It was freezing and pitch black. Hearing nothing but wailings, screeches, and howls for what seemed like an eternity instilled rage in his soul.

He abhorred light but yearned to see even a sliver of it in this vast agonizing darkness, chained by a harrowing curse at the abyss.

He'd tried everything to break free from the shackles that the Moon Goddess had bestowed upon him. However, each time he failed. The force holding him down was powerful, and he was powerless in the face of the goddess's supremacy.

So he lay in wait for a gap on the curse to appear. However, none took shape in the past thousand years.

Then, one day, the bright light he yearned for flashed before his eyes at the brink of losing himself to madness.

His booming laughter echoed in the dark.

'At last, the day has finally come!'

His eyes glowed, and the earth trembled as he tried to pull the chains off his body, rattling while they snapped.

"Aaargh!"

A scream left his mouth like a growl.

Suddenly, the light began to fade. Desperation became apparent on his face. He gritted his teeth and forced his way out, cursing the one behind his curse. He wouldn't let this chance go by.

Another bone-chilling scream left him, and then a thunderous explosion shook the abyss.

When he came to, the sunlight shone on his face. He felt warm throughout his body. The dewy scent of the forest hit his nose, and the sound of the forest became music to his ears.

"Finally!" he rejoiced.

A burst of maniacal laughter rumbled out of his chest. His eyes menacingly narrowed as he boiled up revenge in his mind.

Suddenly he heard someone giggling.

His ears perked up, and he heard a cheerful voice of a man calling someone out.

"Princess!"

His face scrunched up in grimace and followed the voice. The merry laughter got louder as he drew near. As he passed through rows of trees, his feet led him to a clearing, and a cheery face of a little girl caught his eye.

She ran toward her parents, giggling with flowers in her hands, and a strand of light streamed behind her.

A smile marked his lips. All the suffering he had for entire millennia flashed before his eyes.

"Hello there, Miracle," he muttered, enraged.

And in a flash, the world turned red. Screams and cries replaced the peaceful sound of the forest.

The little girl's laughter became cries out of terror. As he made blood rain over her.

He stood before the girl snarling and relished the fear she had in her eyes.

'I'll reclaim what was mine,' he growled.

As Lunaire awoke from a terrible nightmare, a bone-chilling pain shot through her body. Streaks of tears escaped her eyes as she winced from the wave of agony and shrunk to her side, clutching her stomach.

It was nothing new for her to wake up sore from head to toe. Lunaire had been living her life in this manner since the day her parents died. Her skin had bruises and wounds from being treated like a rag, beaten and worn out by people who should have loved her.

Lunaire squirmed when a little ray of sunlight hit her eyes. She glanced over the clock, and fear drummed her heart wildly when she saw the time. It was a few minutes past six in the morning, and she should have been up an hour before.

The poor girl quickly got up despite her body's defiance, heading to the bathroom to wash up. Heart-wrenching sobs escaped her mouth with each step as it doubled the pain ripping her body apart.

Her suffering didn't end even when she got into the showers. The cold water raining on her skin felt like fires burning her insides.

Tortured screams attempted to break out of her chest, but she desperately held it in and endured.

It was already way more than enough pain that she could handle. If she pissed someone off with her screams, Lunaire feared today might be her last day breathing.

Washing up didn't take her long. After fixing herself up, she immediately went down and prepped breakfast for their whole pack.

Bustling in the kitchen alone, Lunaire went through batches of pancakes, eggs, and slices of bacon. Lay plates after plates at the dining table until members of the Black Rose pack started filling the dining room.

They took their places around the table and began their usual clamor, ignoring her existence like every day for years. With Lunaire sitting at the lowest end of the caste system, it wasn't strange for them to feel repulsed by her.

She could only sigh, knowing it was better than having them knock her down at every tiny thing she did.

Of course, someone would always be thrilled to see her suffer and look pathetic. And they wouldn't hesitate to mess with her.

Lunaire was wrapping up her work, pouring water on their glasses, when she heard someone mutter.

"Bitch."

Then suddenly, her foot stumbled over something, and she crashed to the floor in a swoop. A burst of scornful laughter erupted in the dining room as they feasted on her torment.

She wanted to cry, but she couldn't. Bawling her eyes out in here was pointless. It would only invite her to more torture than she could bear.

Lunaire's heart grieved as she looked up at her bullies.

"What are you looking at bitch?" Bella, the slut of their pack, sneered.

Lunaire flinched, looking away, and hurriedly picked up the shards of a broken glass pitcher.

Right then, the door to the dining room slammed open, and their laughter died down.

She didn't have to look at who had arrived to know who they were. Her body instantly shuddered as she felt the presence of her biggest tormentors, her four brothers, Darius, Dustin, Xavier, and Lucas.

