No. 1

ANASTASIA.

The pack mansion has been awake since before dawn. Loud footsteps echoed through the halls, dishes clattering, servants rushing in every direction, voices overlapping like a storm that refused to settle. I groaned softly and pulled my blanket over my head.

Today was Bella’s twentieth birthday.

And judging from the chaos shaking the entire pack house, one would think the Moon Goddess herself was descending from the sky to celebrate it.

I pushed my earphones into my ears and curled deeper into my bed, trying to drown out the noise with music, but even that barely helped. The walls practically vibrated with excitement.

For Bella.

Always Bella.

The servants had been preparing for an entire week. Every corner of the pack house had been redecorated with fresh flowers and expensive ribbons. Last night, I had seen workers carrying crystal decorations inside while my brother supervised personally like this was some royal celebration.

I almost let out a bitter laugh thinking about it.

My own twentieth birthday was just three months ago. There had been a cake. A small one. The servants baked it themselves. My father had been “busy”. Leo had shown up late. Bella was there, but her presence alone is a mockery to me, reminding me that they’d never do the same thing to Bella.

I closed my eyes again, forcing myself not to think about it.

It wasn't always like this.

Bella was my father’s adopted daughter. Two years ago, her parents died while protecting him during an attack from rogue wolves near the eastern borders. They had been loyal warriors of our pack for years, and their deaths shook everyone deeply.

In the aftermath of the trauma, Bella lost her wolf.

The doctors called it trauma-induced wolf suppression. They said the grief shattered her mentally and emotionally to the point her wolf retreated completely.She might recover anytime with love and care, or her wolf could be gone forever.

I remembered how pitiful she looked when Father first brought her home. Pale. Quiet. Fragile.

I had genuinely wanted to comfort her.

I thought maybe having a sister would finally make this giant house feel less lonely after Mom died.

But I didn’t gain a sister.

Bit by bit, Bella didn't just join the family; she replaced me in it. It started with smaller things—the seat at the dinner table, the choosing of the movie, the extra affection from my father. Then it became everything.

Funny how life worked.

I used to be the center of this family once.

Now I felt like a guest living inside someone else's home.

Suddenly a loud knock sounded on my door.

My eyes snapped open immediately.

The knocking came again.

More impatient this time.

"Anna?" Leo's voice called from outside. “Bella needs a favor.”

I closed my eyes for a second.

Of course she did.

I pulled the earphones out before forcing myself off the bed. My oversized shirt slipped off one shoulder as I walked toward the door barefoot. The cold floor beneath my feet made me shiver.

The moment I opened the door, I saw Bella standing beside my brother wearing a white silk robe while her shiny brown hair fell perfectly around her shoulders.

She looked beautiful. Innocent. Gentle.

She always did.

And somehow that only made people love her more.

Bella bit her lower lip nervously the second our eyes met.

"Anna..." she said quietly. "I'm really sorry to bother you this early."

I leaned against the door frame tiredly. "What is it?"

Bella bit her lower lip softly before glancing toward Leo like she was nervous to speak.

Immediately, his expression softened.

I almost rolled my eyes.

“My dress accidentally got stained downstairs,” she said sadly. “The cream one. The servants tried washing it quickly but it became worse.”

I said nothing.

Because suddenly I already knew where this was going.

Her eyes lifted toward my closet.

“I remembered you bought a new dress recently,” she continued carefully. “The silver one.”

My stomach tightened immediately.

No.

Absolutely not.

I had spent six months skipping meals, working double shifts in the pack’s medical research lab, and saving every spare cent just to buy it. I hadn't even taken the tags off. It was the only beautiful thing I owned that hadn't been a hand-me-down or a afterthought. It was the only thing I owned that felt mine entirely.

I looked at Bella properly this time.

Her eyes already looked watery.

Like she had prepared herself to cry beforehand.

Something inside me immediately hardened.

"No," I said quietly. "Wear something else."

Bella’s expression changed instantly.

Her lips parted slightly, eyes widening as if I had struck her.

“I… I understand. I didn’t mean to upset you,” she whispered, voice already shaking. “I-I shouldn't have asked.”

