: FUCK OFF BITCH

Riley’s POV

“Who the hell are you?!” the naked girl shrieked at me.

“I’m sorry. I went into the wrong room,” I said immediately, backing up.

“You were spying on us?! You disgusting sick little creep!” she kept on screaming.

Footsteps rushed up behind me. Within seconds, a crowd had gathered in the doorway, including my lovely roommates.

"Riley! What are you doing here?" Layla gasped. Her panic was ironic, considering she was the one who told me to come here for textbooks.

"I came here because you told me to. You literally said it a few minutes ago, remember?"

"No way. I would never send you here," she denied immediately. "Everyone knows the hallway at the end of the West Wing belongs to Ezra. No one's allowed there. Not even teachers."

Camila crossed her arms and glared at me. "And who picks up textbooks on the first day of orientation? Everyone knows they get handed out in class."

“So you lied and tricked me into this,” I said coldly.

“Bullshit!” Camila cried. “I didn’t even talk to you during the orientation. Everyone in our dorm saw it…Right girls?”

All the other girls in our dorm nodded instantly, eager to confirm her story. And suddenly I was this disgusting little freak who peeked on the Lycan King’s heir having sex with his girlfriend.

“Fine. So I had walked into the wrong room. I already apologized. Can I go now?”

I tried to walk past them. Camila shoved me back hard.

“What the hell is your problem?!” I snapped.

“You think you can just walk away after barging into Ezra’s space? After how you’ve intruded him?” Her voice dripped with venom. “This is the Royal Academy. We have rules here. Not like that uncivilized shithole you crawled out of.”

She looked past me and suddenly flushed. “Ezra, don’t you agree? She should be punished.”

Ezra finally sat up.

His shirt hung open, toned chest and abs on full display.

He raised an eyebrow at her but didn’t respond right away.

“So I’m supposed to be punished because I walked into the wrong room? That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Obviously. That’s how the Lycan world works.” Layla said with a plastic smile. “Let me think…You should be whipped—10 lashes—and expelled from school.”

“Bullshit. Only the principal can expel me,” I said coldly.

"Wanna bet?" Camila rolled her eyes. "Girls, get her out of Ezra’s room. Make sure she’s gone for by the end of the day."

The girls charged at me. One yanked my hair, another tore at my shirt. Their long nails dug into my skin. I tried to fight them off. "Get off me!"

Yet my resistance only made them laugh.

"Get out of our school, dog!" someone shouted. "This place isn’t for werewolves like you."

"Yeah, disappear already!"

“You don’t’ belong here!”

They were just about to drag me out when a lazy voice called out:

"Wait."

The room froze. They all turned and looked over to him.

Ezra strolled over, hands in his pockets, a smug grin on his face. His chest was still bare, and there were still hickeys left by his girlfriend. He radiated smug arrogance.

"Tell them to let me go," I hissed.

He grinned wider. "I almost didn’t recognize you at the gate. Long time no see, Riley."

There’s a collective gasp. Everyone looked utterly shocked.

"You—you know her?" Camila stuttered.

"Yup. And you might want to be careful. She’s not just any werewolf," he said, eyes glinting sinisterly as he looked at me. "Why don’t you tell them who you are?"

I stayed silent.

"Everyone, meet Riley Monroe, daughter of my father's new wife." he announced.

I sighed internally.

There was a long silence. Then Layla broke it, her voice shaking.

"Wait... the King’s new wife…You mean—she’s THAT WHORE’S daughter?!"

"Don’t call my mom that," I said sharply.

No one listened.

Ezra gave a humorless laugh. "Yes, that same whore who was been fucking my father while my mother was still on her sickbed. And barely six months after my mother passed, she couldn’t wait to marry him. That. Whore."

I glared at him, furious. But unfortunately, nothing he said was a lie.

My mother had been seeing the King even before his wife passed away. Even from the small village where I came from, I heard rumors about my mom. No one likes a homewrecker. Especially not in the royal family.

And that’s how I ended up here.

After the Queen finally passed, my mom pushed through the marriage. I’d been raised by my grandmother for a decade, but suddenly, my mom insisted I come stay with her and hold her hand through the wedding.

Classic her.

Never thinking about what this would do to my life.

"So once my dad marries her mom, she becomes my stepsister," Ezra said, looking right at me. "As much as I hate the idea, I’ll have to deal with her existence."

