I was originally an illegitimate daughter of the Lancaster pack, growing up depending on my sick mother.

My sister Hannah was born with a silver spoon, the pride of heaven, loved by the Alpha Jace, and treasured like a gem.

Eight years ago, she died in childbirth, leaving the newborn Mason.

The Fairfax pack needed someone to take care of the child.

My father used my mother's medical expenses to threaten me, forcing me to sign an eight-year contract, marrying in to take care of their father and son.

And here is the cub I'd nurtured through eight cycles -whose fur I'd groomed, whose howls I'd soothed-now stood before me as a snarling shadow.

With a flick of his hand, I was sent crashing into the iron - barred cage.

Inside, a pack of feral, starved were - tigers prowled, their eyes glowing a malevolent sulfur - yellow. Their ragged breaths carried the stench of decay, mingling with the coppery tang of my own blood .​

As the night wore on, a symphony of pain played out within the cage.

Their claws raked across my flesh, tearing through my once - sleek silver fur.

I could feel the sinew and muscle beneath being shredded. My mangled body slumped against the cold bars.

They magnified every bite, every scratch, turning the agony into an endless, torturous loop.

Mason Fairfax loomed on the steps outside.

In his werewolf form, he towered over me, his claws as long and sharp as ancient daggers.

"How does it feel, traitor?"

"When you sank your fangs into the throat of the pup my mother left me, did you think justice would come for you? You're nothing but an interloper, a parasite in our pack! I'll rip you to shreds and feed your remains to the vultures!"​

My throat was raw from hours of howling in pain, but I summoned the last of my strength to snarl back.

"The pup died in his sleep! I tried to save him, but the darkness took him!"​

"Lies!" Mason slammed his paw against the cage with such force that the iron bars groaned and bent.

The were - tigers inside went into a frenzy, their claws scratching furiously at the metal, their fangs snapping inches from my face.

I attempted to scramble away, but my injured leg gave way beneath me, and I crashed to the cold, blood - soaked ground of the cage.​

A low - ranking pack member dared to step forward. "Young alpha - in - waiting, the diviners have foreseen the pup's death in the stars. Madam had no part in it!"​

Mason whirled around. "Silence, worm! Even if it was fate, she failed to protect what was most sacred to our pack! She must pay with her suffering!"

He turned back to me, his gaze a searing brand.

"Triple the guards! And bring the silver - tipped whips. Let her scream until her voice is nothing but a whisper in the wind!"​

As the were - tigers closed in, their claws extended and mouths foaming with anticipation, I let out a final, mournful howl .​

Time became a blur of pain and darkness.

And then, the heavy thud of powerful footsteps.

"Mason Fairfax. What blasphemy is this?"​

Alpha Jace Fairfax loomed at the doorway.

His nostrils flared as he took in the stench of my blood and pain.

"Release her. Now. Or face the full wrath of the alpha's judgment."​

As the bodyguards unlocked the cage, my weakened form trembled violently.

Every muscle in my body protested as I tried to stand, my legs shaking like reeds in a storm.

I nearly collapsed, but as Jace reached out a hand to steady me, I flinched away.​

His brows furrowed, and a low, dangerous growl rumbled from his chest.

"Why did you not call for the pack? "​

I bared my teeth in a pained snarl, fresh blood trickling from my reopened wounds.

"Call for help? In this pack, I am a ghost, a forgotten shadow. Who among you would answer the cries of an outsider?"​

In the sterile hospital wing of the pack, the acrid stench of antiseptic burned my sensitive werewolf nostrils.

I lay on the cold, hard metal table.

The healer's tools, glinting menacingly under the harsh, artificial lights, sent jolts of fear through my veins.

As the antiseptic touched my lacerations, it was as if liquid fire coursed through my body.

For eight long lunar cycles, Alpha Jace had treated me with the coldness of a winter's night.

Mason, his cub, had bared his fangs at me in hatred, his every growl a warning to leave the pack.

I'd been nothing but a lone wolf in a foreign land, my attempts to integrate met with snarls and turned backs.​

As I lay in the infirmary, bandages soaked in my blood, Alpha Jace finally deigned to visit.

His golden - rimmed eyes scanned my broken form without a flicker of emotion. "The pup's death was on your negligence," he growled.

"Mason's rage is justified. Endure it. Your mother's discharge? I've arranged a secluded den in the mountains. Consider it payment for your service."​

"Save it, Alpha. Our mating agreement expires in a moon cycle. Once it does, I'll vanish from your territory like a wisp of smoke."​

His hackles rose.

"Don't test my patience, she - wolf. Your protests are meaningless. The den will be prepared."

With a final, disdainful snort, he turned on his heel and stalked out.​

Alone in the sterile infirmary, I let out a mournful howl .​

In the days that followed, my wounds throbbed in time with the ache in my heart.

While I fought for survival, Alpha Jace and Mason ignored my existence.

Instead, the air was thick with the cloying scent of their happiness, broadcasted through Diana Whitmore's social posts.​

Photos showed Alpha Jace, sleek in his suit, his alpha presence dominating the restaurant.

Mason leaned against his father's leg, his eyes shining with adoration.

Diana, a beautiful she - wolf in a flowing gown, nestled close. The caption, read: "Dining with my pack, contentment is a warm hearth."​

I stared at the images.

When the moon next reached its fullest, I'd leave this pack behind.

On the day of my discharge, I signed the release papers with a trembling hand. Limping back to Fairfax Manor, my injured leg dragging heavily.

