THE ALPHA WHO REJECTED ME

For three days, a fierce war had raged through the Nightwood Pack. Blood soaked the ground as werewolves clashed, killing one another without mercy. The air was thick with death, pain, and despair.

Inside the Alpha’s house, far from the battlefield, another kind of battle was being fought.

Queen Lyra screamed in agony as her body strained to bring life into the world. Sweat drenched her skin, and her fingers dug into the sheets as she pushed with everything she had left.

“My Queen, give one more push,” the midwife urged.

Lyra cried out, her voice breaking as she pushed, and moments later, the sharp cry of a newborn filled the room.

“Is that my baby?” Queen Lyra asked weakly, her chest heaving.

“Yes, my Queen,” the midwife replied, smiling. “It’s a girl.”

Before relief could settle, another midwife gasped.

“Another baby is coming.”

Fear flashed across Lyra’s face.

“My Queen, push!” the midwife cried urgently.

Lyra gathered what little strength she had left and pushed again. Time seemed to stretch endlessly before the second baby was finally born.

But this time… there was no cry.

The room fell silent.

“Is she… dead?” one of the midwives whispered as she rubbed the baby’s tiny body, trying desperately to make her cry.

Nothing.

“Can I have my baby?” Queen Lyra said, forcing herself to sit upright despite the pain.

The midwife hesitated before placing the child into her arms.

Lyra stared at the baby for a long moment. Her heart shattered.

“She’s weak,” Lyra whispered, tears spilling down her face. “She might die. My baby… my baby might die.”

“What are we going to do?” one of the midwives asked in panic.

“Power must be poured into her,” Queen Lyra said softly. “It’s the only way she can survive.”

Just then, the door burst open.

King Raze rushed inside, his clothes stained with blood, his eyes wild with fear.

“What is going on?” he demanded.

“One of the babies is dying,” Lyra said desperately. “She’s too weak. We can’t let her die.”

Raze clenched his jaw. “It’s fine,” he said coldly. “We still have the other baby.”

Lyra’s head snapped up. “No,” she cried. “I can’t let my child die. I’ll give her my power.”

Before King Raze could stop her, Queen Lyra began murmuring an ancient spell. A silver glow surrounded her, flowing from her body and into the fragile baby in her arms.

“NO!” King Raze shouted, rushing toward her.

But it was too late.

The glow faded.

Lyra’s body collapsed.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered faintly as she placed the baby into Raze’s arms. Her eyes slowly closed, and her breathing stopped.

Queen Lyra was gone.

King Raze fell to his knees, holding the child as a scream of pain tore from his chest, echoing through the halls of Nightwood.

SEVENTEEN YEARS LATER

Mira’s P.O.V

I woke up before the sun could rise and quickly stepped out of bed, my body weak and aching. Still, I dared not lie back down. If I did, my bones would pay the price. I would be beaten like a lifeless thing.

I am one of the princesses of the Nightwood Pack, yet everyone treats me like a slave. All because my birth brought pain instead of joy,  the joy that other pups bring when they are born.

My father hates me.

Each time he looks at me, rage fills his eyes. He regrets being my father. Every day, he threatens to kill me or banish me from the pack.

All because I am the reason my mother died.

That is what they told me.

They said my mother gave up her life for me. That on the night my twin sister and I were born, she discovered I was weak, dying. To keep me alive, she poured all her power into me and lost her own life in the process.

They said my father tried to stop her, but my mother refused. She said she could not watch her child die.

Sometimes… I wish she had listened to him.

Sometimes, I wish she had let me die.

Because what is the point of living when everyone hates you?

I forced myself out of bed and walked into the bathroom. After bathing, I put on the slave uniform and packed my hair neatly. Standing before the mirror, I stared at my reflection.

I didn’t know why I did this every morning.

Maybe I hoped that one day, my eyes would change, become normal like everyone else’s in the pack.

My eyes are different. Even I don’t know their true color. They are strange… unnatural. Some say it’s a curse.

But I know I am not cursed.

Still, I don’t understand why my eyes are different from everyone else’s.

Sometimes I wonder if, one day, when I find my mate, he will love me for who I am, or hate me just like everyone else.

I have heard stories of mates treating their women like queens. I dream of that. I dream of the day my mate will take me far away from this pack, to a place where I can finally be happy.

But what if he doesn’t like me?

“Mira, stop thinking silly,”  Elena, my inner wolf, said gently. “Of course, our mate will like us.

