For reasons only he understood, my brother was livid. What had I done this time? I’d only just woken up.
My throat bobbed as I swallowed my thoughts. Instead, I kept my gaze lowered, avoiding his piercing stare, and struggled to push myself off the floor. A pained groan slipped from my lips as my ribs protested the movement, but I fought through it.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t fast enough. Gary’s patience was already razor-thin. The next second, he lunged forward, grabbing my arm in a punishing grip and yanking me forward.
“Walk, bitch,” he spat, dragging me into the corridor of the animal house. The harshness of his tone sent a fresh wave of unease crawling through me. Several servants had already begun their morning duties, scrubbing floors and tending to the livestock, but none of them dared to look in our direction.
“You have some guts waking up this late after the trouble you caused for our entire pack!” Gary seethed.
Confusion flickered across my face. What trouble?
I hadn’t done anything-at least, not that I was aware of. But I didn’t dare to ask. The last thing I needed was to provoke him further.
I struggled to keep up with his pace as he dragged me outside, my bare feet scraping against the rough ground. The cold morning air bit into my skin, yet I barely felt it.
Gary’s grip tightened.
“It wasn’t enough that you embarrassed our family by being utterly useless,” he hissed. “You had to go and draw his attention too. Alpha Draven of all people! Father should have sold you off as a slave or killed you the moment the moon goddess placed a curse on you!”
I went rigid, not because my own brother wished me dead. It was nothing. I’ve been told worse. It was the name he mentioned that sent a jolt of shock through my veins. Alpha Draven.
A fresh knot of anxiety twisted in my gut. He had said he’d come for me-but I hadn’t believed him. I had made myself clear at the Lunar Ball. Why would he still want me?
No… It didn’t make sense. My father would never willingly hand me over. He would rather keep me trapped, blaming me for every misfortune that befell him. I preferred it than going into the arms of a stranger whose intentions I had no idea of.
The moon goddess rejected me seven years ago. Even my mate rejected me so cruelly in the presence of hundreds of prominent wolves last night. Who would then dare to accept a cursed, rejected, wolfless deviant named Meredith Carter?
Unless it was an angel, but in our world, only monsters existed.
Then why…?
Dread pooled in my stomach. Before I could piece it together, we reached the entrance of the house.
The first person I saw was my father.
He stood tall, his hands clasped behind his back, his face unreadable. Cold. Unfeeling.
Beside him, my mother. Our gazes met for a fleeting second before she turned away with a huff, as if I were nothing more than an unpleasant stain she couldn’t be bothered to acknowledge.
Then there were my sisters, standing near the steps with my suitcase at their feet.
They said nothing. No snide remarks. No insults. Just silence.
A sharp shove to my side sent me stumbling forward. A yelp escaped my lips, and I braced for the hard impact of the ground. But before I could hit the dirt, a strong arm wrapped around my waist, catching me mid-fall.
The air around me shifted-thickened. I looked up, breath hitching in my throat.
He was larger than I remembered.
Towering, dark-clothed, golden-eyed. A force of dominance that made the very air feel heavier. Alpha Draven.
His grip on me was firm, steady. His gaze bore into mine, his expression unreadable, yet something flickered behind those piercing eyes.
I yanked myself away from him, stumbling backward-only to be stopped by a solid hand pressing against my back.
Gary had trapped me, stopping me from moving an inch further.
Alpha Draven’s gaze flickered briefly toward my father. His voice was as calm as it was commanding.
“Beta Gabriel, I see you locked my bride in a poultry shed overnight. I won’t ask for your reasons. I’m taking her. Now.”
His words sent a fresh wave of panic crashing over me.
Bride?
No. No, no, no.
My head snapped toward my father, my heart pounding against my ribs. But he didn’t even look at me as he spoke, “Take her and leave my residence.” His tone was devoid of emotion.
I almost staggered back, shaking my head.
Something has to be wrong somewhere! My father would never give me out. What happened before I arrived?
Alpha Draven cast his gaze on me once again and spoke, his tone neutral, “Let’s go.”
“No!” My voice cracked. “I’m not going anywhere with you!”
His lips twitched as if amused. He must have seen me as a joke. Then, without hesitation, he turned to his Beta. “Grab her bag.”
Panic surged through me. I twisted away from Gary, making a desperate dash toward my father.
“Father!” My voice was raw. Desperate. “Please! Don’t send me away! I’ll do anything-“
He finally looked at me. For a single, breath-stealing moment.
And what I saw in his eyes shattered something inside me. Hatred. Pure, unfiltered hatred.
“You are a disgrace and a mistake,” he spat, his voice thundering with finality. “I do not have a daughter like you. From today, you are no longer part of the Moonstone Pack.”
Right as I was about to comprehend the weight of that statement, his next words fell like a death sentence.
“Go. And never return!”
Meredith.
“You will bring your family to Mystic Furs in time for the wedding tomorrow,” Draven said to my father, his tone final. “I don’t care for your approval. This is not a negotiation.”
My father’s lips pressed into a thin line, but he said nothing. What else could he say?
He already gave me out. And no one challenges Draven Oatrun.
A sharp gasp left my throat as Draven grabbed my arm and led me away from my parents and siblings, who didn’t dare to breathe another word to him.
The ride to Mystic Furs was a quiet one, but not peaceful.
The tension sat thick in the car, pressing against my chest with every passing mile. I sat stiffly, as far from Draven as the limited space would allow, my fingers clenched tightly in my lap. The cold glass window was my only comfort, though it did little to stop the storm raging inside me.
I replayed my father’s last words over and over in my mind. I still can’t believe he sent me away with a stranger and banished me from our pack. My pack. Because of my stupid pheromones, which had now stopped oozing after landing me unwanted attention.
The memory was still raw, still fresh, an open wound that refused to stop bleeding.
And now, I was here. Trapped in a stranger’s car, being driven to a place I knew nothing about. A pack that wasn’t mine. A home that wasn’t mine.
I wasn’t sure what awaited me, but the sinking feeling in my stomach told me it wouldn’t be good. I was a curse who invariably attracted attention wherever I went.
When the line of cars finally pulled into Mystic Furs’ territory, my breath caught in my throat.
The sheer size of it was intimidating. Unlike Moonstone Pack, where most homes were simple and uniform, this place was grand and regal, built for warriors and leaders alike. The towering castle loomed in the distance, its stone walls and sharp spires exuding power.
Even from within the car, I could see the way the people moved-efficient, purposeful, disciplined. They had been waiting for their Alpha’s return, standing in formation near the entrance like soldiers.
But the moment the cars rolled to a stop and we stepped out, all eyes turned to me.
I stiffened.
The warriors and pack members greeted Draven first, bowing respectfully. Then they acknowledged his Beta, who I’ve learned was called Jeffery, with equal reverence.
But when it came to me? Their gazes darkened.
Judgment. Suspicion. Contempt. It was everywhere.
Not a single word of welcome was spoken. Not even a curious glance. It was pure rejection.
I swallowed hard, feeling my throat tighten. I shouldn’t have been surprised. I was a curse, wasn’t I? A mistake from the Moon goddess.
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