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My mother gave birth to me with fins during an eclipse and crumpled. My father panicked, calling me a curse, and threw me into the sea. But sharks didn't touch me. They knew who I was. They circled and guarded me. Two hours later, the moon burned purple. The sea twisted into a rising whirlpool, The ocean lifted me into the arms of the Mother Goddess., the creator of all werewolves, Mother goddess- “You are destined to rule the world.” My mother later found me with fins vanished and a sealed envelope no one was meant to open yet. She hid me for four years. The pack became my family. The shore became my world. Until my cruel father returned, with a water demon hungry for blood. My pack was swallowed. My mother died shielding me. But when the demon looked into my eyes… he lost control. and killed my father. He bowed before me. I cried beside my mother’s body. All I had left, was a sealed envelope Then fate dragged me to an orphanage. I signed up to live in hell. I grew up there friendless, worked like a slave, burdened with chores. I never knew why, but the warden hated me. One night, after finishing my chores, I returned to my room and saw Marcy—my roommate holding the letter I had never opened. She had already read it. “You cursed witch, don’t know what you really are but this belongs to me now.” When I tried to take it back, she shoved me to the ground and kicked me. When the warden arrived, Marcy scratched herself until she bled and screamed that I attacked her. That night, the warden beat me mercilessly and locked me in a dark room crawling with rats. They nibbled at me all night. The next morning, as I dragged myself back to scrubbing floors, an Alpha in an expensive suit arrived at the orphanage. He was asking about a letter. And the warden handed it to him. This is the ancient language, one written by the moon goddess. What child had this on them? demanded the alpha. I did, interjected Marcy. This is the girl, the one who is fated to be the bride of the most powerful alpha in the realm. Then he leaned into Marcy, whispering, Come with me, child. With you as my daughter, I will bend this alpha to my will. And all of the packs will kneel before me. My heart broke. This was the moment my mother had told me about. The moment an alpha would come to reveal my destiny. And Marcy stole it. Marcy had stolen my destiny. I was about to yell that they had the wrong girl. But at the moment, I was grabbed by two workers. She tried to take it from me. She always tries to steal my things, Marcy sneered. The workers firmly grabbed me, took me to the dungeon, and whipped me till my back was bleeding. While my back was lashed with leather straps, I peered out a window and saw Marcy getting into a fancy limousine with the man. Marcy looked over as if she could feel me staring at her. For me, the beatings continued for another year. Fate was even crueler, as the following year I was adopted by the same alpha. But not as a daughter, as a servant. A common house slave in the Red Moon Pack, the second largest pack in the country. The abuse didn't stop there, it only worsened. The members of the pack treated me like a punching bag. Especially the alpha of the pack, Alpha Edward. He took out all his frustrations on me. Tonight was one of those nights. Now what did I do? It doesn't take much. Alpha Edward is an alcoholic. It's really difficult for werewolves to get drunk. Which means you have to drink heavily to feel the effects. This means he probably had a fight with Luna Layla about his drinking. Which means she locked him out of their room. Which means he has come down to take out his anger on me. Just an average Tuesday in the packhouse. I'm already on my feet waiting for him. Alpha Edward, what can I do for you? I ask with my eyes looking at the floor. I keep my hands clasped in front of me, trying to look as small as possible. Without a word, a whiskey bottle whizzes past my ear and smashes against the wall above my cot. I flinch and can't help but start to tremble and hug myself. Whatever is about to happen, it's going to be worse than usual. He lunges forward and grabs me by the throat with both hands. I feel tears coming to my eyes as the lack of oxygen turns the edges of my vision dark. I desperately claw at his hands, trying to escape his grip but it's no use. He picks me up by the neck so I'm at face level with him. His eyes are pitch, indicating his wolf ruckus is at the surface. His breath stinks because of alcohol. I start gagging and choking from the lack of oxygen. Without warning, he throws me across the room as if I weigh nothing. My back slams against the wall and I land on my back on the cot. The shards of the broken bottle pierce the skin on my back through my thin t-shirt. The whiskey makes the cuts burn. I try to muffle a scream as the pain sears through me. He comes across the room and picks me up roughly by the hair. I feel the shards of glass cutting deeper as he pulls me up. He throws me to the ground. The glass bits are grinding deeper into my back. I can feel something wet soaking through my shredded shirt. I don't dare