Chapter 1
Hidden behind the darkness of the bushes, and taking advantage of the deep night, Arya held her breath, agitated, while Derek’s words pierced her chest like sharp claws.
“She’s just a toy, Marcia, nothing more than that,” Derek spoke with a voice as cold as the wind rustling the treetops. “The only reason I keep her close is because of that stupid prophecy from the old witch. Love her? Please, she can’t even manage to shift.”
Arya squeezed the limestone necklace hanging from her neck, the same one Derek had given her minutes earlier with a smile she believed was sincere. “I promise to protect you, Arya,” he had said, with words that had seemed genuine at the time.
The promise of love that had illuminated her heart was just a lie, a cruel deception that made her feel tiny, broken.
From her hiding spot, her legs trembled, not from fear, but from fury. Every laugh Derek shared with Marcia was another blow that tore apart what little remained intact in her soul.
Arya held her chest, trying to suppress the pain that overwhelmed her. The sound of Derek and Marcia’s laughter and cruel words still echoed in her head, but she knew she had to leave.
With every step toward her community, she noticed her vision blurring because of the tears welling up in her eyes.
Upon reaching the entrance, some young members of the pack looked at her with disdain. “Going to try to shift, are you?” one of them sneered, while another shoved her shoulder with resentment.
Arya stumbled, her white dress smeared with mud, and her humiliation intensified.
“What’s wrong, Arya? Can’t you even walk without falling?” another boy mocked, sparking laughter among the others. One of them pushed her again, this time more violently, and she fell to the ground, staining her dress with mud.
Everyone else looked at her with contempt, as if she were a plague to be ignored. It was the same way they had always looked at her—those eyes full of disdain that reminded her over and over that she was nobody, that she was cursed, and that she was the pack’s pest.
Suddenly, something in her broke.
With her heart pounding with fury, she turned and started walking toward the center of the gathering, toward where Derek stood, surrounded by his entourage. The lunar ceremony was about to begin, but she couldn’t wait any longer.
“Derek!” she screamed, making all eyes turn toward her.
He looked at her, a mocking smile playing on his lips. Arya lifted the limestone necklace he had given her, the same necklace that now felt like a chain of lies.
“Look closely!” she exclaimed, her voice filled with pain. “You gave me this necklace, Derek! With your own hands! You said you loved me… that you would protect me… But it was all a lie!”
Derek let out a contemptuous laugh.
“You’re a fool, Arya,” he said, looking at the crowd. “I only gave you that necklace out of pity, because I can’t stand watching you beg for my affection. You actually thought someone like me, the future Alpha, would notice you. What are you? A wolf incapable of shifting, a burden!”
Derek’s words were sharp daggers, and Arya felt her soul tear, but she refused to succumb.
“That’s not true!” she cried, her voice trembling. “I remember the night we spent together, when you made me believe you wanted me… was all that a lie?!”
A murmur ran through the pack, and the nobility’s laughter became audible. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on her, and all she saw was scorn. Even Marcia, in the background, could not hide her satisfied smile.
Arya was on the verge of collapsing, but she couldn’t give up.
However, the words of contempt that resonated in the air were what utterly broke her.
Derek, who had always looked at her with affection, now approached her with a repulsive gaze and said:
“I wanted to give you a role in my life, but you couldn’t even manage that.”
Arya, with tears burning her skin, more from hatred than sadness, stepped toward him. Without thinking, she raised her hands and hit his chest with all her strength.
“You’re an idiot!” she shouted.
Derek looked at her with disdain, as if she were nothing more than an annoying insect.
“Lock her up!” he ordered, and the pack watched in silence as Arya was dragged away to the jail. “You dare make a mockery of me, in the middle of the lunar ceremony?”
Arya fought with all her strength, but her eyes kept searching his face, looking for some hint of what she had believed was love. However, he showed her nothing but scorn. As they dragged her away, she could only think one thing: this wasn’t over.
As they dragged her across the rough floor of the dungeons, Arya only thought about how she could have let herself be fooled, how she could have believed in those precious golden eyes she loved to see shine. All the morning laughter when they hid among the orchards, every night they spent together watching the moon, every brush of skin they shared. It had all been a lie, a damned, meticulously planned lie by him.
That scoundrel Derek had betrayed her and broken her heart.
Tears of suffering streamed down uncontrollably, and a moan full of complaint and pain escaped her dry lips. Right now, even death would be less painful than any torture, because the overwhelming pain and the stab of Derek’s words had shattered her.
