Chapter One
♪Isabella's POV♪
Full lips brushed mine—slow at first, then deeper, hotter. His hands slid down my arms, steady with possessiveness.
My whole body trembled with something sharp and new. Heat pooled low in my belly until I thought I'd burn alive.
Moans flew out my lips as i tugged his hair, gasping his name. "Aleric...."
SPLASH.
Ice water crashed over me, shooting me upright with a strangled cry. My thin nightdress clung to every inch of my malnourished frame.
Breath came in and out, my pulse thundering in my ears. It wasn't just the cold. Every nerve in my body was aching.
Aleric.
Oh, Goddess.
I pressed a shaking hand to my lips. I'd dreamed about him. Aleric Blackthorne. The Alpha's son.
My ex-best friend. My first crush. The boy who hadn't looked at me in years—except with pity. Or worse… hatred.
We used to sneak out into the woods together, pretending the pack rules didn't exist.
Fuck me. Out of everyone in this cursed pack, why him? Why now?
"You slut."
Mother's voice cut sharper than the water. She stood with the bucket dripping in her hand, eyes sweeping over me like I was filth.
Her nostrils flared slightly but if she smelled something… she didn't name it. Instead, her lip curled as she spat again. "You disgusting slut!"
My eyes drafted everywhere but hers. Did she hear me moaning his name? No, no. My body felt wrong—tingling everywhere the dream had touched me.
"I—I wasn't—" I yanked my thin blanket around me, shielding myself from Mother's accusing eyes.
"I have no time for this. Just get up— It's four o'clock. Breakfast won't cook itself. And the Alpha's floors won't scrub themselves." She cut me off before I had the chance to defend myself.
She always does that but today I was relieved, what would I say when she asks me why I was moaning the alpha heir's name in my dream.
"Yes, Mother." My teeth chattered from the cold, though heat still burned under my skin.
Her gaze lingered on me, the same expression she'd worn for years—disappointment, now laced with disgust.
Like I was a bad purchase she couldn't return. Without another look, she spat on the floor, muttering how much I disgusted her before leaving.
Her footsteps fading, leaving me dripping, humiliated, and shaking for reasons I didn't understand.
I curled a fist over my chest, trying to steady my racing heart. But this wasn't new. Hate had been stitched into my life since the day my twin brother died. Since the day I became the pack's curse.
Every look. Every word. Every slap. My mother's disgust. The pack's whispers. Even the Alpha's cold indifference.
Seventeen years, and I'd learned one thing: I was never going to be loved. Not by my family. Not by my pack. Not by anyone.
And yet… Aleric's name still echoed in my head. His lips still burned on mine. And my traitorous body refused to calm down.
Sighing, I looked up at the cracked ceiling. What the hell was happening to me?
--
By the time I finished chores and bolted through the pack gates and into the city streets, I'm sure I was already late.
The morning sun glared off high-rise windows. Steam curled up from manhole covers. A food cart guy stared at me when I nearly tripped over his wheels.
The subway rumbled below the cracked sidewalk, shaking the ground as I sprinted past.
Rich kids drove their cars while I barely reached the gates before the first school bell rang.
My legs felt like jelly. My body wasn't mine anymore—it was burning, tingling, aching in all the wrong places.
Great. First I dream about Aleric like some desperate creep. Now I feel like I've got the flu in the weirdest places.
I didn't understand it. Was it some new sickness?
Another curse I just discovered?
Because clearly nothing like this had ever happened to me before.
I shoved my books to my peanut chest and kept my head down, bracing for the whispers. Same old crap. Freak. Charity case. Loser. Whatever.
Knowing some still whispered about last year, when I'd fainted in class after another pack fight with that bitch Selena. No one helped. Some even laughed. I hope I don't run into her.
But today… something felt different.
When I slid into my seat, the human boy in front of me—normally too busy doodling to notice anyone—turned, looked me up and down, and gave a slow smile.
"Hey," he said, like I'd just grown a second set of boobs overnight.
I blinked. "Um. Hi?"
His smile widened, making my stomach twist at his leering glance.
And it didn't stop there.
Everywhere I walked, human boys glanced twice. A couple of girls too, surprisingly. Their gazes clung to me, heated and hungry.
What the hell? Did I spill perfume? Did I grow horns? I reached up to my messy white hair. Nope, still a disaster.
By second period, I was sweating, shifting in my chair every few seconds because—dammit—the dream's heat hadn't faded.
My thighs pressed together. My body burned in ways I couldn't ignore. Please, Moon Goddess, I know you don't like me, but please don't let me stand up. I'd die if I leaked through my skirt.
I tried to distract myself with math. Spoiler: it didn't help.
As soon as class ended, I bolted, desperate for the nearest restroom.
That's when I passed one of the senior alphas in the hall. Big guy. Broad shoulders. Cocky smirk. Normally, he wouldn't even glance at me.
But when I ran by, his head snapped around. His nostrils flared. His eyes glowed faintly.
And then he lunged.
Not in a casual "oops, I tripped" way. In a full-on, let-me-rip-your-clothes-off way.
I froze mid-step, heart in my throat, before instinct screamed: fucking move, girl.
Panic shaking my limbs, I yelled as I shoved him back hard, "What the hell is wrong with you?!"
But it wasn't just him. Two more wolves down the hall caught my scent—whatever this scent was—and their wolves surged, eyes glowing, low growls rolling from their throats.
Shit. Shit, shit, shit.
The humans nearby blinked, confused, i was too. But it seemed every wolf knew exactly what was happening.
Hands clawed at my shirt. I fought back, gripping the fabric like my life depended on it, which it did.
Because if this blouse ripped, I was screwed. Literally. Everyone would see my small chest. And bonus points, some humans were already pulling out their phones.
Gasping, I fought hard to keep my dignity. "Enough!"
I barely heard Mr. Gray, our history teacher—and a wolf—storming down the hall. Fury burned in his eyes.
He shoved the alphas back with terrifying strength, nostrils flaring as he turned toward me.
His expression froze.
"You," he whispered, eyes wide in disbelief.
The hallway thickened with bodies; wolves, humans, teachers. Too many eyes. Too many scents. The air shifted.
That's when I realized.
Every dominant alpha wolf in that hallway had their gaze locked on me.
The humans looked confused, whispering. But the wolves… their eyes glowed brighter—gold, silver, green, black—sparks burning like wildfire.
Oh. Shit.
They weren't looking at me like a freak anymore. They were looking at me like prey. Like possession. Like their next damn meal.
My knees buckled. For one frozen heartbeat, I couldn't breathe—but Mr. Gray's voice cut through. "Everyone, back—"
Too late.
The first wolf lunged. Then another. And another. Growls rolled down the corridor until it was nothing but teeth and hunger.
Mr. Gray roared, his wolf rising, shoving bodies back with brutal strength. His gaze cut to me once, fire in his eyes.
"Run!"
The sound ripped through me, snapping me free.
And I did.
Heart in my throat, heat raging through my veins, legs barely keeping me upright—I ran as every wolf in that hall howled for me.