Lily POV

I trudged back to my room, my father’s cold words and Vanessa’s smirk still echoing in my mind. I was used to their ill-treatment. I should be used to it, but every time they spoke to me like this, the sting of their words would pierce through my heart, leaving me miserable.

Collapsing onto my bed, I closed my eyes, allowing myself to drift into fantasies of having the best birthday ever tomorrow – one where Lucas would make me feel special and loved.

I had barely settled into the dream when the annoying buzz of my alarm clock rang, jolting me awake. Stretching like a lazy cat, I stared at the wall opposite me for a few minutes, I couldn’t believe I was 18 today. Instead of excitement, a familiar weight settled in my chest.

No one cared that I was 18 today…

Also, I had to make breakfast for my father and Vanessa and do other chores… it didn’t matter that today was my birthday.

Dragging myself out of bed, I made my way to the kitchen. Since no one was up, I had the pack house to myself for a few minutes.

About time,” Vanessa sneered as she sauntered into the kitchen, shattering my peaceful moment and my daydreaming. She looked dressed up. “I’m starving,”.

A second later, Alpha Gregory came down too, and walked straight to Vanessa ignoring my ‘Good morning Dad,”.

“Happy birthday princess!” he exclaimed, placing a glittering tiara on Vanessa’s perfectly styled hair. “We party hard tonight,”.

Vanessa squealed with delight as she ran to the mirror in the hallway to check the tiara, then came back panting. “Oh, Daddy, it’s beautiful. You’re the best,”.

Alpha Gregory barely spared me a glance as he settled onto his side of the table and picked up the morning paper. After reading for a while, he looked up at me. The first glance he was giving me since he came downstairs.

“Don’t forget to clean up before you leave,” He said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

“Yes, Dad,” I nodded silently watching as they ate their breakfast. I would eat later after they finish.

After eating they both left the house. Finally, alone, I cleared the table and ate one hard, boiled egg before going back to my room. I retrieved the dress I’d been saving up for months to buy.

Since I didn’t have an allowance like Vanessa, I had to save up the little pennies I scraped from going to the market and running errands around the pack for me. The dress was a beautiful emerald green that brought out the gold flecks in my hazel eyes. Slipping it on, I stood before the mirror, admiring how it hugged my curves.

For a brief moment, I imagined myself as beautiful as Vanessa. My sister was the belle of the pack. She was tall… without being too tall and slender with the right amount of cheekbones, colour of eyes and beautiful hair. She always drew eyes wherever she went. Me on the other hand, my chestnut curly hair was hard to tame, despite everything I had done, my hazel eyes and freckled face made me look like I had existed in the dragon age and it didn’t help that I was fat.

I had bigger boobs, bigger butts and wider hips that I have to always hide with big clothes. I looked like a boar compared to Vanessa who was as beautiful as a gazelle and carried herself well. People often told me I looked like my mother – my father’s mate who had died shortly after giving birth to me. The very reason why my dad – Alpha Gregory hates me. To him, I killed his mate.

Studying my reflection, I felt a pang of longing. I wished I had known my mother, maybe I could have experienced the love and acceptance I’d always craved and maybe my father would hate me less.

I styled my stubborn hair and applied light makeup from the products Vanessa had thrown away last month because another Alpha’s daughter from school told her they didn’t match her skin tone. Satisfied with my little touchup, I headed downstairs.

The house was already bustling with activity. Decorators rushed in and out, shouting instructions to each other, hanging streamers and arranging flowers. The party was supposed to start in the evening and it was only noon, I wondered why they were all freaking out.

The delicious aroma of freshly baked cake wafted from the kitchen to my nose and for a moment, I allowed myself to imagine it was all for me.

Exhaling, I started for me Lucas’s secret spot – a small clearing in the woods near the border of the pack lands. It was when Lucas first asked me to be his girlfriend when we’d shared our first kiss. Surely, he would make this birthday special.

My stomach fluttered with excitement when I arrived at the clearing expecting to see some decorations but nothing was there and there was no sign of Lucas too. Maybe he got caught up with something besides, it’s the thoughts that matter and not decoration. I told myself.

