Chapter One: The Girl Without a Wolf
Chapter One: The Girl Without a Wolf
The first thing Ella Ashwood heard every morning was the howl, it echoed through the Blood Moon Pack before dawn, rising from the training grounds. It reminded her every morning that she didn't belong here.
She opened her eyes and stared at the cracked wooden ceiling above her bed. For a moment, she just remained still, listening as one howl became ten, then twenty. The wolves were greeting the sunrise.
She was never going to join them because she didn't belong here, she had since been cursed since birth.
With a quiet sigh, Ella pushed aside the thin blanket covering her and sat up. The room was small enough that she could touch both walls if she stretched out her arms widely. Inside her mini-room, she had a small narrow bed, an old wooden wardrobe that was missing one door and a wooden chair where one of the legs was almost broken. This was all she had. It wasn't much but at least she had something to call her own and a roof over her head.
The room had once been a storage she'd been given behind the packhouse. Years ago, the Luna had ordered it to be cleaned out and given to the little orphan no one wanted to associate with. After the Luna's death, no one bothered checking on the girl who lived there except to give her work.
Ella slipped into a faded gray dress and tied her long dark hair into a loose braid, two strands of curls stood just in front of her face but she could still see.
She looked at her reflection in the small cracked mirror hanging beside the door. She had soft brown eyes, pale skin and long dark hair. Everything about her was visible enough for the whispers and secrets the entire pack gossiped about. She was nineteen years old and had no wolf, she was still an ordinary human. Despite everything, Ella was happy.
"Happy birthday to me," she whispered.
She just turned nineteen, another year and another reminder that every other child in the Blood Moon Pack had shifted years ago except her.
She grabbed two empty wooden buckets and stepped outside.
The morning was cool, the air wrapped around her as mist drifted through the trees surrounding the village. Beyond the packhouse, dozens of young wolves sprinted across the training field, they laughed as they walked through the bush paths.
They looked free and powerful, Ella forced herself to look away. Their happiness reminded her of her lonely life, watching them always hurt her and it was hard to admit
The well sat near the edge of the village, she had barely lowered the first bucket towards the well when she heard voices behind her.
"...Still hasn't shifted."
It was Nora.
Ella recognized the voice immediately.
"And she never will," another girl laughed out loudly.
"Maybe the Moon Goddess forgot she existed."
"No," Nora replied. "The Moon Goddess doesn't make mistakes, she's the ultimate."
Laughter erupted, everyone looked at her scornfully.
Ella continued drawing water as if she hadn't heard a word, she had learned how to stay silent and endure the humiliations, this was her life so she had learnt how to live with it.
The girls eventually walked away, still laughing among themselves. It was only when their voices disappeared that Ella allowed herself a deep breath.
"It's only another day," she murmured.
Except...Today wasn't just another day. In three days, the entire pack would gather beneath the full moon for the annual Mate Ceremony.
The thought of going to a gathering where she was rejected felt like a humiliation ritual, a strange feeling settled in her stomach immediately.
Most wolves discovered their mates years after shifting but Ella had never shifted.
No one knew if the Moon Goddess would even bless a wolfless girl with a mate. The elders in the pack insisted she wouldn't, everyone whispered that she couldn't, even Ella wasn't sure what to believe anymore.
Still... Late at night, when no one could hear her, she allowed herself to imagine she was chosen and will be finally mated with someone. Not just someone that would look at her and see her as the girl everyone pitied and mocked but someone that would simply choose her for who she is.
The sound of approaching footsteps pulled her from her thoughts.
"Ella!"
She turned immediately, a young man jogged toward her, slightly out of breath. It was Ethan, the blacksmith's son. He was the closest and realest friend she'd ever had.
His blond hair was a mess, and there was soot smeared across one cheek.
"You've been looking everywhere for me?" she asked with a small smile across her face.
"I have," he said, taking one of the heavy buckets from her without asking.
"You know Alpha Rowan is returning today, right?"
Ella blinked.
"What! The Alpha?" She asked surprised.
Ethan nodded excitedly.
"The council meeting ended early, they'll reach the pack before noon, everyone's preparing to welcome him."
Ella looked toward the enormous packhouse standing proudly at the center of the village.
Alpha Rowan Blackwood.
she had only seen him a few times but from a distance, he looked strong and was well respected.
Every young wolf in the pack admired him.
There was no possibility of a life with him, even if she disappeared tomorrow, he probably wouldn't even know her name. She smiled sadly and picked up the second bucket then turned to Ethan.
"Then we'd better hurry," she said quietly.
"I have a feeling that today might be my lucky day and it's going to change me forever."
Ethan looked at her with a faint smile spread just across his face, he believed in her and hoped she'd be chosen.
Ella didn't even know how right she was but she hoped for nothing but the best, it's either she'd be favoured by the Moon Goddess or remain the girl without a wolf.
