Chapter 1 The Betrayal

It's better you weren't born, you're nothing more than a mistake, a stupid worthless mistake. That's what my father always tells me. No matter how hard I try to forget that I am cursed, weak, worthless and the reason my mother died, he never lets me forget.

My name is Kaelenya Moorshadow the last child of Chief Abram Moorshadow of the red light pack. My life has never been a happy one. Father hates me, because my mother died during my birth. People avoid me because they say I'm cursed, and they do not want my curse to rub off them. I turned twenty this year and I still haven't gotten my wolf. My father says it's because I'm a cursed child, and cursed children never gets their wolf. But very soon, my life is about to change, and I can't wait for this change.

Today, my best friend and mate Abel Duskbane turns twenty. And twenty is the age when a wolf announces his mate publicly. Abel has been the only one who has ever treated me as more than a mistake. When the others saw dirt, Abel saw me. He embraced me, shielded me, made me believe that maybe I wasn’t all curse and shadow. And the thought of him choosing me today, of him finally claiming me before everyone, fills me with hope. At last, I will escape this cruel reality.

I hummed softly as I laid out the perfect outfit on my small wooden bed. My heart felt light, and my hands trembled with excitement.

“Why are you so happy?” Amera, my elder sister, leaned against the doorframe.

I smiled at her. “Today is going to be an amazing day for me.”

Her head tilted, and her silver eyes were sharp with amusement. “What’s happening today?” She asked, even though I knew she didn't really care. “If you like, don’t fetch the water Father asked for.”

Amera, my elder sister by just two years, is everything I'm not...she is pretty, she has beautiful silver-colored eyes, and long shiny black hair. People say the goddess herself took her special time in creating her. Father loves her so much that sometimes it hurts to admit it to myself. And though she barely spares me words, but when she does, it’s usually to taunt me.

“It’s Abel’s birthday,” I said, my voice almost a whisper of happiness. “He turns twenty today… and tonight, he’ll announce his mate.”

Amera blinked at me, then burst into laughter, it was sharp and cruel. “You don’t mean to tell me you think Abel is going to take you as his mate?”

“Why not?” I frowned, heat rising in my cheeks. “He’s always with me. He cares for me. He buys me things. If he didn’t see me as his mate, why would he do all that?”

She scoffed, shaking her head. “You are more stupid than I thought. Have you ever considered, in that dumb brain of yours, that maybe… he just pities you?”

“Pity? No.” I shook my head fiercely. “He loves me. He told me before.”

Her smile widened, I could see venom glinting in her eyes. “Dream on.” And with that, she walked away, her laughter echoing down the hall.

I pressed my lips together. She was wrong. Abel loved me. I knew it, and tonight, he would prove it to everyone.

In Havenswood, one of the rules that govern us is during a ceremony that involves a male choosing his mate, no maiden is exempted, every young maiden is expected to attend. And that is the only reason father is letting me attend.

I hurriedly did all my chores, and prepared myself for the party, and by nightfall, the pack gathered in the hall.The room was alive with music, dancing, and laughter, and by ten, Abel strode in with his family, handsome as ever. His hair brushed his shoulders, and his clothes fit him perfectly, showing the strength I had always admired. My heart beat faster just looking at him.

After the games and dances, the time came for Abel to take the ring to his fated mate. He smiled as his eyes met mine, and I could barely breathe. My hand was already lifting, ready to accept him.

But then...he walked past me.

My breath caught as he stopped in front of my sister, and knelt down in front of her holding out the ring. “Amera Moorshadow, daughter of Abram Moorshadow, Beta of Redlight pack, and the most beautiful of them all. Do you accept me as your mate?”

Amera’s smile spread like fire across her face. She placed her hand in his. “Yes. I, Amera Moorshadow, accept you, son of Joanah Duskbane, and Omega of the Redlight pack as my mate.”

The hall erupted in cheers.

“What is happening?” I whispered, the words breaking inside me. My chest tightened, and my vision blurred. “Amera… Abel… when did...how...?”

I stood up immediately, unable to control my disappointment, and my chair scraped the floor. “Abel!” My voice cracked. “My sister? I thought… I thought I was your fated mate. You told me...”

“Told you what?” Madame Esther, Abel’s mother, shot up from her seat. Her voice was sharp as a whip. “Did you truly believe my son would end up with you? A walking bag of bad luck? A cursed child who killed her own mother?”

The crowd murmured in agreement.

I didn’t even turn to her. My eyes were locked on Abel’s. “How could you?”

Abel’s face was calm, his voice steady as he stepped closer. “Kaelenya, I never promised you anything. I don’t know what you thought, but I never made you any promises.”

Tears burned down my cheeks. “But… Abel...”

“A person like you could never be my mate,” he cut me off coldly. “Yes, I was your friend...but only because I pitied you. And because I needed a way to get closer to Amera, and you were the easiest path.”

My breath shattered. “So I was just a tool to you… all these years?”

He sighed, almost bored. “Kaelenya, don’t humiliate yourself further. You know no one here would ever choose you. You’re weak. You’re eighteen and still without a wolf. You’re cursed. Cursed Kaelenya. I tried being your friend, but that’s all it ever was.”

The hall roared with laughter. “Silly girl,” someone whispered. “She thought she could be loved.”

I thought Abel was my salvation. I thought he saw me. How blind, how foolish I was.

“But Abel…” My voice broke again.

“Don’t waste your breath,” he snapped. “Amera is my one true mate, and she is already carrying my seed.”

The world tilted beneath me. “WHAT?” I turned to my sister, my voice trembling with rage. “You… I know you hate me, Amera, but why hurt me like this? Why take the only thing I had? You are heartless...”

Before I could finish, Amera’s hand struck me across the face. The sound echoed through the room, and my cheek burned as she raised her hand again.

But this time, I caught her wrist. My voice shook with fury. “You have no right to hit me...”

Before I could finish the sentence, pain exploded across my back as something heavy struck me hard. I cried out, stumbling forward. I turned, clutching my side, “Father?” I gasped.

"How dare you, you worthless piece of trash?" Father thundered, his eyes wide, veins bulging on his forehead. "How dare you embarrass me in front of everyone?"

Tears spilled down my cheeks as my lips trembled. "Father... I..."

"Shut up!" he roared, raising his hand as if to strike me again. "How can a goat ever think it belongs at the table of wolves?"

My knees weakened. My body shook, but no words would come out. All I could do was stand there, tears streaming endlessly, my chest rising and falling with each broken breath.

"James!" Father’s voice cut through the hall like a whip.

His personal guard rushed forward and bowed quickly. "Yes, Chief."

"Take this... thing out of my sight," Father spat, his glare cutting into me like a blade. Then he turned back, his tone colder, harsher. "And for daring to raise your cursed hands against my daughter, I will make sure you pay dearly."

My breath hitched, because I knew what that meant. Prison. The tiny cupboard Father always shoved me into when his rage boiled over. That dark, suffocating space where I begged the goddess to take my life because it felt impossible to breathe.

"No… Father, please," I cried, dropping to my knees, clutching at his feet. My fingers trembled against his boots. "Don’t lock me up, I’ll die in there. Please, I beg you."

But my words fell on stone. James and another guard seized me by the arms, their grips like iron, yanking me up so hard my shoulders ached. My legs dragged against the ground as they pulled me away.

The crowd erupted into laughter, their jeers stabbing at me. "Cursed child!" someone shouted. "Outcast!" another sneered.

I turned my head, and my vision blurred with tears, desperate for a glimpse of mercy. But what I saw broke me even more...Father’s hand gently stroking Amera’s hair, his eyes soft, warm, full of the love I had begged for my entire life.