Minutes ticked into hours… and the initial excitement turned to worry. Lucas was never late, not for our meetings. Four hours passed and there was no sign of him. By now, I know the pack house will be filled to the brim with people for the party.

One more hour later, it was dark already and I couldn’t bear waiting any longer. With a heavy heart, I left the secret spot and started heading home. Lucas must have been so busy. As I approached the pack house, the sounds of music and laughter grew louder, a stark reminder of the celebration I wasn’t part of.

“I’ll just go to my room, change into something casual and go check up on Lucas,” I murmured to myself.

“Isn’t that the other ‘weird sister’ – Lily Stone,” someone announced with a microphone, making me freeze. When I turned, it was Vanessa’s group of friends. They came towards me immediately, flanking me on all sides, making it difficult for me to continue to my room.

The others laughed, their eyes roving over my dress with disdain. Since I’d been caught, there was no need to hide now. “I know you all are dumb but I didn’t know you’d be dumb enough not to figure that I live here too…and that means I can come and go as I please. If your alcohol bedazzled minds had allowed you to think, you’d have noticed that I was heading upstairs, to my room,”.

“Wow!” the girls exclaimed in unison, clapping, still laughing “What’s making you so brazen today? Is it the new age?” one of them asked.

“It should be the dress,” one of them pointed out.

“I wonder what charity home she had to go pick this up from. You should swing by my house later, I have lots of clothes that are ten times better than what you’re wearing. Consider it, a gesture to help a destitute like you,”.

“Wouldn’t that make me as dumb as you, Aria?” I recognized her. She was the Beta’s daughter. “I heard you’d need to retake sophomore year for the third time in a row. “That’s too bad dear… all your friends would have graduated and left before you ever caught up,” I retorted with a smile.

Aria scoffed with annoyance. I could see that my words had gone right through her. The other girls snickered, each one of them looking away. Aria scoffed and folded her hands, looking at me with mockery.

“At least my boyfriend didn’t desert me to attend my sister’s birthday party instead,” she said

My heart pricked with fear at her words. It could only mean one thing… Lucas had come to the party just like I suspected. Ignoring the taunts, I pushed past them. I had more important things to worry about now – finding Lucas.

I searched the crowded living room, the kitchen, and even the backyard but Lucas was nowhere to be seen. With each passing minute, the knot in my stomach tightened. Where could he be? Why didn’t he just tell me he was at Vanessa’s party? It was probably his father that forced him to attend.

As a last resort, I headed upstairs. The second floor was off-limits for the party, but I thought Lucas might have gone up to escape the noise. He hated parties just like me. But as I passed by Vanessa’s room, my ears caught muffled voices from within.

I paused for a while, hoping I wasn’t hearing things. There was no way the celebrant of the party would be in her room when the party was just starting. But it wouldn’t hurt to check.

My hand hovered over the doorknob, hesitating. Then I heard it – Lucas’s laugh, followed by Vanessa’s sultry giggle. My blood ran cold. I pressed my ears against the door.

“You should just reject her, Lucas,” Vanessa’s voice came through now. “She’s no good for you. We’d be so much stronger together. My wolf is more powerful unlike her who has no wolf and to the best of my knowledge, she didn’t get any today and you know what it means when someone doesn’t get their wolf on their 18th birthday. Think about it, Lucas, you could be the next Alpha if we mate,”.

My heart pounded in my chest, as my ears strained to hear Lucas’s response.

“I know, I know!” he replied, his voice low and husky. “But I’ve been with Lily for three years. I can’t just dump her, especially on her birthday of all days. It’ll break her. So, we need to take this slow and easy… be smart about it. I wasn’t planning on ending up with her anyways,”.

A gasp escaped my lips before I could stop it. I stumbled backwards, bumping into a small table in the hallway. The vase on top wobbled and crashed to the floor, shattering into a thousand pieces.

The voices in the room went silent. Moments later, the door flew open and Vanessa stood there, her perfect hair slightly mussed, wearing nothing but a silky robe. Behind her, Lucas scrambled to pull on his shirt, his face pale with shock.

