CHAPTER 1 The Beginning

Life is not a fairy tale. Life is hard and painful. It is dark and empty.

And maybe it's a Fairy Tale for most people, maybe it is happy and always sunny, but that's not the case for me.

Who am I? Well, my name is Rain. I have no last name, just Rain.

I'm an orphaned witch in the Blue River werewolf pack.

I always wondered what my parents were like and why they abandoned me in a wolf pack, of all places.

Did they not love me? Was I a mistake? Are they even still alive?

I may never know the answers to the many questions, and I doubt I have a peaceful future ahead of me.

Everyone in the pack hates me, well, everyone but my best friend, Jessica Tompson, another orphan.

Her parents were killed in a rouge attack on the pack when she was only seven.

With her family all dead, even though she was born into the pack, she became an orphan like me.

Except when she hits seventeen, she gets her wolf and her place at the pack house.

I, unlike her, will become a pack slave.

I won't even get my powers till the next full moon after my seventeenth birthday, not that I have anyone to teach me how to use them.

Oh yea, my birthday is supposedly in three weeks (the pack didn't know my actual birthday, so they were just guesting), And Jessica's birthday is a week and a half before mine.

Maybe that's why we get along so well.

The pack still has a birthday party for her, with a cake and gifts since she is technically still a member.

Even though they don't have a party for me, she always keeps a few gifts wrapped to give to me, and she even makes me a small birthday cake since I don't get a party because I'm not part of the pack.

Sometimes I wish I was never born. My life has been long and miserable.

But Jessica is always trying to make it better.

We spend most of our nights in our small room, on our bunkbeds talking.

It's always about something different.

Jess says it's so I don't get bored, but I think it's just because she doesn't like repeating herself.

But Goddess, does she love to talk, and I love to listen.

"Rainie bug... Rainie... Rain!" Jess yells while kicking the bottom of the top bunk in an attempt to wake me up.

"I'm up, I'm up!" I whine, wiping my eyes.

"Oh, thank the Goddess for another beautiful, sunny day." Jess beams while looking out the window. "I'm so excited, I can't believe just two more weeks, and I'll be getting my wolf and be able to scent out my mate! I hope he's handsome."

"Jess, what's a mate?" I ask while climbing down from the top bunk of our bunk bed.

"A mate is your other half, your soul mate, the person that is supposed to love and cherish you for the rest of your life." She says with a smile on her face.

"Will I get a mate?" I ask, thinking how nice it sounds.

"I'm not sure. I don't know much about how all that stuff works when it comes to witches and humans." She says as we walk through the hall.

"Oh, ok," I responded flatly. I knew it sounded too good to be true for me.

"Don't worry Rainie bug. Mate or not, you'll always have me by your side." She says with a smile.

"I love you, Jess," I say with a small smile of my own as I walk down the stairs of the orphanage and towards the kitchen to start cooking breakfast for the younger orphans.

After they've all eaten, Jess and I make sure they're all dressed and have everything they need before Jess walks with them to school.

When everyone is gone, it's time to get to my daily cleaning.

There are eight bedrooms, the kitchen, the living room, and two bathrooms to clean, then I move on to the laundry and make the beds before starting dinner for everyone.

I'm the only that's had to clean and cook since I was eight.

Ms.Leana says it's to prepare and train me for when I turn seventeen and become the pack slave, and they move me to the packhouse basement.

"Rain, I'm home from school," Jess calls out as she walks up the stairs and into one of the bedrooms where I am.

As I turn around, she can see the panic on my face, and she realizes I'm not done with the cleaning or even started dinner.

We both know if everything isn't done and perfect when Ms.Leana arrives for her weekly show-off walk-through with the Alpha to show him how clean she keeps everything, she'll be embarrassed in front of the Alpha, and I'll get wiped again.

"Oh no. You're not even completely healed from the last lashes you got." She says, panicking as she jumps into action, running to start the laundry and dinner as I finish the last two rooms.

After about twenty minutes, the floors are swept and mopped, the kids' toys are in their bins, the beds are nicely made, and the windows have all been wiped down.

"Only thing left is the stairs," I say to myself as I quickly grab my wet rag and sprint out the bedroom door and down the hall.

As I get to the first step and start wiping them down, the front door opens, "I'm fucked" I whisper to myself, making sure I say it low enough so they don't hear it.

I walk down the stairs and turn the corner.

Ms.Leana walks a few feet behind the Alpha as he inspects the house.

She sees me hiding in the corner, and if looks could kill, I'm pretty sure I would already be dead.

After ten minutes of the Alpha walking through the house doing his inspection, he congratulates Ms.Leane on keeping everything clean, hands her a bonus check, and leaves.

As soon as he's gone, I know what to expect.

She grabs me by the hair and drags me down to the basement, where she keeps her whips.

