MasukMARIA'S POVI woke up smiling.I didn't even remember the last time that had happened.For a few seconds, I simply stared at the ceiling, listening to the quiet morning sounds drifting through the house.Today was the day.The Founder’s Ball.My heart fluttered.I immediately reached for the notebook beside my pillow.I opened it to the page I'd written the night before.I am not going there to impress anyone.I am going because I belong there.I read the words slowly.Then I smiled."I belong there."My voice sounded different.Still soft.Still unmistakably mine.But there was something beneath it now.Determination.I climbed out of bed and walked toward the wardrobe.My gown was waiting.Or at least...I thought it was.I reached for the handle.My fingers curled around it.I took a deep breath.Then opened the wardrobe.My smile disappeared.For several seconds, I couldn't understand what I was looking at.The gown was still hanging there.But something was wrong.Terribly wrong.
MARIA'S POVFor the first time in a very long time...I was excited about something.Not because of Draven.Not because of what anyone else thought of me.Not because I wanted to prove something.Because I wanted to see what it felt like to walk into a room without wishing I could disappear.The Founder’s Ball was getting closer.Everyone at the academy had been talking about it for weeks.The visiting packs.The royal families.The council members.The young wolves who would be attending in hopes of finding their mates.Normally, the thought of being surrounded by so many powerful people would have terrified me.Now...I wasn't sure.Maybe I was still afraid.Probably.But the fear didn't feel quite as large as it used to.I stood in front of my bedroom mirror and stared at the gown hanging beside me.It was simple compared to the extravagant dresses I'd seen wealthy girls wearing at previous academy events.But to me...It was beautiful.The fabric was soft.The details were delicat
Damien's POVThe Founder’s Ball was getting closer.And for the first time in my life...I wasn't looking forward to it.Everyone else seemed excited.Noble families were arriving.The academy was filled with rumours.The council was preparing for one of the most important gatherings of the year.The Ball was supposed to be where wolves found their mates.Where destiny finally revealed the person they were meant to spend their lives with.For most people, it was something to hope for.For me...It was a reminder.A reminder of the curse.A reminder that I was supposed to be perfect, prim and proper.I was supposed to be fake.I hated every fucking second of it, thinking about it alone made me sick to my stomach.I stood alone on the balcony, staring into the darkness.The witch's words returned with brutal clarity.Your father chose you.The curse was transferred to you.He wanted it contained.You may never find your mate.I had spent days trying not to think about it.It hadn't work
Catherine's POVI didn't sleep much that night.Not because I felt guilty.Because I was thinking.There was a difference.Guilt made people hesitate.I wasn't going to hesitate.By morning, I had already decided exactly what I wanted.I didn't want Maria expelled.I didn't want her injured.I didn't even want her humiliated in front of everyone immediately.That would be too easy.Too obvious.I wanted something worse.I wanted her to believe, for once, that things were finally going to be different.Then I wanted to be the person who reminded her that they weren't.I wanted her confidence to crack.Not completely.Just enough.Enough for her to question herself again.Enough for her to wonder whether Damien had been wrong about her.Enough for her to remember the girl she used to be.The girl who apologized.The girl who lowered her head.The girl who never dared to say no.That girl had been so much easier to control.And I wanted her back.---At breakfast, Maria entered the dinin
Catherine's POVI hated Maria.That wasn't new.I'd hated her for years.But lately...My hatred had changed.It had become sharper.More personal.More difficult to control.Because Maria had done something I never thought she could do.She had caught Damien's attention.Not the casual kind.Not the polite kind.The kind that made him walk into our house and challenge our parents.The kind that made him defend her in front of everyone.The kind that made him take her shopping.I still couldn't believe it.Damien.The future Alpha.He had actually taken Maria shopping.For clothes.For shoes.For accessories.He had spent his time choosing things for her as though she mattered.As though she deserved to be treated like someone important.And then he'd stood in our living room and practically lectured my parents about how Maria shouldn't be treated like a maid.Like he had any right.Like he understood our family better than we did.The worst part?My parents had listened.They had act
Andrew's POVSomething was wrong with Maria.I knew it the moment she walked into the kitchen that morning.Not because she looked different.Because she acted different.Maria had always been predictable.That was one of the few things I appreciated about her.If someone spoke sharply to her, she apologized.If someone gave her an order, she obeyed.If someone insulted her, she lowered her head.If Catherine mocked her, Maria disappeared.If Father became angry, Maria became silent.There had always been comfort in knowing exactly how she would react.But lately...I couldn't predict her anymore.And I hate that, they is nothing more irritating that an uncontrollable pest.She had started looking people in the eye.She answered questions.She walked differently.She had even started wearing clothes that didn't make her look like she was trying to disappear.And yesterday, she had stood in the kitchen and told me she belonged somewhere.I still couldn't believe she'd said it.I do bel







