"Kira!"
Luna Lydia's voice rang out in the grand hall. Kira quickly set the heavy tray of cutlery down on the nearest side table and hurried over. The Luna stood with both hands planted firmly on her hips, glaring at her as if Kira's very existence was an insult.
"Have you brought Chloe's dress from the laundry?"
"Yes, ma," Kira answered, keeping her voice as flat and emotionless as possible. Experience had taught her that any spark in her tone was treated as 'attitude'.
The older woman's eyes narrowed, raking over her from head to toe. "Stop dawdling then. Get the bowls of fried meat from the kitchen and start arranging the buffet. Move!"
Kira nodded and turned on her heel. The pack house buzzed with noise as everyone hurried from one place to another, preparing for Chloe's eighteenth birthday celebration. Every muscle in Kira's body still ached from the endless chores she had done since the day before for Chloe's special day. Her stomach growled, loud and insistent, reminding her she had barely eaten anything since yesterday morning. All she wanted was to escape to the river, swim in the cool water, and then sleep for a very long time.
When she reached the kitchen, one of the omegas thrust a steaming bowl of fried dried meat into her hands. "Take this to the hall. Hurry."
Kira nodded, cradling the bowl carefully. The rich, savoury aroma rose up and hit her like a wave. Her stomach rumbled again, louder this time, and her mouth watered so much she had to swallow hard. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been given meat to eat. She glanced around. The kitchen staff were distracted by a flaming dessert. Just one, she told herself. Her heart hammered against her ribs as she snatched a small piece and stuffed it into her mouth.
She closed her eyes for half a second, savouring it. Suddenly Chloe appeared in the doorway. Kira froze mid-chew. Chloe glared suspiciously at her.
"What have you done?" Chloe asked, eyes narrowing on the bowl in Kira's hands.
Kira sighed, swallowed the last of the meat, and tried to step past her. Chloe moved faster, grabbing a fistful of Kira's hair from behind and yanking hard.
"I'm speaking to you. You're eating the guests' food, aren't you?"
"Let go of me," Kira warned, voice low.
"Or what? You thief. You're going to fight me with no wolf?" Chloe's voice rose to a shrill pitch. "Spit it out. Show me what you stole!"
Kira winced as pain lanced across her scalp. She tried to twist and pry Chloe's hands away, but Chloe suddenly released her hair, making Kira stumble forward. She shot her younger stepsister a fiery glare and turned, only to collide hard with a group of omegas carrying trays of crystal glasses. One tray tipped violently. Glasses shattered on the marble floor like tiny explosions.
The omegas froze.
Kira froze, dread pooling in her stomach. She knew exactly what was coming.
"What have you done now, you clumsy rat?" Lydia's voice thundered as she charged down the hall.
Kira's heart gave a sharp jump when she saw the woman charging towards her.
"Mum! She was stealing meat," Chloe cried, voice high and accusing. "When I caught her, she got violent. She said she'd ruin my face so I wouldn't be the prettiest girl at my own party!"
Before Kira could open her mouth, Luna Lydia closed the distance in two furious strides and slapped her hard across the face. The sting exploded over Kira's cheek. Tears instantly gathered in her eyes. She pressed her palm to the burning skin and glared at the Luna.
Luna Lydia grabbed her hair again, forcing her to look up. "You little thief," she hissed. "You think you can ruin Chloe's day just by existing?"
"I didn't—" Kira started.
Another slap. Then another. The sharp sounds rang in the quiet hallway. The omegas who had been picking up the broken glass quickly took the bowl of meat from Kira's hands and hurried away, leaving only Kira, her stepmother, and Chloe.
"Don't lie to me! I can smell the grease on your breath, you pathetic creature!" Lydia shouted. She grabbed another thick handful of Kira's hair and yanked again. "Admit it!" She shoved Kira's head down roughly. Kira couldn't hold back a small whimper of pain. "Admit that you're jealous of her because you didn't shift! Admit that you did this because you never had a grand birthday like hers! Admit that you are a disgrace to this pack!"
Anger rose hot in Kira's chest, but she knew better than to let it spill out. She had learned long ago to hold herself back. If she dared to strike Luna Lydia or even Chloe, her father—the Alpha—would punish her severely. He would never believe her side.
"I'm taking you to your father," Lydia snarled, dragging Kira by the hair out of the hallway.
Chloe stood watching, arms crossed, smirking. "Told you she'd be trouble."
Lydia shoved Suri toward her father's office. "He'll deal with you."
