Chapter 1
“They broke me, humiliated me, and claimed I was nothing… yet something inside me refused to die.”
The morning air was sharp, biting through the thin linen of my dress as I knelt in the courtyard. My knees scraped against the stone, and I bit back a moan as Kael’s boot slammed against my shoulder.
“You move like a cripple, Isolde,” he sneered, his dark eyes glinting with cruel amusement. “Do you want the Alpha to see you weak too?”
I swallowed hard, tasting blood from my split lip. My twin brother, my only family who shared my blood, had made it his mission to remind me every day that I was worthless. Worthless to him, worthless to the pack… worthless in my own eyes.
The morning sun glinted off the Alpha Blackwood’s tower in the distance, its black stone cold and imposing. From there, Valen Blackwood would soon descend, his perfect Alpha form radiating power and arrogance. I had seen him only a few times, but each encounter left me trembling—not from fear alone, but from the strange pull I could never explain. Something deep inside me recognized him… and it terrified me.
“Get up!” Kael hissed. “Your wolf is lazy today?”
I gritted my teeth and forced my body upright, ignoring the sting from my bruised ribs. The other Gammas in the yard watched in silence, some cowering, some too broken to care. I envied their numbness. At least it shielded them from the sharp edge of Kael’s cruelty.
“You’ll be nothing without him,” he spat, jerking his chin toward the Alpha tower. “The Alphas will always look down on Gammas like us. And as for you…” His voice dropped, venom thick in his tone, “you’re just a girl. A weak, useless girl.”
I felt my wolf stir at the words, a faint growl of indignation rising in my chest. I clenched my fists, reminding myself to stay small, stay submissive. To fight back now would only earn me another beating. I had learned that lesson long ago.
The courtyard gate opened with a sharp clang, and the other Gammas stiffened. Even from this distance, I sensed him—Valen Blackwood, the heir to the Alpha, descending the steps with that perfect, predatory grace that made my chest ache and my teeth grit simultaneously.
His golden eyes swept over us, landing on me for a heartbeat longer than necessary. A shiver ran down my spine. He knew my place, of course. He knew I was a Gamma, a shadow of the pack. Yet there was a flicker… something unspoken in that glance. Desire? Disdain? Both, perhaps. I clenched my jaw, my hands tightening into fists at my sides.
“Nightbane,” Valen’s voice rang, smooth and cold. “Your brother says you’ve been slacking.”
I lowered my gaze, fighting the urge to flare my wolf. My ribs screamed in protest, but I forced a nod. “Yes, Alpha.”
Kael smirked, clearly pleased. “She’s lazy sometimes,” he said, loud enough for everyone to hear. “Not much use, is she?”
Valen’s lips curled, and my stomach churned at the predatory grin he gave. Something about it made my blood run hot with fear… and something darker I could not name. I clenched my jaw, my hands tightening into fists at my sides.
Somewhere, far away, I clung to a single fragile hope. That someday… someone would claim me. Someone who would see me as more than the pack’s pawn, more than a punching bag, more than a useless Gamma girl.
Until that day… I endured.
I endured because I had no choice.
And because I had to survive.