move and make him even madder. I feel my ribs snap when his foot makes contact. One of his feet lands on my jaw. I feel a sickening snap rattle in my brain. The metallic taste instantly fills my mouth. Alpha Edward has been using me as his punching bag for years, but this was way more intense than it has ever been before. In the past couple of years, he started dipping the whip in wolfsbane, which makes me heal slower. So now I have gnarly scars across my back and arms. I manage to eke out. My voice is small and garbled. He abruptly stops and walks out of the room. He comes back a moment later with the whip and starts lashing my back relentlessly. The whip is dripping with wolfsbane. The lashes, combined with the glass shards still in my back, combined with the wolfsbane are too much. My vision turns blurry and I pass out. Numbness surrounds me. Is this what being dead is like? It's peaceful, but a little bit boring. At least I don't have to feed the pet. And the constant soft beeps are soothing. I don't know how long I've been dead, but I feel like I want to open my eyes, ready to take on the afterlife. After what seems like forever, I'm able to open my eyes and find I'm alone in soft comfort in a brightly lit clean room. This is the afterlife? Maybe this is some sort of waiting area. But where's the lobby? Is there a receptionist? My mind slowly becomes more clear and I realize I'm not dead. I'm in the pack hospital. I need to leave before the alpha finds me outside the dungeon. I can barely move my body. Every move causes excruciating pain. I start to panic, making the beeps in the room become faster. Oh, I'm hooked up to a bunch of machines. I try to figure out how to unhook them so no one hears the noises. Too late. I hear people in the hallway getting closer. I try to sit up. I need to ignore the pain. I have to escape. I slowly slide off the side of the bed. My legs were wobbly. The tubes and wires sticking out of me prevent me from getting too far. The door opens and the pack doctor comes in with a nurse. The doctor is an older person. Talia, you're awake. Let's get you back on the mat, shall we? The doctor says gently. He and the nurse come to either side of me and reach out to hold my arms. A deep growl escapes my chest. Don't touch me. I snap, shaking them off. My voice is scratchy and raw, and my mouth feels like a thousand needles are poking into it. It's all right, Talia. No one is going to hurt you here. We're trying to help you heal. Let's get you back to it, and I'll get you a drink of water. The doctor raises his hands in surrender. I look at him hesitantly before the nurse hands me a cup of water with a straw. The water feels good on my throat. The doctor sits in the chair beside the bed as the nurse checks my vitals. Starts messing with the tubes and wires attached to me. Talia, you had surgery to remove hundreds of shards of glass from your back. We also had to reset some ribs, your jaw, and you had a lot of wolfsbane in your blood. We gave you a transfusion to clear it from your system so you could heal. You're lucky your wound isn't so serious. Sure about that last part, doctor? I think to myself. When the pack realized breakfast had not been prepared, Tony went to get you and then found you on the ground in your, uh, room. He looked at me with sympathy. Talia, who did this to you? It's a crime. That could be grounds for banishment from the pack. I can't answer him. I stare at my hands on my lap quietly. How can I tell him Alpha Edward is the one who caused this? There's no way he'd believe me. Even if he did, what are they going to do? Banish the Alpha? That chance of that? I decide my best move is to just shake my head no. I don't want to get out of the pack for lying. I have nowhere to go. I would be nothing. The doctor nods, looking at me with pity. Almost like he cares. He asks me a few more questions about my medical history. There's nothing to speak of. I don't remember ever being treated by a doctor before. He closes the folder and tucks his pen into his shirt pocket. Well, I know you haven't had a chance to look in the mirror yet. But when you do, you may find you look a little different. Don't be alarmed. I've done as many tests as I could think of, and it is not medically related. Yes, sir. I assume he means I'm healing faster, but why did he need me to look in the mirror? Why not just tell me? I look at the nurse who is staring at me. When she realizes I caught her, her eyes dart away. What's that about? Okay, lady. Rude. I'll leave you now. You can go in the bathroom and wash up. Just take that bowl with the IV solution with you. You need to leave the hospital gown on until your back heals. All right? Yes, ma'am. Thank you, Diane. She nods and leaves the room. It's the first time in my life people have been kind to me. I mean, I think it's part of their job, but still. All I have known so far were insults, physical misery, and hard work. Never any kindness. Never any. I feel like I can trust the doctor, but I'm still wary of Nurse Diane. The way she stared at me just now makes me uncomfortable. I pick up the duffel bag and go to the bathroom. I avoid