Chapter 1

Louisa's POV

"Hey, what the hell are you doing here?!" A soldier screamed at me.

"I'm sorry… I'm just trying to get something to eat…" I apologized, throwing a piece of burnt bread back into the trash.

The soldier pushed me away and said, "Can't you see that there's going to be an important meeting in the tent?! The White Walkers are coming! They're the White Walkers! They'll shred you into pieces when they see you!"

He pushed me down to the ground.

As I was struggling to stand up, I saw my stepbrother Zion walking out of the tent.

As soon as I saw him, I knew I had gotten into trouble again.

Zion was a medium—built young man, with dark hair and dark eyes, just like his mother Rosalie.

Rosalie used to be a chambermaid of my mother, who used to be the princess of Blade Ridge Pack.

Unfortunately, my mother passed away as soon as she gave birth to me. She didn't even manage to give me a name.

Rosalie seduced my father as soon as my mother passed away.

She got pregnant and gave birth to Zion.

So, he became the prince of the entire Crimson Creek tribe and I became the doormat.

I worked as a help girl at our tribe, doing the same things as the slaves did.

Cooking in the canteen. Doing the laundry. Making potions in the Shaman's heating chamber. Sweeping the altars.

I did everything I could to stay in the tribe, living on scraps of leftovers and people's occasional sympathy.

But that just wasn't enough for Rosalie.

In order to secure her position in the tribe, she spread the rumors about my mother, claiming she was nothing but a whore.

Almost everyone in our tribe hated me because Rosalie kept telling everyone that I was a plague, the unfortunate and cursed one.

I was treated like the liability, the thief, the liar.

I became the weakest, and the most useless she—wolf in the tribe because I was suffering from severe malnutrition.

I wasn't able to shift until I was 19 years old, whereas other wolves shift as soon as they reached puberty.

In a wolf tribe, being weak means being retarded.

And being retarded means being bullied.

Zion was the head of all my bullies.

As soon as Zion saw me outside the tent, his face darkened.

"What the fuck? Why is this she—wolf here?" he asked.

"Sorry, Zion. She was trying to steal some bread from the trash. Filthy little thief!" The soldier spat at me.

"I'm not a thief. I'm just hungry. The bread was thrown into the trash. Nobody wants it…"

I hadn't finished my sentence before Zion slapped me across my cheek.

"Nobody wants the bread, that doesn't mean you can have it! You nameless she—wolf!" he said.

I covered my face and blood was dripping from the side of my mouth.

I looked up at him and saw his lips curled up mercilessly.

I recognized that it was a sign of his rage.

"I'm sorry, Zion. I won't do it again." I apologized in a low voice.

"Last time when you were caught, you said the same thing. You stupid lying bitch. I'll have to teach you a lesson today, so you'll remember it for the rest of your life!"

He grabbed a whip from a passing soldier and started to lash me.

My body curled up in pain as I rolled on the ground.

I bit my lips so I didn't scream out.

I knew he wanted to see me suffering, but I just didn't want to give it to him.

Zion was furious.

"Soldier!" he yelled, "Hold her up fast! Let her stay put!"

"Yes, Zion!" The soldier grabbed my arms and pulled me up.

He locked my arms behind my back, so I couldn't dodge Zion's whip.

I closed my eyes.

I waited for the whip to fall down again on my body, but nothing happened.

The hands which were holding me were also gone.

When I looked up, I saw Alpha Jacob, my father, standing in front of me.

He was in his mid—fifties, with champagne—colored hair and a pair of grey eyes.

Next to him stood my stepmother, Rosalie.

She was an attractive beauty in her forties, with raven black long hair and rare hazelnut—colored eyes.

"What have you done to my son to make him so angry?" she asked me in disdain.

"I don't know. I let him beat me. That's it." I wiped the blood on my face and replied.

She slapped me and said, "How dare you talk to me like this?! You shameless, mannerless skinny brat!"

I covered my face and didn't say anything.

"You have to show your respect when you talk to the Luna of the tribe. Hasn't anyone told you about that?"

She couldn't hide the disgust on her face.

Then, she rolled her eyes and said, "Ah, I remember. You don't have a mother to teach you about manners! It's OK. I'll do it for her."

She slapped me again.

Tears got out of my eyes. I wiped them, but they fell down again.

I missed my mother so much and Rosalie knew about it. That was why she would always use my mother to hurt me.

I looked up at her, she looked very satisfied to see me weeping like this.

At that time, Alpha Jacob looked at Zion and said, "I've asked you to check out what's going on, instead of asking you to make a scene like this. The White Walkers are coming at any time and this doesn't look good."

"Sorry, father. This she—wolf is stealing from us. I want to teach her a lesson." Zion said with his hands falling down.

"A true Alpha uses his wisdom to rule, not his whip." Alpha Jacob said.

"Yes, father." Zion threw the whip on the floor and gave me a sinister look.

Rosalie stood in front of her son and defended him, "Alpha, Zion's still young. I'm sure there'll be plenty of things that he'll learn from you in the future. After all, he's your only son. I'm sure with your guidance, he'll become a strong and powerful Alpha in Crimson Creek, just like his father."

My father ignored her compliments and shifted his eyes to me.

"And you," he asked, "why do you steal?"

"I went hunting this morning and I was caught in the rain. When I came back, I couldn't find any leftovers in the canteen, father…" As soon as I said the word "father", I regretted it and corrected myself, "Sorry, Alpha. I didn't mean to…"

"Alpha isn't your father!" Rosalie grabbed my hair and slapped me.

This time, it was harder than ever.

I lost my balance and fell to the ground.

Feeling dizzy and hopeless, I looked up at Alpha Jacob.

He stood in front of me like a cold mountain.

"I'm not your father, but I need you to be my daughter." He looked down at me and said.

I was shocked.

What does he mean?

At the same time, there was a mysterious smirk emerging on Rosalie's face.

"Alpha, do you mean the bet?" Rosalie raised her eyebrows.

The bet?

I had a bad feeling about this.

My father was known for having a knack for gambling.

Like an alcoholic can't do without their drinks, my father just can't survive without rolling his dice.

"I'll sell you to Alpha Lucas of the White Walkers pack. I've lost a bet to him. He has asked me to pay the debt by giving him one of my daughters. I'll give you to him, since you just can't wait to be my daughter. I'm sure the White Walkers will have a proper punishment for a thief like you."

"You're the daughter of a whore! So now you'lle be a whore!" Rosalie added.

Both my father and Rosalie started to laugh.

My heart was pounding so fast from what I'd just heard.

I've heard of the infamous Alpha Lucas of White Walkers.

Being the head of the most powerful and savage pack in the north, he was known for his ruthlessness and evil nature.

I knew I couldn't even survive a day among the White Walkers.

In despair, I decided to give it one last try.

So, I pleaded to him, "Alpha, please don't do this to me… Please let me stay in the pack. I promise I won't steal again. I'll work very hard… Alpha… You're the only family member that I've got… If my mother was still alive…"

My father grabbed my hair and pulled me up.

"Don't you dare to mention that whore to me! She was a fucking whore and liar! I fucked her and she gave birth to you. That's all! That's a complete mistake!"

Then, he threw me against a tree like a ragged doll.

It hurt so much that I felt that some of my ribs were broken.

I was in tremendous pain, both physically and mentally.

I was a mistake.

The daughter of a whore.

I was born to be bullied and abused, a commodity that can be sold or pawned.

That was written in my fate.

My vision was blurred as my father asked Zion to take me to the stable and lock me up.

He also asked Zion to chain me up, because he didn't want me to do anything to cause any damage to the property of my future master — Alpha Lucas of White Walkers.