THE ALPHA’S CURSED DAUGHTER

SERENE The moonlight felt heavier tonight, It pressed against my skin like a hand I couldn’t escape, I stood at the edge of the shifting circle, the cold wind sliding through the trees, carrying whispers of the pack’s excitement and pity. “Serene.” My father’s deep and commanding voice rolled through the clearing that even the fire seemed to bow to him. “Step forward.” My throat went dry immediately. “Yes, Alpha.” I never called him father. No one dared. Every eye in the pack turned to me as I stepped into the ring of firelight, little sparks danced at my feet. The night air trembled with energy as the others shifted one by one, their muscles stretching, bones snapping, wolves emerging in elegant, terrifying forms. And me? I stood there, human, nineteen years old, and still cursed by the Moon Goddess. I closed my eyes, begging the moon goddess, "Please, not tonight!". I tried to feel the pull, the warmth, the heat that every wolf described when their shift came. But inside me, there was nothing, just silence, just me. “Focus,” Father barked. “You’re my daughter. The Alpha’s blood runs through your veins." I clenched my fists. “I’m trying.” “Try harder." The command in his voice hit me like a weight, but nothing happened. My chest only burned, my vision blurred, and still—no wolf, no magic, just failure - then murmurs spread through the pack like smoke. “She’s cursed.” “The Moon turned from her.” “The Alpha’s shame…” each whisper felt like a blade against my skin. “Enough!” my father’s voice thundered. “Show some respect!” The murmuring stopped, but the damage had been done. I could still feel the pity in their stares and the fear. My sister Maelin stepped forward. Her golden hair was glowing in the moonlight. “Father, please,” she whispered. “It’s not her fault." My brother Tor scoffed. “Fault or not, she’s our weakness. Every pack within fifty miles knows our Alpha’s daughter can’t shift. If the curse spreads—” “It won’t!” I yelled, the sudden volume cracking my voice. “I’m not..". But I couldn’t finish because maybe I was. Then father’s cold and sharp gaze turned to me. “Enough. Go back home.” “Father—” “Now, Serene.” The tone in his voice left no room for argument. I turned and walked away, my bare feet biting against the cold earth. Behind me, the pack howled as one—strong, united, and whole. Without me. AT DINNER The dining hall felt colder than the forest. Father sat at the head of the long table, his presence swallowing the room. Maelin sat to my right, Tor to my left. The air was thick with silence until Tor decided to break it. “You embarrassed us,” he said simply, cutting into his food with too much force. “Tor,” Maelin hissed. “What? Someone has to say it. Do you know what they’re calling you out there, Serene?” He smirked. “The Alpha’s cursed daughter. How fitting.” “Stop it,” I said softly. “Stop?” He leaned closer. “You’re the reason our pack is a joke, the reason the elders whisper. The reason Father—” “Enough!” Maelin slammed her hand on the table. Father didn’t even flinch. “Tor’s right,” he said quietly. “You must learn control, Serene. You are not a child anymore.” "Control? as if I hadn’t been trying my entire life to control something that didn’t exist." I swallowed hard. “Maybe the Moon Goddess never wanted me to shift.” Father’s eyes darkened. “Watch your tongue, The Moon Goddess does not make mistakes.” “Then why did she curse me?” The question slipped out before I could stop it. His chair scraped against the stone floor as he stood. The room went silent again. “Enough of this.” His voice was low but dangerous. “You will not question the goddess in my house.” He left before I could speak again, his footsteps echoing like thunder down the corridor. Maelin reached over and touched my hand. “Don’t listen to him. He’s just—” “Disappointed?” I whispered, She didn’t answer. She didn’t have to. IN THE FOREST I needed air, so I slipped out after dinner, my feet finding their way to the forest path as if they knew the way better than I did. The night was more quiet now—only the sound of wind in the branches and the hum of crickets. I stopped by the old stone well, the one I used to throw wishes into when I was little. Back then, I believed the Moon heard me, I believed she’d one day take pity. Now I wasn’t so sure. I looked up at her—round and perfect, staring down like she was proud of the curse she’d given me. “What do you want from me?” I whispered with my cracked voice. “You marked me, you silenced my wolf, you made me a curse to my own family. Is that not enough?” The forest didn’t answer. But the wind changed, carrying something cold, something that didn’t belong. A scent of Pine, smoke, and something wild. My breath caught. Then came a deep howl rolling across the trees, vibrating through my chest. It wasn’t from my pack, I knew every voice in our territory, but this was different it's stronger and older. And it called to me. My heart began pounding faster, I should have run back, I should have told Father, but I couldn’t move, Every instinct screamed, "Listen. Then the howl came again, softer this time, like a whisper, and when it faded, I heard something else— A voice, not in my ears, in my head. "Serene," I froze and looked around, but the forest was empty. "Serene. " My heart raced faster this time. The voice was deep and familiar in a way that made no sense. “Who’s there?” I whispered, but no answer. Only the rustle of leaves, the breath of the wind, and my own heartbeat. I closed my eyes, gripping my chest as warmth bloomed beneath my skin. My mark—the faint, silvery curve on my shoulder - the one I’d been born with was glowing. And then I heard it again, the same voice, closer this time. "Fated. " The word crashed through me like lightning, I gasped and stumbled back, the glow on my skin dimmed, but the echo of the voice stayed. My breathing came fast and shaky. “No,” I whispered to the empty night. “No, that’s not possible. You’re not—” But before I could finish, the wind carried one last whisper, soft, low, and heartbreakingly real: "You are mine." My blood ran cold because whoever that voice belonged to… it wasn’t from my pack. It was from him, the enemy Alpha.