The Alpha's Regret

The Abuse

Chapter One

[Three Months Before the Rejection]

Vitani's POV

The first thing I felt every morning wasn't warmth.

It was cold.

Not the kind that came from winter winds or rain-soaked nights, but the kind that settled deep inside your bones after years of being reminded you didn't belong.

The tiny room I slept in barely deserved to be called a bedroom. It was nothing more than an old storage room tucked behind the kitchen of the Ashthorn Pack House. The walls were cracked, the ceiling leaked whenever it rained, and the single window was so small that sunlight only reached my bed for a few minutes each day.

Still...

It was mine.

Or at least, it was the only place where no one watched me every second.

A loud bang echoed through the house.

"Vitani!"

Victoria's voice sliced through the silence like a whip.

"If you're still sleeping, you'll wish you hadn't!"

I shot upright so fast my blanket slipped onto the floor.

"I'm awake," I whispered to no one.

The ancient clock hanging crookedly above my door read four-thirty in the morning.

Right on time.

If I made Victoria wait even a minute, breakfast would be the least of my worries.I hurried into the thin grey dress that served as my daily uniform, tying the faded apron around my waist before slipping into shoes that had long since lost their soles.

The wooden floor creaked beneath every step as I hurried down the narrow hallway.

The pack house was enormous.

Portraits of former Alphas lined the stone walls, staring down with proud expressions that seemed to judge everyone beneath them. Crystal chandeliers sparkled overhead, polished marble reflected the dim lights, and expensive furniture decorated every corner.

Visitors always admired its beauty.

They never saw the servant who scrubbed those floors until her hands bled.

"You're late."

Victoria stood in the kitchen with her arms folded across her chest.

Elegant as always.

Her dark emerald dress hugged her figure perfectly, and not a single strand of her black hair dared fall out of place.

She looked like a Luna.

I looked like someone she'd dragged out of the streets.

"I'm sorry."

"You always are."

Her eyes narrowed.

"The floors aren't clean."

"I cleaned them before I slept."

She laughed.

A cruel, humourless laugh.

"Then perhaps the dirt cleaned itself back onto them."

I lowered my head.

Arguing never ended well.

"The Alpha's council will be visiting today" she continued. "Every room must shine. The silverware must sparkle. The windows must be spotless."

She stepped closer until I could smell her expensive perfume.

"And if I find a single speck of dust..."

She didn't finish the sentence.She didn't have to.I already knew.My arms still carried faint scars from the last punishment. "Yes, Mother."Her expression darkened."I told you not to call me that."The words hit harder than they should have."I'm... sorry."She clicked her tongue."Worthless girl."Before walking away, she placed a small glass bottle on the counter.The familiar brown liquid sloshed inside."Drink."My stomach twisted.Every morning.Every evening.The same bitter drink.

I'd asked once what it was.

Victoria had slapped me so hard I couldn't hear properly for two days.

So I stopped asking.

I uncorked the bottle.

The smell alone made my eyes water.

Bitter herbs.

Burnt roots.

Something metallic.

Holding my breath, I swallowed every drop.

The liquid burned all the way down.

For a moment, it felt like ice spreading through my veins.

Then...

Nothing.

The strange emptiness settled inside me once again.

Satisfied, Victoria took the empty bottle.

"Good."

She walked away without another glance.

I stood there for several seconds, pressing a hand against my chest.

Sometimes...

Very rarely...

I imagined I could hear something inside me.

A whisper.

A heartbeat that wasn't mine.A voice just beyond my reach.

But every time I drank that strange medicine...The feeling disappeared.

Almost like it had never existed.

I shook the thought away.There wasn't time to daydream.Not today.Not ever.The morning passed in silence.I swept.,Mopped, Scrubbed, Cooked and I did all the dishes while her precious daughter Elena did nothing.

By sunrise, every muscle in my body screamed in protest.

Still, there was more to do.

Always more.

Outside, the pack grounds slowly came alive.Young wolves laughed as they crossed the courtyard.Warriors trained with wooden swords.Children chased one another beneath ancient oak trees.

Their joyful voices drifted through the open windows.I paused for only a second.Just long enough to watch.A little girl no older than six stumbled during a race.Before she could cry, her father scooped her into his arms, laughing as he brushed dirt from her knees.

My chest tightened.I couldn't remember anyone ever looking at me like that.Couldn't remember gentle hands.Couldn't remember comforting words.Maybe I never had them."Vitani!"

I flinched.Victoria stood across the courtyard."What are you staring at?". I looked at her and said"Nothing." She then looked at me"Then get back to work!" I looked down and said "Yes."

I hurried away before anyone noticed me.

That was easier.People rarely looked twice at servants.Especially servants who weren't really family.By midday, the council members had begun arriving.Powerful Alphas.Elegant Lunas.Future heirs dressed in expensive clothes.They spoke with confidence.Walked with pride.Laughed without fear.I carried trays of food through the grand dining hall, keeping my head lowered exactly as Victoria had taught me.Invisible.That was safest.

As I placed another silver tray on the table, I heard them talking.

"...Mooncrest Academy begins its new term next season."

"I hear students from every major pack are attending."

"My son can't wait."

"My daughter has already found three rivals."

Laughter filled the room.Mooncrest Academy.The name alone made my heart race.The greatest academy in the werewolf world.Where future Alphas, warriors, healers, and scholars trained together.Where every unmated wolf dreamed of meeting the person fate had chosen for them.Their mate.Without thinking, my fingers brushed the small silver pendant hidden beneath my dress.

It was the only thing I'd ever owned.

The only thing that had been with me for as long as I could remember.

Sometimes...

Late at night...

I imagined my mate finding me.

Not because I needed saving.

But because I wanted, just once, to belong somewhere.To someone.

To hear the words I'd spent my whole life longing for.

"I've been looking for you."The dream was foolish.Girls like me didn't get fairy tales.Girls like me got chores.Orders.Punishments.And silence.Still...Hope was a stubborn thing.It refused to die.