CHAPTER 1: Harbinger Of Evil

We were born of the same parents, on the same day, and look so identical that even our own reflections could not tell us apart… yet the difference between us was as vast as heaven and earth.

Even before I was born, my family already hated me.

All because the Oracle told them that one of the twins was evil. A harbinger of calamity. A curse that would one day destroy the Lesley family and kingdom at large.

And somehow… they chose me.

While Jeanine Lesley was born with warm, honey-brown eyes that seemed to draw people in, mine were said to be wrong. One was a deep, unnatural red, the other a hollow, lifeless grey.

They called it a sign. A proof that the cursed one was me.

From that moment on, everything was decided.

Jeanine was the blessed one. The light of the family. The daughter they proudly showed to the world.

And I?

I was less than a year old when they abandoned me in the mountains, wearing a veil to hide my face, and forced to work as the Oracle's despised servant, whose blood was drawn every month to appease the goddess, cleanse the kingdom, and perhaps, redirect my fate.

Fast forward to a few years ago, the Oracle told me that if I could awaken my wolf and find my mate, it would be a sign that my fate had changed, which meant that I could return to my family.

For several years, I hoped for good news. Begged for it. Observed religious activities deligently, and cleaned the goddess’ temple five times a day, offered sacrifices and burned incense sticks until the smell stuck to me permanently.

However, on my twelfth birthday, when I was unable to awaken my wolf like every child in the kingdom, it sealed my fate as the abomination of the kingdom.

A cursed existence that should have never been born.

In the Lesley household, no, in the entire kingdom, awakening your wolf was everything. It was proof of your blood, your strength, your right to exist.

Without it, you were nothing. Less than nothing. A stain to be gotten rid of.

I remembered standing in the center of the ritual grounds, surrounded by watching eyes. I was the last to go. Everyone else my age had awakened their wolves and the merriment was still in the air.

Jeanine’s wolf was announced to be a rare, silver-coated Alpha wolf.

I didn't even know what that meant.

But the reaction of everyone said it was a marvelous thing.

Gasps rippled through the crowd, followed by thunderous applause. Elders and Nobles rose to their feet. Warriors bowed their heads. Even the Alpha King and Luna Queen were nodding and smiling with approval, congratulating my parents for giving the Kingdom such a blessing.

The Alpha King even promised my father rewards in land, five chests of gold, silk and brocade materials, jewelries, and a title of Duke of Nadrasei.

Apparently, my father was the Marques of a city in the eastern marches, a line of defense between the eastern coastline and the mainland. But after that day, he would be promoted to Duke of the entire eastern region.

As for Jeanine, the Alpha King announced that she would be betrothed to his Alpha heir, the Crown Prince, as his chosen mate, regardless of their destined mates in the future.

And she was also promised a title, the Princess of Pearl Island, an island in the ocean beyond Nadrasei. That island had long been coveted by nobles, royals, and adventurers alike, yet it was promised to Jeanine just like that.

That was how much she meant to the kingdom.

The excitement multiplied. Everyone sang her praises.

And Jeanine, she courtesied, smiling sweetly like the elegant Noble she was, as she glowed beneath the ceremonial flames, her ginger hair catching the light like a halo.

She was perfect.

She was everything I was not.

I watched from where I stood, bare feet rooted to the cold stone, my fingers clenching my worn servant-of-the-temple's' uniform.

I would admit, I was envious of her at that moment.

She was my sister. My other half. The one who shared my face, my hair color, but lived a life I could never touch.

For a moment, I allowed myself to hope. Maybe the goddess has seen my dedication and redirected my fate. Maybe, just maybe I was never cursed to begin with. Maybe I would awaken my wolf today and return to my family. And be treated like Jeanine.

We couldn't be too far apart, right?

When her ceremony ended, all eyes turned towards me.

And the excitement died down a little.

My throat went dry.

I stepped forward anyway. Because I had to. Because this was my last chance to prove I wasn't cursed.

The High Priest gestured for silence before nodding at me. “State your name.”

I froze.

I searched around for my family. My parents, brother, and Jeanine were sitting among the Nobles, talking while my sister was all smiles. They probably didn't know it was me standing there, because I was wearing a veil.

And no one questioned it either, because it was the norm for the female servants in the temple to veil their faces.

I lowered my head, my fist clenched as a stab of pain shot through my heart.

I didn't have a name.

I have never used my tongue to utter my own name, because I had none.

My parents didn't find me worthy of having a name. And the Oracle simply called me “Harbinger Of Evil.”

As for other servants in the temple, they simply called me Hoe. A short for what the Oracle called me, while some took it the derogatory way. A whore.

But I couldn't call myself that in the presence of so many people, so I shook my head.

“I don’t have one.”

I looked towards my family again while saying that, hoping they'd be surprised or shocked by it. But none of them even looked my way. They were all still fawning over my sister.

In the crowd, some murmured pitiful words.

The High Priest cleared his throat, “Step into the circle.”

I did.

The symbols beneath my feet glowed faintly as the ritual began. The air shifted with power. I held my breath, waiting for that familiar pull everyone talked about. The voice of the wolf, my manifestation.

But it never came.

The center exploded.

“She doesn’t have a wolf?”

“Not even a weak wolf?”

“How can a servant of the temple not have a wolf? That's blasphemous!”

It was the requirement for the servant of the temple to have a wolf. And we were not allowed to have a mate or concern ourselves with the matters of the kingdom. Our lives revolved around just worship and occasionally fulfilling the Oracle's sexual desires.

“She can't work at the temple anymore.”

“No wonder her parents didn't deem it fit to give her a name. I wouldn't either.”

My chest tightened, but no tears came.

I had cried all of them out years ago.

Once again, I looked towards my family, but this time, they were staring at me, but with disgust. Perhaps, they've connected the dots and knew I was their daughter.

Only Jeanine still maintained her benevolent smile.

The High priest stepped back as if I carried a contagious disease. “The ritual is complete. She's wolfless.”

The Alpha King casually ordered that I be banished or executed, whichever the council deemed suitable.

He didn't care about an insignificant kingdom disgrace like me.

My body locked, my lips trembled. I wanted to beg for my life, but what was the point? Without a wolf, I could no longer work at the temple. My family wouldn't take me in. And the kingdom wouldn't tolerate me.

Either way, I would likely be sexually assaulted and killed on the streets before the day ended anyway.

As an overthinker, those were scenarios I'd already thought of.

Just when I thought my life was over, my sister pleaded on my behalf, begging to take me in as her servant. It wasn't surprising that she'd beg for the life of a nameless and ‘random’ girl, because she was known to be generous, kind, and the embodiment of everything good and pure.

But my parents thought otherwise. They tried to overrule her interest, pretending they didn't know me, and claimed I could bring her bad luck.

But my sister was firm on her interest. She wanted me as her servant.

Since she was the kingdom's golden jewel, who had just awakened what they called, a once-in-a-lifetime wolf, the Alpha King indulged her.

However, with conditions;

“For her service in the temple, let's give her the grace of six more years. She must awaken her wolf and find a mate by the time she turns eighteen, otherwise, she'd face the full extent of the law.” The Alpha King said.

“Every month, a cup of her blood must be brought to the temple, for cleansing, to offset whatever bad omen she brings to the kingdom.” The Oracle added.

“Lastly, if any calamity befalls the kingdom within the six years time frame, her head will be hung on a stake and your blood must be drained to cleanse the kingdom.” An elder in the council concluded.