ar's

e "lost pup" whispered about in passing I was the pack's disappointment, the one who didn't belong. Around me, the others shifted effortlessly,

f. The other kids, the ones I'd grown up with transformed into powerful wolves under t

reak," they'd whisper as I passed. "Useless." Sometimes, I heard those words loud and clear, their venom sinking deep into my bones

e, but the pack's rules were clear: st

na, my older sister. Her eyes were cold, her voice dripping with venom. "You're embarras

ilure she painted me to be. But exhaustion weighed me down, and I swallowed the words,

group of kids from the Crescent pack blocked my path. Among them was Liam Brooke the gold

could charm anyone. But today, there was something darker in his e

punch. I looked down, biting my l

side, her voice steady and f

, but the edge in his voice was unmistakabl

of Mila's words close. She was the only person who stood up for

smile playing on her li

nally fell in love with Liam and

om a powerful family. But behind closed doors, things were different. I often felt like a project, l

e was calm but held steel beneath the surface. "Skylar, you need to understan

ut my heart ached

t pitying. "You'll see. This

he weight of his words. Was I just a piece on some

I argued over a minor pack event. The small

his voice low and harsh as we st

don't even know wh

and unyielding. "You'll

red, my voice trembling. "T

the touch felt like a chain rather than a comfort

rs stinging my eye

followed was he

n't supposed to feel like a trap. I

step laced with hidden dangers and invisible traps. Power wasn't just something you earned; it was demanded, stolen, fought for in whispers and blood. And me? I was

mething terrifying: the secrets I carried, t