"Anastasia, what the hell is wrong with you?" Leo’s face contorted with instant, ugly rage. He stepped forward, using his larger alpha frame to crowd me back into my own room. "Look at her! She’s crying on her birthday. You are so unbelievably spoiled enough as it is, and you’re going to deny her a damn dress?"

The unfairness of it choked me. Spoiled? I wore hand-me-downs and bought my own clothes with the meager allowance I earned from working overtime in the pack's medical research lab.

I stared at him, chest burning. “Leo, I bought that dress with my own money. I haven’t even—”

“She lost both her parents and her own wolf!” Leo snapped angrily. “She can’t even shift to feel beautiful like the rest of us. It’s just a dress, can't you let it go? Don't be selfish.”

It was always like this. Every single time. Every argument, every disagreement, every tiny boundary I tried to draw. Bella would cry, and Leo would charge in, and I would be the villain. The selfish sister who had everything and refused to share.

"No, Leo, please stop," Bella sobbed softly, clutching at his arm, playing the martyr with terrifying precison. "It’s my fault. I shouldn't have asked. I’ll just go wear an old rag. I don't want to ruin the night or cause a scene..."

"You aren't ruining anything, Bella," Leo said, his voice instantly softening into a tender, protective warmth I hadn't heard directed at me since our mother died. Then, he snapped his head back to me, his voice cracking like a whip. "Hurry up and bring it out, Anastasia! Stop wasting our time. You're a healthy she-wolf, the Alpha's daughter, and she has nothing. The least you can do is show a shred of compassion."

I am only one year older than Bella. The thought screamed in my head. Why is it always me? Why do I have to give her everything?

But the exhaustion swallowed my anger. I knew how this script went. If I argued, Leo would call Father. Father would look at me with that deep, agonizing disappointment, say my full name with that cold, detached venom, and command me to give it to her anyway. I turned around, my chest aching so sharply I could barely breathe. I pulled the pristine, beautiful dress off its hanger. I didn't hand it to them. With shaking hands, I threw it at Leo's chest.

Before they could say another word, I retreated into my bathroom and slammed the door. I leaned against the sink. I didn't cry. I couldn't. I just forced myself to swallow the burning lump in my throat, whispering a lie to myself over and over: "It's just fabric. It's fine. You didn't even like it that much anyway."

That was the problem with the way they’d been taking things from me… each one was just a dress, just a room, just a seat at the table. Just a small thing. Nothing worth fighting over. Nothing worth making a scene about. Until one day you look up and your whole life has been dismantled piece by piece, and everyone around you nods and says well, you had so much to begin with.

When I finally gathered the courage to walk back into my bedroom, they were gone. But they had left my door wide open.

I walked out into the hallway, intending to close it, when I saw Bella standing near the top of the grand staircase. She had already put my dress on. But that wasn't what stopped my heart.

Resting against her collarbone was a heavy, brilliant sapphire necklace.

My mother’s necklace.

Bella knew I was there. She didn't turn around, but she slowly lifted her fingers to the silver chain, tilting her head so the light caught the gems, shaking it slightly in a silent, mocking gesture of victory.

My mother had passed away five years ago. She had left that specific necklace to me, whispering on her deathbed that it was meant for me to wear on my wedding day. It was the last piece of my mother I had left.

This was too far. They had gone too damn far.

"Give it back!" I screamed, losing all dignity, all restraint, as I rushed down the hall toward her. "Give it back to me! You took my room, you took my clothes, but you don't get to touch her! Return it!"

Before my fingers could even graze her, a heavy hand grabbed my shoulder and violently shoved me backward. I hit the hallway wall hard, the breath knocking out of my lungs.

Leo stood between us, his expression murderous. "Touch her and see what happens, Anastasia."

"Leo, look at her neck!" I cried, tears finally streaming down my face, hot and humiliating. "You knew exactly what that necklace meantmeans to me! How could you take it behind my back and give it to her?"