"That’s not fair," Camila said shakily.

"Why her?" Layla cried.

I took a deep breath. "Believe me, I hate this arrangement more than you do."

"Oh really? Sure doesn’t look like it. Pulling stunts on the first day to impress me? You might even be worse than your mother."

Ezra grabbed my chin. I gasped—he gripped too hard.

"Stay away from me, mutt.” he growled. “Being my stepsister doesn’t mean I want you anywhere near me."

He gave my shoulder a hard shove and walked off. His ridiculously hot girlfriend followed him, but not before throwing me a nasty glare.

Everyone else stared at me like I was something rotten. I had expected this. It’s why I tried to keep my identity quiet as long as possible. But that hope died on day one.

I shook off the girls and walked out, alone.

The rest of the orientation was like hell.

The rumors spread like wildfire. People whispered behind my back all day. By the time the campus tour ended, everyone knew I was the daughter of that whore.

When the group was finally dismissed, I could barely breathe. I just wanted to get to my dorm and drop dead on my bed.

Our dorms were some cozy little villas, six students per house. When I found the house labeled "6," there was already a crowd outside. They were all pointing at something, laughing, and talking loudly.

Suddenly I had a bad feeling.

And as soon as they saw me coming, they scattered.

I went straight to the front door.

And then, I saw it.

My luggage was dumped on the floor. My clothes had been shredded into pieces. My things were smashed. Books torn apart and thrown in front of a bedroom door.

And on the wall, in bright red spray paint, it said:

FUCK OFF. BITCH.

: Red Paint

Riley’s POV

I stared at the red paint on the wall for a second, then spun on my heel and walked out.

Camila and her little gang were still blocking the doorway like they were waiting to see me break down. I walked right up to them. “Move.”

“You still wanna stay in this dorm? It’s not too late to change your mind—”

“Move before I lose it.” I bared my wolf fangs at them.

They froze, clearly not expecting me to get physical. Before they could react, I shoved Camila out of the way and stormed off.

People were still whispering, pointing, and staring at me the whole way down the hall, but I ignored every single one of them and headed straight to the staff’s office.

The lady working there looked half-asleep and bored out of her mind. Her droopy eyes barely looked up when I came in, “What?”

“My things were ripped apart and thrown all over the dorm. Someone spray-painted my wall. I believe I’ve been bullied by my peers. Now I need you to find out who did it and do something about it.”

She finally lifted her head and blinked at me. Then she drawled, “…Wait. You’re that girl… the daughter of—”

“Yes. I’m Everly Monroe’s daughter. What about it?”

She gave me a fake little smile. “Look, bullying really isn’t that common in this school. Most of our students are well-educated and have a very good manner. If you feel targeted, maybe it’s worth reflecting on what you might’ve done to upset the whole group.”

“The only thing my mom and I have ever done to piss anyone off is getting involved with your King. Now, do I need to get your king here to apologize to you?” I asked sharply.

Her jaw dropped. “N-No, that’s not what I meant…”

I planted both hands on her desk and stared her down. “Find out who did it. And repaint my room. You think you can get it done by tomorrow?”

“Yeah, yeah, I think so…”

“Good. Because if it’s not done by tomorrow, I’ll be back to have another chat.”

I walked out without looking back.

All my stuff was ruined. I didn’t even have clothes to change into tomorrow. Not even a toothbrush. So after hesitating for a while, I finally pulled out my phone. Unsurprisingly, there were 9 missed calls and a crazy dozen texts.

[Randall said you arrived. Why aren’t you home yet?]

[You’re making me worried, honey.]

[Call me back.]

[Are you at least coming home for dinner? Your father wants to meet you.]

I let out a long sigh, then typed three words: [OMY.]

Half an hour later, a car drove me into the very heart of the Full Moon Pack—the palace.

It was the most beautiful building I’d ever seen. Snow-white walls, arched towers, a silver-domed roof, and an entrance that looked like it belonged in a fairy tale.

But honestly, I couldn’t say I was happy to be here.

A group of omega maids greeted me at the gate, flustering to open my door and hand me a welcome drink like I was checking into a five-star resort. I was just about to tell them to chill out when I heard the sharp clack of heels.

My mother, Everly Monroe, was hurrying toward me.

