They Called Me Useless—Until the Full Moon Came

Rachel Bennett's POV: I had brewed potions for the werewolf clan for 100 years. The one time I was so exhausted that I had to take a short break, the princess who had just taken control slapped me in front of everyone. "Do you think the Sacred Grounds are a place for you to slack off? We werewolves respect strength. We don't keep useless dead weight around." Acting on her own, she dissolved the Potion Department and stripped me of every title and position. My mother stepped in to stop her. "The night of the full moon is almost here. Without the potion, transformation will be excruciating for the werewolves!" The princess scoffed. "Our clan has its own regenerative ability now. Why would we need any potions? You're old and still shameless enough to throw yourself at my father. Don't think sleeping with him gives you the right to act superior to me!" She didn't stop at humiliating my mother. She badly injured her too. That was the last straw. I smashed every potion on the spot. 'She probably has no idea that the clan's powerful regenerative ability is only possible because my witchcraft has been sustaining it all along. Without my potions, once those werewolves go into a mating frenzy, she'll be the first one they tear apart. Too bad she doesn't understand any of that.' ***** The first thing she did after taking power was kick open the Potion Department door and drive her boot into me. I stumbled forward and slammed my forehead against a rock. Blood immediately streamed down my face. Elena Mercer stood over me, chin lifted in contempt. "You've got some nerve. Everyone else is preparing for the night of the full moon, and you're the only one slacking off. Do you think the Sacred Grounds are somewhere you can laze around whenever you feel like it?" I opened my mouth to answer, but an elderly werewolf spoke up first. "Your Royal Highness, please calm down. Miss Bennett hasn't slept for 2 days and 2 nights because she's been brewing potions. She only stopped to rest for a moment." "Shut up. Who gave you permission to speak?" Elena looked down at me, her voice icy. "Since you dared to slack off, we'll handle it according to clan rules. I'm docking your pay for this month." 'She's actually going to dock my pay? That's the only income I have here. Without that money, I might not make it through the winter!' Elena sneered. "If my father hadn't taken pity on you back then and given you shelter, you would have starved to death. Lowborn werewolves like you should be grateful just to have food in your stomachs, and you still think you deserve to be paid?" 'What a vicious thing to say. I've worked tirelessly here for 100 years and saved countless werewolves who lost control on nights of the full moon. How can she not know that?' Elena only seemed to grow angrier. She lifted her foot and kicked over a potion vat filled to the brim with freshly brewed potion. Scalding potion brew splashed across the floor. A whole night's work was gone in an instant. My chest tightened. "My potion!" Elena didn't even blink. "So what if I spilled it?" She pulled out a knife and cut her own forearm. Blood welled from the cut, then the wound sealed itself before our eyes. "See that? Werewolves are born with serious regenerative power. Why would we ever need that nasty little brew of yours?" Elena leaned in and hissed in my ear, "Don't play dumb. I know exactly how it happened. Your mother crawled into my father's bed, and that's how she talked him into setting up the Potion Department for you. And a mutt like you actually has the gall to show her face on Sacred Ground?" I knew exactly why she hated me. Elena had asked the Wolf King several times to let her enter the Sacred Grounds, but he had always refused because she wasn't strong enough. Yet I, dead last in the strength assessment, was allowed inside. She hated me for it and made my life difficult at every opportunity. She had never dared to do it openly with the Wolf King around. Now that he was gravely injured and in a healing sleep, she finally had her chance. Elena raised her voice. "My father put me in charge. As of today, the Potion Department is dissolved! Rachel is stripped of her position and pay. The werewolf clan doesn't keep useless dead weight!" As soon as Elena finished speaking, my mother, Morgan Hayes, rushed in, stepped in front of me, and pleaded with her. "Your Royal Highness, the Wolf King established the Potion Department before he entered his healing sleep. You can't simply shut it down. The night of the full moon is almost here. If the clan runs out of potion, the consequences will be disastrous." "I'm in charge of the clan now. Who are you to tell me what to do?" Elena drew a whip and lashed it across my mother's face. My mother grunted and staggered backward, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. "Mom!" I rushed over and caught her, then checked on her. She was barely conscious. Fury surged through me. The last of my patience snapped. 'If she's going to be this ruthless, I don't need to hold back anymore.' "Fine. I'm leaving. I don't want this position, and I won't brew another potion for you. But remember this. When the night of the full moon comes and the werewolf bloodline takes over, everyone will go feral. You will be the first one they tear apart." Elena's face went livid. "How dare you curse me?" I didn't waste another word on her. Supporting my injured mother, I walked away without looking back. From that moment on, the peace and safety of the werewolf clan were no longer my concern.