Chapter 1 The Caged Howl

Ravyn's POV

"Please! Please stop! I swear I won't rest anymore. I-I'll keep working. Just tell me what you want, just stop!"

My voice broke with desperation, echoing in the cold stone room. But the blows only got harder.

"Ungrateful little wretch! We feed you, clothe you, let you stay under our roof and this is how you repay us. By slacking off?"

Her voice struck deeper than her fists.

"And wipe that look off your face. If you glare at me again, I'll claw your eyes out myself."

Kimberly-my so-called foster mother snarled the words like venom. I have no memory of my real parents. The Ashridge family claimed they found me in the woods, bleeding and half-eaten by a lion. They 'rescued' me. But they didn't save me.

They enslaved me.

The food they gave me? Scraps, picked clean by others. The clothes? Threadbare rags cast off by the maids. The home? A mildew-infested shack tucked away at the edge of the estate. It barely kept the cold out. I had been their maid, their servant, their scapegoat. Since I was old enough to walk, I've toiled for their approval. Cooking, cleaning, tending livestock. But to them, I was less than the servants. Less than human.

If I'd known what their version of 'mercy' looked like, I would have chosen death that day in the forest.

I turned eighteen today. At midnight, I would finally gain my wolf. That sacred moment I had waited for my entire life. Just one day, just one I wanted to rest. But when I hesitated at another pile of chores, Kimberly snapped.

Her slap whipped across my face, pain blooming instantly. My vision swam. The kicks came fast, sharp and punishing. Each strike lit my nerves aflame. I crumpled, weak and unable to shield myself. When they were done, they left me crumpled in the barn, like discarded refuse.

Tears carved hot trails down my cheeks. My body trembled.

"Moon Goddess," I whispered into the dark. "Please... if you're real, grant me a strong wolf. Let me break free. Let this be the end of my cage."

Midnight crept in quietly. The moonlight filtered through the wooden cracks in the barn walls, bathing the floor in silver.

And then I felt it.

A surge. Fierce and wild. It roared through my veins like a storm waking from centuries of slumber. My bones ached and cracked. Fire danced beneath my skin. I screamed, not from fear, but from raw power bursting to life.

Then everything changed.

I shifted. My form expanded, reshaped. Fur silver as moonlight covered me. In the reflection of a puddle, I caught sight of her, my wolf. Powerful. Elegant. Breathtaking.

But my body, battered and broken, could not hold the form. Darkness dragged me under.

When I woke up, I was back inside the Ashridge home. Dazed. Weak. My body is still aching.

"Put this on," Kimberly snapped, tossing a white dress at me. Her eyes gleamed with something I couldn't place, malice, maybe. Satisfaction.

I caught the dress, confusion weighing down my limbs.

Then came the voice I hated most-Seraphina.

"Aww, poor Ravyn. That's the nicest thing you'll ever wear. Don't worry. You'll only need it for your wedding today."

Wedding?

My stomach dropped.

"To whom?" My voice trembled.

Seraphina grinned like a cat playing with a wounded mouse. "To Darius. The dying Alpha. You should be thankful. "If it weren't for this, you'd never have gotten within sniffing distance of Alpha blood."

Darius? The one with the reputation for cruelty? The Alpha whose wives kept dying under mysterious circumstances? Rumors whispered he was cursed. Or worse, he was the curse.

They were selling me to a man on his deathbed.

"No. No, I won't do it," I gasped.

Kimberly's face twisted. "You think you have a choice? We've fed you for eighteen years. It's time to repay your debt."

"You didn't raise me! You used me like a slave! You never cared whether I lived or died!"

Her hand flew again. This time, it knocked me off my feet. My cheek burned, but something inside me... cracked.

I wouldn't let them use me anymore. I wouldn't be their pawn.

They locked me in my room. Starved me. Warned the servants to stay away. But I overheard their whispers.

The truth.

Seraphina was supposed to marry Darius. That was the agreement with the royal family. But Kimberly chose me instead, the orphan no one would miss.

That was all I needed to hear.

When they dragged me out to dress me for the ceremony, I didn't resist. I waited.

I watched.

And when the gate opened, I ran.

On my way out, I slammed into someone.

I stumbled back. And that's when I smelled it.

That scent, earthy, wild, powerful. It crashed over me like thunder and wrapped around my senses. My breath caught.

Mate.

My wolf surged within me. I looked up slowly.

Lucien.

My foster sister's boyfriend.

Shock froze me. My body trembled as the others caught up, their eyes bouncing between us.

"Lucien?" Seraphina's voice dripped with disbelief. No. She can't be, she's a filthy Omega. You can't be serious."

Shame flushed through me. I dropped my gaze.

Then his hand gently tilted my chin up. His eyes held mine. Something sparked.

Hope.

Was it possible? Could he accept me?

Lucien was next in line to lead the entire pack. If he claimed me, he could destroy everything the Ashridges had built.

For years, I'd loved him in silence. But I was invisible to him.

Until now.

"Mate," I whispered, my voice trembling.

He smiled.

For a moment, my heart soared.

Then his lips parted and shattered me.

"Honestly... you're a disappointment."

My heart stopped.

"You're nothing like the mate I imagined. It's almost funny, really."

I swallowed, unable to breathe. "What... what did you say?"

He didn't flinch.

"I reject you, Omega. I refuse to accept you as my mate."

And just like that, the bond snapped and I broke.