Celeste

Watching the warriors fight so fiercely just reminded me of the Great War. At that time, all rival packs surprisingly came together to eradicate a common foe. Now, there was some semblance of peace, but we all knew it was temporary. Anything could distort the balance at any time. 

All packs had their foes and allies, and even attacked each other, both discreetly and openly. This peace was as fragile as it could get, but we could only hope the Alpha King would show leadership and step in, preventing an all-out war among the packs. There was just too much bitterness to ignore. 

"Princess, those armors should be the least of your worries. The Alpha wants to see you now." 

The armor in my hands suddenly felt too heavy, and I dropped it with a clatter. I even drew the attention of some warriors. I could only give them a wry smile in an attempt to hide my fear.

Throwing the rag on the pile of armor I had already cleaned, I shakily wiped an invisible sweat from my forehead. At the same time, I racked my brain to recall if I did anything that warranted me being summoned by the Alpha.

Nothing came to mind, yet the warriors' pitiful looks didn't escape my eyes. I haven't met my father in three moons, and there shouldn't be any reason for him to summon me so suddenly, if not to punish me.

"Just calm down and go find out what he has to say. Maybe he would only allow your stepsister to beat you to a pulp today. He may even make you kneel for five hours in front of his study like the last time. What could get worse than that?" 

I could only let out a bitter smile. The alpha was my father, but he was also the last person I ever wished to meet. I spent my days in the training grounds with the warriors, wiping their weapons and armor spotlessly clean. 

Whenever I wasn't here, I was with the pack doctors. I just wanted to stay as far away from Alpha Holmes and his family as possible. 

Who was I kidding, anyway? Many times, just like today, they found the opportunity to humiliate and torture me, despite my staying out of their business. 

I wonder if he had a new poison he wanted to test on me now. Many pack members didn't know this, but I was the test subject for most of the new poisons developed in this pack. 

My dear father made sure I never had a moment of peace. He said that was the only way I could contribute to the growth of the pack. A wolffless trash like me didn't deserve to be married off to secure any alliance anyway. 

Tsk!

With my thoughts scattered all over the place, I was already in front of the council building. I stood before the huge wooden doors, but my hands just wouldn't budge. 

I didn't dare to open it. I was scared of what awaited me behind those doors, and was more glad the guards didn't forcefully push me in. 

"You need to be prepared, Celeste." It was when I heard the voice that I realized the warrior walked with me from the training grounds to the council hall. The funny thing was that I didn't even notice his presence. 

My throat felt dry, but I still forced myself to ask, "Did Tabitha cook up any story about me this time?" 

This was the only reason I could come up with. Why else would the warrior alert me to be prepared? The warriors usually did this whenever the Alpha summoned me out of the blue. They may not witness me being tortured sometimes, but the bruises always said it all.

"I wish it were that simple, Celeste." With his brows scrunched so tightly, the warrior opened the door, leading me into a room full of wolves. 

Well, the council members were all here, but I hadn't met the man sitting beside the alpha before. He looked so out of place.

What did I do this time? 

Wait! Don't tell me...

I staggered briefly, my heart missing a thousand beats. I was scared before coming here, but right now, I am petrified. Did he find out? But how? No. No. No. No. It's impossible! He couldn't have possibly found out, right? 

"Come here, my dear." What the heck! 

Did the Alpha of the Moon Howler Pack just refer to me as 'dear' before everyone? 

I didn't know if I should move or not. However, the warrior nudged me gently, and I finally moved.

"My dear, I told you to always dress appropriately. You wouldn't want people looking down on you for being this haggard all the time, would you?" Erh! He never gave me clothes, so what did he even mean?

I looked behind me, but no one else was there. Was he really talking to me? 

"Sweetheart, like we discussed last night, some rogues attacked the delegation from the Iron Fang Pack. Only the beta survived." He had a fake look of grief as he pointed toward the stranger I noticed earlier.

We didn't discuss anything last night. I could also bet that he ordered the killing of the members of the delegation, but why? The alpha of Iron Fang Pack had the reputation of being utterly ruthless, so why would he be provoked so openly? Moreover, the warriors died within our walls. 

Come to think of it, what did all that have to do with me?

Tabitha and her mother stood to the side, all dolled up like they just walked out of a painting. Yet, I looked more like their maid in the faded clothes on my body.

The irony!

So much for their grief about the lost warriors.

"Don't look so lost, Celeste. As a show of our sincerity, you have been promised to Alpha Horres. Thankfully, he has already agreed to make you his Luna and..." 

All blood drained from my face as my body began to tremble. Everything else he said got drowned out in my flurry of thoughts, because nothing made any sense to me.

"Celeste, I had no other choice but to offer my precious daughter, the apple of my eye. Sweetheart, don't blame Daddy for giving you up, okay? Just know that it's all for peace."

What!!!

Celeste

"A... Alpha..."

I was speechless, and try as I might, I couldn't form a complete sentence. I could only call out to Alpha Holmes, hoping this was one big joke. Tell me this: if whatever was happening here wasn't a joke, why would Tabitha stand beside him, and he would refer to me as his favorite daughter? 