She chains my wrist to the wall and rips my shirt to expose my back.

"You little bitch." I clothe you and feed you. And yet you choose to embarrass me in front of my Alpha!" She yells as she swings the whip down hard onto my bare back.

"No, Ms.Leana, I'm sorry. It was a mistake. Please forgive me." I plead with her threw gritted teeth and trying my hardest not to cry because I know that crying will only make it worse for me.

The only thing she hates more than being made to look bad in front of the Alpha is a crying orphan girl. Well, that and me.

After a few more lashes from her whip, she's finally done.

"Clean yourself up and get supper ready. The kids will be home from school soon and want to eat." She states before walking back up the stairs and out the front door to go shopping with her nice bonus.

"Oh Goddess Rainie, this time is worse than the last. Why doesn't she understand you're not a wolf, and you take so much longer to heal." Jess cries as she walks down the stairs unlocking the chains holding my wrist to the wall and assessing the damage done to my back. "Hold still so I can clean you up."

"There's no time Jess. I have to get supper ready before the kids get home from school," I say, trying to get to my feet.

"It's already done now stay still as I told you so I can get you cleaned up." She says as she wipes down my back gently with a warm wet rag. "You don't want the kids to see you like this, do you?"

"You're a lifesaver. What am I going to do without you when you leave?" I say.

CHAPTER 2 The Calm Before The Storm

Almost two weeks have passed and there's been no beatings or lashes lately even though I've definitely messed up a few times.

But I'm grateful for it nonetheless.

Things have been pretty none eventful.

"Okay, Rainie bug, it's time to clean out your wounds. Come on and lay on your belly across my bed." Jess says while tugging on my arm.

"OWW ok, just don't pull so hard," I say

"You're not still in pain, are you?" she asked as I remove my shirt.

"Just a tad bit." I groan out as I lay across her bed. "But ill be okay, I promise."

"At least you're finally starting to heal. Another week or two, and you should be all better." She said happily as she smears the antibiotic cream over my wounds and starts applying the bandages. "Hopefully, the scaring won't be too bad."

"I'm not worried about any scars. No one will ever see them anyway. I'm worried about surviving this pack after you turn seventeen and leave the orphanage, and I get moved to the packhouse as the pack slave." I say, not even bothering to try to hide how scared I am.

"I know sis. But we'll figure it out together. Just like always." She says while twisting the gold band ring on her thumb, which is how I know she's nervous too.

It's late so we decide to get in bed.

Jessica's is quiet, way too quiet, so I lean over the edge to check on her.

She's just laying on her side, staring out the window of our small bedroom in a daze.

"Jess, you okay?" I ask, getting nervous because she's never this quiet.

"Yea, just missing my parents." She says, trying to hide the sadness in her voice. "I wonder if they would be proud of me if they were still alive."

"Of course, they are proud of you. You're the kindest, most gentle, loving, and loyal person I know." I say with the most confidence I think I've ever had.

"I don't know about that but thank you, Rainie bug." She says, trying to sound a little happier than she did before.

"Jessica, you don't understand," I say, climbing down from the top bunk to climb in and cuddle with her. "I can't even begin to explain how many times you've saved my life. You are my hero, my best friend, and my sister all in one."

"I love you, sis." She whispers.

"I love you most sis," I reply as we finally doze off.

Morning comes early, and we wake up to the sun rising bringing the sunlight in threw our small bedroom threw the window.

It reminds me that we need to put a sheet or something over the window to block out some of that light.

"6 AM is just too damn early to start our morning," I grunt as we roll out of her bed.

"You're only complaining because you're not a morning person." She retorts as she starts making her bed.

I grunt again in response as I finish making my bed and head to the bathroom to brush my teeth and pull my long curly mess of hair into a messy bun.

I've always loved my long curly bright red hair, but lately, it's become a pain in the ass to deal with.

When we've both finished our morning routine, we make our way down to the kitchen to start our day.

We make breakfast, and I plate everything while she goes back upstairs to wake the kids up.

After they've eaten, I start washing the dishes while Jess takes the kids upstairs to get them ready for school.

When their teeth are brushed, their hair is done, and they're dressed and ready to go, Jess walks with them to school.

"I guess it's time to start cleaning," I say to an empty house as I walk up the stairs to start on the kids' rooms.

Walking into the first room, I'm completely shocked by what I see.

The kids have picked up all their clothes and toys and even stripped down their beds for me.

I then walk through the hall to find all the rooms are done the same way.

"Absolut angels," I whisper to myself, feeling so grateful for these little things.

This cuts my workload down by a third.

I take the dirty clothes and bedding down to the basement to start the wash before I start sweeping and mopping the floors.

By the time Jess is back from school everything but dinner is done.

