Moonlit Betrayal

Chapter 1

Blackburn, Alaska

'Once upon a time not long ago—scratch that, this isn't some fairytale; it's my life, after all. Though sometimes I wish it was. If anything, it's an utter nightmare. You see, it all started...'

"AURORA!" The grating voice of my brother Elijah echoes up the stairs. I sigh, closing my diary. These few moments of peace in this house are rare. 

I get up, hiding my belongings under the mat I sleep on. An actual bed, or even a room of my own, isn't something I deserve, apparently.

As I leave the closet that passes for my home, I spot Elijah at the bottom of the stairs. I keep my head down, avoiding his eyes. His sneer is already forming.

"Yes, Elijah. You called for me?" I say, my voice barely above a whisper.

"What are you? Mute?" He sneers again. "Nothing but a waste of space. I don't know why father kept you all these years, after what you did." He murmurs, running a hand over his face, twisted in disgust. 

It's an expression I'm all too familiar with. It's the only one anyone in the pack wears when they see me—pure, unfiltered disgust.

"Alpha Darius wants you to help Martha prepare for Jay's coming-of-age ceremony. Clean the guest rooms and ballroom, then help Martha in the kitchen with the feast," Elijah orders, his voice dripping with contempt. 

I nod, accepting my task. But just as I turn to go, he grabs my arm, yanking me back. 

His fingers dig into my skin, and I whimper from the sharp pain.

"Don't fuck this up. You got me?" he growls, his eyes flashing gold for a split second—a sign of his wolf just under the surface. 

Ever since Elijah and Tevin got their wolves, they've used that power to keep me in line—maid, cook, and punching bag, all rolled into one.

I nod again, carefully pulling free from his grasp, my thick black hair coming loose from its bun.

 Another difference between me and my brothers: they both inherited our father's light brown hair, while I got my mother's wild, unruly black locks.

 I scurry to the supplies closet to gather what I need.

As I clean, making the beds and sweeping the ballroom, I can't help but think about the wolves and what they represent in our pack. 

Wolves determine everything—your strength, your rank, your value. If your wolf is strong, you're strong. 

The higher-ranked wolves are respected, feared even, because of their power.

But for me, nothing's certain yet. Wolves come on a different timeline depending on gender. Males, like Elijah and Tevin, get their wolves at seventeen. 

Females, on the other hand, receive theirs at sixteen. There's a saying among the elders: "The Moon Goddess knows that females mature faster." 

But I've often wondered if that's the real reason—or if it's because we're expected to handle more, suffer more. 

My sixteenth birthday is a month and a half away. Maybe, just maybe, when I get my wolf, everything will change. Maybe I'll finally have the strength to leave this nightmare behind.

I finish the ballroom, the fresh breeze from the patio doors bringing in the scent of pine and wet earth. It reminds me of freedom, something I've never had. 

As I put away the cleaning supplies and head to the kitchen, my mind races. What if my wolf is weak? What if it's just another tool to be used against me, to make me even more of a servant to this pack?

""Aurora! Thank goddess you're here, quick wash your hands," Martha calls, handing me a pile of potatoes to peel. 

"Jay's ceremony is in full swing, and we need to get these ready before the guests start coming in." Martha is the one person in this place who has ever shown me kindness, though even she is careful not to be too open about it.

As we work, my thoughts drift back to my mother, Alina "Nyx" Skyfall. 

The pack adored her, and from what I've heard, my father loved her more than life itself. But she died because of me—or so they say. My birth was a miracle, or maybe a curse. 

They say my mother wasn't supposed to have more children after my brothers, but fate had other plans. When my father found out I was a girl, he wanted her to get rid of me, fearing he would lose her. My mother refused. She wanted a daughter more than anything.

But I ended up being the reason she's gone. Barely an hour after I was born, she bled out, and the pack never forgave me. 

My brothers and father can't stand the sight of me, and I've heard the whispers in the pack—people say I'm cursed, that I shouldn't have been born. 

Maybe they're right. Maybe that's why I don't belong here. 

 "Alright lassies it's show time. We need to get this food out of this kitchen and onto those serving tables ASAP!!!!", Martha exclaimed just loud enough for us to hear but soft enough so that the guest outside would not be disturbed. 

We nod and begin loading platter after platter onto the carts for the servers. As the last cart was loaded a sigh of relief washed over us as we had managed to get everything ready in time.

"Aurora!" Martha's voice pulls me out of my thoughts. She passes me a wrapped plate of leftovers. "You're getting too skinny, girl. Eat this, or you won't be strong enough when your wolf comes." Her words are gentle, but there's a seriousness in her tone.

"Thanks, Martha, but..." I whisper, my voice cracking. I try to hand it back, but she shakes her head.

"If you want to make it out of here, you need to be strong—for yourself, and for your wolf. You hear me?"

Her eyes soften, and I nod, accepting the plate. As I retreat to my closet, I can't help but wonder—what if my wolf is more than just strength? What if I'm more like my mother than I know?

I settle in for the night, the wrapped plate untouched beside me as I pull out my diary again.

'Where was I? Oh yes, it all started on January 24th—the day I was born. You see, my mother, Alina "Nyx" Skyfall, was loved by everyone in our pack, especially my father, her mate. They had my twin brothers first, but I was the child they said she could never have. And I was the child that took her away.'

I pause, hearing the distant chime of the clock striking midnight. The sound of the pack gathering for Jay's transformation drifts up through the house. 

Soon, the alpha heir will meet his wolf. It's the most important moment of his life. For him, this ceremony marks his rise in the pack hierarchy—a path laid out before him since birth. But for me? My ceremony could mean something very different.

If I'm lucky, it'll mean freedom.

As the night wears on, a chill runs down my spine. Something feels different, almost electric. Maybe it's just nerves, or maybe... my wolf is closer than I think.