It was an open secret in the Moon Howler Pack that I wasn't considered part of the Alpha's household. My room was far away from theirs, and it could as well be described as an upgraded storage room. I didn't even have the right to sit at the same table with them, much less have decent clothes to wear. How could this be the treatment of the Alpha's favorite daughter? Even omegas in the pack had it easier than me. 

My knees were weak and wobbly, and my ears began buzzing. I couldn't hear anything else but the chaotic beating of my heart. 

How could it end like this? How could Alpha Holmes sacrifice me like a mere cow? 

It was okay when they tortured me just for the fun of it. I had no qualms about being treated like his dog, an eyesore he couldn't rid himself of, and lying down for Tabitha to step on me like a rug didn't even hurt this much.

This time was different. He wanted to throw me to the ruthless alpha who had always been out for his blood. Alpha Holmes murdered his people, for crying out loud. What peace could I possibly bring after this blatant provocation?

"Celeste, dear, I am so sorry this had to happen. I wish I could take your place, but Father had to be sincere in the offering to the Iron Fang Pack. You are his favorite, after all." The show wouldn't be complete without my dear sister's performance. 

I felt the air in my lungs being sucked out of my body, and that was when I came back to my senses. The pain made me understand that I wasn't dreaming, even though I wished I were. 

I found myself in Tabitha's tight embrace as tears trickled down my cheeks unhindered. She wasn't a wolfless weakling like me; hence, I could never match her strength. 

At the moment, I felt that if I didn't stop her, my bones could be crushed. It hurt too much. 

"I... I... I can't breathe." I forced out those words, drawing the attention of all the people in the room. My life depended on it, and I didn't care if I made Alpha Holmes lose face by screaming like that. His favorite daughter might have sucked it in, but when had Tabitha ever experienced such pain before?

"I... I'm sorry, sis. I got carried away." She feigned oblivion, making it seem she was just too hesitant to let me go. Tabitha then took my hands while I stood there weakly, my already weak knees wobbly. 

I knew what she wanted to do, so, before she could squeeze my hands in punishment, I stepped away from her as if I'd be scalded if I stayed any closer.

"Tabitha, escort your sister to pack her necessities. It's a long journey to the Iron Fang Pack." Alpha Holmes commented casually, yet my blood boiled at his dismissive attitude. 

How could he speak as if I were just going for a walk in the park? This was most definitely a journey of no return. It was as if he didn't know the dangers that awaited me in the Iron Fang Pack. 

Tsk! Who cares if he knew? Alpha Holmes wouldn't give a damn if I were shredded to pieces on my arrival.

No. I have been a coward all my life, and I wouldn't accept this anymore. There was no way in hell I would willingly walk into the devil's territory. Before anyone could tell what was happening, I quickened my pace, distancing myself further from Tabitha. 

Tabitha and her mother were not just going to watch me slip through their hands without doing anything. Hence, I picked up the pace and ran out of the council building. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me until I reached my secret hiding place in the training ground. 

If I could wait till the soldiers left, there was a secret passage here that led to the woods. I would run away from this pack and never come back. Running was my only chance of survival, and I wasn't ready to let it go.  I was willing to stake everything on this tiny bit of hope. 

It was already frightening that Alpha Horres was widely known to be a beast among beasts, and the people who wronged him and lived to tell the story could be counted on one hand-my father being one of the lucky bastards. 

However, this time around, I was the daughter of his nemesis, who caused the death of so many warriors from his pack-that too, unprovoked. What sort of welcome would I expect from such a person?

I didn't know how long I waited, but it was quite a while. Maybe about an hour or two. I didn't really take count. However, the sound of numerous footsteps running helter-skelter didn't escape my ears. They only reduced over time.

"Luna, I don't think she's here. We searched the whole training ground, but there's no sign of her." I picked up a frantic voice belonging to one of the guards.

Of course, they couldn't find me. I discovered this hidden room and always kept it a secret from everyone. They should be leaving this place soon, seeing that they couldn't spot me anywhere. Or so I thought, until I heard the smug voice of my stepmother.

"Celeste Holmes, I know you are here. If you don't show yourself in the next ten breaths, the blood of this wench will be on your hands."

Oh no! 

I couldn't tell what they did to the hostage, but the person whimpered in agony, causing my heart to be pierced by a thousand invisible blades. 

"I won't force you to come out, but I guess both of you can just die together then." My stepmother knew very well what my bottom line was.

Nanny Zelda...

Celeste

"I thought you suddenly grew some backbone, you trash. Alas, you're still as cowardly as a mouse."

Tabitha's taunts filled my head, but my gaze was fixed on the writhing middle-aged woman lying on the floor. Her blood formed a pool beneath her, and I could tell she was in excruciating pain. 

"What did they do to you, Nanny Zelda?" The words flowed out of my lips like someone who had the authority to put these people in their place. Alas...

