CHAPTER TWO
1066 Words
Eva said nothing.
She simply lowered her head further.
Melissa's words had struck their mark.
Beneath the shame and humiliation, her chest burned with emotions she could never express.
Rage.
Rage at the pack that had abandoned her.
Rage at the people who treated her as less than human.
Rage at her own helplessness.
But stronger than the rage was the shame.
Her father had been a hero.
A warrior respected throughout the pack.
A man willing to sacrifice everything for his people.
And what had she become?
A servant.
A punching bag.
A wolfless omega mocked by everyone around her.
Her fingers dug into the dirt beneath her knees.
Yet she remained silent.
Melissa waited for a response.
When none came, a smirk spread across her face.
"Pathetic."
She stood up and brushed imaginary dust from her clothes.
"Let's go."
Vivian laughed.
"I don't know why you even bother talking to her."
Juliet nodded.
"There's nothing worth hearing from a useless omega."
The three girls turned and walked away.
Their laughter echoed across the training grounds as they disappeared into the distance.
Only when they were gone did Eva finally lift her head.
The moment she did, tears slipped down her cheeks.
One after another.
She quickly wiped them away, but more followed.
No matter how much she tried to be strong, some wounds never stopped hurting.
Especially the ones that carried her father's name.
The training grounds blurred through her tears.
For a long moment, she simply knelt there, alone.
Then her gaze drifted toward the distant forest beyond the pack borders.
And suddenly—
A memory surfaced.
A happier time.
A time before the cold room.
Before the endless hunger.
Before the insults.
Before she became the pack's omega.
Back when she still smiled.
Back when her father was alive.
Back when she was the beloved daughter of the Beta.
The tears continued to fall as the memory pulled her deeper into the past.
To the night everything changed.
Melissa had not always despised her.
In fact, there had once been a time when they were inseparable.
As the memory unfolded, Eva found herself smiling through her tears.
Back then, Melissa had been her best friend.
Not just a friend—almost a sister.
The two girls had grown up together within the pack. They had shared meals, secrets, dreams, and adventures. Whenever Melissa got into trouble, Eva was there to protect her. Whenever Melissa was afraid, Eva was the one who stood beside her.
And there was Julian.
The Alpha's son.
The third member of their little group.
The three of them had spent nearly every day together.
Running through the forests.
Swimming in the rivers.
Sneaking food from the kitchens.
Playing games until sunset.
Everyone in the pack knew them.
Many even joked that they were triplets despite not sharing a single drop of blood.
Those had been the happiest years of Eva's life.
She had a loving father.
Friends who cared about her.
A future filled with possibilities.
Back then, she had never imagined that everything could disappear overnight.
But it did.
It all began on the night of their fourteenth birthday.
The night of the Awakening.
The day had been filled with celebration.
The Alpha had organized a grand banquet for all the children who would receive their wolves that year. Music echoed through the territory. Tables overflowed with food. Warriors laughed and drank while parents proudly watched their children.
The entire pack was excited.
Especially because three particular children would be awakening that night.
Julian, son of the Alpha.
Melissa, daughter of the Beta.
And Eva, daughter of the pack's greatest warrior.
As darkness fell, the celebration moved toward the sacred grounds.
At the center of the territory stood the Altar of Awakening, a massive stone platform bathed in silver moonlight.
The pack priest stood before it, dressed in ceremonial robes.
Ancient chants filled the air.
The ritual had begun.
According to tradition, the priest would strengthen the bond between the children and the wolves sleeping within them before the Awakening took place.
One by one, the future wolves stepped forward.
Excitement and nervousness filled the air.
Then the clock struck eleven.
A hush fell across the crowd.
The moon seemed brighter than ever.
Its silver light poured down from the heavens and engulfed every child standing before the altar.
Almost immediately, cries echoed through the night.
Bones began to c***k.
Muscles twisted.
Bodies expanded.
The Awakening had begun.
One after another, wolves emerged.
Young werewolves transformed and raced into the forests, eager to experience their new forms.
The pack cheered each successful transformation.
Soon only three figures remained beneath the moonlight.
Julian.
Melissa.
And Eva.
The moon's power continued to pour into them.
Then Melissa screamed.
A loud snapping sound echoed from her body.
She collapsed onto the stone altar as her transformation began.
Bones shifted.
Limbs lengthened.
White fur erupted across her skin.
Moments later, a magnificent white wolf stood where she had been.
Gasps spread through the crowd.
White wolves were incredibly rare.
The pack erupted into cheers.
The Beta himself looked ready to burst with pride.
Then it was Julian's turn.
Crack.
Crack.
Crack.
The sound of shifting bones echoed through the sacred grounds.
Unlike Melissa, Julian refused to scream.
His jaw tightened.
His fists clenched.
He endured the pain in silence.
His body grew larger and larger.
Dark red fur emerged across his skin.
When the transformation ended, a massive crimson wolf stood beneath the moonlight.
The crowd went wild.
Another rare wolf.
The future Alpha had awakened a powerful bloodline.
The night should have been perfect.
The Alpha and Beta exchanged proud smiles.
The entire pack celebrated.
Two rare wolves in a single generation.
It was a blessing unlike any they had seen before.
Then the moonlight faded.
The silver energy that had been pouring from the sky slowly disappeared.
Melissa had transformed.
Julian had transformed.
Everyone else had transformed.
But Eva...
Eva still stood at the center of the altar.
Human.
The cheers died instantly.
The smiles vanished.
An unnatural silence settled over the sacred grounds.
Hundreds of eyes stared at her.
Waiting.
Confused.
The priest frowned.
maybe there had been a mistake.
maybe it simply required more time.
But as the seconds stretched into minutes, a terrible thought began to creep into the hearts of everyone present.
Something was wrong.
- Writer