Her hands trembled as she continued to clean up, hoping they wouldn't notice her. But life had never been so kind. Sometimes, Lunaire wondered if she was born only to suffer in this hell.

When her four brothers took their seats, their eldest, Darius, slammed his hand mad on the table.

"Where's my food slave?" Darius snarled.

Lunaire timidly got up with all the shards at hand and bowed at her brother. She rushed back to the kitchen and quickly picked up their plates after throwing the broken pitcher in the garbage.

Her four brothers liked their food served fresh. They hated it if she put their food out long before they dined. The last time Lunaire made such a mistake, she almost died from their beating.

Since then, she had been careful. However, her brothers were talented at making excuses to torture her. Lunaire dreaded what would happen now that she made them wait for breakfast. If only no one had tripped her over.

When she came back, her body trembled instantly under their gaze. Lunaire had received far too much trauma to her body that trembling became her first reaction to everything.

She carefully laid their plates before them when a burning sensation began to rip her scalp off.

Lunaire screamed as Xavier harshly pulled her hair and made her look at his plate.

"Look at this, you fucking bitch, what did I tell you about my breakfast? Didn't I tell you I don't want these fucking pancakes for breakfast?!" he growled.

"I-I'm s-sorry," she stuttered between sobs.

"What's it, mutt? I didn't hear you!" Xavier snarled, yanking her head back.

"I'm sorry," Lunaire cried louder.

Xavier's grimace worsened, and he landed a brutal punch to her gut.

"You, being sorry, ain't gonna make up for ruining my morning!" he barked, throwing her across the floor.

Silence swept through the dining room at his outburst, with Lunaire wheezing as she crawled away, shaking like a weak leaf.

"Get the fuck out of here! I'll deal with you later!" Xavier yelled again and soccered her sides.

Lunaire whimpered, knowing the hit she took right now was only the beginning. She slowly got up and headed out as fast as possible.

"Out!" Xavier yelled again before she got out.

Sensing him coming near, she scampered away and dashed to her room, locking the door behind her. Her legs gave out as soon as she felt safe and slid down against the door.

Her suppressed cry finally escaped from her chest. She sobbed, hiding her face between her knees, crying out for a savior that may not come.

"Mum, Dad...I missed you. I missed you so much," Lunaire cried.

The next thing she knew, someone's loud banging on her door woke her up. The poor girl's soul was so tired that she didn't even know when she had fallen asleep.

"Open the fucking door, slut!" Dustin yelled and banged her door again.

Lunaire crawled away from the door, petrified.

"Don't wait for me to fucking tear this goddamn door down!" Dustin's menacingly roared.

Her eyes widened in horror. She didn't know what to do. She was scared to open the door, knowing her brothers would beat her to death. That end wouldn't be different even if they broke her door down.

"Little bitch!" Dustin growled, daunting her.

Lunaire frantically got up and unlocked the door, and soon as her brothers heard it click, they slammed it open. She got thrown off balance upon impact and fell to the floor.

Dustin before her with bloodshot red eyes, seething with anger. His straight lips lifted into an evil smirk, making her shudder.

He then grabbed her hair, making her scream as he dragged her downstairs to the basement.

"P-please D-Dustin...p-please let m-me g-go." Her voice broke as she profusely begged between her cries. But he only laughed and threw her across the cold, stone floor.

Lunaire wailed from the pain. She bled badly after scraping most of her skin from that throw.

She looked up to her four brothers hoping for a sliver of mercy, but their eyes had nothing but disgust, anger, and loathing.

Lunaire froze, stricken with terror. This situation was nothing new. She had those kinds of faces multiple times, but it still got her shock and hurt every time.

Her brothers would hit her as their punching bag for entertainment. They were the artists behind the bruises and scars all over her body and heart.

"I'm feeling very bored today, so thought why not take my boredom out on you, little sister," Xavier smirked.

Lunaire clasped her hands together like a prayer and pleaded to her brothers.

"P-please....p-please, d-don't d-do t-this," she cried but got laughed at, except by the serious and cold one among her brothers, Darius.

Then, Lucas's eyes glowed yellow at the drop of a hat, and he lunged at her. He swung her fist to her face, hitting her jaw and cheek with another.

A sharp pain busted her sensors, making her cry even more. He yanked his hair and dealt her another punch, making her nose bleed. Lunaire shrieked, begging him to stop but only riled her brothers up, and then Dustin and Xavier joined in.

Her tortured screams echoed in the basement until nightfall as they beat and hit their little sister mercilessly. The three only stopped when her voice dwindled into groans.

"Enough. Let's get to the fun part," Darius sneered coldly.

