Chapter One

Giselle’s POV

“Let go of me, please—you’re hurting me,” I screamed as three of my father’s gammas dragged me out from beneath the stairs where I lay hidden.

“Can you keep that fucking mouth of yours shut!” one of them snapped angrily, his grip biting into my skin as though he meant to bruise me on purpose.

My heart hammered violently against my chest. Where were they taking me? I had already finished the day’s chores. Or had I failed to scrub the floor properly this time?

They marched forward at a relentless pace, heading straight for the pack house. What was happening? I wondered inwardly as onlookers cast dreadful, pity-filled glances in my direction, none of them daring to intervene.

When they reached the pack house, the door was flung open, and I was shoved inside before it was slammed shut behind me.

“What took you so long to bring this slut in here?”

My stepmother’s sharp, venom-filled voice snapped me upright. I hurried to my feet and lowered my head immediately, my gaze fixed on the floor beneath me.

“How can a woman be pregnant without sleeping with a man? Answer the question, you prostitute!” I shuddered as my stepmother’s shrill voice sliced through my already tangled thoughts.

I opened my mouth to speak, but no sound came out. My mind went blank. My fingers trembled as they twisted into the hem of my faded blue mini dress, clutching it as though it could shield me.

“Giselle.” My father’s cold voice followed hers. The sound alone sent another wave of shivers down my spine. I refused to look at him. Instead, my gaze darted everywhere else—the horse painting on the wall, the ceramic center table behind my stepmother, the vastness of the living room—everywhere but his face.

“Who is the father of the pup you are carrying?” he demanded. “Don’t make me ask twice, unless you never want to see the skies again for the rest of your life.”

He stepped forward. Instinctively, I stepped back.

When I still didn’t answer, he exhaled sharply. I knew that sound. I was doomed. “Did you lose your tongue?” he snarled. “Who owns the bastard pup in your belly?!”

His eyes raked over my petite frame, burning with a promise of violence—as though a third question would come with a blow.

“I—I swear, Father, I’m not pregnant,” I whispered. I was telling the truth. I had no mate. My wolf was crippled. No one wanted me—not to speak to, not to touch, not to lie with.

No one wanted a girl who had accidentally killed her mate during the mating ceremony. Yet somehow, my stepmother had convinced him otherwise—simply because Beta George had spoken to me that morning. And the worst part? My father always believed her.

“I caught her seducing the Beta,” she had claimed. She reported me every single day—if I spoke to a male, if I glanced at one. “Well, you won’t waste my damn time,” my father snapped.

“Whether you’re pregnant or not, a test will save me the stress of dealing with this all day.”

Nice. Why hadn’t I thought of that? “That’s perfect,” I said quietly, my voice barely audible. His eyes lingered on me, sharp and suspicious—as though he was wondering how I could agree so easily if I truly had something to hide.

“Don’t bring more bad luck than you already have,” he muttered. My stepmother’s lips twisted she didn’t like this turn at all. She wanted blood.

“Pray to the Moon Goddess it doesn’t come out positive,” she hissed. “Because if it does, I’ll have your body fed to the vultures.”

Her eyes gleamed with sick satisfaction. She was enjoying this. Every second of my humiliation. After that night, she never missed a chance to remind me of my worthlessness.

“Take her to the pack hospital,” my father ordered. “Report every single thing back to me. I won’t let my daughter become the epitome of disgrace in this pack.” His jaw clenched as his gaze flicked toward me briefly.

There would be no need for a hospital if I could perceive scents like the rest of the pack. “Change that slutty dress now!” he barked without looking at me.

He had rejected me as his daughter years ago.

So why now? “Yes, Alpha,” the gamma replied curtly.

I would prove it, I would prove my stepmother had been feeding him lies.

**In the Pack Hospital**

As I walked toward the pack doctor’s office, my thoughts tangled and twisted around each other. I was always cooking, sweeping, scrubbing floors—how could I possibly be pregnant?

When I passed a small group of pack members gathered in a circle, they stared at me strangely. I realized then—they could smell it.

“You are two weeks pregnant, Princess,” the pack doctor announced, a pleased smile stretching across his face. What was so delightful about a pup I didn’t even know existed?

“There must be a mistake, sir,” I said shakily. “I haven’t been with any male in this pack.” “But the test doesn’t lie,” he replied calmly. “You are two weeks gone. That’s good news, isn’t it?”

His smile widened. My stepmother had been telling the truth. I was pregnant. Maybe it was Beta George. Maybe someone had taken advantage of me. Maybe I had been raped.

“Pl…please,” I choked as tears streamed down my face. “Don’t tell my father.” “The Alpha is already on his way,” the doctor said, rising to his feet. “If you’ll excuse me.”

He walked out and shut the door behind him. I rushed toward it—only to hear the lock click. “Please,” I sobbed.

No one answered. “Where is that cursed creature?” “Open the door.” My father’s cold voice cut through the room, he must have believed my stepmother from the beginning. This was never about proof—only confirmation.

The door burst open. I bowed my head in shame as my father stepped inside, his furious gaze pinning me in place.After a long silence, he turned to the guards.

“Torture her until she speaks the truth,” he ordered. “You have to believe me, Father,” I cried. “I don’t know how this happened!”

“You’ve been a disgrace since the day you were born!” he roared—the same words he had spat three years ago, the night I awakened Uma. “Whip her until she confesses!”

I was dragged out of the hospital—not as a princess, but as a criminal.

“Strip her naked!” my stepmother commanded, a smug smile curving her lips. My clothes were ripped from my body, leaving me exposed before the entire pack. “Make sure she counts every lash,” she said sweetly.

“Please,” I sobbed, my knees buckling. Let me help us. Uma’s weak voice echoed in my mind. It was the first time I had heard her in three years—since the night they crippled her.

“You can’t,” I whispered. “You’re weak because of me.” Let me do this. I closed my eyes and surrendered.

Pain tore through me as my bones stretched and twisted. My body reshaped violently, and when it was over, a stunned silence followed.

I opened my eyes. Everyone was frozen—staring at me in horror. “What’s wrong?” I whispered. Why did they look like they had just seen something monstrous?