Chapter 1: A Cursed Child

Alina’s Point of View

~~Sixteen Years Ago~~

The sun hung lazily in the afternoon sky, casting golden light over the courtyard. The scent of fresh earth mixed with the lavender bushes that bordered the space, filling the air with a calming fragrance. I sat cross-legged on a small wooden stool, struggling to knit a tiny sweater.

“Mama, look!” I giggled, holding up the uneven fabric. The stitches were lopsided, the pattern a mess, but I was proud.

Luna Arlene, my mother, smiled warmly, her silver-blonde hair cascading over her shoulders as she reached for my creation. “Oh, my sweet Alina,” she chuckled, gently smoothing the fabric. “It’s… unique.”

I beamed. “I made it for Damien, Caleb, Eli, and me! So we match!”

She chuckled, shaking her head. “You’re always trying to include them, aren’t you?”

Before I could answer, a sharp howl split the air.

Panic erupted.

The peaceful afternoon turned to chaos as warriors rushed past us, swords gleaming under the sun. My mother was suddenly on her feet, her protective gaze scanning the surroundings. “Rogues,” she whispered, fear flashing in her eyes.

A guard grabbed me, his firm grip pulling me toward the packhouse. “Come, little one, we need to..”

“No! My teddy!” My favorite stuffed bear had slipped from my arms, landing near the fountain. I squirmed violently, desperate to retrieve it.

“Forget it, Alina!” the guard hissed.

But I couldn’t. My heart pounded as I twisted in his grip and sank my small teeth into his wrist. He let out a pained grunt, his hold loosening just enough. I wrenched free, scrambling toward my teddy.

I barely had time to clutch it before a deafening snarl filled the air.

I looked up… right into the glowing red eyes of a rogue wolf.

Frozen in terror, I clutched my teddy to my chest as the beast lunged.

Then, out of nowhere, my mother’s wolf slammed into it, her silver fur a blur of movement. She bit down on its throat, but another rogue sprang from behind, clawing into her flank.

She howled in pain.

I screamed, tears blinding my vision as I watched my mother struggle beneath their weight. Blood soaked the earth beneath her.

“Mother!”

Another rogue charged for me.

A silver blur darted in front of me… my mother, barely standing, but still fighting. She threw herself between me and death. But she was weak… too weak.

More warriors arrived… Damien, Caleb, Eli. Their snarls filled the air as they tore through the rogues, driving them back. The battle ended, but the damage was done.

My mother collapsed, her breathing ragged.

I crawled toward her, my tiny hands shaking. “Mama?”

She tried to smile, but it was weak. “You’re… safe,” she whispered before coughing violently.

Blood trickled from the corner of her lips.

“No, no, no,” I sobbed, shaking her. “Mama, don’t leave!”

But she did.

And the moment she took her last breath, I lost not only my mother but my family.

Damien’s furious voice cut through my grief. “You little cursed child,” he snarled, his emerald eyes ablaze with fury. “Look at what you did.”

Eli wiped his mother’s blood from his hands, his face hard. “She’s the reason this happened.”

Their words burned.

I wanted to scream, it was indeed my fault.. I had killed our mother... But their eyes… their hatred… I couldn't help but feel alone and lost.

“I hope you’re happy, Alina,” Caleb spat. “You killed Mama.”

The words would haunt me forever.

~~Present Day~~~

The cell was damp, the stone floor biting into my bruised skin. The dim torchlight flickered, casting eerie shadows across the walls. The scent of mold mixed with the metallic tang of blood… my blood.

I didn’t move. Not until they were done.

A rough kick slammed into my ribs.

“Get the fuck up.”

Damien’s voice.

I bit back a whimper, struggling onto my knees. Pain flared through every inch of my body. My arms shook as I tried to steady myself, but it was impossible.

A hand fisted my hair and yanked me to my feet.

I gasped but quickly swallowed it down.

“Fucking weak,” Caleb sneered, standing by the cell door, his arms crossed. His once-handsome face was now twisted with disdain. “You’d think after sixteen years, you’d learned to fight back.”

I kept my gaze low.

Eli leaned against the wall, a smirk playing on his lips. “She’s too much of a coward. She’s not even a wolf. What did we expect?”

I clenched my fists at my sides, nails digging into my palms. They had called me that for years… wolf-less, cursed, an abomination. It didn’t hurt anymore.

Not as much as their next words.

“She shouldn’t be here,” Eli spat.

Our father, Alpha Magnus, watched silently from his chair by the fireplace, his cold gray eyes unreadable. He had once been the proud leader of the Moonlit Claw Pack. Now, he was just a bitter man who wished I had died instead of his mate.

He took a slow sip of his whiskey before speaking. “You don’t belong in my pack.”

My breath caught in my throat.

Every time he said it, it still stung.

“I should have killed you the night you were born, the night the prophecy was discovered” he continued, his voice void of emotion. “It would have saved me the shame.”

I stared at him, searching desperately for anything other than hate. Anything at all. But there was nothing.

Nothing but disgust.

I wanted to break. To cry. To scream.

But I didn’t.

Damien suddenly shoved me forward, sending me crashing onto the floor. Shards of glass dug into my palms as I caught myself, fresh cuts stinging against old bruises.

“Clean it up,” my father ordered, gesturing to the broken plate Caleb had thrown at me earlier. “Then get the fuck out of my sight.”

I swallowed hard, biting my lip as I gathered the pieces. Blood smeared across the floor as I worked, but I didn’t stop.

They laughed.

They always laughed.

“How pathetic,” Eli muttered.

I ignored them.

I had learned long ago that fighting back only made things worse.

Once the last piece was cleaned, I pushed myself up, my body screaming in protest.

Damien leaned in, his voice low and venomous. “You should have died instead.”

I didn’t react.

Instead, I turned on weak legs and made my way back to my small, windowless room.

The moment the door shut behind me, I slid to the floor, my body curling in on itself. The pain was unbearable, but the emptiness was worse.

They wanted me broken. They wanted me gone.

But I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.

I pressed a hand to my aching chest, closing my eyes.

“One day…” I choked on my tears

“One day, I’ll prove them wrong.” I vowed