Episode 1

Nymeria

I was down on my knees as i scrubbed the cold wooden floor with my burning hands.

"Nymeria!"

A loud voice sounded in the room. I winced as Sera, my brother’s mate, slammed the door door open. She stared down at me with her arms crossed and her eyes flashing with anger.

"Why haven't you brought my dress out yet? Why are my clothes still not ironed?" Sera shouted, her voice echoing down the hallway. "That is the dress I am supposed to wear to receive our guest! Are you trying to make me look ugly in front of Alpha Zaran?"

I kept my mouth shut. I did not say a single word. Experience had taught me that answering back would only get me a hard slap across the face.

Everyone knew who Alpha Zaran was. He was the most dangerous Alpha in the world, a man who is feared by every other pack.

The rumours flying around is that he was a monster—a man who had even killed his own true mate just to gain more power.

Suddenly, heavy footsteps sounded behind us.

"What the hell are you still doing here?"

It was Kael, my older brother, and the current Alpha of our pack. He glared down at me like I was a piece of trash under his boots. maybe I was.

"Why haven't you cleaned the meeting room yet? Alpha Zaran will be here any minute!"

"I'm sorry," I muttered, my voice barely a whisper. "I will clean it right now."

I grabbed my cleaning rag and tried to squeeze past him. But Kael was not going to let me off that easily. He grabbed my arm roughly, dragging me back, and kicked the heavy wooden bucket I had been using.

CLANG!!

Dirty water splashed everywhere, soaking my worn-out shoes.

"Pick it up," Kael growled. "Who do you think you're leaving that mess for?"

Biting my lip to keep me from crying, I knelt down and picked up the heavy bucket.

As I turned to leave, Sera yelled after me one last time. "Make sure my clothes are ready, you useless human!"

Then, I heard her loud, mocking laugh. I heard her murmur something to Kael as she leaned into his chest. Kael was my biological brother, but to him, I was nothing more than a slave.

I exited the room, quickly closing the door behind me. Leaning my back against the wall, I closed my eyes and took a deep, shaking breath to steady my racing heart.

I dropped the cleaning bucket near the kitchen hallway and rushed into Sera’s room to quickly get her dress ironed. I did not waste a single second. I didn't want to give them any excuse to whip or punish me today.

As I was about to leave her room, something on the side table caught my eye.

It was an old family photograph. It showed my mother, my father, and a young Kael smiling at the camera. But the left side of the photo was completely ripped away.

Someone had intentionally torn me out of the picture.

A hot flash of anger rushed through my veins as my chest tightened, but I quickly shook my head and forced myself to shrug it off.

Anger would not save me. I had a meeting room to clean, and if I didn't finish it in time, Kael would lock me up without dinner tonight.

I rushed out of the room and headed straight down the hall.

When I reached the grand meeting room, I immediately threw the large windows open to let the fresh air in. I grabbed a brush and began quickly wiping down the table and chairs, making sure not a single speck of dust was left behind.

Once I was finally done, I grabbed my supplies and turned to leave. Because I was moving too fast and looking down, I walked right into the doorway and..

BOOM.

My chest slammed hard into a solid, muscular chest.

"I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry!" I trembled in pure terror, dropping my head. Slowly, I forced my eyes upward to see who I had run into.

For a second, I completely forgot how to breathe.

The man standing in front of me was breathtakingly handsome. He had a rugged scar running down the left side of his face. His eyes were a deep brown, and a single unlit cigarette was tucked casually behind his ear.

His short, wavy blond hair fell just right below his eyes.

I had never seen him before in my life, but from his expensive clothes and the sheer aura radiating off him, I knew he was someone really important.

"I'm sorry," I apologized again, quickly lowering my gaze to the floor.

I stood completely still, freezing in place. I wanted to wait for the powerful stranger to move past me so I could run and escape.

But he did not move. Instead, a deep voice rumbled above my head.

"Strange..." the man muttered. "A human...?"