“You said you would protect me…” she murmured in a faint whisper as her eyes closed, falling into Morpheus’s deep sleep.
After a while, Arya woke up slightly in the dungeon, her half-open eyes barely catching the light filtering through the bars. The sound of arrogant laughter made her tense up. She lifted her gaze with difficulty and saw Marcia standing there, with a victorious smile, showing off the engagement ring on her finger.
“This is what true love looks like, Arya,” Marcia said disdainfully, observing the ring as if it were a trophy. “Something you, a useless wolf, will never understand.”
Arya gritted her teeth, rage bubbling inside her, but she remained silent, feeling the pain of humiliation settling in her chest again.
Marcia continued, relishing every word. “Derek is everything I ever wanted. He’s the future Alpha, the one who truly deserves more than a pathetic wolf like you.”
The sarcasm in her voice made Arya unable to bear it anymore. With tears accumulating in her eyes, she spoke, her voice broken but full of fury.
“You’re a fool, Marcia!” she shouted. “Derek deceived us both. He’s an idiot, a fake, a liar. Just as he fooled me, I guarantee he’ll do the same to you. Don’t kid yourself, he’s not the prince you think he is, he’s just a boy playing with his toys.”
Marcia burst out laughing, a laugh of superiority that made Arya’s hatred grow.
“Do you really think I care about that, Arya?” she said, with a mocking smile. “I always knew what was going on between you two. The only reason I tolerated it was because of that stupid old sorceress and her damned prophecy.”
Arya blinked, surprised by Marcia’s words, but before she could reply, the woman continued.
“But now that there’s no point in pretending anymore, enough with the lies. I’m not a fool like you.”
Marcia’s words were cold knives that cut Arya deeper than any blow. With tears streaming down her cheeks, Arya tried to hold herself together, but Marcia didn’t stop.
“You’re delusional, Arya,” she said scornfully. “A stupid girl. You are destined to be unhappy all your life.”
With a final, contemptuous look, Marcia turned and walked out of the cell. Not without muttering one last poisonous word.
“A bitch in heat like you would never manage to be with an Alpha,” she murmured.
The door slammed shut, leaving Arya alone, with the weight of her own tears and Marcia’s venomous words echoing in her mind.
Time passed slowly, and Arya watched the sky darken through the cell bars. Darkness took over the place, but she couldn’t stop thinking about Marcia’s words, about Derek’s betrayal. In her mind, a scream of fury and frustration built up incessantly.
It was then she heard approaching footsteps, and with them, a sound that made her tense up. The guard entered accompanied by a man she didn’t immediately recognize.
He was a barbarian. A wolf from an uncivilized tribe, known for their strange customs. Arya had never seen one so close, and fear ran through her skin when her eyes met his. A pair of light, threatening eyes that stared at her fixedly. The barbarian’s presence seemed to fill the air, and his struggles to free himself from the restraints only increased the tension in the atmosphere.
Arya watched anxiously as the man fought the guards, his body strong and tense, his gaze dangerous. His presence was completely opposite to that of the members of her own pack, and for a moment, she felt more vulnerable than ever.
Arya realized that maybe she was as weak and insignificant as everyone believed—her presence was only a burden and an insult to her race. She couldn’t even shift. A tear slipped down her face as the cold night began to envelop her without permission.
Hours passed slowly, and then, a familiar sound reached her ears. Derek’s stealthy footsteps. The door opened and he entered, observing her with that smile she had loved so much.
“Hello, Arya,” he said, his voice soft and warm, as if he had done nothing wrong.
She looked at him surprised and furious; the rage exploded in her chest. Without thinking, she stood up and hit him with all the strength her weak arms allowed, letting the crying she had contained for hours overflow on her face.
“How can you be so cynical?” she cried, sobbing. “How can you stand in front of me and pretend everything is okay?”
Derek didn’t say anything, but his golden eyes shone with a sadness that completely disarmed her.
“Why are you crying, my flower?” he said, with an innocent smile, as if he were not responsible for anything.
Arya hesitated, for a second she thought she saw the noble Derek she fell in love with, but that illusion quickly vanished when he added, in a cold tone:
“Just behave and be an obedient bitch.”
Before she could react, Derek forced her into a kiss, his lips pressing against hers with a coldness he had never treated her with. Arya writhed in place, unable to believe what was happening, but deep down, her heart broke even more by feeling him so close.
