Chapter 1

Eva's POV

I wondered how tall my wolf would be. I was 19 and still hadn't awakened my wolf. As it seems to be the norm to have a wolf awakened by the age of 12 at max, I was considered abnormal.

The taunts, the retreats, all of it made me tough to stand up for my lineage - Eva Maxwell to be the next Beta of Howling Sky Pack. I was constantly put to the test, by not just one or two but the entire pack, throughout the year.

When I was eight years old, I was rumored to have swallowed poison which weakened my ability to produce a child. Taking that as an advantage, there was a man who used me for pleasure. I was one of his harem partners, no strings attached. It felt good only while it lasted.

Well,

150 pounds on my right and 150 pounds on my left - it was my basic squats routine. I was building physical endurance. My emotional endurance on the other hand was built by the others surrounding me on the training ground.

I closed my eyes, trying to filter out their condescending whispers. How hard was it for me to not focus on sensitive sounds? Very. So I was forced to listen to their conversation.

"Tsk. Look at her. No beauty, no brains. Alpha should've never accepted that pregnant woman into our pack 20 years ago. Look what we have to deal with. Tch!"

"Beta Elizabeth should've terminated her pregnancy when she came to our pack. Look what she has to deal with. It must be a curse to bear a useless child like her. Ugh!" Said a pregnant woman, touching her own belly. I rolled my eyes. I wasn't new to this.

"We have to deal with nothing if Young Alpha Damien will take care of her soon. She's just a Beta heiress after her mother. Besides, she won't be eligible anyway. She's an Unawakened."

They talked behind my back, only because they couldn't talk to my face.

Part of my relentless physical training was to compensate for the flaw I had. The flaw that brought me such pain and suffering. I wanted to show the world. An Unawakened like me can move mountains without the assistance of a wolf.

The training grounds of our pack were humongous. Sat to the corner with a cane in hand and twig to chew, our coach gestured to a soldier to walk in. He whispered something to Commander Hannes. I hadn't seen it ever, but the cruel commander's eyes widened ever so slightly.

"STOP THE TRAINING!" He called all of a sudden. I dropped my weights in the dust. Silence bestowed like a looming cloud of darkness as he gazed at each and every one of us. I could hear my own heartbeat like a bass drum. Why was it beating so loud?

"On this day, we sadly part with our loving Beta, Elizabeth Maxwell. May the Goddess be with her. May she become one with the Goddess." The words flew out of his mouth sincerely. My heart stopped drumming.

Everything went quiet. I couldn't feel or hear anything for a few seconds. This can't be true. No…I deny it. She can't part with me like this. It was all too sudden…

Heart-wrenching Euphony for the Dead was sung from the main packhouse. It was roaring in the defeat of losing another soul. A soul so pure and charming. A soul that exuded the energy of the universe, nurturing, caring, and everything motherly. My mother, Beta Elizabeth Maxwell was the personification of the word: Nurture.

Adding to the rhythm to honor the dead, my heart started drumming against my chest again, adding a new sound to my ears as I stared at the sky blankly.

Mother...

You've found freedom, haven't you?

But you left me all alone in this pitch of darkness. How could I ever find my light with you...gone?

I couldn't have seen it, but the pack members started turning to me one after the other. An accusatory finger was lifted against me, bringing my attention back.

"She...sent her mother to the Moon.

Was she not satisfied with sending her father away? Will she send us away too?" A woman's voice pierced the silence after the Euphony faded.

"She might. She killed her own womb today." Another elderly woman joined.

I closed my eyes briefly, remembering my last words to my mother.

'Mother! Bring me...the first grey orchid you see on your journey!' I tailored my request. My mother, Elizabeth Maxwell, stumped with work and files on her waist, gave me a look and said,

'You never asked anything from me, Eva. This is your first request and I shall honor it. I love you, my child.'

'Yay!'

I...never said 'I love you too' back to her. And she was gone without knowing how much I loved her and respected her.

"Mother..." a single tear replaced the first drop of rain on my cheek. The clouds have greyed, like my heart.

"That's a bloody witch right there." Everyone's heads turned to the monster of my life, my harbinger of relentless torment, Young Alpha Damien.

Sat on the rock with the Commander kissing his shoe, he smirked at me as I slowly turned my gaze to him.

"That's right - you." He pointed another accusatory finger at me. My jaws clenched.

"You're not going to stop killing people. You're a witch." He accused.

"You sent her away on a dangerous cliff to get a...flower. You wanted her to go to that cliff. Didn't you know how dangerous the grey orchids are?" The crowd gasped.

"The girl yearned for her mother's death!" A voice from the crowd in the training grounds cried in horror. My eyes widened.

"N-No." I wanted to fight back. But the lump in my throat and the growing sadness in my heart forbade me. Why?

"I wanted to get the orchid to show it wasn't da— oomph!" Damien rushed towards me, covering half the distance of the training grounds in half a second.

He landed a punch in my gut.

"You stole our lovely home, our lovely Beta, and every resource to Howling Sky," Damien growled. The anger and loathing in his voice defeated all the screams and taunts around me as I curled into a ball on the ground.

"You should have something stolen too. Then you'd know how it feels~" Shadowing over me, Damien's voice dripped with abhorrence for me. I coughed up blood, staring up at him. For my own sake, I had to put my ego aside and beg.

"I- I didn't do anything. I lost my mother!" I cried, only to be kicked in my throat this time. My jaws clashed, immense pain shooting all over my body.

"You'll lose a lot more than just a mother. As the one with power next to my parents, I, Young Alpha Damien from Howling Sky Pack...reduce you to a loathing omega. I strip away every power—"

"NO!" The blood-curdling scream came from me as I felt my heart racing like it never did. Damien had the power of an alpha. Once an alpha has decided to change the rank of a werewolf of the pack, the member shall undergo the most agonizing transformation.

I felt each cell in my body explode with the change. The crowd gathered around, watching as I writhed in harrowing, indescribable pain.

It felt as though I was bleeding from every pore of my body. And then, I saw the clouds darkening even more. But it was me who was blacking out.

My eyes fluttered open. I was stirring awake. The ground felt harder like I remembered when I fell. I was left on the ground in my pathetic state.

All empathy died with my mother for these people. Not an ounce was offered to me.

The torment was unlike any other - this was way more excruciating.

"She's awakened."

Damien said, his back facing me as he stood under the shade of the tree, talking to some people.

That's when I noticed the change in me.

I felt way more conscious and powerful. It was the presence of another soul inside me. I could just...feel it.

'You're awakened, Eva.'

I almost gasped at the voice in my head. There was no presence externally, meaning...it was coming from within me.

'My name is Luna.

I am your wolf. Forever.'

But…

'And…Young Alpha Damien is our fated mate.'