The Girl Nobody Wanted
690 Words
The news spread faster than fire.
By sunrise, every werewolf in Ashwood Pack knew.
The wolfless servant had been invited to Mooncrest Academy.
Unfortunately...
They also knew my name.
People stared as I crossed the courtyard carrying two buckets of water.
Some whispered.
Others didn't bother.
"That's her."
"The mistake."
"The Academy must be desperate."
"I heard she bribed someone."
"I heard she's cursed."
I kept walking.
You learn something after eighteen years of being unwanted.
People eventually get bored if you refuse to look broken.
I reached the kitchen.
Mrs. Hilda was kneading dough with enough force to punch holes through the table.
"You shouldn't be carrying buckets today."
"Why?"
"Because everyone's watching."
"They watch every day."
"Not like this."
She sighed.
"You've become interesting."
"I preferred invisible."
I had just set the buckets down when someone grabbed my wrist.
Serena.
"Come."
"Good morning to you too."
She didn't answer.
She dragged me through the manor until we reached the central courtyard.
Half the pack was already there.
Warriors.
Servants.
Children.
Pack elders.
Alpha Victor stood on the stone platform overlooking everyone.
His expression was unreadable.
"What did I do now?" I whispered.
Serena let go of my wrist.
"You exist."
That wasn't encouraging.
Alpha Victor raised one hand.
The courtyard fell silent.
"You all know why we're gathered."
An elder stepped forward.
Gray hair.
Scar across one eye.
"I object."
Murmurs spread immediately.
"The invitation is false."
"The girl has never shifted."
"She has no wolf."
"She cannot represent Ashwood."
Several elders nodded.
One woman spat on the ground.
"A curse doesn't belong at Mooncrest."
I looked down at my boots.
Somehow...
That one hurt.
Not because she'd called me cursed.
Because she'd sounded so certain.
Alpha Victor's voice cut through the silence.
"Does anyone here question Mooncrest Academy?"
Nobody answered.
"Does anyone here believe they know more than the Academy?"
Silence.
The elder clenched his jaw.
"They made a mistake."
Alpha Victor slowly looked toward me.
Then back at the crowd.
"They have never made one."
The courtyard became deathly quiet.
"If Mooncrest chose Lyra..."
His voice hardened.
"...then Ashwood Pack will honor that choice."
The elder slammed his walking stick against the stone.
"I refuse."
"So noted."
Alpha Victor didn't even raise his voice.
"You are relieved of your position as Pack Elder."
Gasps echoed through the courtyard.
The old man stared.
"You would exile me..."
"...for her?"
"No."
Alpha Victor met his eyes.
"I would exile you..."
"...for insulting my daughter."
Time stopped.
My daughter.
He'd never called me that.
Not once.
Not in eighteen years.
The words hit harder than any insult ever had.
I looked at him.
He didn't look back.
Almost as if calling me his daughter had cost him something.
The meeting ended in chaos.
People argued.
Some shouted.
Others stormed away.
For the first time in my life...
Nobody looked at me with pity.
Only curiosity.
Which somehow felt worse.
That evening I packed everything I owned.
It took less than five minutes.
Three dresses.
One blanket.
A wooden comb.
Mrs. Hilda quietly slipped fresh bread into my bag.
"I'll miss you."
"I'll miss your cooking."
"You won't miss my yelling?"
"I'll probably hear it in my nightmares."
She laughed.
Then hugged me.
Very tightly.
When she finally let go...
Her eyes were wet.
"Come back."
"I'll try."
"No."
She shook her head.
"Come back alive."
Long after everyone had gone to sleep...
Someone knocked softly on my bedroom door.
I opened it.
Serena stood in the hallway.
No insults.
No smirk.
She simply handed me a tiny silver key.
"What is this?"
"You'll need it."
"For what?"
She looked over her shoulder to make sure no one was listening.
Then leaned close enough that only I could hear.
"When you reach Mooncrest..."
"...don't let anyone know you have it."
Before I could ask another question...
She whispered something that made my blood run cold.
"The Headmaster has been waiting for a girl named Lyra..."
"...for eighteen years."
She turned and disappeared into the darkness.
I looked down at the key.
One word had been carved into the silver.
VAULT.
- Writer
