Chapter 1

Three days ago, Theron announced that he was rejecting the bond and marking my stepsister Hannah.

But everyone knew that Theron's mate was me.

So when I walked into Theron and Hannah's engagement party, I knew what everyone was waiting for.

Almost every guest there was certain I would tear the place apart.

Even Theron's face went cold. He pushed Hannah behind him without thinking, his voice a warning.

"Aurora, watch yourself. You cry like a heartbroken cow!"

Laughter broke out. I swallowed the hurt and forced a carefree smile until my eyes stung.

"Congratulations on finding your love. We'll pick a time to reject the bond. This is my engagement gift for Hannah."

The room went dead quiet. Even Theron looked startled.

"I'm giving you my blessing, so I'm asking you to give me back the ring my mother left me."

At eighteen I had sworn an oath with Theron before the Moon Goddess.

"Theron, once you put on my mom's ring you belong to me. If you ever lose it, I'll never want you again."

"Aurora, I'm sorry! I didn't know this was..."

Hannah covered her mouth in fake surprise. The ring with the wolf carved into it sat on her index finger, bright as day.

Her eyes went red in an instant and she reached up to take it off.

The moment she held it out to me, she let out a horrible scream and toppled backward.

"Aurora, what are you doing!"

Theron roared and rushed over, pulling Hannah into his arms.

"It's not like that... my sister only wanted her ring back. She didn't push me on purpose."

Hannah hid behind him, shaking.

I never touched her, but nobody was going to believe me.

"That fat pig is vicious."

"Hurting her own sister like that. She has to be jealous of how fit and sexy Hannah is."

"God, Aurora!"

My stepmother chimed in, laying it on thick, her face full of hurt as she looked at my father.

My father raised his hand and slapped me hard across the face.

"You clumsy, ugly thing. How do you have the nerve to stand here and hurt your own sister? Get out right now. You're a disgrace."

Thrown out of the house, I was soaked through by the downpour.

The pain drove me down into the mud.

When I opened my eyes again I was in a hospital room, and a tall man was leaning against the side of the bed.

Two buttons at his collar were undone. His pale gray eyes swept over me without much interest.

"Beta Aurora. Alpha Theron rejected you for being fat, and your stepmother and your stepsister set you up and got you thrown out of your home."

"Who are you? Have we... met before?"

I forced myself upright, trying to work out whether I had seen him somewhere.

"None of that matters. What matters is whether you have the will to take revenge."

"Of course I'm not walking away like this. This is not my ending!"

I grabbed a handful of the fat on my thigh and swore to myself I would take it off.

The man seemed satisfied with the hatred in my eyes, then said, "Your body has been wrecked for a long time. I'll arrange a few minor surgeries for you. Right now you need to rest."