Exiled Then Reborn As The Vengeful Luna

Juanita. I hated my life. I hated my pack, its members, their sneers and cruel taunts in the dark, and sometimes even beyond the dark. I hated the endless domestic chores, my fingers always raw from scrubbing floors, my belly always biting, always from never being satiated. I hated the empty hollowness that never let me go, no matter how much I struggled to numb myself to it. I stopped my scrubbing, brushing sweaty chunks of hair out of my face, and shoved the brush into the bucket of soapy water. Pine cleaner burned my nostrils as I returned to scrubbing, my muscles screaming after hours of effort. A chorus of laughter rang down the hall, booming and lous. My grip on the brush tightened. I didn't have to look up to know who it was. Avery. The sound of clicking shoes on marble floors sent shivers down my skin. The laughter grew louder, and I couldn't resist glancing up, just as Avery was leading a group of her lackeys towards me. Avery's beauty was like a sword, it was sharp, honed, and used to kill anyone who stood in her way. Her Willa-blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders in immaculate waves, her blue eyes sparkling with amusement. She wore fancy clothes, a contrast to my tattered, frayed ones. Avery's laughter was tinkling. Then she spotted me. The smile fell from her lips and was replaced by something far, far worse. "Aha," Avery said, stopping a few feet off. "What do we have here?" I gulped quickly but didn't look up. I knew better than to do that. "Still playing at being a skunky help, Juanita?" one of the other girls jeered. Avery's lips curled into a slight frown. "She's not playing at anything. This is the only thing she is any good at." I didn't respond, scrubbing harder. There was a splashing of water a moment later. The bucket was tipped over. Soapy water splashed across the floor, spoiling all I had worked on in a flash. My fists bunched, but I did not react, did not say anything. "Oh, oops," replied Avery, her voice prettily sugary. Everyone burst into guffaws as they stepped in and bent down over me. "Scum, wolfless scum," someone sneered, kicking my shoulder. "Traitor's child," another snarled with spittle, splattering dirty water on my already dirty dress. "You should’ve died with your father," someone said. My form did not change, but inside, I was breaking. Avery squatted down beside me, whispering poison. "I almost feel sorry for you." I scowled at the ground, refusing to answer. "But then I remember you're nothing. And the Moon Goddess knows it, too." Avery's fingers pulled on my jaw before closing down on it in a vise-like grip, jerking my face upwards. "I wonder which miserable victim will be doomed to be your mate on the Moon Hunt." The remark stung more than I ever would care to admit. Avery smirked to herself, pleased with the small c***k she had found in my defenses. "Actually. I don't think you'll even be able to get a mate. Why would the Goddess waste a bond on someone as weak as you? Maybe she'll just kill you instead." The crew laughed again before Avery got up and they finally slunk away, their footsteps echoing off the corridor. I sat frozen, their words ringing in my head repeatedly. My throat burned as I swallowed the tears that threatened to rise. I picked up the brush and the now-empty pail. My hands shook as I returned to work, scrubbing away any evidence of the mess they had made. I was used to this. I had been for years. Because my father, once the honorable Beta of Moonbeam, was illegally charged with treason and executed. Because my mother, who could not bear to live without her mate, took her own life and left me genuinely alone. Avery and I were once friends. We’d laughed once, trained together, and talked about our futures. But when everything came crashing down, Avery had turned against me without an ounce of remorse. The same girl I’d called my sister mere moments earlier was the first to throw stones. I should have learned to let go of hoping for more. Infact I did. Because tomorrow, packs from everywhere in the region would arrive for the Moon Hunt, the great festival when unmated wolves assembled under the goddess's light to find their predestined mates. It was ridiculous. Crazy, maybe. But that little, fragile scrap of me clung to the possibility like what if I had a mate somewhere? What if he wasn't from Moonbeam? What if he was from one of the arriving packs and was strong, kind, strong enough to take me out of this hell? What if he loved me? Protected me? I dreamed of it to belong to someone, to be safe finally. To have pups, a cozy home, a mate who held his arms around me every night. The dream was beautiful. And it was shattered in a moment. A furious snarl echoed down the hall. Half a beat later, a cracking slap sounded on my face. I gasped in shock, my ears ringing as tears pricked in my eyes as the pain spread across my cheek. The task matroness, Ms. Wyma, stood over me, her face contorted in disgust. "What in the devil's name are you doing, daydreaming while there is work to be done?" I bowed my head quickly. "I..I'm sorry, Ms. Wyma." "You’re sorry?" Ms. Wyma sneered. "You should. Good-for-nothing girl. You're fortunate we keep you here at all." I pursed my lips. "Speed it up," Ms. Wyma snapped. "Or you can stand all night in the gutter with the rats." I clenched ny teeth and obediently worked the floor with renewed zeal. Ms. Wyma snorted silently as she stalked off. "Weak little brat… no surprise the Goddess abandoned her to her own pitiful fate." I remained silent. Like I said, I knew better than to dream. And yet, despite everything, that dangerous, deadly hope curled deep in my chest. Even as I scrubbed the floor, my cheek throbbing, it clung. Perhaps, just perhaps…. In a few days, everything would change for the better.