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2

Before becoming a rogue, I belonged to one of the most aristocratic households in the wolf realm. I was the sole daughter of the Marquis household.

I was groomed my entire life to sustain my position as one of the most noble women in the kingdom. However, my life within my own home was more dreadful than a nightmare. Even the lowest caste in the kingdom, the omegas, led better lives than me.

To the world, the noble Lady I was; behind closed doors, my stepmother subjected me to such severe abuse that I contemplated suicide multiple times.

Nevertheless, the only thing that held me back was the final words my own mother spoke on her deathbed.

"Fiona, no matter how difficult life becomes, always remember that you must survive. It doesn't matter if the world believes it or not. The prophecy cannot be wrong. You have a purpose to fulfill in this world, and you cannot die before accomplishing it."

Those were the last words I could recall hearing from my mother before she passed away when I was just four years old. However, I never discovered what the prophecy was, as it was never mentioned to me again.

Nevertheless, as I matured, I discovered that the reason for my alpha father and alpha mother's contractual marriage was the prophecy. My mother was not my father's true mate.

I was meant to be born as an alpha due to the purity of my bloodline. However, I was born a beta, which went against the foundation of my parents' marriage. My father never loved my mother and held a strong dislike towards her for some unknown reason. This hatred was later directed towards me when I failed to fulfill the purpose of my birth.

My stepmother was my father's actual mate. She had been his mistress for four years before my mother's death, and my father married her soon after. A year later, when I turned five, my stepmother gave birth to an alpha male, despite being a beta herself.

After my stepbrother's birth, my father completely ignored me, giving me the least attention possible. Growing up in that household, my stepmother turned my life into a living nightmare.

Throughout my eighteen years of life, I experienced numerous nights where I would lose consciousness due to my mother's beating for even the smallest mistakes I made. However, my stepmother would never harm my face because she needed to present her daughter as a well-groomed young lady at the expensive tea parties hosted by the wives and daughters of the royal family.

Despite knowing that I would face numerous jealous remarks and accusations of privilege, I eagerly awaited tea parties. I understood that my achievements were often attributed to my father's position in the royal court and my Marquis family background.

I had always been under pressure to excel, as my father's reputation within the elite society demanded it. I couldn't afford to make any public mistakes, as people would criticize my stepmother for not taking care of me.

I knew that if I did make a mistake, I would face even more torment. However, despite enduring insults and subtle jabs, I yearned for those tea parties. It was the only place where I could enjoy a proper meal.

In my own home, I couldn't even count on receiving basic sustenance, let alone the sophisticated meals served at the tea parties. Despite my intense hunger, I would only consume a tiny portion of food, as I had to uphold the dignified image of a noble lady. I couldn't simply devour the mouthwatering dishes like the starving wolf I truly was.

"In this household, you must earn your own food in order to eat. Since you are a noblewoman, you are not allowed to work outside. I am able to eat because my husband and son provide for me. However, what about you? Your father does not care about you, and there is no one else to pay for your food. Why should I allow you to eat?" my stepmother would inquire, gripping my chin, after depriving me of food for several days, causing me to plead to my mother for something to eat.

Afterward, I would be forced to complete all the chores in that large mansion for the next two or three days, while the maids were given time off before I was finally permitted to eat, sometimes only a piece of bread or even nothing at all.

To the outside world, my stepmother appeared to be the most loving woman who had raised me into a beautiful young lady. I would shine like the fresh petals of daisies in the morning sun, as the maids would prepare me for the tea parties, dressing me in lavish gowns and styling my golden blonde hair with charming ribbons.

I would resemble a doll on display, arousing envy even among the most beautiful women in the royal family. However, upon returning home, my mother would violently tear apart my dress, revealing the fresh bruises from the previous night's beating. She would forcefully remove the ribbon from my hair, causing me to cry out in intense pain.

On the day I turned sixteen, I discovered my mate was none other than Arvis Windward, the fledgling alpha from the Duke household. Arvis was widely regarded as the most talented alpha to be born in decades throughout the entire kingdom. Unlike other alphas who excelled solely in fighting, Arvis was a young boy with exceptional intellect.

The Duke household had already achieved the highest rank among the contenders for the next alpha king's position. Arvis had already proven himself as an advisor in numerous battles, leading the wolf kingdom to victory.

I had achieved outstanding results in my academy, but I was always just slightly behind Arvis. No matter how hard I studied throughout my life, I couldn't surpass him.

Even the academy did not give me any respite. Due to being a beta and consistently achieving higher scores on all tests, I faced intense envy from my alpha classmates.

The alpha males would constantly try to pursue me, and when I rejected them, I was labeled as a narcissistic person who abused my father's power. The females resented me for receiving all the attention.

I could sense that Arvis never really liked me either. Similar to everyone else, he too believed that I was a conceited person due to my beauty and noble status.

When we were younger and in the same class, Arvis once discovered my bruises. With his high intelligence, it was not difficult for him to piece together my secret life.

However, Arvis continued to treat me the same way, paying me no attention. I believed that there was no reason for him to care about the abuse a mere beta faced in her home.

But when we both turned sixteen and realized we were mates, Arvis surprised me by accepting the proposal from the Marquis household. We became engaged, and it was decided that after Arvis completed his training in the elf kingdom, the two households would unite us in marriage.

After Arvis departed, my mother intensified the torment, fearing that if I were to become the Duchess and Arvis ascended to the throne, I would seek revenge on my stepmother for the abuse.

As a result of ongoing starvation and physical torture, my once radiant beauty gradually withered away. People also became envious and ceased to care about my public image. They were unable to accept the fact that a mere beta would soon become the Luna of the entire kingdom.

Consequently, when I began to appear in public with visible cuts on my face or even skipped tea parties altogether, the noble households pretended not to notice anything.

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