looking in the mirror. Everything in the bathroom is fresh. There's a shower, but I'm worried the pressure of the water will hurt my back. I decided to fill the tub halfway and get in. The water is warm and soothing. There's a washcloth and a fresh bar of soap. I clean myself until the water is gross. I drain the tub, wipe out the ring of dirt around the edge, and fill it again. The water is not nearly as dirty as this time when I finish washing. I find it hard to raise my hands, but I don't want to call the nurse to help me. I gently wash my hair, dry off, and wrap the soft towel around my head. There's a toothbrush and a small tube of paste on the shelf by the sink. I'm living in the lap of luxury in the Pack Hospital. I pick them up and start brushing my teeth. I can't avoid it anymore. I need to look in the mirror. I finally worked up the courage to take a peek. What I see makes me drop the toothbrush. My face is still covered in bruises, but that's not what made me drop the toothbrush. The iris of my left eye is violet, not like a shade of blue that could be a little purple in the right light. No, my right pupil is still the drab gray I'm used to, but my left pupil looks crazy. I blink my eyes hard a few times. Still the same. I tried rubbing my eye, but it doesn't make a difference. There's no mistaking it. My eye is bright, practically glowing. Violet. The two days seem to last forever. I'm not complaining, though. I've never gotten so much in my life, and as a bonus, I get three meals a day. Three. I keep looking in the mirror. I can't get over how weird my purple eye looks. I wake up on the second day and go to the bathroom to freshen up. I stare at myself in the mirror for the millionth time. My left eye is still violet. Now my right eye seems like it's starting to turn violet as well. There was nothing I could do about it, so I decided to try not to worry. Since Red Moon is a pretty big pack, we have a high school on pack territory. The library has a really big werewolf lore research section. I will do some research during lunch. As I tilt my head to the side to brush my hair, I notice a chunk of my hair has changed color. Instead of my normal mousy brown, it is silvery gray. Okay, seriously now, what is going on? What is happening to me? Is this a trick? Is there bleach in the shampoo or something? If it is a trick, it isn't funny. I pick up the bottle and smell it. It smells like strawberries, not bleach. Weird. I have never heard of a wolf's eye or hair color changing when they are coming of age, but that's what the doctor thinks is happening. Diane comes in just after lunch with paperwork and pamphlets for me. She hands me another little bag. Just a little something to help you stay incognito until you are finished healing. Thank you for everything. There is a round hat in the bag. How do I look? I ask as I model them for her. She giggles at my poses. You're a star, darling. Maybe she isn't so bad after all. She gives me a gentle hug and sends me on my way. I have another two hours before I need to start prepping dinner. I decided to take my new clothes to my room and clean up the mess down there before this. Something smells different as I walk down the hallway of the dungeon. Like a cleaning solution. I turn on my lamp to find the room has been transformed. My lamp is not sitting on an old stack of milk crates. It is on a nightstand. There is a new bed, too. My old cot is gone. I have a proper mattress, complete with new sheets and blankets. There is also a small desk and chair with all my school books arranged in a basket next to it. I must be dreaming. That or I walked into someone else's room by accident. Except no one else lives down here. You can barely tell it was an old dungeon cell. It looks like what I imagine a dorm room would look like. I peek out of the doorway to make sure I am in the right place. I seem to be. I walk over and sit carefully on the bed, as though it will disappear if I move too fast. It is like a cloud. The gray and turquoise linens are fresh and new. There are even two pillows. I never had a proper pillow before, let alone two. As far as I know, Diane is the only one who came down here while I was in the hospital. Could she have had all this done? Surely she will get in trouble when Alpha Edward finds out. Then I remember she doesn't know how much the Alpha hates me. I don't know how I'm going to explain it when he finds out. But I won't tattle on anyone for trying to help me, either. I put my new clothes away in the drawers of the nightstand. I stashed a duffel bag under the mattress. Once I am seventeen, I will figure out a way to get out of this place. Find a new pack that will accept a violet-eyed weakling of a wolf. I sit at the desk and write a thank-you letter to the doctor and nurse Diane. I turn in the chair to look around my new room. I am in awe that someone would do this for me. I must have been daydreaming, because I didn't hear the door at the top of the stairs. Instantly, I freeze. I hear two sets of footsteps coming down the hall. I can smell Alpha Edward's scent getting closer. I don't know who the other's scent belongs