"Hey, bitch, look at me when I'm talking to you!" Zev snapped—his voice sharp enough to break through the fog of Ember's thoughts.
He stepped directly into her line of sight, blocking her view of Axel and forcing her to face his jagged, arrogant grin. Ember blinked, the sting of her internal disappointment still burning behind her eyes as she pulled her gaze back to the twin in front of her.
"We're here to shop," Zev continued, his tone dropping into a mockingly casual drawl as he gestured vaguely toward the aisles. "And, as usual, you're going to pay for whatever we take"
"Yeah!" Zoe added, clapping her hands together. "Aren't you excited, Ember?"
"Of course she should be. It's a privilege for her to pay for our needs," Zev said, strolling over to the snack section. He scanned the shelf, reached out, and swept a row of expensive imported crackers onto the floor. The plastic packaging crunched, and one box burst open, spilling contents across the linoleum. "Oops. I don't need those."
Ember winced, her heart sinking. This was the routine. They didn't just steal from her; they destroyed things they didn't even want, knowing the cost would be docked from her meager paycheck. Once, Zoe had smashed a bottle of vintage wine simply because she claimed it wasn't "original." Ember couldn't have afforded that wine even if she saved for a decade. If they had taken it, it would have been better; breaking it was pure wickedness.
If Emilia hadn't stepped in that time, Ember would have starved. The manager had seen her trembling with hunger and told her to forget the debt, but Ember knew she couldn't rely on that forever. This was a business, after all, not a charity shop.
Zoe and Zev began tossing items into a basket, silken chocolates, high-end sodas, imported cheeses. For every item they kept, they trashed two more, flinging jars and boxes aside. Maya stood beside Ember, her grip tightening around the handle of the shopping cart, but she remained silent. Even the bravest human knew better than to challenge the Beta's children.
Ember wished she could find the voice to tell them she had had enough. She wanted to scream that she would not foot the bill for their cruelty. But she was the "Cursed Bitch," the girl who lived in a tiny cottage far from civilization so her bad luck would not infect the pack. They blamed her for the death of her parents and her friend Willow. She could almost accept the blame for Willow; she should have stopped her from climbing that tree. But her parents? They had died when she was born. They had called her a "Harbinger of death" long before she even understood what the word meant.
Shouldn't they be scared of me? Ember thought bitterly. If I'm so cursed I can kill without trying, why do they tempt fate by making me miserable?
"Hey, cursed chic," Zev said, his voice dropping into a mocking, flirtatious lilt that made Ember's skin crawl.
"Ewww," Zoe said, making a face. "Why do you have to say it like that?"
"Well, she's paying for our lifestyle, obviously she deserves a little attention."
"Whatever." Zoe rolled her eyes. "Don't do that again or I will vomit."
Zev chuckled and turned back to Ember, his eyes narrowing. "Why are you frowning like we're doing something bad?"
He stepped forward and began poking her face with a stiff finger. "Stop..." Poke. "Frowning..." Poke. "That..." Poke. "Ugly..." Poke. "Face..." Poke.
Ember's head snapped back with each jab, her eyes stinging with humiliation. As the skin of her forehead reddened under his touch, a jagged memory pierced through her mind, a memory of a different hand, one that used to swat Zev's fingers away before they could ever reach her.
If only Willow were here, Ember thought, her throat tightening until it ached.
Willow wouldn't have stood by like the rest of the pack, and she certainly wouldn't have stayed silent like Axel. She would have stepped between them in a heartbeat, ready to throw a punch to keep Ember safe. Willow was the only one brave enough to treat Ember like a person worth fighting for. But Willow was gone, and without her shield, Ember was just an open target.
"Of..." Poke. "Yours..." Poke. "Or..." Poke. "I..." Poke. "Might..." Poke. "Just..." Poke. "Break..." Poke. "Something..." Poke. "On..." Poke. "It."