A gamma was just leaving Alpha Rolf's office when they arrived. Rolf looked up from his desk as they entered. His eyes were cold, tired, and instantly hard when they landed on Kira.
"What now?" he asked.
He always wanted her to be the one at fault, even when she was innocent. Kira blinked hard to clear the tears from her eyes, forcing herself to look strong. He hated any sign of weakness in her. Her father had despised her since the day she was born, blaming her for her mother's death in childbirth. When she failed to shift at eighteen and gain her wolf, his hatred had only deepened into bitter disappointment. He called her cursed, weak, pathetic. All her life she had worked twice as hard as anyone else at her studies, at every task, to prove she was none of those things.
Lydia released Kira's hair with a final jerk. "She was caught stealing," Lydia reported, her voice thick with exaggerated outrage. "When Chloe tried to stop her, she threatened her and smashed the ceremonial crystal."
"What? No!" Kira cried, eyes widening at the fresh lie. "That's not—"
Rolf rose from his chair in one swift motion and closed the gap between them. His hand cut through the air and struck her face with a force that made her head spin and her ears ring. She bit her lower lip until she tasted blood, refusing to cry out, and met his furious glare with one of her own.
"How dare you?" he snarled.
They stood locked in that silent, burning stare. Even through his rage, Kira could see something else troubling him, worry flickering behind the anger, but she no longer cared.
"Now, get out," he said curtly.
She swallowed the sharp retort that rose to her tongue and turned to leave. It was safer to keep her head down than to provoke him further. Of all the hurts she endured in the pack, his treatment wounded her the deepest. He was supposed to be the one person who would always stand by her.
As she reached the doorway, his low voice drifted after her, speaking to Luna Lydia.
"There is a problem, dear. King Derek Wolfe sent word that he and his people are coming to our pack in two days," her father said, a thread of panic lacing his tone.
Kira froze in the corridor. King Derek Wolfe, the formidable Lycan King, was feared across every pack. His visits to werewolf territory rarely ended well. For years he had terrorised their kind. What could he possibly want with Moonfang?
Leaving the main house, Kira walked slowly back to the remote corner of the pack grounds where her father had isolated her. He kept her hidden from his council and from the rest of the pack, claiming she was too wild and unruly to be trusted with pack matters. He had openly named Chloe as his heir, the daughter he proudly showed to everyone, the one he trained to lead after him. Most pack members did not even know he had another daughter at all.
When she finally reached her small, cramped room, she closed the door behind her with a soft click. Only then did she let the tears come, hot and unstoppable, streaming down her cheeks in silent rivers.
Later that night, while music and laughter spilled from the pack house for Chloe's grand birthday celebration, Kira slipped away unnoticed. She made her way through the dark woods to the river that lay at the far edge of their territory. She could not understand how her father could throw such an elaborate party when the shadow of the Lycan King's visit hung over them all. Yet she knew it was pointless to worry. He would never listen to anything she had to say.
The moon hung high and full in the clear night sky, bathing the world in silver light as she reached the riverbank. This place had always been her secret refuge, a quiet spot far from the pack, where she could escape the noise and the pain of everything waiting for her back home.
She waded into the cool water and dived beneath the surface, staying under until her lungs burned and begged for air. When she broke through again, gasping, her heart nearly stopped. A man stood on one of the large rocks that edged the river, staring straight at her.
Fear gripped her like icy fingers around her throat. Her pulse hammered wildly against her ribs. He did not move to leave, nor did he make any threatening gesture, but his sharp and unblinking gaze pinned her in place. She had never seen him before, and he was clearly far larger and more dangerous than any man she had ever encountered.
Was he a rogue? An enemy Alpha?
Whatever he was, she had no intention of finding out. All she wanted was to reach the bank, snatch her dress and phone, and run.
"Please," she called out, her voice trembling despite her effort to sound steady. She guessed that since he had not moved, he might be waiting for her to climb out of the water before he made his move. "Do not harm me. I promise I won't tell anyone I saw you."
Silence.
Kira was not the sort to beg anyone, ever. But one look at the sheer size of him, his thick, powerful arms that could snap her neck in an instant, told her pride was worth less than her life. Better to appear weak for a moment than to die foolishly.
Without a single word, the stranger turned his broad back to her and walked a short distance away, giving her space.
Relief flooded through her as she swam quickly to the bank, grabbed her dress and phone, which were thankfully still dry and unharmed, pulled her clothes on in frantic haste, and bolted into the trees. She did not stop running until she was safely back in her cramped room, chest heaving, heart still racing.
That night, as she finally drifted into uneasy sleep, the mysterious stranger haunted her dreams.