She was without a doubt the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. Delicate features, huge innocent eyes, and a slender figure that made her look like a goddess or an angel. Her soft blonde hair looked like it had been kissed by moonlight—no wonder the media once called her “the woman who most resembles the Moon Goddess.”

Someone like her was never meant to stay in a place like Pebble Creek Pack, let alone marry a farmer. And she realized that pretty quickly herself. At age 21, she walked out of our house and never looked back.

I always knew she’d climb higher.

I just never expected her to go this high.

“Oh, my sweet baby.”

She reached out and hugged me. I sighed inwardly and gave her a few awkward pats on the back.

“Hey Mom. How are you?”

“You have me so worried! When Randall came home without you, I thought something had happened. Thank goodness you’re safe.” She cupped my face in her hands. “God, look at you. It’s been so long…”

“8 years,” I said for her.

“Right. 8 years. I can’t believe it… You’ve grown into such a beautiful woman, and I’ve aged so much…”

Her face had nothing to do with the word “aged.” She looked just as beautiful as a decade ago. And to make things even more annoying, I saw tears welling up in her eyes.

“Don’t cry mom. I’m here, aren’t I?” I sighed again.

She wiped her eyes quickly. “Yeah you’re right. What am I thinking? So stupid of me to cry…I just really, really need you here, sweetheart. It’s the most important moment of my life, and I want the most important person to witness it. I need your blessing. And your… support.”

She emphasized “support.”

If the bullying I was facing out there was intense, I could only imagine how much worse it must be for her. For a delicate woman like my mom, it was probably killing her. No wonder she insisted on dragging me from the countryside into this hellhole.

She held my hand and smiled through her tears. “And I’ve made all the arrangements. You’ll study at the Royal Academy for 3 years, then join the Healers’ Association in Full Moon Pack right after graduation. You always wanted to be a healer, didn’t you? Your grandmother said you’re really talented—”

“Hold on.” I cut her off. “I’m only staying here for a year. Once your wedding’s over and you’re all settled in, I’m leaving.”

Her face changed instantly. “Leaving? Where are you going?”

I already had plans, but I wasn’t about to tell her. She’d have a heart attack once she heard my plan.

“Wherever I’m not surrounded by Lycans. I don’t belong here.”

“Yes, you do!” She squeezed my hand so hard it hurt. “I’m marrying the Lycan King. I belong here. So do you. If you want to be a healer, where else could be better than this?”

“Mom, don’t push it.”

She looked at me pleadingly. “Stay, Riley. Stay and make me proud. I’m begging you.”

She wanted me to make her proud.

But I wasn’t sure she’d feel that way if she knew my secret.

After a long silence, I gave in, “I’m hungry. Didn’t you say we were having dinner?”

She finally smiled. “Of course, baby. Dinner’s all ready. Come on.”

She led me into this huge dining hall. A long banquet table stretched down the middle, covered with enough food to feed a village. She sat me down beside her.

“Your father’s looking forward to meeting you honey. He’ll join us soon—”

“The Lycan King is not my father,” I said coldly.

Her grip on me tightened, nails digging into my skin. “Don’t make this difficult, Riley.”

I stared her down stubbornly. That’s when I heard steady footsteps from the doorway.

The Lycan King Soren Ravenshire walked in.

He was massive. Easily 6’5. Sharp features, broad shoulders, and a powerful, intimidating presence that made you want to bow your head on instinct. He looked nothing like his son. Ezra probably got his looks from his mom.

“Riley!” he boomed as he crossed the room. “I’ve been wanting to meet you.”

“Pleasure to meet you, my king,” I said politely, shaking his hand.

“Please, no need for titles. We’re about to be family. You’re practically my daughter already.”

“I won’t be calling you Dad. I already have one,” I said.

Mom tensed up visually like she wanted to leap across the table and cover my mouth. Soren paused, then let out a hearty laugh. “Of course I understand. You can call me Soren.”

“Thank you, my king.” I smiled. Still didn’t change the title.

We sat down at the table. Soren turned to me, “I heard you’ve enrolled at the Royal Academy. That’s good. It’s where the brightest in the kingdom come from. I hope you’ll be one of them. In fact, my son Ezra goes there too. You’ll probably see him around.”

“We’ve already met,” I said. And he made a lasting impression.