“Well, well,” Vanessa drawled, clapping as a cruel smile spread across her face. “Look what we have here. Lily, the little spy,”.

I stood frozen, my eyes darting between Vanessa and Lucas. “How…how could you?” I whispered to him, my voice breaking.

He stepped forwards raising his hands placatingly. “Willow, I can explain -,”.

“Oh, stop it, Lucas,” Vanessa cut him off, rolling her eyes. “No more pretending please. Let’s just put her out of her misery… she deserves to know the truth,”.

Then she turned to me “Did you think he could ever truly want you? Look at you – no wolf, no power, nothing to offer. You’re pathetic, Lily. Always have been, always will be,”.

“Lucas, please,” I pleaded, tears streaming down my face. “Tell me it’s not true. We love each other, don’t we?”

But Lucas couldn’t meet my eyes. “I’m sorry, Lily. I never meant for you to find out like this,”.

Vanessa laughed, “Oh, this is rich. Did you believe he loves you? Wake up little sister. You were just a placeholder until something better came along,”.

The room spun but I refused to believe this was happening. Perhaps, he was under duress, Vanessa had a way to make anyone do what she wanted.

Vanessa then turned to Lucas. “You know what you need to do now, don’t you? It’s time to end this charade once and for all,”.

I saw him hesitate his eyes darting between me and Vanessa. Suddenly, I saw the moment his resolve hardened, and my heart shattered.

“Do it!” Vanessa urged. “Reject her, right now!”

Time slowed as he stepped towards me. I wanted to run, to hide… anything to delay the blow I was about to receive but my feet felt rooted to the spot. I watched, as if from a great distance as Lucas’s lips moved…

“I, Lucas Steele, reject you, Lily Stone as my mate,”.

The pain was immediate and overwhelming, I felt like my soul was being torn apart. I gasped, clutching at my chest as the agony of his rejection coursed through my body. I stumbled to the ground, fighting the darkness that slowly enclosed me.

The last thing I saw before the darkness claimed me was Vanessa’s triumphant smile.

Then… black out.

Lucas POV

I sat on the edge of Lily’s bed feeling like a fraud, my eyes fixed on her unconscious form.

My heart felt heavy with the weight of what I’d done. I reached out, gently, tucking a stray strand of her hair behind her ear.

“I’m so sorry, Lily,” I whispered, trying to rein my emotions in. “You deserve so much better than this – than me,”.

How had it come to this?

As I watched her, memories of us flooded my mind. The first day I met, Lily, she was hiding from a group of girls who had obviously been bullying her. She had looked so fragile that day when she ran up to me and asked me to hide her.

She was so different from the others in the pack. While others mocked me for my status as an adopted child, Lily had seen past that and befriended me.

That was the first time anyone ever needed me or asked for my help. In that singular moment, I felt as powerful as the moon goddess. Our first date had been at a local diner after weeks of saving… I wanted to take her somewhere special but she knew we couldn’t afford the big restaurants in town, so she lied to me about craving locally made food.

But that was the best day of my life to date. After that, we’d spend countless hours studying with Lily patiently explaining complex topics until they clicked for me. The way she’d stood up to a group of bullies picking on a young boy we had seen one of the nights when he had taken a stroll…her bright echoing laughter through the school hallway or the way her eyes would light up with smiles when she talked about her favourite book.

In this world filled with deceit and lies, Lily was the only true thing.

“You were always so genuine,” I murmured “So smart and brave. I admired that about you, and still do. There were times when I worried that you were too good for me,” I added my voice breaking “Turns out you are,”.

I sighed heavily, running a hand through my hair. “It’s just that, I wish things could be different. I haven’t told you this before but I know what it means to be bullied. I understand what it’s like to never belong. This pack is the first place that felt like home,”.

I was adopted by the Gamma of this pack when I was 10 years old. As a child, I had to put up with taunts, beatings and constant fear. I was always the easy target since I was small and it didn’t help that I didn’t grow as fast as the other kids.

So, I became the subject of bullying by rogues and senior wolves who made my life a living hell.

The world was cruel… and I was taught to always grab opportunities, especially the obvious ones.

