Awakening The Sliver Wolf

　　I sat next to the grave, holding the flowers I brought. I just stared at the name on the stone, tears flowing freely from my cheeks.

　　"It's my birthday, Mum," I whispered, my voice barely audible as I stroked the name on the gravestone.

　　Isla Hale.

　　My mother, my world, my everything. Dead, gone, and left me all alone in a world where I do not belong.

　　"It's my birthday," I said again. "And no one remembered. Not even father. He didn't even look my way."

　　My twenty-one birthday.

　　The tears were flowing wildly, and my vision was blurry.

　　It hurts. It hurts so much to live like I'm invisible, like I'm nothing, a nobody.

　　My father doesn't even see me, not really. He doesn't look at me, doesn't care. My stepmother treats me like dirt under her shoe, and my stepsister is even worse.

　　The only one who cares is Lucas.

　　Just thinking about him makes the tears slow down.

　　Lucas. My boyfriend.

　　The reason I still get out of bed every morning.

　　We've been together for three years, and Lucas has been nothing but supportive, loving, and helpful.

　　Even though the pack and my own family treat me like I'm worthless, Lucas has been there, offering his strength and love through it all.

　　He was like glue keeping me together.

　　My pack members and family saw me as weak, all because I had no wolf.

　　I was born without a wolf despite my Father and Mother being full-blooded wolves.

　　Some people call me an abomination, a curse.

　　Things were different when Mother was alive.

　　I was loved then, seen as a person. But then she died, and everything changed. Father changed, the pack members changed.

　　Then he went ahead and married Lila—my stepmother—and my life became so much worse.

　　She came into my life, took my Mother's place as Luna, and made my life miserable, along with her daughter.

　　Turned me into a slave, and Father never batted an eyelash to her cruelties towards me.

　　It hurts, it hurts so damn much.

　　I pounded my chest, trying to get the pain to lessen, but it didn't, it just increased until I felt like I couldn't breathe.

　　"Why did you leave?" I shouted at the gravestone. "Why did you leave me alone? I can't do this without you, mum. I just can't. You told me to be strong, and I am trying, mum. I am really trying, but it hurts. It hurts so much."

　　I cried and cried, the pain in my chest getting worse, but I just kept crying.

　　And then I felt it.

　　A breeze, a gentle breeze. It would have been a normal breeze but it wasn't.

　　It has a smell—apples and lilies.

　　It smelled heavenly, it smelled peaceful, it smelled like home, it smelled like Mother.

　　I wiped my eyes and looked around, wondering if I was losing my mind. Nobody was here, and even if someone was, it couldn't be Mother.

　　She was dead, gone from my life.

　　The breeze, though, whispered a different story. It wrapped around me like a comforting blanket, soothing my aching soul.

　　It felt like a caress, a silent promise that I wasn't alone.

　　"You're not alone." The breeze kept whispering, and for the first time in five years, I felt like I wasn't alone.

　　Mother was with me, always and forever.

　　I wiped my face and stood up, brushing the dirt from my dress.

　　I wanted to stay there forever, just be with Mother, away from life and its harsh reality.

　　But I couldn't.

　　I had spent too long and someone would come find me soon, and the consequences would be bad.

　　I picked up the basket of eggs, my errand unfinished, and rushed back to the pack house, praying I hadn't lingered too long.

　　The pack house was bustling, everyone preparing for tonight's event: the Lunar Eclipse.

　　For us werewolves, the Lunar Eclipse was more than just an astronomical event; it was a moment of immense magical significance, tied to us and the moon goddess.

　　It occurs once every century and is said to be a time when the barriers between the mortal world and the realms of the gods are thinner.

　　During this time, the moon goddess can exert her influence over the world, and powerful magic is released, affecting all who are connected with the moon, particularly werewolves.

　　It was such a rare and beautiful event.

　　And to think, the event was also aligned with my birthday.

　　It made me feel special, even though no one else saw it.

　　I walked through the pack, some tying the decorations, while others set up tables.

　　I tried to make myself as small as possible.

　　I didn't like being seen, because there would always be sharp words thrown at me, and I had my fill of tears for today.

　　I had almost reached the kitchen when someone shouted my name.

　　"Ravenna!" I stopped short, freezing, fear gripping my heart.

　　The one person I had tried so hard to avoid.

　　I turned slowly and faced Lila, holding the basket tighter to steady my shaking hands.

　　I looked at her feet, not daring to meet her eyes, already knowing what I'd see there—hate, anger, and disgust.

　　"You vile girl," Lila's words cut through the silence, sharper than any knife. "You spent over an hour just to fetch a few eggs?"

　　"It's not up—" I felt my cheek sting and my ears ring.

　　When had she gotten in front of me?

　　I held my slapped cheek, trying to hold back tears, still not raising my eyes.

　　"Do not ever talk back to me again, do you hear me?" she commanded, her voice hard.

　　"Yes, Lila," I responded, nodding.

　　"Weak thing," Lila threw the words as she went, and I turned and made my way to the kitchen.

　　Yeah, this was my life.

　　I dropped the eggs near the chef, who didn't acknowledge me and helped with chopping vegetables and washing dishes.

　　When I was finally done, I was tired and wanted to retire for the day, to rest a little before the celebration started.

　　I was on my way to my room when I received a text. I brought out my phone from my pocket, and a smile spread across my face when I saw the name on my screen.

　　Lucas.

　　"Meet me in my room." The text says.

　　I immediately abandoned all ideas of rest, quickly freshened up, and made my way to the upper floors. Maybe he remembered my birthday this year.

　　Hope filled my chest as I reached his floor.

　　I was about to knock when I heard a noise that seemed to shatter my already shattered world.

　　"Oh, yes. Like that, Lucas." Came the noise from inside.

　　I burst into the room, and there they were—Lucas and my stepsister, both completely naked, wildly entwined as they moved against each other.