“Really?” Mom beamed and gripped my hand. Clearly, she misunderstood. “I think he’ll be joining us for dinner too. I was thinking of asking him to look out for you at school—you know since you’re new, and he’s graduating soon.”

I was about to beg her not to do something so stupid when the dining room doors suddenly slammed open.

Ezra Ravenshire stood in the doorway.

“You’re late Ezra,” Soren boomed.

“I wasn’t sure I wanted to come to this stupid dinner,” his son smirked.

Then he turned his icy green eyes toward us. A chill ran down my spine. Mom sat up straighter, like bracing for a blow.

“Now who the fuck said you could use my mother’s silver?”

: I'll Ruin Your Daughter

Riley’s POV

“Your mother’s silver?” My mom looked panicked. “I—I didn’t know…”

Ezra gave her a mocking smile. “Yeah right because you've already fucked my mom’s man, so I guess stealing her stuff doesn’t seem like a big deal to you huh?”

“No, I swear, I had no idea—”

“Ezra,” King Soren growled. “That’s enough.”

“You invited your mistress and her damn daughter into my home. So I'll say when it's enough.”

King Soren stood up, his presence suddenly overwhelming. “Everly and I are getting married soon. It’s happening whether you like it or not. So drop the damn attitude.”

I held my breath.

The Lycan King being angry was terrifying. I doubted anyone could breathe normally under that intense gaze.

But clearly, our heir wasn’t just anyone. He strode forward, locking eyes with his father defiantly. “Like it or not this is my fucking attitude. You seriously think I don’t know what you did? My mother was on her deathbed, and you were out having fun with this whor—”

“EZRA!” his father roared.

“What? Suddenly feeling ashamed now? You should be. Because you fucking betrayed your dying wife and her love!”

King Soren grabbed a glass and hurled it at the wall. My mom burst into tears at the sound of shattering glass.

“Apologize to Everly. NOW,” Soren growled.

“Never,” Ezra rolled his eyes.

Then he looked over at us, and my mom immediately clutched me tightly, trembling with fear. Ezra seemed to find her reaction amusing and lifted his lips into a sarcastic smile.

“Get out of my mother’s house. You hear me? Or I’ll destroy you. No, not just you. I’ll fucking ruin your precious little daughter. You wouldn’t want that, would you?”

He gave me a long, hard look, then turned and stormed out of the dining room.

My mom immediately collapsed into a chair. She covered her face and started sobbing. “Oh God, what are we going to do…”

“I’m sorry you had to see that, Riley,” King Soren sighed.

“It’s fine,” I shook my head. Honestly, I didn’t think it was a big deal. If my dad had betrayed my mom like that, I’d react the same way.

“That’s the downside of having a son. I can hardly get him to agree with me on anything.” King Soren sighed again. “I always wanted a daughter, and now you are here. Riley, I believe you can bring change to this family.”

I smiled at him but said nothing.

He probably imagined me as the obedient, gentle daughter who never talks back to their parents.

But wait until he discovers my secrets and who I really am.

We finished dinner in awkward silence. King Soren had other work to attend to, so he left first. My mom walked me to my room.

The room was large and luxurious. It was clear my mom had redecorated it to suit my tastes, probably hoping I’d stay here permanently. But I knew I’d end up disappointing her.

She sat me down on the bed, her beautiful face filled with helplessness. “Oh God, Ezra… he’s like a demon isn’t he? What are we going to do about him?”

“Just avoid him as much as possible. Besides, you have King Soren to protect you,” I said. The one really needed to worry was me. Because Ezra practically owned the Royal Academy, and there was no one there to protect me.

“But I can’t avoid him forever. In fact… I need him.” She bit her lip. “Ezra’s coming-of-age ceremony is in 3 days. He might even find his mate then. It’ll be a big gathering for the entire pack, and it’s also my first public appearance. But he said if I’m there, he won’t show up… But he has to be there. What will people say if he’s not? I can’t let them gossip about me again.”

I looked at her, frowning.

Wait a minute, why was she telling me all this?

“Where is this going, Mom?”

She took my hand. “You go to the same school as him now. You have more chances to get close to him than I do. If you could somehow persuade him to attend the ceremony…”

“Hold on. You want me to talk to him?” It was so ridiculous that I almost laughed. “Did you hear what he just said? He said he’d ruin my life! What makes you think he’d listen to me?”

