Chapter 1 The Beginning of the End

Amelia's POV

Shadows of my family, shadows of expectations, and shadows of pain-my life has been made from all these. Bright morning sun, filtering through the cracked window of my tiny bedroom, mocked me staring at a faded ceiling. Today was my 18th birthday, the day my wolf would awaken and the Moon Goddess would reveal to me my mate.

For anyone else, it would have been a day of celebration, but not for me. Not within the Silver Moon pack.

A sharp knock rattled my door, jolting me out from my thoughts.

"Amelia! Get downstairs!" My half-sister Lucy's shrill voice pierced through the silence. "We don't have all day for your lazy ass!

I groaned softly, knowing better than to talk back. Lucy was the golden child, the favorite daughter of Alpha Gregory and my stepmother, Clarissa. I, on the other hand, was nothing more than the unwanted daughter of his former mate-a woman long dead and forgotten.

Dragging myself out of bed, I slipped on a simple dress and tied my long, auburn hair into a loose braid. The moment I stepped into the kitchen, I was greeted by Lucy's smirk.

"Finally. You look worse than usual," she sneered, flipping her golden locks over her shoulder.

She stood at the stove, her sharp gaze slicing through me. "Don't just stand there. Make yourself useful."

"Yes, Luna," I muttered, reaching for the tray of breakfast dishes.

I started to set them on the table when Lucy reached out and tripped me with her foot. They crashed onto the floor, sounding like a death knell.

Clumsy idiot!" Lucy shrieked. "You can't even do one thing right!"

Clarissa's slap came so fast I barely registered it until the sting spread across my cheek. "You're a disgrace, Amelia. Clean this up before Alpha Gregory sees it."

I knelt on the cold tiles, biting back tears as I picked up the shattered pieces. This was my life-humiliation, cruelty, and endless servitude.

But that was yet to be the worst.

By the time the pack assembled in the great hall for the occasion, I was strung up by my nerves. My wolf churned inside me, a insistent whisper of hope and deliverance.

"Maybe today will be different," I whispered under my breath, tugging on the hem of my dress as I fitted myself within the back of the crowd.

The air crackled with energy as Alpha Gregory took the first step forward, his imposing figure commanding attention. Standing beside him was his son and heir, Ethan-my mate.

I'd known it when I laid my eyes on him, felt the bond snap into place like a chain around my heart. But Ethan's eyes, cold and disdainful, locked on me with no hint of recognition.

Today, we celebrate the rise of Ethan as Alpha and his mate, Lucy, as our Luna," Gregory said, the sound of his voice booming across the hall.

His words came like an axe to my head. My knees buckled, and the crowd erupted into applause oblivious to the anguish tearing through me.

Ethan stepped forward, taking Lucy's hand. "I, Ethan Blackwood, reject Amelia Miller as my mate and Luna. I claim Lucy as my chosen mate."

The crowd gasped, but I barely heard it over the roar of blood in my ears. My vision blurred, and the sharp pain in my chest threatened to consume me.

Lucy's triumphant smile was the last thing I saw before I turned and fled, tears streaming down my face.

Hours later, I found myself in the woods, the cool night air doing little to soothe the firestorm inside me. My wolf whimpered, shattered by the rejection.

"Amelia."

I spun around to see Ethan standing there, his expression hard.

What do you want?" I spat, my voice shaking with anger and hurt.

"You need to leave the pack," he said coldly. "There's no place for you here."

"After everything, you're banishing me?" I laughed bitterly, the sound hollow. "You're unbelievable."

"Leave, or I'll make you," he threatened, his eyes glowing with dominance.

For the first time in my life, I felt something inside me snap. Perhaps it was the bond breaking, or maybe it was the realization that I'd never been anything to these people but a scapegoat.

"Fine," I whispered. "I'll go. But don't think for a second that you'll get away with this.