Chapter 1 ~ Unexpected Summons

(Zarina POV)

The winter solstice always casts a long shadow, a blend of fleeting warmth and lingering grief. My arrival into this world was a cruel trade: my mother and twin brother, claimed by the birthing snows. I am Zarina, seventeen, and Northern Canada's biting winds mirror the chill within my heart. My father, far from harboring resentment, displays a chilling indifference. My survival, it seems, is merely a means to an end, a pawn in his calculated plans. I am to be wed to Beta’s son, a strategic alliance sealed when I reach twenty-one. Each falling snowflake feels like a tightening noose, a visual representation of the suffocating expectations that bind me to a fate I did not choose.

My father's decision to wait until I turn twenty-one has always left me feeling conflicted. On the one hand, I understand the reason behind it - our werewolf genes do not fully manifest until that age, making the first shift a traumatic experience for many young shifters. But on the other hand, I cannot help but feel frustrated and restless knowing that my wolf spirit has been waiting to connect with me for three years already. It is like having a part of myself just out of reach, and I cannot help but wonder what kind of bond we could have formed if we had connected earlier. Yet, I also know deep down that my father's decision was made from love and protection for me, and I cannot resent him for that.

From the time I was born until I was sixteen, I had only one friend, Rosa, who I affectionately call Rose. I was born when Rose was six, she was assigned as my personal maid by my father to help care for me, however our relationship was less of her being my maid and more friend and big sister, Rose has always been a truly kind and caring individual. Rose has lived in the Alpha mansion since she was just a baby, her father was the original Beta of our pack my father’s second in command and her mother was his mate.

When Rose was only three months old during the harsh winter months the beat and his mate had to travel to another pack to talk about a pack treaty between the two packs. On the return trip from the other pack both of her parents were slaughtered by rouges, this was a few years before I was born. My parents decided to adopt Rosa because they had no children yet and there was no one to take in Rose and raise her, so Rose continued to live in our mansion as the adopted child of Alpha Lucan and Luna Yvonne.

Only the people in my pack know that I am the only blood daughter of an alpha but only Rose and I know that I have already established a bond with my wolf. I was shocked when it happened Rose and I were in my room celebrating my sixteenth birthday and suddenly there was another voice inside my head. My wolf’s name is Ivory, she is loyal, kind and is always there for me as a listening ear. So, on my birthday that year I doubled the number of friends I had now I have Rosa and Ivory.

When I was six my father chose to get remarried and take another mate because he could not stand to look at me anymore and needed help to take care of me so that he would not have to acknowledge my existence. At first when my stepmother came into our lives, she seemed kind and sweet but after she and my father had tried to have more children my stepmother Luella began to change, and this may be because all her pregnancies seemed to end in miscarriages.

By the time I was ten they had tried multiple times and had at least six miscarriages after the last one Luella began to resent my existence and treat me poorly. However, she only did this when we were alone because even though my father ignored me, he did not want me harmed. So now I refer to Luella as Lu because she hates the nickname as according to her it is too masculine sounding, I disagree but I do not like her, so I do it anyway. Now I know this sounds bad but as the years have gone by Lu has increasingly gotten increasingly aggressive towards me. She has started to abuse me physically and mentally, only Rose and Ivory know about the abuse they tell me I should report it. I always say no because I do not believe anyone would believe that the kind Luna would do such a thing to the Alphas daughter.

I have not been sleeping well of late due to the weird dreams I have been having, so when there is a knock on my bedroom door. I groggily wake up and check my phone on my bedside table. It reads 6 a.m. I yell at the door in frustration.

“Whomever Is at my door at 6 in the morning better have a good reason to disturb my sleep if not come back at 7 I am going back to sleep!”

There is another knock on the door even louder this time. Ivory advises me.

“Just get the door to get it over with.”

“Fine.” I grumble under my breath.

“Whomever is at my door at this ungodly hour better have a damn good reason or I will ring your fucking neck.”

As I finish my statement another even louder knock comes from the other side door which infuriates me even more, so I rush to the door and open it aggressively. On the other side of the door is one of my father’s younger warriors, I am not sure which one he is, I just glare at him in anger.

“What the fuck do you want?”

The warrior raises his eyebrows at my sudden outburst, which is when he starts looking up and down at what I am wearing, and that is when I then realize that in my rush to get to the door, I forgot to grab my robe. I am currently only wearing a white shear camisole and thong. I try not to let the warrior know that I am annoyed by the fact that he can see everything I have to offer. But I do notice the warrior has a mate mark on his neck, and I clear my throat to get his attention, and he looks up and I advise him.

“I think your mate may have an issue with you looking at anywhere but my face.”

He blushes and informs me.

“The Alpha and Luna would like a word with you in his office on the third floor at 7 in the morning.”

“Ok.”

I slammed the door in his face, I proceeded to gather myself after the embarrassing situation at the door when I might as well have been naked in front of that warrior. I wonder and ask Ivory.