I love Lily but she was just like me. She was a nobody in the pack – no wolf, no power but Vanessa her sister… Vanessa was everything I wanted to have. Strong, beautiful with an equally powerful wolf. Mating her would secure my position. It would elevate me to heights I never dreamed of. No more bullying, no more sidelong glances and no more whispers about the ‘adopted runt’.

“I can’t go through that again,” I said more to myself than to the still-unconscious Lily. “I won’t be weak anymore – I can’t afford to be weak anymore and Vanessa… she can give me the strength I need. If I get mated to her, it means, I would become the next Alpha and no one would dare bully me or you … ever again… or anyone. I would make sure of that. So, I hope you can understand why I had to do that…”.

I trailed off as tears sprung from the corner of my eyes. I love, Lily… so much that it hurts me to see her lying there without smiling or talking back to me with excitement and knowing I was cause pricked my heart more.

No matter how much I’ve tried to fit in here, I was always referred to as the child who was adopted. It was like a stigma and the only way to get rid of it was to be with Vanessa. She wasn’t so great of a woman… but she had the power I needed.

I reached for her hands, pressing tiny kisses at the back of it… I wish I could tell her everything I had in mind… all my plans but I couldn’t risk it. I knew this day was coming… a day when I’ll finally have to let go of her but why did it seem so painful.

Suddenly, she groaned making me jump up startled. I stared at her as she stirred murmuring words that seemed strange to me but didn’t wake. I was beginning to get worried now… if she had fainted like Vanessa had said, she should be awake by now.

I stood, watching her stir again without opening her eyes. I decided to go and call Vanessa, she was one of the pack’s paramedics, so she had sufficient knowledge about keeping someone alive.

I checked in her room but didn’t see her. Taking the stairs, two at a time, I reached the ground floor and was about to call out her name when voices drifted to me. Pausing, I strained my ears recognizing Vanessa’s voice. Following the side of her voice, I arrived at a door at the corner of the hallway. The door was partially open, so it was easy to hear the people talking.

“You don’t have to worry about her shifting, Dad,” Vanessa’s voice came on strong, dripping with hatred “The dosage should be enough to suppress even the strongest wolf. Plus that little bitch hasn’t shown a single sign of shifting,”.

“Yeah! I agree,” Alpha Stone replied. “It’s a good thing that we’ve been poisoning her for years and she hasn’t noticed. Always so clueless… that one,” the Alpha chuckled. “We can’t risk her wolf awakening now, not when we’re so close. Do you think she fainted because of the rejection? You said she held her chest and seemed in pain? Maybe she felt some stirring within her. You know her bloodline…” the Alpha hesitated for a second… “I’m worried that our potion will not be strong enough for it. Plus, with her turning 18…It’s a significant number,”.

My blood ran cold. Poisoning? Suppressing Lily’s wolf? My mind reeled as I tried to understand what I was hearing.

“Once I mate with Lucas and he marks me, it won’t matter anymore,” Vanessa continued, her voice dripping with confidence. “With his strength and my bloodline, we’ll be unstoppable and she will be nothing but a forgotten memory,”.

“And you’re sure the boy will do what we want?” Alpha Stone asked.

“He’s in my palms, Father. He loves me so much and he didn’t hesitate when I told him that we can only be together when he rejects Lily which he did yesterday. Don’t worry, Dad… you can trust Lucas,”.

“Good!” Alpha Stone sounded pleased “After your wedding with the boy, then we would move on to phase 2 of the plan,”.

I stumbled back, my heart pounding as I crept up the stairs, careful not the make a noise. I’d known Vanessa to be cruel, but this? This was beyond anything I could have imagined.

Why were they so determined to harm her? What was phase 2 of their plan? I couldn’t believe I had put Lily in such a vulnerable position. Now, whatever they were going to do to her, I would be an accomplice.

“I must save her!” I murmured urgently to myself, taking the stairs faster.

I couldn’t undo the hurt; I’d caused but I could try to make it right. I had to warn, Lily. To tell her the truth about what her family had been doing to her and what they planned to do.

With shaky legs, I continued until I arrived at Lily’s room. As I pushed open the door, a warm feeling coursed through me as I stared at her… she was awake!”