Pushing open the creaking door, I was hit with the stench of emptiness.

Alpha Jace and Mason were nowhere to be found.

I made my way to my room,. At the bottom of a hidden wardrobe, I unearthed a wooden box. Inside, the money and documents I'd painstakingly saved over eight lunar cycles glinted like a beacon of hope.​

Just as I started packing, the door slammed open.

Mason stood there, eyes glowing with hostility. "What are you doing, interloper?"

"Packing my things. " ​

His growl echoed through the room.

""The monsoon's stench is in the air. Father says you're to sort Mother's things. Let anything mildew, and I'll make your last few days here a living hell. And don't forget-my coming - of - age runs with the next full moon. You'll craft a feast ."

With a final menacing snarl, he stalked away.​

Three grueling days later, the banquet was ready.

But I flung open the wardrobe, a horrified howl caught in my throat.

My once - polished, elegant shoes, each pair a symbol of the little dignity I clung to in this pack, now lay in mangled shreds.

The leather was torn asunder, the heels snapped like twigs, and the scent of Mason's malevolent glee still lingered in the air.​

Mason swaggered in. A cruel smirk twisted his lips.

"No shoes to strut in, huh?" he sneered.

"You'll slink through the party bare - feet, just like the lowly cur you are!"​

Just as I stood there, surrounded by the ruins of my footwear and drowning in despair, a foreign scent prickled my nostrils.

Diana Whitmore sauntered into the room. "Poor thing," she crooned

"I caught wind of your little footwear fiasco. Fear not, I've something that'll turn heads."

With a flourish, she produced a pair of light green mermaid - style shoes.

The material rippled like the surface of a magical pond, and they were encrusted with countless rhinestones that sparkled with an otherworldly glow.

"Hurry and slip them on," she urged. "The banquet's about to begin, and you wouldn't want to keep the future alpha waiting, now would you?"​

As I limped into the banquet hall wearing the shoes, the air grew thick with palpable tension.

The chatter and growls that had filled the room moments ago died away, replaced by an eerie, heavy silence.

The entire pack's eyes, glowing with an array of yellow, green, and blue hues, locked onto me.

Before I could even begin to process the suffocating atmosphere, a deafening snarl shattered the silence.

Mason, his fur standing on end like spikes and his eyes ablaze with furious, possessive fire, lunged towards me.

"Who dared to let you defile my mother's shoes?!"

I down, my werewolf eyes narrowing to slits.

A low growl rumbled in my chest as I recognized the shoes.

They weren't just any footwear-they were imbued with my sister Hannah's lingering scent.

Diana stood a few paces away, a victorious snarl playing on her lips.

Before I could react, Mason lunged at me.

With a powerful shove, I was sent flying down the stairs.

The impact was brutal, and I could feel the sharp pain of my skull cracking against the cold, hard marble.

Blood gushed from the wound.​

As the bodyguards hauled me up, my vision blurred by the blood trickling into my eyes, I heard Mason's enraged howl echo through the hall.

"Strip those shoes off her! That lowly wolf isn't fit to even touch my mother's things!"

Rough hands grabbed at my feet, and the shoes were torn away with such force that my skin was left raw and bleeding.

I was left barefoot, my toes curling against the cold floor as I shivered and curled into a ball, feeling more vulnerable than ever.​

The whispers of the pack members around me were like a swarm of angry bees.

Each murmured word, each pointed finger, felt like a physical bite.​

Just then, Alpha Jace pushed through the crowd, his golden - rimmed eyes blazing with anger.

"What is the meaning of this chaos?" he roared.​

Mason immediately rushed to his father's side, his eyes wide and filled with false innocence.

"Dad! She deliberately stole Mom's shoes! She's trying to replace her in our pack!" Alpha Jace's expression darkened, and his gaze turned to me.

The warmth that I had occasionally glimpsed in his eyes was gone, replaced by a cold, hard stare. His scent turned bitter, filled with disappointment and anger.

"Ellie Lancaster, I thought you understood your place in this pack. You're nothing but an outsider who was lucky enough to be allowed in. No one can ever replace Hannah in my heart. You should have known your place from the moment you married in!"​

I opened my mouth to defend myself, but a thick, suffocating fog seemed to fill my throat.

Just then, Diana sauntered over, her hips swaying with a confidence that made my blood boil.

She was dressed in a light green gown that clung to her curves, and her hair and makeup were an exact replica of my sister's.​

The pack members around us gasped in awe.

"They look so alike... It's as if Hannah has returned from the dead," .​

I watched in horror as Alpha Jace's eyes widened in shock.

His scent changed, becoming sweeter, filled with a longing that I had never seen directed at me. Mason, his eyes red with tears, threw himself into Diana's arms.

"Aunt Diana, I wish you were my mom! I don't want Ellie anymore!"

Diana wrapped her arms around him, stroking his head soothingly.

Alpha Jace stared at her, transfixed.

After a long moment, he suddenly lunged forward and pulled her into a tight embrace.

The love and adoration in his eyes were palpable.​

I stood there, frozen, as if encased in a block of ice.

Eight long years I had spent in this pack, pouring my heart and soul into taking care of them, only to be cast aside like a worthless piece of prey.

I had endured Mason's hatred, Alpha Jace's coldness, all in the hope that one day I would be accepted.

But Diana, with her resemblance to my sister, had effortlessly stolen everything I had ever wanted.​