"Attention! Lyra, it's your coming-of-age ceremony in a short while, and until then, you must get ready."
I had just walked in the door when I heard my stepfather, Darius, yelling at me.
"Lyra, you really disappoint us, this is the seventh time you have failed this month."
My mother, Selene, also expressed her utmost disappointment in me.
As a werewolf, before choosing a mate at the age of eighteen, I must prepare a gift to let my mate know that I'm not a useless werewolf.
But I may be the exception.
My real father was an Alpha of the Twilight Moonwolf pack, but he died in a territorial battle three years ago, sacrificing his life in the fight.
And the winner became my stepfather, also known as Darius.
My mother Selene submitted and married Darius to protect me and became his wife.
Darius didn't really like me and kept me around just to get a free maid.
If I couldn't find my mate before I turned eighteen, I'd be banished by the wolves.
My mother hoped that I would find an eligible mate who could protect me until then.
"I will succeed till the end."
I walked toward my room and closed the door behind me.
The sound of my mother and stepfather talking came from outside the door.
As I lay in bed, staring out the window at the sun, I thought of my father.
He was a powerful yet gentle Alpha.
What I remembered most was what he would always say to me:
"Little Lyra, hide behind me, I will protect you."
In fact, he could have escaped in that battle three years ago. But I was chased by Darius's wolves to the edge of a cliff, and he traded his life with Darius to save me. He was pushed off the cliff by the wolves, and I survived.
Darius also did not treat my father's wolves well, making them do all the dirty and tiring work. He always punished them for the slightest mistake, even abused them.
During the night, I still couldn't sleep and wanted to go out for a walk.
"Lyra, you'd better read this." My mother stood in the hallway and handed me a letter.
It was signed by the Hawthorne family.
The letter was an invitation to a party they were holding, and since I was about to turn eighteen, I also wanted to take the opportunity to be able to choose my own mate.
"I don't want to go." I replied as I shoved the envelope back into my mother's hand.
"But we promised that you would appear at the party on time," my mother said seriously.
"You guys committed to them without even asking me if I wanted to go?" I got a little angry.
"No matter what, you must attend tomorrow, or else you will be banished by the wolves and forced to wander alone." My mother raised her voice.
"Okay, I'll be there," I replied moodily, and only then did my mother turn around and go back to her room.
Early the next morning, I was on my way to the Hawthorne family.
The Hawthornes were not new to me. When I was young, my father used to take me to a few of their parties.
Despite this, I had only been there two or three times.
"This young lady, if you don't have a letter of invitation, please leave immediately."
As I stood in front of a lavish castle, a middle-aged man in a black suit stopped me.
I took the letter out of my pocket and handed it to him.
"Level 1 invitation letter, hah, you may enter."
The butler and the soldier nearby both laughed and handed me the envelope.
I didn't understand why they laughed at me or what a first-class invitation letter meant.
When I walked into the hall, many people were already inside.
The smell of perfume made me dizzy, and I reluctantly found a corner to sit down, just hoping the party would be over soon.
"Why won't you let me attend the banquet? I'm a member of the family too!"
A sound of arguing drew my attention.
It was a middle-aged man and a young man who looked like father and son.
"Adrian, you should know I don't want you messing up my party, so you can't attend," the middle-aged man said.
The young man was the future Alpha wolf leader, Adrian Hawthorne.
I was afraid of being seen by them and hid under the table.
"But they killed my mother, can this be pretended as if it never happened?" Adrian questioned angrily. His eyes turned red and his fists clenched.
He had blond hair, sharp blue eyes like an eagle, and was a head taller than me. He was so handsome that my heart beat faster.
On his neck, a totem mark from the Hawthorne family could be faintly seen.
Any family of high status among the wolves would have a seal representing their lineage, usually given by the elders during the coming-of-age ceremony.
I was confused as to who killed his mother.
"Okay, Adrian, calm down. I can allow you to attend the party, but you must promise not to mess everything up. I won't just let it go because of what happened to Kailin," the middle-aged man said, patting Adrian's shoulder.
Adrian unclenched his fists.
"Who are you? Why are you hiding there?" Adrian's voice came from behind me.
I froze and slowly turned my head to look at him, standing there glaring at me.
"I'm here for the party, I dropped my stuff and just picked it up," I said nervously, coming out from under the table.
"Who's your master that brought you here?" Adrian questioned.
"I was invited to the party, I'm not a servant," I explained again. I thought I had made myself clear.
"Which family are you from?" Adrian asked, staring hard at me.
"The Noland family, my father's name is Kael," I replied with my head bowed.
"You're the daughter of Alpha Kael?" Adrian looked shocked.
"Yes," I said. He didn't seem to know my father had passed away.
"Lyra! You're really here! Don't you know you're the servant of this party? We're so busy now! Come with me!" The butler at the door earlier walked up to me.
"The servant?" I didn't understand. I was here for the party, not to serve.
"Yes, the level 1 invitation letter represents temporarily hired servants. I never misread it," the butler replied seriously.
I lowered my head, embarrassed. I hadn't realized I came to the party as a servant.
Without speaking, Adrian turned to leave.
I felt my face burning with shame.
"Hey, is this Lyra?" A woman's voice came from behind me.