to. Instinctively, I scramble and stand in the middle of the room just as they get to the doorway. He leans against the frame and crosses his arms. I can feel my whole body tremble as he stares. My eyes are glued to the ground. I do not want him to see my new eye color shining through. Can I help you, Alpha Edward? That little stunt you pulled cost me a lot of money. And when you cost me money, you cost my whole family money. I am sorry, sir. I apologize. Although I have no idea what stunt he is talking about. I look up just enough to see Marcy, the Alpha's daughter, is also standing in the doorway. Marcy takes a step closer, and I can feel tears starting to sting the corners of my eyes as my arms shake. How am I going to face her at school? I haven't had a conversation with her since her mom made me live in the dungeon anyway. But as far as I know, she had no idea I live down here now. She is going to tell everyone for sure. And do you know how disgusting the food has been for the past two and a half days? I just nod, still looking at the ground. I'm not trying to argue with a lunatic. It isn't my fault I had to have surgery. He's the one who broke a bottle and threw me into the broken pieces. If he hadn't, I would have been just fine. I would have been able to bounce back the next day and make breakfast like I was supposed to, even if I was banged up. There is a pause, and he finally growls. Where did all this furniture come from? Did you steal it? No, sir. It was here when I got back from the hospital wing. I don't know what who brought it. You owe me, Talia. You also owe whoever turned your room into this comfortable space. You will work in the packhouse until you pay back every cent for the rest of your life if necessary. No more school. You don't need education to cook and clean. He uses his alpha tone. I cannot disobey. With those words, the small flame of hope in my heart extinguishes. I don't get paid. So I don't know how I could ever pay back any debt. Luna Layla told me years ago that the room in the dungeon was payment enough for my services. I am less than an omega now. I am a slave. Marcy, teach her a lesson for wasting our money. Yes, Alpha. Tears stream down my face as the reality of my fate sets in. Alpha Edward is passing the torch of his cruelty down to his daughter. But I know better than that. He will never stop. Marcy reaches forward and claps the back of my neck. She forces me down into a bowing position and growls deeply. You should be grateful my father doesn't banish you. If you were a rogue, I would make sure you never made it to the border of the territory. A squeak escapes my throat. I am so scared I feel like I'm going to pass out. Marcy turns to her father. Don't worry, Alpha. I've got this situation covered. I hear Alpha Edward's footsteps walk back down the hallway as he leaves the dungeon. Marcy tightens her grip on my neck, extending her wolf claws, making me yelp. As soon as the door slams, Marcy releases my neck and kneels in front of me. Her face is contorted with anger. She grabs my shoulders, shaking me roughly. What did you do to make him so mad? Why isn't she doing anything to me like she told Alpha Edward she would? I stiffened my whole body, avoiding eye contact with her. I'm shaking. I can't even speak now. The thought of two people doing something bad to me regularly for the rest of my life... It just can't be real. Can it? How can the Moon Goddess allow this to happen? I want to leave the world. That's not an exaggeration. That's not me being dramatic. Please, Moon Goddess, don't let this happen. Just let me go. I shake so badly that I fall to my knees. I start to sob hysterically and my brain shuts down from being able to think rationally. Marcy grabs my chin and forces me to look at her in her cold gray eyes. She looks at me in horror for a moment. What happened to your eyes? She moves her hands up from my chin to just below my eyes. It feels like her hands are trembling against my face. Are you a mixed blood or something? All I can manage is to shake my head no between sobs. As I shake my head, I feel her starting to press her thumbs against my lower eyelids, obstructing my vision. Oh no, she's gonna poke my eyes out. She saw the violet color. She was going to blind me. I place my hands on top of her, trying to push her away. I hear myself screaming. No, stop. Don't take my eyes out, please. For just a moment, time freezes. I don't mean like it feels like time is standing still because I'm in the middle of a traumatic situation. No, time is frozen. Well, frozen for everything except for me, I should say. I pulled Marcy's hands away from my face easily. The look of anger combined with confusion is stuck on her face. Next to her, a fly is suspended in midair. The second hand on the clock has stopped on the wall behind her. Drips of water aren't finished falling, leaving umbrella-shaped splashes in the puddles on the floor. What? Did the moon goddess hear me? Did she have mercy on me? Did she let my dream come true? I look back at Marcy with wide eyes. My hands are glowing purple. As quickly as it stopped, time started again. Marcy