Chapter 1 The Wolfless And Worthless

• *Selena*
• A soft light came down from the sky, glowing gently as it touched the earth. I saw a beautiful woman walking into it. Just before she disappeared, she turned around one last time. Her eyes were full of tears, but she gave me a sad little smile.
• “Goodbye, my daughter,” she said.
• My heart had dropped. I had been scared—terrified, really—of losing her. I had wanted to cry out, to beg her not to leave.
• “Please don’t go!”
• But nothing had come out. I couldn’t breathe. Everything had gone cold, and then… darkness.
• I had woken up suddenly, breathing hard, my sheets tangled around me. That dream again. The same one.
• My mother’s dream.
• People said she had died when I was really young. I didn’t remember her at all—not even a little—but the woman in my dreams felt so real. She felt like she was my mom. Maybe it was just my mind playing tricks on me. Or maybe… it was something more.
• Life in the Rock Claws Pack hadn’t given me much time to think about dreams, though. I was the Alpha’s daughter, but you’d never have guessed it. I had been treated like I was barely above an omega.
• However, it hadn’t always been like that. My father had hope in me and had been training me to become a female Alpha, but his attitude had changed toward me when I couldn’t shift on my 16th birthday, which had been two years ago.
• I could vividly remember the look of disappointment on his face as he stared at me with a deep frown.
• I had stood there in the middle of the hall, his friends and the elders watching and waiting in anticipation to see what my wolf would look like, but I couldn't do anything. I was clueless, my cheeks red in embarrassment as I felt no trace of a wolf inside me.
• A day that should be the best day of my life. A day to prove I was the true daughter of Alpha Albert Ardolf, ruler of the Rock Claws Pack—it all turned out to be a disaster. A day I wished never came.
• I cried my eyes out, feeling so ashamed and worthless. Although my father tried to console me that night, saying I might be a late shifter, I could obviously see the frustration in his eyes, and soon enough, he changed and developed hostility towards me.
• I had trained harder to impress him, but I guessed he had already lost interest in me and tossed me aside as a useless daughter. He was now happy with his other children—my half-sister Anne and half-brother Oliver. Now Oliver was being trained to become the next Alpha of our pack. As his elder sister, I was happy for him—truly happy.
• My stepmother, Amelia, didn’t like me—not even a little. And she made sure I never forgot it. Every single day, she’d throw some jab or look my way like I was dirt under her shoes. I put up with it all for my father. I kept hoping that one day, he’d finally see me as his daughter—someone worthy—and maybe, just maybe, things would get better.
• It was just a few minutes until dawn, and I had barely closed my eyes when a loud knock nearly made me jump out of bed. It wasn’t just a knock—it was like someone was trying to break the damn door down.
• Fuming, I stormed toward it. “Who the hell is banging on my—”
• The door swung open, and before I could finish, a sharp slap cracked across my face.
• I froze, stunned. My cheek burned.
• “Why the fuck is my green tea not ready?” Amelia snapped, glaring at me like I was some useless pest.
• I pressed my hand to my stinging cheek, still throbbing from the first slap. My chest tightened with disbelief as I turned to face her.
• “Did you just slap me?” I asked, my voice low and shaky. My eyes burned, but I forced the tears to stay put.
• Without warning, another slap cracked across my other cheek. This one hit harder. My head jerked to the side, and for a moment, everything buzzed. My ear rang so bad it felt like I lost hearing in it.
• “And I will slap you again if you ever in your life disrespect me! I am the Luna! Get that into your empty skull,” she retorted.
• “And I am the Alpha's daughter. There are maids to do whatever you want, so why are you…”
• “What is going on here?” My father's voice growled from behind, and just at the same time, Amelia began to cry, clutching her face as if I had hit her there.
• My father hurried forward as he saw her crying. He held her gently in his arms. “Who hurt you? Who did it?!” He asked with so much care and compassion in his eyes, embracing her.
• “She hates me. Ever since I came into your life, she has been harboring disdain, and just now she slapped me on the face for waking her up. How would I know she was sleeping?” Amelia murmured, leaving me speechless.
• My father's eyes flared, and veins popped along his neck. “What did she just say you did?”
• “I didn't touch her….” I tried to explain. “She was the one who slapped me instead.”
• It was obvious my father wasn't believing a single word from me.
• “Whether you like it or not. Whether you accept it or not, she is your stepmother and the new Luna of this pack, and you are bound to respect her!” His voice lashed at me as he closed the gap between us and used his alpha tone at me.
• Fear coursed through me mixed with sadness as I watched my father yell at me like I was a maid!
• “The next time you disrespect her, not to mention laying your finger on her, you will regret the day you were born!” He warned, ignoring the tears burning down my cheeks.
• "How can you do this to me? Your own daughter—treating me like a lowly omega when I was supposed to be your heir," I muttered, my voice cracking.
• His face twisted into a sneer.
• “Huh? You can expect me to keep a wolfless daughter to be my heir? Do you know how ashamed I am to have you as a daughter? 18 years old, yet you can't shift! Who will want to be your mate? You are a complete disgrace!” He spat, and I felt my heart squeeze tight, his words piercing into my soul.
• “I wonder why she is wolfless at this age. I guess she might be a cursed child.” Amelia chipped in.
• “You may be right.” My father accepted without any doubt in his voice. “I wished there was something I could do…” He hissed.
• “I have a suggestion. How about inviting the sorcerers to perform the ritual of cleansing on her?” She proposed, and my heart skipped a beat, a cold chill running down my spine.
• “You can't do that to me! I could possibly die from the pain! It is meant for demonic wolves!” I moaned out in fear, turning my eyes to my father in plea, hoping he would still have a bit of pity for me, his daughter, but what he said tore my heart into pieces.
• “And how am I sure you aren't one of the demonic wolves?”
• I couldn't believe my ears.
• Before I could say anything, the pack messenger came running towards us with a letter in his hand.
• He bowed to my father, stretching out the letter to him. “Your Highness, this is a letter from Alpha King Zander Blake.”
• My heart paused in my chest, a gasp slipping from my mouth at the mention of that name.
• Alpha King Zander Blake was known as the most ruthless werewolf alive—a bloodthirsty Alpha with a reputation that made even the bravest wolves tremble. He was nothing short of a monster, with no mercy in his cold, heartless chest.
• I could also see the worry in my father's eyes as he took the letter, opening it with hesitation.
• His eyes glanced through the letter, and I saw his mouth falling open in panic.
• “The cruel Alpha King is visiting us.” He announced with a shaky breath, looking up, and my heart sank into my stomach.
• What have we done wrong? It had never ended well for any pack he visited.