FATE TO ENEMIES

**Anaiah's Point of View** I jumped in joy as I saw the full moon erupting; it was almost nightfall. Today was the day that I had been waiting for. My feet moved faster than I could think as I ran to the center of the pack. It was where everyone usually gathered, especially at a time like this. Some came to replenish their strength, while others, like me, came to shift into their wolf for the first time. Every person I walked past smiled at me. It was easy to tell that it was my first time. I guess it reminded them of theirs. Others would shout that I would enjoy shifting. My feet came to a halt, my eyes roaming around. I could see my sister, Lisa, mingling in the crowd while I stood at a distance, staring at the full moon, slowly waiting for my wolf to be ready. With eyes shut, I could see my wolf, Arya. She stretched her hands to accept me. As a werewolf, you can only fully access your wolf when you've shifted into your wolf form. Slowly, I could feel myself and my wolf becoming one, and in the dark of the night, we howled, fully shifting into our wolf form. It felt nice to be in my wolf form. The cold night was no worry because of my fur. In my wolf form, I could strongly feel my wolf, but my joy was short-lived as I gradually opened my eyes in joy, only to see that my legs were covered with black fur! Every pack has what they believe; their rules. The Nightfall Pack, which was my pack, also has beliefs, and one of which was the color of the fur of a werewolf. All colors were appreciated and loved by the pack, especially the silver color, because a prophecy predicts that a powerful silver wolf will one day unite the Lycan kingdom and the Nightfall Pack, which have always been at war with each other. No one has ever seen a silver-colored wolf, only brown and a few others. There was one color that the people despise, that color that was considered an abomination, a taboo, and a curse. Everyone believed that whoever is a pure black wolf will bring misfortune to everyone it crosses. And here I was, in the midst of the pack members, as a fifteen-year-old girl who had shifted into her wolf for the first time. But unfortunately for me, my wolf was pure black. The pack members who were supporting me a few minutes ago, who assured me that everything would be fine—they all stared at me right now with disgust, hate, and spite, like I was the worst thing on Earth. "It's a pure black wolf!" one yelled in spite. "A curse upon us!" The people murmured; all of them began to step away from me. I whimpered. A lady picked up a stone and threw it at me. “Be gone, you evil thing,” her outburst made others join her. I felt so ashamed; the stones hit my body like I was some target to aim at. In my shame, I ran out of their midst and into the forest. I didn't stop, nor did I look back. The only thing that could be heard from me was cries and whimpers. Was I cursed by the goddess? But why? What have I ever done wrong? My wolf and I whimpered; we never chose to be a full black wolf. After running for a few hours, I stopped and lay on the ground that was covered with grass. My eyes were fixed on the moon. I wonder why the moon goddess chose to give me this curse. Without someone telling me, I knew that my life would never be the same. Slowly my mind went blank, drifting into an unconscious state. As soon as the moon was replaced with the morning sun and chirping birds, I went back into my human form, took some leaves to make a covering for my body. As I walked closer to the pack, I could hear the sounds of people weeping and chatting. My feet came to a halt, staring at a bunch of people surrounding something that took their attention. I was still in the forest, though not far from the pack, recognizing the faces as people from my pack. Nervously, I called out to them, "What's going on?" I asked. All attention was on me. A few of them gasped, "She did it!" I looked at them, confused. The lady at the center of the crowd stood up with the clothes my sister wore last night; the clothes were covered with blood. I blinked rapidly. "Why is my sister's dress here?" "That's because you killed her!" the lady accused me. My eyes widened with unbelief, "What do you mean I killed her?" Wait, my sister is dead? How? She was okay last night. Are they joking? "You murderer! You are a curse to all werewolves, a beast that kills her sister the very night of shifting!" I shook my head vigorously, "No. That's not true. I didn't kill her! My sister is my only family, why would I kill her?!" I tear up, crying like a baby. It was like the nightmare did not want to end. I changed into an abomination, then my sister was killed, and the pack members assumed it was me. My sister has been the only family I had since the death of our parents; we have had each other's back. In grief, I grabbed one of them by the collar, "My sister can't be dead, she—" The person pushed me away, and I fell to the ground, "Lisa went after you when she saw that you ran into the forest, and this is what's left of her," the person spat. "Who else was in this forest apart from you?" Tears rolled down as I continued to shake my head vigorously, “My… sister can't be dead, I didn't kill her.” “She should be taken to the Alpha for punishment!” they chorused, cursing and spitting as if driving a curse. I wept as the men dragged me roughly through the pack. No matter my pleas of innocence, they were not heard. All the people could see was an abomination. Even my name was lost. Before we could get to the palace, Alpha Amos was already coming in our direction. Seeing the bloody clothes of Lisa, he stared at me with an expressionless face. “I didn't do it!” I screamed, hoping to get some acknowledgement. “She should be hanged!” some shouted. “We should burn her alive!” others shouted. Alpha Amos stared at me, “Killing you will be mercy, and you deserve no mercy. You are stripped of all high rank and will forever live a life as an Omega.” ** For the past three years that I was demoted to the level of an Omega, the people treated me as lesser than an Omega. I have stopped hoping for any change and have resigned to my fate. My hand grew tired of cleaning, as it was the job that was assigned to me—cleaning the palace. A group of Betas walked towards me; they were three in number. “Is this her? The sister killer?" No one seems to remember my name anymore; they call me different insulting names. “Hey, I'm talking to you, black wolf!” Before I could react, the guys spared me no mercy as they ganged up and beat me. When they were satisfied, they left. No one cared about me; it was like beating me up was not an issue. I struggled to stand up, tears rolling down my eyes. Will this ever change? I asked myself. “Mate,” My wolf, Arya, purred as a unique scent filled our nostrils. My eyes glittered with hope. “Maybe all is not lost.”