starts screaming and pushes herself away from me. The tops of her hands where my hands were touching her were burnt. I look down at my hands. They are normal again, not glowing purple. Seriously though, what happened? I shut my eyes tight, waiting for Marcy to retaliate. If you tell anyone, I will kill you. She says in my ear, then she punches me in the stomach, knocking the air out of my lungs. I hear her footsteps running down the hall, then out the door. I don't know how long I sit like this, but when I finally open my eyes, I breathe a sigh of relief. I lean against my body for a while, longer, sobbing, shaking, and trying to catch my breath. She didn't harm me. Surely she was coming back. I sniff the air, but her scent is gone. I listen carefully, but there were no sounds in other parts of the dungeon. I'm alone. Moon Goddess, thank you for saving me. Thank you. I say out loud, just in case the miracle I just experienced was because of her. I feel exhausted, but starting to feel calmer. Okay, Talia, focus. I need to make dinner for the pack or Alpha Edward will find me and kill me. I don't think it's an exaggeration either. Even if I try to run away, either he or Marcy would find me before I could get off the territory. I take a few deep breaths and make myself go down the hall to wash up at the sink. I splash cold water on my face and look in the grungy mirror. Both of my eyes are pure violet now. The silver streaks are starting to take over my hair now. It isn't like an old person's hair. It is silvery that almost shimmers even in the low light of the dungeon. So weird. There's no way I'm going to be able to get used to this new look. I go back to my room and get dressed in the loose cotton gown and round hat that Diane gave me, pulling the brim low to hide my eyes. Throughout dinner, I received murderous glares from Alpha Edward. I make sure to keep my eyes to the floor so Alpha Edward would avoid seeing the color. Marcy glares at me every chance she gets. After dinner, it takes longer than usual to stock the pantries because whoever did it while I was in the hospital had no idea what they were doing. It is well after midnight when I flop down on my bed and close my eyes. June 20th, I think to myself. It's the last day of school. Well, for other people anyway, not me. You don't need the education to cook and stock pantries. Alpha Edward's words ring in my ears. Just another day for me, I suppose. I wallow in self-pity for a bit before I roll over and try to fall asleep. I'm almost asleep when I hear a woman's voice. Hello? I quickly scramble to my feet, looking everywhere for who it could be. I'm the only one in the room. I peek into the hallway and look around, but no one is there either. Hello? I whisper loudly down the hallway. Ugh, Talia. This is no way for a warrior to behave. Get yourself together. The voice chides. I realize the voice is coming from inside my head. Who... Who are you? I ask hesitantly, worried that I've gone insane. I am the Messenger of the Moon Goddess. The Whisperer to the Moon. But I like you, so I'll let you call me Sylvie. Whisperer of the Moon? Are you my angel, Sylvie? Maybe. Who knows? You came a day too late. Our Alpha just turned me into a slave less than 12 hours ago. We have no way to escape now. I feel tears welling up. I explain everything to her. What the Alpha did. How the Luna made me live in the dungeon. All of it. I sob through the whole thing. I'm here now, Talia. Don't worry. You are a child of the Moon Goddess. You are a warrior. Which means that you are strong. You will get through this. Sylvie, earlier, when my hands turned purple and burned Marcy, was that you? Sort of. That was you, but I helped a little to activate your power. I can explain more later. The next month and a half are the worst of my life. Thank Goddess for Sylvie. She keeps me going. Any motivation I ever had is gone now. Instead of just breakfast and dinner, now I make lunch too and I'm still on pantry duty. Every moment of my day is filled with work. From the time I wake up, Sylvie convinces me to enjoy the time that she and I get to spend together, which is when I'm cooking meals. I find I do enjoy cooking while Sylvie is with me. No one comes to bother me. So, we get to have great conversations without interruptions. In the end, I have created something people will enjoy. I even found a couple of recipe books in the back of one of the kitchen cupboards and taught myself some new techniques and dishes to make. Everything else in my life is complete hell. Alpha Edward allows PAC members to bully me and verbally mock me, and they take full advantage of every opportunity. He comes to my room multiple times a week to harm me and berate me for imaginary offenses I haven't committed. Sometimes Marcy comes and watches. A couple of times she even gets the whip for her father. But she never actually does anything bad to me. I swear I see her smiling while she watches. Sylvie tries to convince me to fight back, but that would be a death sentence. If I fight back or even worse, if I shift, I'm certain I'd be dead.

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