I swallowed hard, my throat feeling completely dry. Could I really blame him for thinking that?

Eighteen years ago, a terrible tragedy had changed everything. Ever since that night, I hadn't been able to feel or hear my wolf.

Now, even at 23, I was completely wolfless.

In the Werewolf world, a wolf without an inner beast is just as powerless as a human. My scent was completely flat, just like humans. I smelled like nothing but a regular human girl.

"What is a human doing in a werewolf territory?" the stranger asked, his eyes scanning me.

I wiped my sweaty, shaking hands against my dress. "I am not a human," I muttered softly. It was the only thing I could say without giving away too much of my miserable life.

Suddenly, loud footsteps sounded down the hallway, coming closer and closer to the door.

I recognized that walk instantly. Panic seized me.

"Sorry." I muttered another quick apology and tried to slip out the door, but Kael and Sera stopped right in front of us.

The blond stranger turned around to face them.

Kael’s face instantly lit up with a fake welcoming smile. He let out a loud laugh. "Alpha Zaran! You are finally here."

Hearing that name, a chill ran straight down my spine.

Alpha Zaran?

The mysterious, bloodthirsty Alpha who had killed his own mate was standing right in front of me. And I had just slammed directly into his chest. My heart hammered against my ribs. I prayed to the Moon Goddess that Zaran wouldn't report me to Kael. If he did, Kael would have me whipped until my back bled.

Sera’s voice suddenly snapped me out of my panic.

"What are you still doing standing there, Nymeria? Go get my father right now! Alpha Zaran is here, and we can not keep our guest waiting."

Sera's father was Beta Carrow, the advisor to my brother.

"Yes, right away," I said, rushing out of the room before they could find another reason to yell at me.

I ran down the corridor and knocked on Beta Carrow's door. He was in his study, standing over his desk with a map spread out in front of him. He looked up when I knocked. His eyes went flat the moment he saw it was me.

"Alpha Zaran has arrived," I said. "Alpha Kael is asking for you in the meeting room."

He said nothing for a moment.

Then. "I could hear you coming from the other end of the hall. Do you have any idea how loud you are? Do you walk like that on purpose?"

He yelled at me for absolutely nothing. I am not loud. He always did that. He treated me like a dog, just like the rest of them.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"You're always sorry," he said, already moving past me.

I kept my head down as i followed Beta Carrow back to the meeting room.

When we walked back inside, Kael, Sera, and Alpha Zaran were already seated around the long table. Beta Carrow quickly walked over and joined them, taking his seat next to my brother.

Hoping to remain invisible, I rushed out to the kitchen to fetch the expensive wine.

When I returned, the room was quiet. I walked up to the table and began filling their crystal cups.

As I bent down to pour the wine into Zaran’s glass, I could feel his intense brown eyes burning holes into the side of my face. I didn't dare raise my head. My hand shook slightly, but I forced myself to keep pouring.

Just a few more seconds," I told myself in my mind. "You are almost done. Hold it together, Nymeria."

Suddenly, Zaran’s deep voice broke the silence. He looked directly at Kael.

"Why is there a human serving wine in a werewolf pack?"

Kael let out a disgusted scoff. "Oh, she is not a human, Alpha Zaran. She is my fu*king betrayal of a sister. The Moon Goddess is punishing her for murdering our parents. That is why she is completely wolfless."

My heart stopped. The pain in my chest was so sharp that it felt like a physical blade. I tightly gripped the wine bottle, forcing myself to look at the table, silently begging myself not to cry.

Alpha Zaran leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowing as he looked at me.

“Hmm. I remember you were little when your parents died.” He paused. “How old was she?”

Kael hesitated for a brief second, clearing his throat. "She was five years old when she killed our parents."

Zaran tilted his head, with a smirk playing on his lips.

"Interesting," Zaran murmured, his voice sending a shiver through the entire room.

"How could a five-year-old child possibly kill her own parents? When even I... was accused of killing my own mate."