Lily POV

My eyes fluttered open, my head pounding with the worst headache I’d ever experienced.

For a moment, I lay still, trying to piece together what had happened. Then like a wave, everything came back to me. Lucas’s rejection, Vanessa’s words that night, the pain I had felt when Lucas rejected me. Everything I had feared would happen had truly happened… the moon goddess knew how to give the best birthday gifts.

I sat up abruptly, ignoring the wave of dizziness that washed over me. This wasn’t a nightmare after all. The ache in my chest was enough proof that everything had happened. This was my new reality and it was a bleak one.

“Happy birthday to me,” I muttered bitterly, my voice hoarse.

As I buried my face in both hands, trying to remember when I had kept the pain meds in my room, the door of my bedroom was thrown open and Lucas ran in. When he saw me, relief flooded his face.

My heart clenched painfully as our eyes met. Part of me wanted to scream at him to go away, to never show his face again to me but another part… the part that still loved him despite everything, wanted him to gather me in his hands and tell me everything would be alright but I was so done with this.

“What do you want?” I asked straightening my shoulders as I glared at him. “And is that a relief expression I had just seen moments ago? Did you think you had killed me with the stunt you played? I bet you’re happy,”.

“No!” he shook his head and rushed to my side. “I’m just so happy that you’re fine. I was worried, you fell hard,”.

“Great news!” I scoffed “Now, can you please leave? Go be with your girlfriend… I don’t want to ever see you around me,”.

“Lily, I…” he started ignoring my threats, then faltered. I watched as he took a deep breath and tried again. “I’m so sorry for everything. I’m sorry that I cheated on you and for everything I said that you must have heard. What I did… what I said … it’s unforgivable but I hope…”.

I laughed humorlessly, interrupting him. “You’re right, Lucas. What you did is unforgivable and I’m not sure I have the good graces to forgive you anyways. Is that all you came to say?”

He shook his head, as his eyes darted nervously to the door and back. His expression grew serious. “Lily, listen to me. You need to get out of here, it’s not safe for you anymore. You need to leave,”.

“Leave?” I glared at him, wondering what he was talking about now. “As in leave the pack? Are you mad? Is it because you’re now marrying my sister that you want me to leave? How much space can I possibly take up by being here? Or did she put you up to this too? She did right?”

“No!” Lucas yelled, running a hand through his hair. “did you hear me the first time. I said it’s no longer safe for you, so you need to leave,”.

I blinked, realizing he wasn’t joking. Confusion replaced some of my anger. “What are you talking about?”

He ran his hand through his hair, for the second time in a few minutes – it was usually a sign that he was agitated. “I overheard something a few minutes ago. Your father and Vanessa your sister, they’re planning something. Something bad. You need to get out of here, now!”

My mind reeled from curiosity and fear. After everything that had happened, now this? Was this another one of Vanessa’s ploy?

“Lucas, slow down. What exactly did you hear?” I asked.

But Lucas was already moving. He grabbed a bag from my wardrobe and started to throw clothes into it. “There’s no time to explain everything. Just trust me, Lily. You’re in danger here,”.

“And you expect me to go with you? You who betrayed me some hours ago,” I scoffed, climbing down from my bed. “Listen, Lucas, my father and Vanessa do not regard me as anything. If that’s the danger you’re talking about, be rest assured it’s normal. So please…”.

Before I could say, Jack, Lucas crossed the room and grabbed my hand, pinning me with his stare. “Why are you so damn stubborn. I just told you your life is in danger and you’re here…” he trailed off, letting go of her hand. “I’m sorry for raising my voice but I don’t care if I have to carry you on my shoulders. We need to leave now,”.

“Fine!” I squared my shoulders. “I’ll go with you but I need to check something. Give me a few minutes. I need to talk to my father,” I said my voice stronger than I felt. I’d spent my whole life trying to earn my father’s love, trying to belong in this family. I couldn’t just leave without answers.

Lucas looked at me like I was crazy. “Lily, No! We need to go,”.

But I was already moving, marching out of my room and down the stairs. I found him in his study, buried in his usual pile of paperwork. As soon as he saw me, he looked up from what he was doing, with a calm expression.

