1. The Birthday Curse

Chapter 1: The Birthday Curse

ANYA’S POV   

The dream always began the same way—screeching tires, shattering glass, my parents’ screams, and then silence. Only this time, their faces twisted toward me, eyes blazing with accusation. 

You killed us, Anya.

I jolted awake with a strangled gasp, my nightdress clinging to my sweat-drenched skin. My chest rose and fell in ragged pulls, and I pressed a trembling hand against my racing heart. The cracked ceiling of my servants’ quarters loomed above me, mocking me.

The shrill cry of my alarm clock pierced the silence. 4:30 a.m.

I forced myself upright on the narrow cot, my muscles heavy with dread. My gaze snapped on the battered calendar pinned to the wall. The red circle around today’s date was a cruel reminder. 

“Happy birthday to me,” I whispered, my voice splintering. 

Not eighteen. Not nineteen. Twenty. Two years had passed since that cursed night—the accident, the loss, the hatred that followed. Two years, and still no wolf stirring beneath my skin. Still no voice in my head. 

Wolf-less. Broken. Cursed. 

In the Crescent Moon Pack, a wolf-less adult was lower than an omega. A disgrace. A mistake that should never have been born. And for a wolf-less she-wolf that killed their alpha, his luna, and her own parents, I wore that shame like a second skin.

A sharp knock rattled my door. “Anya! Get moving, you worthless mutt!” The head maid’s rasp was as sharp as broken glass. 

I flinched, dragging the threadbare gray dress over my head. Its coarse fabric scratched my arms as I fastened the frayed ties. My fingers brushed scars scattered across my skin—punishments earned for mistakes that were rarely mine.

The manor loomed as I stepped into the bitter predawn air, its stone walls towering above me like a fortress that had become my prison. Once, I had run through those halls laughing, my parents’ pride glowing in their eyes. Now, I was a shadow, a ghost chained to servitude. 

The kitchen bustled with life, the scent of bacon and coffee coiling in the air, turning my empty stomach. But the moment I entered, the chatter died. Glares speared me from every side.

“Murderer,” a maid hissed as she brushed past, her shoulder slamming into mine. Another spat near my feet, lips curled with disgust. 

I bit the inside of my cheek, forcing my trembling hands steady as I lifted the Alpha’s breakfast tray. Fresh bread, eggs, steaming coffee. My palms slicked with sweat as I balanced it, knowing one wrong move would earn me more than bruises.

The grand staircase groaned beneath my worn shoes as I climbed, each step dragging me deeper into memories I wished I could bury. My father’s deep laugh. My mother’s gentle hands braiding my hair. Cassandra’s warm smile, before it curdled into venom. Then the screech of tires, shattering glass, and the nightmare that never ended.

At Rowan’s door, I paused, heart pounding. I knocked softly. No answer. I hesitated, then pushed the door open.

And froze.

The tray rattled in my hands. 

Cassandra was sprawled across Rowan’s bed, golden hair spilling around her shoulders like a halo of deceit. Her body arched as Rowan moved above her, their skin glistening with sweat. His hand clutched her thigh, pulling her closer, his hips driving into her with brutal rhythm. The creak of the mattress mixed with Cassandra's shameless moans.

“Oh, fuck me, Rowan,” she gasped, her nails raking down his back. She turned her head, her icy blue eyes locking on mine—and her lips curved into a smirk. 

She moaned louder, exaggerated, throwing her head back. “Yes, harder!”

My stomach twisted violently. The tray slipped from my hands, crashing to the marble floor. Porcelain shattered, coffee splattered, staining the hem of my dress. 

Rowan’s head turned. Our eyes met. For a split second, something flickered across his face—but he didn’t stop. He kept thrusting into my sister as though I weren’t standing there, bleeding on the inside.

My knees buckled. I dropped, trembling, gathering the shards with shaking fingers. The porcelain sliced into my palms, blood smearing across my skin. Tears blurred my vision, shame burning hot across my cheeks. 

“Mmmhhh… I’m close… shit…” Rowan groaned.

Cassandra giggled, the sound sharp and cruel. Within minutes she slipped from the bed, letting the sheet fall to the ground. Completely bare, she sauntered toward me, confidence dripping from every step.

I tried to grab another shard, but her foot came down hard on my hand. I cried out, pain shooting up my arm as glass bit deeper into flesh.

She crouched low, pressing harder, her voice venomous and a whisper only I could hear. “Enjoyed the view, sis? You see, I told you, everything you ever had now belongs to me, wolf-less murderer.”

My vision swam, the weight of her words crushing me.

“Enough, Cass.” Rowan’s voice sliced through the haze. His hand clamped on her arm, pulling her back. His command was sharp, Alpha-strong, and for once, Cassandra obeyed—though her smile didn’t fade.

I was left kneeling, bleeding, broken. Rowan crouched in front of me, his storm-gray eyes boring into mine as he pulled a shard from my palm.

The moment his skin brushed mine, everything inside me ignited. A spark tore through me, white-hot, stealing the air from my lungs. My pulse stumbled, then raced, as though my very soul had woken. The scent of pine and smoke enveloped me, searing itself into my chest.

My body leaned toward him instinctively, drawn, desperate. I didn’t need a wolf to tell me what this was. I knew. I had always known, deep down. Rowan was mine. My mate. 

“Rowan…” My voice broke, the truth spilling out with my tears. “Why are you doing this to me? You know what we are.”

His expression hardened instantly. Fury carved deep lines into his face. He yanked his hand from mine like my touch poisoned him.

“You think I’d accept this?” His voice dripped venom, each word a dagger. “A wolf-less omega? The murderer of my parents?” He looked over me, every syllable hammering me down. “Don’t fool yourself, Anya.”

Tears streamed unchecked down my cheeks. “I didn’t—please, I would never—”

“Save it.” His tone cracked like thunder. He straightened, his shadow swallowing me whole. “I, Alpha Rowan of the Crescent Moon Pack, reject you, Anya Voss, as my mate and Luna.”

The words hit me like claws tearing through flesh. Pain exploded in my chest, radiating outwards, shredding me from the inside. I gasped, clutching at my heart, trying to hold myself together as the fragile bond tore apart.

My sobs came ragged, broken. My knees gave way fully, hitting the marble with a hollow thud.

I looked up at him through blurred vision, disbelief choking me. My lips trembled, the plea tearing itself free before I could stop it.

“You… you can’t do this to me. Please.”