I smiled faintly.

“I hope so,” I whispered.

“Mira, you’re late already,” Elena warned.

My eyes widened as I glanced at the wall clock. I was twenty minutes late preparing breakfast.

Fear rushed through me.

Without wasting another second, I ran out of the room.

I quickly ran to the kitchen with all the speed my body could manage. My heart was pounding as I boiled water for the tea. I brought out the eggs and began breaking them into a plate, my hands shaking slightly.

I was almost done with breakfast when I felt someone walk into the kitchen.

I turned, and my heart sank.

It was my sister, Mila.

Just one look at her face told me everything. I didn’t need anyone to explain it to me. I was in big trouble.

I was late.

Before I could say a single word, a sharp pain exploded across my cheek.

Slap!

Mila had slapped me.

I clutched my cheek as hot tears streamed down my face, the sting burning deeply.

“Can you tell me why breakfast isn’t ready yet?” she yelled, lifting the jug of hot water from the counter.

My eyes widened in terror. I knew exactly what she was about to do.

She was going to pour it on me.

Just then, a voice cut through the tension.

“Put that down, Mila.”

Kael.

Our elder brother.

Mila rolled her eyes in annoyance before dropping the jug back onto the counter.

“I’ll give you one minute to bring my breakfast,” she said coldly. “If you don’t, you won’t be alive in the next minute.”

She shot me an irritating look before walking away.

“Are you okay?” Kael asked softly.

I nodded and wiped my tears quickly, not trusting my voice.

He looked at me for a long moment, as if he wanted to say something, then turned and walked away.

I swallowed hard and continued preparing breakfast.

Kael is the only person who loves me and treats me well. Even though Father is never happy about it, Kael still stands by me.

Unlike Mila, my own twin sister, who hates me.

Sometimes I wonder why she hates me so much. She is always looking for every opportunity to hurt me.

She is Father’s favorite. He treats her like the princess she is, always defending her even when she is wrong.

Sometimes… I envy her.

Sometimes, I wish Father would treat me the way he treats her,j ust once.

After I finished preparing breakfast, I carried the trays to the large dining hall. Father and Mila were already seated, probably waiting for me to serve them.

As I arranged the food on the table, I could feel Father’s angry gaze burning into me. I wondered if he ever got tired of looking at me with such hatred. For heaven’s sake, I was still his daughter. His blood still ran through my veins. Couldn’t he be kind to me just once?

When I finished serving the meal, I bowed respectfully and turned to leave.

“Mira.”

Father’s cold voice stopped me.

My legs froze on the spot. Slowly, I turned to face him, and my heart dropped when I saw the cruel grin on his face.

“What took you so long to prepare breakfast?” he growled. “How dare you keep us waiting?”

His voice sent shivers down my spine. I glanced at Mila and saw her smiling wickedly, clearly enjoying the moment.

I opened my mouth to explain, but before I could say a word, Father suddenly grabbed the jug of hot tea and poured it over my head.

I screamed in pain as the burning liquid soaked my hair and clothes, forcing me to fall to my knees.

“If this ever happens again, I won’t spare you,” he snarled.

“I wish you were dead,” he shouted. “I wish you were never born!”

“Dad, that’s enough!”

Kael’s voice cut through the hall as he rushed in.

“Don’t tell me what to do!” Father yelled.

“You can’t keep treating Mira this way,” Kael said firmly. “She did nothing wrong. You need to stop.”

“She did something!” Father roared. “She killed my Luna. She is the reason your mother is dead!”

“She was just a baby,” Kael replied. “She didn’t know anything about it.”

“One more word from you,” Father thundered, “and I’ll remind you that I’m still the Alpha of this pack! You don’t speak to me like that!”

Then he turned to me, pointing angrily.

“Get out of my sight!”

Ignoring the burning pain all over my body, I struggled to my feet and ran out of the dining hall, my tears blinding me as I fled.

I ran straight to my room and tore off my clothes. My skin was already turning pale and red from the hot water.

My hands trembled as I turned on the tap. Cold water poured over my body, and I broke down, sobbing as the pain burned deeper into my flesh. My knees gave out, and I slid down against the wall, hugging myself as the water continued to run.

The pain was too much to bear.

Was this really why the Moon Goddess created me?

Just to suffer?

Tears mixed with the water on my face as my chest tightened.

Maybe she doesn’t like me either…