Chapter 1

The night was dark, but the moon shone bright in the sky. The members of the MoonShadow Pack were gathered around the bonfire, laughing and chatting. Emily sat beside her parents, listening to their stories of how they first met. She couldn't help but feel grateful for her loving family and the pack at large.

Suddenly, the peace was shattered by a loud howl in the distance. The pack members froze, their expressions turning grim. Emily's father stood up, his hand gripping his hunting knife tightly.

"It's the Blood Moon Pack," he growled, his eyes scanning the darkness. 

"They're here for a fight."

The members of the MoonShadow Pack quickly took up their weapons, preparing to defend their home. Emily's mother grabbed her by the arm, fear etched on her face.

"Emily, darling," her mother whispered urgently, "you need to hide” Emily's parents grabbed her and hurriedly led her to a small hidden alcove, tucked away in the rocks at their garden. She watched as her parents disappeared into the night, ready to fight for their pack. She wanted to run after them, to help in any way she could, but she knew she had to do as they said.

As she crouched in the shadows, she heard the sounds of battle in the distance. She could hear the clang of swords, and the screams of the wounded. She felt helpless, trapped in her hiding spot while her family and Packmates fought for their lives.

Time seemed to slow down as she waited. The sounds of battle grew more distant, and soon the only thing she could hear was the sound of her own heartbeat

They had told her to stay there until they came back.

But they never came back.

The sound of distant screams and snarls echoed again through the house. Emily could hear the Alpha's voice, a ruthless man known for capturing Omegas and using them as slaves. She knew that her parents had either been killed or caught and she was now alone.

Emily waited for what felt like hours before she mustered up the courage to leave the hidden alcove. She crept up to their house and peeked through a crack in the door. What she saw made her heart race.

The Alpha and his pack were tearing through the streets, capturing Omegas and Betas alike. Emily knew she had to get out of there before they found her.

She gathered some supplies and quickly made her way out of the house, keeping to the shadows. She could hear the Alpha's pack getting closer, but she kept running until she was outside the pack's territory.

She collapsed against a tree, gasping for air. Tears streamed down her face as she realized she was now alone in the world.

But she wouldn't stay that way for long. Emily knew she had to keep moving, keep running until she found a new pack to call home.

As she took a deep breath, ready to continue her journey, a rustling in the bushes caught her attention. She tensed up, ready to run again, but out stepped a figure she never expected to see.

It was Mrs. Wesley, the head of maids from the neighboring Skyline pack. She looked disheveled and scared, just like Emily felt.

"Come with me," Mrs Wesley whispered urgently, "I can help you."

Emily hesitated for a moment before nodding. She had no idea what was in store for her, but she knew that anything was better than being alone in a world full of ruthless Alphas.

As they made their way through the woods, Mrs Wesley explained that the Skyline pack had heard what happened and wanted to help. They had sent her to find any survivors and bring them back to their territory.

Emily felt a flicker of hope in her heart. Maybe this was the beginning of a new life for her -

Yes it was! Just that…

✠✠✠✠✠✠

SKYLINE PACK

Emily was abruptly awakened by a cold splash of water drenching her body, covering her in wet rags. She opened her eyes to see the angry face of someone looming over her

"So this is it, huh?" she snarled at her.

"What on earth do you think you are doing?" scolded Mrs. Wesley, the head of the maids. "Get up and attend to your duty. You know today is the soon-to-be Alpha’s 20th birthday."

Emily struggled to get up from her wooden bed and glanced at the time - it was barely 2 am. She wiped the water from her face and bowed to Mrs. Wesley, knowing that her rank as an Omega was far below and she was meant to do nothing about the ridicule

Who would even listen? She thought within herself

Mrs. Wesley stormed out of the room, leaving Emily alone with her thoughts. Her friend Fanny, also an Omega, was curled up in the corner with a remorseful look on her face.

"I'm sorry, Emily. I tried to wake you before she came in," Fanny apologized.

"It's okay, Fanny," Emily replied with a weak smile as she stood up. "I just hope we can make it through this day."

The two girls were dressed in tattered clothes that barely covered their bodies. They had been taken captive from their original packs, lured by the Skyline pack under false pretenses of help. Now, they were living in a den where Omegas were treated terribly, and the Alpha and his son were especially cruel. The only person who treated them with any kindness was the Luna, Sidney, who Emily couldn't understand why she had ended up mated to such a cruel Alpha.

Emily and Fanny quickly changed into their work clothes - the only other clothing they had besides their rags. The work clothes were only slightly better than the rags, but they had to wear them to perform their daily chores, which included scrubbing floors, cooking, washing clothes, and sweeping the rooms in the pack house. They were not allowed to go to school and were only allowed to eat after completing all their work to the satisfaction of Mrs. Wesley.