Xavier and Dustin dragged Lunaire away and forced her to stand up. Blood dripped at her smashed face with her eyes gazing across the river Styx. Lunaire tried hard to stay awake, but her consciousness slowly faded.

They tied both her hands and hanged her lifeless body from the ceiling. Her sleeping senses soon awakened when a stiff whip cut through the air and landed on her back.

"Ahh!" Lunaire howled as the whip continuously shredded her back.

"Ahh! P-Please...stop...brother, stop, please!" Lunaire kept on pleading between her screams, but Darius didn't stop.

"Mom... Dad, save me!" she bawled.

Her brothers were monsters who treated her like an animal. They bear no empathy despite her lying at the doorsteps of death.

"How dare you speak of their name, you fucking bitch!" Darius growled. His voice roared in the basement, sending shivers even to his other brothers.

"They died because of you, you fucking murderer! You took our parents away from us!" he yelled, making her lose breath from the suffocating pain inflicted by his consecutive whipping.

Slowly, the darkness was taking her away. Her brother's wrathful words gradually became inaudible. Her vocal cords had been tired from screaming that her cries sounded like croaks.

"Stop, leave her. That's enough for today." She heard someone say.

She couldn't see who it was, but she felt glad this nightmare was about to stop.

Lunaire felt the ropes suspending her getting cut, and she fell heavily to the ground. It might not seem like it, but she breathed a sigh of relief hearing them leave.

However, before she heard the door shut, Xavier left her with dagger-like words and dealt her tonight's final blow.

"Oh! I forgot to tell you this. Happy Birthday, Slut," he said and laughed off, slamming the door shut on his way out.

Lunaire whimpered in the darkness, lying like a corpse on a cold stone floor.

'I should have died that night instead of our parents,' her soul lamented.

The following day, Lunaire woke up to the dead silence plaguing the basement.

Now that she was awake, the dormant pain in her body shot back up. She hissed and groaned as she slowly got up, leaning against the wall.

"Happy Birthday to me," she bitterly greeted herself.

Her brothers cooked her up well-done this time. Most werewolves, even the other omegas, should have been healed by now. But her wolf was weak and would take her longer to recover enough to walk out of that dark basement.

In that deafening silence, Lunaire closed her eyes and spoke in her mind.

"Crystal, are you okay?" worried, she called out her wolf, who hadn't spoken to her in a while.

"I'm okay, Lunaire. I'm trying my best to heal us, but it's hard," she whimpered. But despite her sorry state, Crystal still found the strength to cheer her up.

"Hey, we're sixteen now. Maybe our suffering will end soon," Crystal said with warm excitement.

Lunaire smiled wryly and opened her eyes. She hoped so too. She'd wished for it every year on her birthday, expecting the coming year would be different. But each year since their parents died , it was packed full of disappointments.

This year would be her last ray of light. She'd been waiting for the day their mate would come and take them away from this hellish place. Their soul longed for his healing, protection, and love.

'Please, find us soon.' Their hearts desperately wished.

"We need to go now, or else we will get into trouble again," Crystal whimpered.

Lunaire nodded and groggily stood up, holding on to the wall for support as she navigated her way out of this dark basement up to her crappy room.

She quickly washed up, melding her cries to the rush of water that stung her wounds.

Afterward, she made her way down the kitchen, repeating the same routine she did yesterday and, of course, keeping in mind not to make pancakes for Xavier.

While putting things together in the kitchen, she caught a whiff of a beautiful scent coming from somewhere. Lunaire tried not to mind and poured her full attention into what she was doing but

Crystal kept on jumping in excitement.

While serving breakfast, Lunaire heard Bella whisper something to her friends.

"Have you heard? Alpha Zane came back last night. Gosh, it's only been a week, and I miss him so much! I can't wait to see him again," Bella giggled with a blush on her cheeks, making her want to hurl.

'Alpha Zane. Zane Villain.' Lunaire repeated in her mind. Just hearing his name made her shiver.

Alpha Zane was the nicest kid she had ever met during her childhood. Her brothers were best friends with him. She could still remember how caring he was towards her then, but he changed along with her brothers and the entire pack after that horrible night.

Lunaire clutched her skirt tightly as she remembered the time Zane slapped her in front of everyone just because she spilled some water over his trousers by accident. She was only thirteen at that time.

"Guys! Alpha Zane is here!"

A pack member suddenly ran in and informed them all.

As everyone stood up, waiting for the arrival of their Alpha. The she-wolves gazed dreamily at the doorway, fanning their wild excitement, while Lunaire stood in the farthest corner and looked down, feeling nervous. She wanted to stay clear of them as much as possible.

She gulped when the doors opened. Squeals of hungry she-wolves erupted, and Crystal suddenly started howling inside her mind.

