws I thought to be nothing but barbaric.

My mouth was stuffed with bread as I greedily drank from the steamy cup. My wolf whimpered lowly as the tea burned us both but this was not the first time. I was already used to getting burned on the tongue each morning, she should too.

"Avira!" Beta Maverick's voice sounded so suddenly, making me swallow a mouthful of the hot liquid in panic. My eyes darted to the door just then, to confirm that it was locked.

I dashed into a dark corner in the kitchen, with my hand tightly wrapped around the steamy cup. There was no time to nurse my stinging tongue or throat as the Beta's voice sounded from right outside the kitchen door.

I didn't dare answer because the cup was still half filled with tea as that would be suicidal. Instead, I remained utterly still, and tried to push what was left of the bread down my throat as quickly as I could.

"Avira!" Beta Maverick called again, louder this time, and my eyes flung open in fear.