“Ah, Lily,” he said “Feeling better, I hope?”

My hands clenched into fists at my sides. “Why?” I demanded, my voice shaking as tears gathered in my eyes. “Why can’t you love me like you love Vanessa? What did I ever do to deserve this?”

He sighed, closing the lid of the laptop. “Lily, I know you’re upset. Perhaps, we should have this conversation when you’ve calmed down…”.

“No!” I shouted, surprising even myself. This was the first time I was raising my voice at him. “I want answers and I want them Now!”.

He stared at me for a while, his expression blank and unreadable. Suddenly, he smiled – making me take a step back in shock. It wasn’t a kind smile.

“Very well,” he said, his voice suddenly turning cold. “You want the truth? You’ll get it. I hate you because you’re the reason why I lost my mate. You were never meant to be a part of this family in the first place,”.

“This same, old story again,” I bit my lips trying not to cry. “I’ve spent every waking moment of my life apologizing for that. I’m sorry, Mom had to die giving birth to me but I’m also sure that she would never want you to blame me for her death, I didn’t ask to be born,”.

“Oh shut up!” he snapped “We lied, okay! She didn’t die giving birth to you… she died protecting you. She gave her life for your sake…”.

I froze as the weight of his words settled in. “What…what are you talking about?”

He stood and came to where I was standing, looming over me. “Your blood, Lily… it’s special and you’re the vessel. You were handed over to my mate by some strange man when you were a child with instructions that she must take care of you and protect you. I guess she took it personally,”.

“That’s… that’s not true,” a tear rolled down my cheek as my voice cracked. “She was my mother… she gave birth to me….”.

“And you think I’ll treat my daughter the way I treat you?” he scoffed “Please... I don’t want to laugh,”.

Tears stung in my eyes but I refused to let them fall. “Then why keep me around all this while? You could have gotten rid of me the moment your mate died? Why bother to keep me here only to maltreat me?”

“Because,” he said, his smile turning cruel “I made her a promise and I intend to fulfil it. By the way,” he paused, went back to his desk to pick up a file which he stretched in my direction “I secured you a spot to go to college in the neighbouring pack’s territory,”.

My head spun; this couldn’t be happening. “You…you want me to leave?”

He nodded, his voice taking on a fatherly tone. “It would be good for you. A chance to start fresh and I could finally have some peace in my own house,”.

“I don’t want to leave, Father, please…” I cried trying to reach for him but the stern look on his face stopped me.

Then everything dawned on me.

“You’re lying,” I whispered turning to face him. “This isn’t about college is it? You’re trying to get rid of me,”.

The smile on his face was replaced instantly by a smirk as he sneered. “Smart girl. Always too clever for your good,” then he sighed. “Yes, the truth is, you were going to leave tonight anyways and as soon as you do, I’m going to declare you a rogue and if you ever try to come back, you’ll be treated as a rogue… just so you know, there are lots of packs who hate rogues, I wish you the best of luck surviving out there,”.

I staggered backwards, bumping my back on the edge of the table in the room. “You can’t do this,” I said, my voice barely audible. “I’m your daughter,”.

“You’re not my daughter!” he repeated “You’re just some stupid girl with no wolf and great blood running inside of you. You have until midnight to leave or I’ll have you dragged out myself and thrown out. Hurry my dearest, Lily… time is not your friend,”.

I felt numb as I dragged myself out of his study, and back to my room where Lucas was done packing. As soon as he saw me, he murmured.

“I’m so sorry, Lily… I never thought… I never knew…”.

I nodded not trusting myself to speak. My entire world had crumbled around me in the space of a day. My boyfriend, my sister, my father and a mother who wasn’t my mother after all. I went from being the girl hated by her father and sister to a … BASTARD! Everyone had betrayed me… I had nothing left.

A few minutes later, I reached the edge of the pack lands with my bag and Lucas hovering behind me. He had kept apologizing and asking for my forgiveness but I had managed to successfully avoid him.

Beyond these lands… I will now be a prey… but it’s fine…I had nothing to lose now.

Without turning back, I drove through the gates.