The Lowest Of The Low
1206 Words
Elara woke slowly, the cold stone beneath her thin mattress seeping into her bones.
For a moment, she lay still, staring at the low ceiling of the basement quarters, listening to the distant sounds of the castle waking above her. Laughter. Footsteps. Life—moving on without her.
Was last night a dream?
The thought pressed heavily against her chest. The clearing. The wolf. The words chosen one echoing in her mind like a cruel joke.
If her father had truly been some great wolf—some powerful Alpha—then where was he now?
Her throat tightened.
No one had ever told her anything. Not the elders. Not the pack. Not even her mother—not really. All Elara had ever known was the story whispered behind her back, the one everyone assumed was true.
Her mother had no mate.
A lone wolf who had given birth without a bond.
And in their world, that made them scum.
The lowest of the low.
Elara had grown up believing her mother had simply had a one-night mistake—an unnamed, shameful encounter that left them both marked forever. That was why they were outcasts. Why they lived in the basement. Why they scrubbed floors while others feasted above. Why hands shoved her, feet kicked her, words cut her open day after day.
If her father had lived…
If he had known…
Why would he allow this? she thought bitterly. Why would he let us be servants in our own pack? Let us be abused? Hurt? Broken?
Her jaw clenched as another face rose unbidden in her mind.
Jade.
Cruel. Beautiful. Untouchable.
Jade had made Elara’s life hell for as long as she could remember—spitting at her feet, laughing when she fell, making sure everyone saw how small and worthless Elara was supposed to feel. Jade wanted Rowan more than anything. The pack Alpha. The future leader.
But Rowan had rejected her.
He had rejected everyone.
Another mating attempt was coming at the next full moon—another public humiliation for some hopeful female—but no one expected Rowan to choose anyone. Still, he had to. Every Alpha did. The elders were pressing him harder each day.
Why? Elara wondered. Why won’t he choose?
Her hand drifted to the trinket resting against her chest.
She pulled it free, letting it rest in her palm. The metal was warm, comforting, alive. Strange symbols curled across its surface—ancient, deliberate.
“What do you mean?” she whispered.
Did they belong to her father’s pack? Did they mark her as something else entirely?
Her heart skipped.
What if my father wasn’t even a wolf?
Is that why I haven’t changed?
Is that why I don’t have a wolf yet?
The thought terrified her.
“Elara!”
She jumped as Sienna burst into the room, breathless and wide-eyed. “Get up! Today’s a big day.”
Elara quickly tucked the trinket away.
“The Silver Moon Pack is coming,” Sienna continued. “Well—today it’s just their Alpha, his mate, and their son. Tomorrow the rest arrive.”
She held out a dress.
It was simple, but clean. Dark fabric, soft and whole. It matched the one Sienna wore.
“The Alpha said all servers have to wear this.”
Elara stared at it.
It was the nicest thing she’d owned in years.
No rips. No stains. No patches.
She took it carefully, almost afraid it would disappear. A small smile slipped free. “This is… kind of nice, actually. If only it didn’t mean we were servants in our own pack.”
Sienna smiled gently. “One day that’ll change. I know it.”
Then her expression shifted. “Where did you go last night? Your mother was looking for you.”
Elara’s chest tightened.
She wanted to tell her everything. Sienna was her best friend—her only friend. But would she believe her? Or would she think Elara had finally broken?
“We, uh… went for a walk,” Elara said quietly. “That’s all.”
Sienna shrugged. “Fair enough. Come on—we’ll be late. Bread needs starting.”
Elara moved to the corner of the room where a cracked mirror leaned against the wall—pulled from the garbage months ago. Everything she owned had been garbage once.
She stripped out of her rags, pouring water from a jug over her body, scrubbing herself with a sponge. Her reflection made her swallow hard.
Slim. Pale. Bruised.
Marks bloomed across her skin—old and new. Scars traced her back, thin and cruel, reminders of punishments given for speaking out of turn, for not moving fast enough, for existing.
Hardly reasons to whip someone.
But that was her life.
She washed her hair carefully, wanting—just once—to look decent. When she slipped into the dress and tied it around her waist, she almost didn’t recognize herself.
Clean. Presentable.
She brushed her teeth, staring at her reflection as she opened her mouth slightly.
No fangs.
Her canines were still dull.
“I’m almost eighteen,” she whispered. “When will you come?”
She glanced at the clock.
Late. Again.
She rushed into the kitchen, relief flooding her when she saw Sienna already kneading dough.
“Thank you,” Elara breathed.
“That’s what friends are for,” Sienna said.
A bell rang sharply.
Breakfast hall.
Elara’s stomach dropped.
She hurried in, heart pounding.
Rowan sat at the head of the table with his family. The rest of the pack lined the long, ancient wooden table—centuries old, hand-carved, sacred.
She had no seat.
“Where is breakfast?” Rowan asked.
“I—I’m sorry, Alpha,” Elara said quickly. “It’s almost ready.”
Before he could respond, Jade sneered. “Look at you. Do you actually think you look good? You’re pathetic.”
Sienna tried to explain, her voice trembling—but Rowan cut her off.
“That’s enough.”
The room went still.
“She was told to wear proper attire. The Silver Moon Pack is coming, and no one in this castle will appear mistreated.”
Jade laughed. “Is she even a wolf? She hasn’t shifted. Her teeth are dull. Where’s her wolf?”
Laughter erupted.
Rowan stood. “STOP IT.”
The room froze.
“We will not humiliate our own in front of another pack. We will look united.”
“Yes, Alpha,” the pack murmured.
Sienna entered with food, and Rowan nodded. “Thank you, Sienna.”
She blinked in shock.
Elara turned to fetch more plates—
And Jade stuck out her foot.
Elara hit the ground hard.
Laughter exploded.
“STOP IT!” Rowan roared.
Elara scrambled up and ran.
She broke down in the kitchen, Sienna holding her as she cried.
Her mother entered moments later.
“Oh, darling… what happened?”
Elara wiped her face. “It’s nothing. The meat’s done.”
They served. They cleaned.
Jade left her mess—on purpose.
As Elara scrubbed, her hands shaking, a quiet certainty settled in her chest.
One day, this will change.
She would rise.
She would show them.
All of them.
- Writer
