Any second soon the clock will hit midnight and she will turn 18, she sat on the sand looking at the peaceful scenery in front of her. It was a full moon and its reflection on the water made it beautiful. A small smile appeared on her face as the cold water touched her toes.
This place was her only safe sanctuary, but only a nightmare as it would be flocked with her bullies during the daytime. She often thought that those boys were foolish enough to miss school and waste their time here.
If only she had the chance to attend school, she would never leave and would try to make the most of it. She used to have full attendance in her school at her old pack when everything was fine in her life until her new Alpha killed their whole pack and she became a mere servant.
Why he killed all those people and what rivalry he had with her pack she didn’t know, but she was paying for it now.
The fresh wounds on her shoulder were proof of how well she was doing.
She sighed louder and looked beside her, over the sand. She slowly wrote something on wet sand and then tried to read it out loud.
“Happy Birthday Valeria.”
She wasn’t even sure if she wrote her name correctly.
Things have changed, she had seen teenagers use different terms for such occasions.
Due to losing her parents she didn’t know why the 18th birthday was special for werewolves, it is the day when werewolves get their wolf spirits who help them find their mate.
Valeria wasn’t aware of such things, neither did she have time to learn about all these things. Once she was caught reading in a public library by Alpha’s son and he punished her for that.
For some reason, he was always bullying her. There were other pack slaves too, but his focus was only on her. Even after spending 10 years in this pack, the pack members still didn’t know her real name.
She was always called by some derogatory terms, slut, b*tch, wh*re, Mutt or if someone is being generous then they would simply call her a slave.
Tears brimmed in her lonely eyes, she looked at the moon and silently pleaded for it to free her from all the pain. She sighed for the hundredth time and got up to leave but a sharp pain in her heart made her to clutch her chest tightly.
She had no idea that this was just the start of another nightmare for her.
Her body started heating up and she was sweating profusely but while gritting her teeth she decided to just lay there and hoped that the pain would subside on her own.
Valeria had no idea that her body was fighting against the shift.
Her body was so weak, her wolf knew that if she shifted now her body wouldn’t be able to take it, so her wolf spirit took matters into her own hands and decided to heal her first.
Valeria’s body was shivering and she curled into a ball and tried to sleep. But a gentle sound of music distracted her and lowly the pain subsided and she fell into a deep slumber with one last thought in her mind.
Who was singing? Who had such a melodic voice that sent peaceful shivers down her spine?
Valeria’s world was a haze of pain and cold. She barely registered the icy splash of water hitting her face before the sharp, mocking laughter echoed around her. Her body jerked reflexively, but the ache that rippled through her stomach and ribs kept her from moving further. She blinked against the droplets of water clinging to her lashes, the dim moonlight illuminating the sneering faces of her tormentors.
“Wake up, sl*t!” A cruel voice snapped, and another kick to her stomach had her heaving, bile rising in her throat. She curled into herself, trembling, trying to shield her battered body from their relentless assault.
“Guess this is where you hide at night, huh? Like the little rat you are,” sneered Brayden, one of Magnar’s loyal lackeys, his eyes glittering with malicious amusement.
“Pathetic,” someone else muttered, the sound followed by a derisive snort.
“Look alive, boys! Seems the little slave turned eighteen last night,” came a voice from the back. Valeria recognized it immediately—Magnar. The Alpha’s son. His tone was light, teasing almost, but the edge of malice beneath it made her blood run cold.
The group parted slightly as Magnar stepped forward, his tall, imposing frame casting a shadow over her. His predatory grin revealed sharp teeth, and his piercing gaze swept over her trembling form.
“Eighteen, huh? That’s a big day for a pup,” Magnar drawled, crouching down to meet her frightened eyes. “Did you celebrate, Valeria? Oh wait… I forgot. You’re not like the rest of us, are you? No family. No pack. Just a mangy little mutt that cleans up after the real wolves.”
His words cut deeper than the pain in her body. She clenched her fists, but the effort to suppress her tears left her shaking.
Brayden chuckled darkly. “Maybe she was hoping to find her mate last night. Imagine that—a mate for a filthy slave.”
The laughter that followed was like knives slicing through her pride.
Magnar’s ears perked up as though an idea had suddenly taken root in his mind. His expression shifted, the smirk deepening into something darker, more calculating.
“Eighteen is a special age, you know,” he mused, standing to his full height. “That’s when wolves come into their full strength. Or, in your case, when they’re reminded of how weak they really are.”
The group laughed again, but Magnar raised a hand, silencing them.
“You know, boys,” he said, his tone almost playful, “I’ve heard some… interesting things happen when a wolf turns eighteen. Maybe our little slave here deserves a birthday gift from her Alpha’s son.”
Valeria’s heart pounded in her chest. She didn’t know what he meant, but the gleam in his eyes filled her with dread. She pressed her palms against the dirt, attempting to push herself away, but a heavy boot landed on her arm, pinning her in place.
“Oh no, Valeria,” Magnar said softly, crouching down again. “You don’t get to run away. Not tonight.”
Tears welled in her eyes as she stared into his face, her body frozen with fear. The other boys leaned in closer, their faces alight with anticipation, feeding off Magnar’s energy.
“Let’s make this a birthday you’ll never forget,” Magnar whispered, his grin widening into something monstrous.
