ONE

CHAPTER ONE

ASTRID’S POV

I stretch my arms tiredly and ach my back as I yawned for the umpteenth time this night. I had just finished my last chore for the night which was washing the dishes that had been used during dinner by my… I don’t know, monstrous step family.

Oh… how rude of me. I haven’t even introduced myself yet. My name is Astrid Tiva Tarlishi and the only daughter to the former Alpha of this pack which is called the Black Wood Pack. Now that should mean I’m the Alpha of the pack but that isn’t the case.

In the past years, the werewolf world has become something else. Atrocious acts have been committed here and there and even the moon goddess is so mad at us that she has decided to punish us all. The punishment which will be talked about as we go on.

Now let’s talk about why I’m not the Alpha of my father’s pack.

Fifteen years ago, there was an ambush in this pack. I was seven years old at the time and I really didn’t know what happened other than the fact that I watched my father die in a pool of his own blood in our living room while he protecting my mum and I. I only got to understand what really happened a few years later. What happened was that my father’s trusted Beta at the time called Adolph Snow, was jealous of my father because of all the power and authority he had.

You see, in our werewolf world, there are two packs which are the strongest and they kind of rule of over the others. The strongest pack happens to be our neighboring pack, the Crystal Moon Pack and the second strongest is our pack, the Black Wood Pack. Now, the Alpha of the Crystal Moon Pack who seemed to be like the Paramount Alpha was very good friends with my dad and so they both ruled hand in hand. That made my father’s beta very jealous and so he decided to heath a plan which took effect once the Paramount Alpha of the Crystal Moon. Pack passed away.

Adolf formed an alliance with a whole lot rogues and only God knows what he promised them that made them accept to do what they did. They ambushed our pack in the middle of the night and even the our pack soldiers were not enough to stop them. My father who went out to defend his title as Alpha was murdered in cold blood and his fall left the subjects with no choice but to pledge their allegiances to the tyrant Beta.

He then took over as Alpha of my father’s pack, forcefully married my mother and made me his youngest daughter’s personal maid.

For fifteen years, I lived in the basement of my own father’s house, worked as a common maid, denied of the right to be educated like other girls and battered in every possible way.

My mother passed away three years after the incident. Adolf forcefully made her his wife since his own wife was dead and when my mother found out that she was carrying his child, she poisoned herself with wolfsbane potion and died.

I was left all alone in this cruel world.

If there is one thing I know about this whole issue, it’s the fact it’s not natural. The moment Adolf took over as Alpha of this pack, everything has been in chaos. All under aged werewolves lost their ability to detect each other’s mates. Normally when a Werewolf turns seventeen, he or she gets to find their mate and they happily ever after, so the saying goes. But that hasn’t been the case ever since Adolf became Alpha. We cannot Predict our mates and I do not need to tell you the rate of immortality in the pack as it is now. It’s horrible.

Apart from that, I also think this is unnatural because of how invincible Adolph is. Many at times the soldiers have planned to kill him, but he always knows their moves and escapes and I do not need to tell you that he kills everyone involved the minute he finds out.

I hate him, I hate him so much that I cannot wait for the day when the moon goddess will finally punish him for his sins.

If there is one thing I am very sure of, it is the fact that the moon goddess is waiting for the right time to punish and when that time comes, justice will prevail.

“Astrid Tiva Tarlishi!” Freya’s squealing voice comes disturbing the peace of the entire mansion like a cacophonous sound of slot machines. I can hear her clicking heels approaching from a distance and I let out a heavy sigh of frustration as I wait for her to arrive and start raining her never ending fountain of insults on me.

After hitting me, that is her second favorite thing to do and I find it fascinating that she had taken it upon herself to always occupy herself with my issues. If she were to put in all that time in her studies, she would be getting way better than D's and F's as grades.

Her results can give you a heart attack.

“What time is it?” She asked taking a stylish pose.

“It’s ten pm”

“And that doesn’t ring any bells in your head?”

“Freya it’s ten pm, can you jusy do your skin care routine yourself today? Or better still skip for just tonight. I’m sure one night without it won’t turn you into an alien. My eyes are drowsy right now and my entire body is begging for sleep. I am so tired!” I complain and she looks at me with raised brows totally unbothered my words.

It’s not like I even expected her to be bothered.

“And what has that got to do with me? I don’t care if you are the verge of dying, I need you to come apply my skin care products before I go to bed. Now if I go into my bedroom and you do not show up in three seconds, you will be sleeping in the cold silver dungeon!” She assures me with a firm tone and I purse my lips and nod my head as I follow her out of the kitchen.

Not that my room is any better than the dungeon though. The only thing is that my room doesn’t have silver on it’s walls and floors like the dungeon does, but it’s cold and empty and scary, just like the dungeon.

We both walk into her very sophisticated bedroom, which used to be mine fifteen years ago. When her father became Alpha, she was asked to choose any room in the castle and she particularly chose mine and up till now, she made sure I came in here very day so she can taunt me about it.

I swear she is the worst!

We both walk over to her mirror stand that has got a variety of make up kits and products together with her body creams and the skin care routine creams we are about to use right now.

“Now!” She orders and I commence with what I do every night. First I pick up the cleanser which I soak some cotton in it and use to thoroughly clean her face. The only thing I like is the fact that she never mentions a word and stays still till end of the entire process and that always spares me some tears because she always makes sure out of every five phrases she says to me, two must contain something I will not like, something that will make me cry.

I can almost say that she is obsessed with me.

I swear.

“Freya!” A deep familiar voice calls from the door and instantly, all the hairs on my arms and unshaven legs rise as I go stiff on the spot.

Hearing that particular voice is the last thing I want to experience in any day but unfortunately for me, it’s something I cannot escape.

It is the voice of Tyr, Freya’s elder brother.

He has the habit of always touching my butt and licking his big black lips whenever he comes close to me and only the moon goddess knows how much I bawl my eyes out in my room every time he does that.

As he walks closer to where Freya and I currently situated, I change my posture and make sure I’m facing him. I’d rather have him hit me in the face for absolutely no reason, than smack my butt.

He is such a pervert!

“Why are you here so late?” Freya asks as she looks up at him and he let’s out a wide grin.

“Guess whose dreams are about to come true?” he sings.

“What are you talking about?” Freya asks with much concern as she turns her entire body towards him so she can focus on the conversation.

The only thing I can now is act like I don’t exist.

“Guess who is about to be married to the love of her life”

“Are you in anyway talking about me?”

“Of course I am!”

“You very well know who the love of my life is and how almost impossible it is for me to be with him”

“Not when you have Adolph Snow as your father sweetheart” Tyr coos and Freya’s smile broadens as she pushes me aside and sits up from the chair.

“Are you trying to…” She stops midway and casts a scornful glance at me with her green pupils fully dilated. “Get out!” She commands and I happily scurry out of the bedroom that now reeks of wickedness and monstrosity.

I most certainly do not want to be part of their conversation and I’m just glad that somehow, Tyr didn’t notice me and tonight I won’t be crying myself to sleep.

Once I get into my bedroom, I take off the one of a few faded gowns I have on and walk over to the crappy but neatly arranged wardrobe where I take out my oversized towel and tie around my body. I step into my bathroom that’s as small as a mole’s hole and step under the shower and the as the cold water from it cascades down my body, it triggers a series of unwelcomed memories that make me burst into tears even when I had promised myself not to.

But one thing I believe is that all if this is going to be over soon, I don’t know how soon, but I just believe, it is soon.