THE ABOMINABLE WOLF

MISHA’S POV I should have known it would be like this. I always do. Even before the bell rang, before I even left the classroom, I could feel their eyes on me. Whispers curled through the hallway like smoke. People moved aside when I passed, like I carried some disease. Half-wolf. Half-human. Cursed. Abomination. These are the names they’ve carved into me since I learned to walk. My shoes scraped the rough pavement as I hurried to the back gate. My chest was tight, not from running, but from knowing what was coming. The laughter. The shove. The reminder that I don’t belong. Still, some small, stupid part of me hoped maybe today would be different. Maybe today, they’d leave me alone. But hope always lies. “Look who we have here.” The voice froze the blood in my veins. My heart thudded painfully in my chest. From behind the old oak tree, three figures stepped into the fading light. Vanessa. Carly. Selena. The unholy trio. Queens of cruelty. Vanessa folded her arms, smirking. “Isn’t this the little half-breed freak?” Carly giggled. “Aww, she’s quiet today. Did her human daddy forget to teach her how to talk?” Selena leaned against the tree, eyes glinting. “No, I think her mother told her to keep her mouth shut. Wouldn’t want the wolves smelling the human stench.” My pulse pounded in my ears. I kept walking, eyes down. I pretended not to hear. My bag strap dug into my shoulder. Maybe if I just kept moving, they’d leave me alone. A sharp shove hit my shoulder. “Hey, we’re talking to you,” Vanessa snapped. I stumbled but caught myself. I bit back the words sitting on my tongue. They wanted a reaction. They always did. Selena crouched beside me. Her perfume was sweet, almost sickly. Her smile was sharp enough to cut. “You know, I still can’t believe your mother had the nerve to stay here after being rejected. No wolf wanted her. She had to crawl to a human just to get touched.” Carly laughed so hard she snorted. “That’s right! She couldn’t get a real mate, so she settled for a weak human and made… this.” Her gaze swept over me like I was dirt. “An abomination.” The word hit me like a slap. Heat burned behind my eyes, but I blinked fast. Don’t cry. Not here. Not in front of them. Vanessa flicked a strand of my hair. “And now the little freak wants to be Luna? You? Please. The only thing you’ll ever lead is a line to the dump.” I clenched my fists. My nails dug into my palms. The ring on my finger pressed cold against my skin. My mother’s ring. The only thing she left me before she died. “Leave me alone,” I said quietly. My voice shook, but it stayed steady. Vanessa’s grin widened. “Or what? You’ll curse us with your human side?” Carly stepped forward and grabbed my wrist. “Let’s see what Mommy’s little treasure looks like up close.” “Don’t touch me!” I tried to pull back, but she was stronger. Then it all happened too fast. A shove, a burst of laughter, my foot slipping on the wet ground. My knees hit the mud hard. Cold mud splattered my face and hands, soaking my clothes. Their laughter cracked behind me like glass. “Ugh, look at her!” Carly said. “The mud suits her. Finally, she found where she belonged.” Vanessa crouched down, close enough for me to see her perfect eyeliner. “Even the dirt doesn’t want you, Misha.” Her hand twisted in my hair and yanked hard. Pain shot through my scalp. I gasped, my fingers dug into the mud for balance. “You think an Alpha would ever look at you?” Vanessa hissed. “You think anyone could love something born out of pity?” Selena folded her arms, cold eyes on me. “Your mom was a rejected mutt. No real wolf wanted her. That’s why she ran to a human. Pathetic.” The words sliced right through me. I didn’t scream. I didn’t move. I just stayed there. Shaking. Mud dripping from my chin. Tasting salt, soil, and shame. Then Carly noticed the ring on my hand. “What’s this?” she said, grabbing my wrist. The metal caught the light. “Is this your mom’s little souvenir from her failure?” “Give it back,” I said. My voice cracked. Vanessa took it from her and twirled it between her fingers. “This? This is what makes you think you belong with us? That you could ever be one of us?” “Please,” I whispered. “Give it back.” Vanessa laughed. Soft. Cruel. “Don’t worry. We’ll put it where it belongs.” She tossed it. Time slowed. The ring spun once, twice, and sank into the mud with a dull thud. I crawled for it, but Selena’s foot pressed down hard on my hand. “Stay down, little half-breed,” she murmured. “That’s where you belong.” Their laughter echoed long after they were gone. For a long time, I didn’t move. The mud clung to me. My hands shook as I searched through the dirt, finding the ring half-buried, cold and slick. I stared at it, my mother’s last gift. I could almost hear her voice, soft, far away. “You are destined for greatness, my little moon. You will become a Luna. You will rise, no matter what the world says.” I pressed the ring to my chest. Tears streaked my face, cutting through the grime. My breath shook, but something inside me hardened. “I will become Luna,” I whispered. “No matter what it takes. No matter who stands in my way.” I stood. Trembling. Heart raw. Mud still clinging to me, but I didn’t wipe it away. Let them see. Let them remember. One day, they’ll kneel before me. And they’ll remember the girl they threw in the dirt.