Maya was vibrating beside Ember, her eyes fixed on the floor as she fought the urge to intervene. She wasn't a wolf; she couldn't be the shield Ember needed, no matter how badly she wanted to be. She couldn't lose her permit. She couldn't be sent back.
"Is there a problem here?"
Emilia emerged from the back office, her deep brown skin contrasting with the silver streaks in her tightly gathered bun. She looked every bit the tired but firm business owner. A younger employee trailed behind her, looking terrified.
"What do you want, Emilia?" Zev asked, not moving his finger from Ember's forehead.
"I want to know why you're harassing my staff and disrupting my business," Emilia said, her voice tight.
"You do know one word from us and your permit will be lifted and your so called business will be shut down?" Zoe countered, her voice sweet and poisonous.
Emilia inhaled slowly. "I am aware. But your ruckus is affecting the other customers. You can take this up with her when she leaves work, but for now, please... let her do her job."
"Sack her, if you want us to stop coming," Zev said, finally dropping his hand. "You employed her knowing fully well what she is."
Ember's heart stopped. Please, no.
"We can't do that until she's paid the things she owes, the things you two made her owe," Emilia said through clenched teeth.
"More of a reason you should sack her. She's a debtor and doesn't pay on time," Zoe laughed.
"And how will she pay if we do that?" Emilia challenged. "How do we get our money if we let her off?"
"How will I know? Sell her kidneys or something," Zev shrugged, and Zoe let out a sharp giggle.
Emilia's face went stone-cold. "Please leave my shop if you have nothing to buy."
"Or what?" the twins challenged in unison.
"Or I will call Alpha Koran," Emilia said, pulling her phone from her pocket, her thumb hovering over the screen. "And I will tell him that Save-More might not be able to pay the monthly business permit fee on time because certain members of his inner circle won't let us conduct business in peace." Her eyes drifted to Axel. "Axel, does your father know you are here disrupting the city's largest tax contributor? Do you think he'll be pleased if his son is the reason the coffers are light this month?"
The twins froze, their arrogance flickering under the threat of the Alpha's name. Axel finally moved. He shifted his weight, his icy blue eye narrowing as he looked at the twins, then down at the mess on the floor.
He stared at the crushed crackers and the expensive, scattered groceries for a long, agonizing second. His gaze drifted up, finally landing on Ember. For a heartbeat, she stopped breathing. She searched for a flicker of anything—guilt, pity, or even a hint of a silent apology. But his face remained a mask of total uninterest. He looked at her the same way he looked at the shelf of batteries: as something that simply existed in his way. Then, he just looked past her and spoke to the twins.
"I think that's enough for today, guys. Let's go."
He didn't wait for an answer. He simply stepped over the mess with a long, effortless stride, his broad back already turned to her as he walked toward the exit.
"See you at the awakening ceremony tonight, cursed bitch," Zoe spat, grabbing her bags. "Not that you're going to awaken a reasonable class of wolf anyway."
Zev chuckled, shaking a bag of stolen goods at Ember. "Thanks for the snacks."
As they followed Axel out, Ember realized the silence he left behind was louder than their insults. To him, she wasn't a victim; she was just a reason for a tedious delay. Ember sank to her knees on the linoleum, her strength finally giving out.
Emilia looked at her with profound pity, but Ember couldn't meet her eyes. Maya knelt beside her, wrapping her arms around Ember in a tight hug. Ember didn't return it; she just stared at the floor, her mind a numb loop of despair.
Why me? she thought, looking at the crushed debris and the mountain of debt that had just doubled in the span of ten minutes. Money she didn't have. Money she would never get to spend on herself. The golden promise of the ceremony felt further away than ever.
But then, a low, deep thrum vibrated in the pit of her stomach, the same stirring she'd felt for weeks. She clenched her fist. It's all going to end tonight. This "Cursed Bitch" was going to get her wolf tonight, and if the Gamma was right, she wasn't just going to be any wolf.