Leo looked at me with deep impatience, his expression laced with absolute disgust. "She’s just borrowing it, Anastasia. She'll return it to you after tonight. Bella needed a sapphire necklace to match your dress for the evening. Stop being so dramatic."

"She won't return it! She never returns anything!" I tried to push past him, desperation clawing at my throat.

But Leo caught my wrists.

“Leo, please,” I begged, voice cracking. “That’s the only thing I have left of her.”

Instead of listening, Leo grabbed my arms, shoved me backward into my bedroom, and slammed the door shut. I heard the lock click from the outside.

"Stay in there and calm down!" Leo yelled through the heavy wood. "Do not cause trouble today. Alpha Hector is arriving tonight. You know damn well the Red River pack has been in a financial crisis since Mom died. We need his investment for our medical resources, or we're ruined. That man holds the life and death of this pack in his hands."

I leaned my forehead against the locked door, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. I knew exactly how important Alpha Hector was. I was the medical researcher who had spent the last eight months locked in a basement lab, skipping meals, sacrificing my sleep, compiling the thousands of pages of data and drafting the exact proposal that Alpha Hector was coming to see. I was the one keeping this pack alive, while Bella spent thousands on party favors.

"Be more like Bella." Leo drifted. "Get ready and come down. Dont cause a scene.”

Outside, I heard Bella’s purring voice. "It's beautiful, Leo…Can I wear it for just a few more days after tonight?"

"Of course you can, sweetie."

I sank to the floor, burying my face in my hands as the tears finally came in a flood. Everything she took from me was never returned.

By evening, the pack house was alive with the sound of music, laughter, and the clinking of champagne glasses. Guests were arriving one after another.

A maid finally unlocked my door, peering in with a look of pity that made me want to die. "Miss Anastasia? Your brother says you need to come downstairs now. Alpha Hector is arriving shortly, and your father explicitly said you are not to embarrass the family by hiding."

"I'll be right down," I said, my voice hollow.

I stood up, my limbs heavy as lead. I washed the tear stains from my face, applying layer after layer of makeup to hide the hollow, dead look in my eyes. I pulled on a simple, faded purple dress from three years ago. It didn't fit right anymore, but it was all I had left.

As I walked down the grand staircase, my eyes desperately scanned the crowd. The suffocating weight in my chest lifted just a fraction when I thought of one name: Andrei.

Andrei was the Beta’s eldest son. My boyfriend. For a year, he had been my secret sanctuary. When the house got too loud, he would hide with me in the gardens. When my father ignored me, Andrei would hold my face and tell me I was beautiful. He was the only person alive who still saw me. Who still loved me.

But as I navigated the sea of Alphas and foreign dignitaries, he was nowhere to be found.

I caught the sleeve of a passing kitchen maid. "Have you seen Andrei?"

The maid blinked, looking uncomfortable. "Mr Vasil son? Yes... I saw him heading up to the third floor."

The third floor.

A sudden, violent chill washed over me. The third floor was where my bedroom used to be. The master suite with the beautiful balcony until Bella complained that the second floor didn't get enough sunlight for her "trauma recovery," and my father had ordered me to pack my life into boxes and move downstairs.

Why would Andrei be up there? In Bella's room?

A dark, terrifying instinct screamed at me to turn around, to run out into the woods, to stay blind. But my feet moved on autopilot, dragging my heavy body up the grand staircase, away from the music, and into the suffocating silence of the third-floor hallway.

I stopped outside Bella’s door.

It wasn't fully closed. It was left open just a crack.

Before I even saw them, the scent hit me. The heavy, thick, unmistakable pheromones of an male in heat mixed with the slick, sweet scent of a submissive female. It choked me. Then came the sounds… the wet, breathless gasps, the desperate groans, and the rhythmic, violent creaking of the mattress.

My trembling hand pushed the door open a fraction of an inch.

And the world shattered into a thousand jagged pieces, piercing straight through my heart.

Through the gap, I saw them.My boyfriend was fucking Bella! Bella was pinned to the bed, her back arched, her hands clutching the sheets. And buried deep inside her, his face flushed with pleasure as he drove into her over and over again, was Andrei. The man who told me he loved me.