Chapter 2

• Emily
• “We’re meant to be, Viktor. Our fate has been decided. We are tied to each other. How can you just disregard the gift the Moon Goddess granted us?”
• My voice cracked under the weight of my despair. For a fleeting moment, I didn’t realize how much dignity I had surrendered by pleading with him. But I had no regrets. I had to try and hope that my words would reach him.
• Viktor broke the kiss and turned to me with an icy glare. Bella followed his gaze with a smug expression. He remained cold and unaffected. His arms were still wrapped around Bella. The man who was supposed to love me for eternity was treating me as if I didn’t matter at all.
• Then, he sighed impatiently. “Are you seriously asking me that question? Isn’t it obvious, Emily?”
• His words landed like a slap, but he wasn’t done. Viktor stepped closer and pointed a finger at me with a sneer. “Can’t you see yourself? Do you honestly believe I would choose you?”
• I flinched at his harsh tone, but he continued mercilessly.
• "I need a strong Luna by my side to secure my pack’s future. And you, Emily?” His tone was mocking. “You’re weak, plain, and unworthy. Bella is everything you’re not. This isn’t even up for discussion because, frankly, the difference between you and Bella is painfully obvious."
• Bella stepped forward and slid her arms possessively around Viktor as she smirked at me.
• “Every wolf on this continent would make the same choice,” she added. “No one would ever choose you, Emily. You’re a disgrace, a weak, pathetic excuse for a she-wolf. You don’t belong beside an Alpha. Hell, you don’t belong anywhere. You’re beneath us. BENEATH EVERYONE.”
• Their laughter echoed in the room and fed on my obvious pain. My heart felt like it had been ripped from my chest. And then, Viktor delivered the final blow.
• “Why don’t you let the maids escort you out? After all, you’re no different from the garbage they clean up.”
• Hearing it, my world crumbled as I stood there.
• I lifted my head, my vision blurred with tears. I saw Viktor waving his hand dismissively, motioning for me to leave his room. The pain in my chest grew heavier. But alongside the pain, something else stirred.
• Anger.
• My fists clenched at my sides. The urge to strike Viktor surged through me like a lightning bolt. I no longer cared about his status as the future Alpha. I wanted to show him that I had reached my limit. They couldn’t keep trampling over me like I was nothing.
• I raised my arm, ready to slap him. But just as I was about to let my fury take control, a sharp voice stopped me in my tracks.
• “EMILY! STOP!”
• I froze and turned to see my father, Beta James, standing in the doorway. His face was full of disappointment and anger.
• “Are you insane, Emily? Were you really about to strike the future Alpha of our pack?” he yelled as he strode into the room.
• I lowered my arm and faced him.
• “Have you completely lost your senses? Why are you behaving this way?” he demanded.
• I opened my mouth to explain but Bella cut in before I could utter a word.
• “Emily was trying to seduce Viktor,” she said as he clung to his arm. “She pulled some cheap tricks to win him over, but Viktor rejected her immediately. You know the Alpha wouldn’t fall for something so pathetic.”
• “THAT’S NOT TRUE!” I shouted.
• Her lies lit a fire in me. My blood boiled as Bella feigned innocence. I could see through her act. Her arrogance had rotted her to the core, and she thought her status gave her the power to manipulate everyone around her.
• Bella smirked. “Stop lying, Emily. Everyone knows you’re capable of stooping that low.”
• “You liar! I did not seduce Viktor! We are mates!”
• “Enough!” Dad roared, silencing us both. His eyes turned to Viktor. “Is it true, Alpha Viktor? Are you mated to my daughter, Emily?”
• Viktor’s cold gaze swept over me from head to toe before he smirked. “No. Bella is telling the truth.”
• My heart shattered. “You jerk!” I screamed as I raised my hand again to slap him. But this time, Dad caught my arm mid-swing.
• Before I could react, his hand flew across my face. The slap rang in my ears. The sting spread across my cheek like wildfire.
• My Dad had always been my protector and my number one supporter. And now, he laid a hand on me without hesitation.
• “You’ve let me down, Emily. I am so disappointed in you.”
• The weight of his words crushed me. My own father had chosen to believe these jerks over me. He, too, had turned his back on me.
• It took a moment for reality to sink in. Yes, my Dad had let me down. And in doing so, he had shattered the last bit of hope I’d clung to.
• “Okay,” I whispered, my voice hollow. “I understand now.”
• Without another word, I turned and fled the room. My vision blurred with tears.
• My feet carried me to the only place I could think of. At my Aunt Jamie’s house. She had been my safe haven for as long as I could remember after my mother died giving birth to me.
• I unlocked the door and found her sitting at her desk, knitting. The moment I saw her, the dam in my eyes broke. I ran into her arms and sobbed uncontrollably.
• “What’s wrong, sweetie?” she asked softly, holding me close.
• I couldn’t find the words to answer. I just buried my face in her shoulder and cried. Aunt Jamie stayed silent and gently rubbed my back in a soothing rhythm.
• When the tears subsided enough for me to speak, I choked out, “My mate rejected me and chose Bella instead.”
• “You had found your mate? Who—”
• “Viktor Russo,” I spat as his name felt bitter inside my mouth. Aunt Jamie fell silent until she opt a question I was kind of expecting her to ask.
• “Did you tell him about your wolf?”
• I shook my head and smiled bitterly. “No. He doesn’t deserve to know. He doesn’t deserve me.”
• He didn’t deserve that part of me. Not after the way he belittled me, ignored me, made me feel like I was inothing but trash in his eyes. I would let him believe whatever he wanted. I owed him nothing.
• Viktor would never know that I had a white wolf too.
• One day, I woke up to an unbearable pain searing through my body. Aunt Jamie rushed into my room the moment she heard my strangled cries. I had been staying at her place that night, but neither of us could have prepared for what was coming.
• It began with my bones creaking, stretching in ways they never had before. My muscles tore and reshaped. My limbs elongated and white fur sprouted over my skin. My nose stretched into a snout.
• Then, in the chaos of my transformation, I saw my spirit wolf named Clementine.
• Through it all, Aunt Jamie remained the sole witness to my White Wolf’s awakening. And that was how it would stay.
• Forever.