The beautiful scent she smelled strongly hit her nose, making her look up. Her brothers walked into the dining room with Alpha Zane leading the way.

Lunaire gasped as her eyes locked in with his.

'Mate. Mate. Mate!' Crystal rejoiced in her head.

In contrast, Lunaire only stood there, conflicted and confused about what was happening. Her heart was pounding fast. The feeling of exhilaration was forcing its way out of her chest.

Zane looked at her, mirroring the same feelings on his face. Then, in a blink, his stiff and shocked gaze softened.

Lunaire searched, the emotions swirling in his blue eyes. 'Is he looking at me with love?' she dubiously thought.

After what she went through, she felt hopeful but hesitant at the same time.

She studied his face; he looked attractive with his dark brown hair, long lashes, high nose bridge, and tattooed tanned skin. It was no wonder why these she-wolves were dying to be his mate. He was a walking six-foot-tall enigma. Even without their mate connection, she'd feel drawn to him like the other she-wolves if she wasn't so broken.

Lunaire mustered a smile with butterflies fluttering in her stomach and Crystal's howling ringing in her head. However, her smile disappeared, and her fears overtook her joy when his loving gaze switched to his usual look of hatred and disgust.

Zane strode towards her and grabbed her wrist. Sparks instantly burst through her body at his touch, making both flinch. He dragged Lunaire away, ignoring everyone's stares, and pushed her into an empty room.

Lunaire's eyes welled in tears when he turned around and looked at her with a menacing gaze after shutting the door.

"I can't believe the moon goddess gave me a weak, pathetic, and ugly mate like you!" He spat angrily, making Lunaire jump in fear.

"Above all, a murderer!" he hissed.

His direct insults took Lunaire aback. "I'm not a murderer," she muttered in defense, but soon regretted it.

"What did you say?" Zane growled and drew closer.

Lunaire's head drooped low and repeated in a stutter, "I...I said I'm n-not a murderer."

Zane boiled in anger and yanked her hair harshly, making her cry.

Her pained voice made him freeze. His glare mellowed as he stared at her widely in shock.

Zane slowly released her and stepped away.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, which stunned Lunaire.

'What? Did Alpha just apologize to me?' She thought, baffled.

He suddenly sighed and cupped her cheeks. "I've been swarmed with work and haven't been getting much sleep because of the stress," he said softly, his eyes gloomed with regret.

'I'm sorry about whatever I said. I didn't mean any word of it. I'm sorry, my mate," he profusely apologized and softly placed his rough lips on hers, sending her sparks and mixing her emotions into chaos.

'He took my first kiss... My mate took my first kiss,' Lunaire's young heart celebrated.

He slightly broke away from their kiss and looked at her with pleading eyes. "I hope you can forgive me," he said.

However, Lunaire still had her reservations.

'Forgive him, Lunaire. Look into his eyes. He loves us so much. Besides, he's handsome!' Lunaire blushed at Crystal's fangirling over their mates.

"I forgive you," she whispered, bashful.

Zane smiled and sought her lips again, kissing her intimately. Lunaire kissed him back, loving the feeling of his lips over hers.

He broke the kiss and stepped back.

"We need to keep this a secret," he suddenly said, simmering the boiling intimacy between them.

"W-why?" Lunaire asked, feeling crushed.

"Oh no, no, baby, please don't cry. I only wanted to surprise the pack," Zane hushed her, wiping her tears away with his thumb.

"Will...will you keep this a secret?" His eyes begged.

'Anything for our Mate,' Crystal whimpered.

Lunaire nodded and hugged him. "Yes... I will keep it a secret," she said, slightly downhearted.

"Thank you." Lunaire heard him say and planted a kiss on her crown.

"Meet me in my room tonight before midnight, okay?" he added, breaking their hug.

A bright smile appeared on his face as Lunaire nodded and smiled.

"I'll see you soon," Zane whispered, pecking her lips again, and then left.

Lunaire stood alone in the middle of the empty room, frozen and tracing her lips with her fingers. A broad smile marked her lips while staring at the door.

"Omg! I love him," Crystal squealed, making Lunaire chuckle.

She hadn't smiled or laughed like this for years. She smiled for the first time, and the cause was her mate.

Lunaire giddily left the room and did all her chores, trying to stay out of trouble until the clock struck before midnight.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror, smiling as she brushed her hair. She wore a long white nightgown she kept for this special day of meeting her mate.

Her reflection in the mirror revealed the joy brimming in her heart. But it quickly disappeared while her eyes traced the scars all over her body.

'I look so ugly. Why would he want to be with an ugly girl like me?' she gloomily thought.

"Hey, girly, stop being so negative. You're damn gorgeous, and you don't even know it. Don't let those bitches' words get to your head," Crystal cheered her up.