The pack house was a large building that housed all the members of the Skyline pack. The elderly and pack officials such as the Beta and Gamma lived there, as well as ordinary members and warriors. But nothing like that could be said of the Omegas like Emily and Fanny, their life was a mess and it doesn’t look better being of the lowest of the low hierarchy.

As Emily and Fanny made their way to the kitchen through the back door of the pack house, they glanced at the grand clock on the wall next to the main door. It was only a little past three in the morning, but they had to start their chores by 2 am most days.

Emily couldn't help but wonder how they ended up in this terrible situation, living in squalor and being treated like slaves. But for now, she knew that she had to focus on her duties and try to survive another day in the Skyline pack.

The day had started off badly for Emily and Fanny, the two Omega werewolves who were tasked with preparing various meals for the Alpha's son, Anon. After scrubbing the kitchen, Emily went to collect the laundry from each room, trying to avoid the members who were awake and not disturb those who were asleep. As she picked up the last basket of dirty clothes, she accidentally bumped into Annabel, the soon-to-be Luna of the pack, whom she dreaded to encounter. She dropped her basket, spilling its contents and fear filled her as she bowed her head, waiting for the inevitable reprimand.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention," Emily apologized.

"How is that my fault?" Annabel retorted harshly. Emily knew what was coming next and braced herself for a smack. She made the mistake of using her hands to shield her face, forgetting that she was holding a cloth hanger. Annabel cursed as she saw her bruised finger, which had come into contact with the hanger.

"Is this your plan, to give me a scar before my coronation?" Annabel exclaimed.

"No, that was a mistake. I'm sorry, Luna," Emily pleaded.

"You don't know your place, and I'm ready to show you where that is," Annabel said, whispering into Emily's ear. 

As she stood up, adjusting her clothes, Emily realized that Annabel's finger was healing on its own, due to her ability to heal as a werewolf who had reached the age of shifting. Emily and Fanny were both 19 and had yet to shift, possibly because they were too weak to do so.

Before Emily could react, a new voice interrupted them. Annabel turned to her soon-to-be mate with a pained look, showing him her injured finger. "She attacked me," Annabel said, accusing Emily.

Suddenly, she felt a firm grip on her neck, one that lifted her feet off the floor and made them dangled in the air. "You dare lift your hands on my mate?" he demanded, his eyes were flaming; glinting with so much anger.

"It's not like that…" Emily struggled to talk. Her eyes dilated in fear and shock as he choked her, holding her neck mercilessly tight. Annabel then struck her hard, causing her to fall to the ground.

"You will be punished for this, but first, pack all these dirty clothes and wash them. After the party tonight, we will deal with you. Come, Annabel, Mom and Dad await us," Anon said in disgust before spitting on Emily.

"Serve you right. Next time, you will know your place, dog," Annabel said, pushing Emily out of her way as she followed Anon.

Emily struggled to pack the scattered clothes back into the basket. She closed her eyes, praying to the Moon Goddess for strength, but the Goddess did not answer her prayers. Fanny appeared and rushed to Emily's side, asking if she was okay.

"Annabel and Anon," Emily whispered, at a loss for words.

"They're nightmares”

“But we have a lot to do, put yourself together” Fanny told Emily, there was little she could do to help Emily at that point 

"Can you try to push the bone back in place?" Emily asked.

"You know I'm weak, as you are. Maybe the pack doctor can help?" Fanny suggested.

Emily shook her head. The pack doctor, Mr. Horton, was a womanizer, and the girls did their best to avoid him. He was a shameless man who would love to have his way with them, and despite Luna's orders to stay away from the Omegas, he had already made advances on them.

"We're not going to him, Fanny. Just try your best, please?" Emily pleaded.

"Alright, then," Fanny conceded. She bent down and held Emily's broken rib, putting all her strength into pushing it back into place. With a loud sound, the rib snapped back, causing Emily to cry out in pain.

"Okay, there," Fanny said, carrying Emily's basket. She left Emily to sort herself out.

Emily slowly got up and made her way to the laundry room, where Fanny was already working. Fanny looked at Emily and shook her head at the sight of her friend.

"Why don't you sit for a while?" Fanny suggested.

Emily shook her head. "I can't."

"No one's here for now, so please sit for a few minutes," Fanny urged. Emily finally relented and sat down.

It hadn't been five minutes when the door opened, and Mrs. Wesley walked in with a whip in her hand.

"Is this what you've been up to, dog?" Mrs. Wesley demanded.

Emily jumped to her feet, trembling in fear of her punishment.

"Luna Annabel told me what happened. Do you want to get me fired for not doing my job properly?" Mrs. Wesley continued.

"No, ma'am," Emily said in a trembling voice.

"You're an ungrateful bitch," Mrs. Wesley spat, pulling Emily towards her.

At that moment, the current Alpha walked in, and Emily knew her already miserable life was about to get even worse.