"Tsk! Playing savior now, huh? Take one more step, and I'll snap her neck." Luna Fiona's words were just above a whisper, but I didn't dare defy her. I couldn't tell what they did to Nanny Zelda, but I wasn't ready to put her life on the line because I wished to find out.

All Nanny Zelda wanted was for me to run away from this pack and never look back. In her words, "It was better to be a rogue than remain a punching bag in the Moon Howler Pack." I never listened to her, and now she might die because of me. How could I live with myself after that?

I regretted it so much. I wish I had listened to her. 

"I'll go to the Iron Fang Pack, but Nanny Zelda must come with me," I spoke as if I was negotiating with the Luna, but my eyes were pleading at the same time. I didn't wish to leave the only family I had with these savages. They might just kill her at the least provocation. 

"Celeste, my dearest," Luna Fiona walked toward me, leaving Nanny Zelda to fall face-flat onto the ground. Even though it wasn't too loud, I still heard her low whimper. She was really hurt, yet I still couldn't tell what they did to her, nor could I be of any assistance. 

With her left hand grabbing the back of my neck firmly, Luna Fiona's right hand reached for my jaw. Her grip was so tight that any more force could cause it to snap.

"The only reason you're not bleeding right now is because you need to be delivered intact. After all, you are the Alpha's favorite daughter." 

I was finally freed from her grip, but she pushed me away as if she had just held something filthy. I didn't know when Tabitha joined us, but they just couldn't mock me enough. 

While the two laughed like maniacs, I could only hold the places she just held, massaging gently to relieve the pain.

I didn't even look toward the mother and daughter pair. My gaze was only fixed on Nanny Zelda. 

"Tsk! I heard you say you wanted to take this wench away." Tabitha taunted, as if asking would make it sound less ridiculous. I knew it was a difficult request, but it wasn't impossible, after all. 

Tabitha stepped on Nanny Zelda's right leg with so much force that she let out a heart-wrenching scream in agony. Unsurprisingly, a cracking sound soon followed, and my nanny passed out. She was the closest person I had to a family, yet these two devils didn't give a damn about hurting her. 

"This is just a small injury, and we both know she would heal under the care of the pack physicians. However, she would remain here." 

Tabitha spoke with so much authority that I could tell she wasn't speaking for herself. She was always cocky, but this was different. 

"W... What do you mean?" My voice came out shaky, as my whole body trembled from pain and frustration. I felt so useless seeing Nanny Zelda passed out in a pool of her blood, yet I could only look away. 

Luna Fiona also looked toward Tabitha with a probing gaze. "Mom, Dad wanted me to remind the bitch that he would keep this wench safe as long as she behaved herself in the Iron Fang Pack. After all, Nanny Zelda was part of her mother's dowry, and Father couldn't just let her go like that." 

How ridiculous! They wanted to control me with Nanny Zelda. Wasn't it bad enough that I was going to the Iron Fang Pack as payment for the warriors Alpha Holmes murdered? He also wanted me to be his spy? 

How ridiculous! Did he think I wouldn't die fast enough, or did they take Alpha Horres for a fool? What sort of joke was this? 

Celeste Holmes, could you be any more pathetic than this? 

"I'd run along and pack up if I were you." Luna Fiona didn't even wait for me to say anything in response. It's not like anything I said mattered, after all.

"I hope you'll keep your word and let Nanny Zelda get treated by the physicians." I couldn't even look at the mother and daughter. The words I spoke were for whichever of them cared to take care of my nanny. 

If I lingered any longer, she might just face a fate more difficult than what she was experiencing now. 

...

For two days and two nights, we were on the move, only stopping to eat and sleep. Along the journey, I cried my eyes out in silence until my head began to pound like crazy. I couldn't even stomach any food.

The fear of Nanny Zelda's safety wasn't less than my fate as a spy in the Iron Fang Pack. I was soon to be a spy Luna in a foreign land. I knew for a fact that my days in the pack wouldn't be good; hence, I relished in the peace that I enjoyed along the journey. How the days ahead would be, I couldn't tell.

I didn't know when I fell asleep while clutching my head, but I was woken up by a bone-chilling coldness that seemed out of place. It wasn't winter yet, so I shouldn't have been feeling this way.

When I finally made sense of where I was, I noticed a small crowd gathered around me, and a man who looked so imposing and scary stood in the middle. 

I wasn't sure who he was, but I was almost a hundred percent certain that he was the alpha of Iron Fang Pack. His alpha aura wasn't particularly hidden, after all.

"Tsk! Is this the peace offering Alpha Holmes exchanged with the heads of seven warriors? A wolfless trash like you?" 

His voice was cold, and I could already feel the anger and scorn behind his words. Even the onlookers looked like they could tear me to shreds, if only the alpha commanded it.

It was at this point when I began to shiver from the cold that I realized something...

They doused me with cold water. Which alpha would humiliate his Luna like this? 

A well-deserved welcome for a nobody, huh? 

Celeste Holmes, didn't you just jump from the frying pan to fire?