“But I’ve tried everything, Riley. Soren says I don’t need to worry about it, but I know if he doesn’t show up, the whole pack will mock me. They’ll use it to stop me from marrying Soren…”

She looked like she was about to cry again, gripping my hand tightly.

“Help me this once, please?”

I frowned at her.

This was classic her. Always finding ways to manipulate others into doing things that benefited her.

But no matter what, she was still my mother.

Even knowing she had ulterior motives, I couldn’t completely ignore her. Besides, I didn’t want to let Ezra turn my year here into a complete disaster.

“I’ll try.”

She immediately smiled and leaned in to hug me. “Oh, sweetheart, I knew you were the best. Now go to sleep. You have school tomorrow. Can’t be late on day one.”

She kissed my forehead and finally left my room.

I collapsed onto the bed. It was as soft as a cloud, but at that moment, I missed my simple wooden bed back in the countryside of Pebble Creek.

***

The next morning, I made sure to slip out of the castle before my mom even woke up.

By the time I reached Royal Academy, dawn was just breaking, and the campus was still cloaked in silence. Back at the dorm, I noticed that the red spray paint had been covered up. Good. Looks like the staff took my threat seriously.

After a quick shower and a change of clothes, I headed to class early. I didn’t like the idea of bumping into my lovely roommates or making a grand entrance with all eyes on me.

First period was Werewolf History. I snagged a seat in the back before anyone showed up, pulled my baseball cap low, and rested my head on the desk.

As students trickled in, no one paid me any attention—just the way I liked it.

The class started soon.

I listened for about 30 minutes and realized that the professor wasn’t teaching anything I didn’t already knew.

Don’t get me wrong the Royal Academy's curriculum was definitely more advanced than the high school I attended back at Pebble Creek.

But again, I didn’t learn from my high school either.

Grandmother’s extensive book collection made sure that I knew everything I needed to know. Plus she was a renowned healer before retiring to the countryside. I learnt from the best.

This meant I could easily maintain good grades here. That freed up time for what I really needed to focus on.

I stopped paying attention to the lecture and pulled out a sheet of paper to jot down my plans.

As soon as the class ended, I slung my backpack over my shoulder and made a beeline for the next classroom while the others were still chatting.

4 hours later, all classes in the morning were over. Students were flocking to the dining hall in groups. I walked alone, blending into the crowd like a lone nerd.

The entire morning had passed without anyone noticing me.

Great. My plan was working.

If I could just get through this year peacefully, I'd be fine being a ghost.

"Wow! Look who it is!" someone suddenly shouted behind me and knocked my cap off.

...Almost working.

Almost instantly, all heads turned in the hallway. People stared at me. Their expressions shifted from surprise to disgust. And I heard the whispers.

"Oh god, that's the whore's daughter..."

"She's Ezra's enemy..."

"Bitch."

I took a deep breath, picked up my cap, and hurried into the cafeteria.

Being exposed meant blending in was no longer an option. Everywhere I went, eyes followed. After grabbing my food, I searched for a seat, but every time I approached an empty spot, someone would quickly occupy it.

"This seat's taken," a boy said with a fake smile.

"There are four empty seats at this table. No one's sitting here," I snapped.

He poured his soda over the empty seats, then looked at me defiantly. People were laughing and whistling behind me.

“…Fine.” I exhaled sharply and walked away.

Just when I thought I'd have to eat standing up, I spotted a skinny boy sitting alone at a corner table. He held his head down, seemingly wanting to be left alone. Just like me.

I walked over. “Hey can I sit here?”

He glanced up quickly, nervous. "Oh yeah. Please, go ahead."

I sighed in relief and sat beside him. "Thanks."

He sneaked another look at me. "You're...You're Riley Monroe..."

"Let me guess. You know me because of my mother."

"N-no, also because... because you're like…really pretty." His face turned red.

Well, that's new. I chuckled. "Thanks. What's your name?"

"Roy...Roy Jones."

"Nice to meet you, Roy. Oh, you've got peanut butter on the corner of your mouth."

He looked confused. I grabbed a napkin to wipe it off.

Suddenly, a shadow loomed over us. Then my wrist was seized.

A cold, harsh voice came from above—

"Three seconds without looking and you're already seducing another guy. Just like your dear mother, little sis."