"Since it's your birthday in a few days, you get to decide what I make for dinner," I say, grateful she got the kids to help with the cleaning this morning.

She takes off running to the kitchen, giddy like a kid that just got some of their favorite candy, while I put up all my cleaning supplies.

As I walk into the kitchen, Jess has all kinds of ingredients on the counter.

"I want your famous dumpster pasta with grilled chicken," She says as she jumps up and down with excitement.

"Hahaha, okay, but can I do the baked lemon chicken instead?" I ask.

"Ohhh, absolutely!!" She practically yells as I start pulling out the pot and pan that I'll need.

I put water in the big pot and bring it to a boil, then I start pouring the cans of veggies, diced potatoes, and the bowtie past she chose in the pot, to start cooking while the oven preheats.

Then I season the chicken breast with fresh sliced lemon and pepper before placing it on the big old cast iron skillet and sliding it into the oven.

CHAPTER 3 The Storm

"Happy birthday, sis," I say gently to wake her up.

And she sits up and smiles up at me. "So, how does it feel to be seventeen?"

"Strange, other than the other voice in my head, I don't feel any different," she says, with a huge grin on her face, and it takes me a minute to get what she means.

"So you got your wolf?" I ask, and she nods in response. "OH MY GODDESS, I'm so happy for you. What's her name? Is she sweet? Does she like you? Oh, I guess that was a stupid question. Of course, she likes you, sorry!"

"Hahaha, I love you, Rainie bug. Her name is Shina. She's very nice. And she said she likes you and me both. oh, and she also said she needs more of your cooking." She says with the brightest smile on her face.

"She even likes me and my cooking?" I ask, shocked that she even noticed my existence.

"Of course, sis, your cooking is amazing, and you're the sweetest person I know. What's not to like?" she says, making me smile.

"I love you, Jess," I say as I pull her into a hug. "And Shina too!"

Today is a bittersweet day.

Not only is it my best friends' birthday, but she also got her wolf, so she will be able to scent out her mate if he's close enough, she can shift into her wolf, and she will be able to move into her own room in the pack house in a few days.

But she'll officially not be an orphan anymore.

Don't get me wrong, I'm so happy for her, and if anyone deserves to be happy and find her place in the world, it's her.

But that leaves me alone again.

But today isn't about me. It's about her.

So I shake my lonely and depressing thoughts from my mind and start my morning routine before heading down to the kitchen to start breakfast.

Since it's Saturday and there's no school. That means the kids don't have to be up early, which also means I don't have to rush for everything.

After the food is finished cooking, beds are made, and dirty clothes have been put in the wash, I went to the room that in a few days, I'll no longer share with my best friend.

I'll be losing my best friend.

Even when I move into the pack house as the pack slave, I won't be permitted to speak to her.

Slaves aren't allowed to be seen or heard.

Im so stuck in my thoughts that I don't even hear Jess come in and walk up behind me.

"Let's run away.." she says

"WHAT? You've lost your mind! They are full-grown wolves. They're faster than us, not to mention they could easily scent us out." I protest. "They would kill us both, not just me. I won't allow you to put yourself in danger for me. Not after you finally got your wolf and have your whole life ahead of you."

"Actually, I have a masking spray for me, and you have no scent at all, strangely. And Shina is the one who suggested it. She says the fact that you have no scent means you are important, and we need to get you out of this pack!" She states as she starts packing a big black duffle bag with our clothes.

"Im definitely not important. My own parents dumped me here because I wasn't even important to them. I'm a nobody." I say, slowly getting more depressed about my life before Jess smacks me in the back of my head.

"Don't you dare say that!! If you stay here, you'll die, you are my best friend, and I need you to stay alive and with me. You're my only family." she says, shocking me.

What did she mean by that?

"What do you mean by 'if I stay, I'll die'?" I ask as I meet her gaze.

"I'm not supposed to tell you, but Alpha Max has decided on your seventeenth birthday you are to be executed. He refuses to have a witch as a pack slave in the packhouse." She says, her voice barely above a whisper and eyes on the verge of overflowing with tears. "He's scared you turn on the pack once you get your powers."

"But I wouldn't... Jess, you have to believe me." I say, panic laced in my voice. "I wouldn't... I couldn't."

"I know that Rainie bug..." She says as she wraps me up in a tight embrace. "But the Alpha has made his decision. That's why I need to get you out of here now!"

"Okay, I'll leave, but I can't let you leave your pack. This pack is your home. I'll leave tonight, but I'm going alone. I won't take anything else from you." I say, prepared to stand my ground.

"Sorry, but my sister isn't leaving alone. And if you try, Shina and I have already decided we will follow you!" Jess said defiantly, and I get the feeling she wasn't joking around. "Plus, this isn't my home anymore. Family is what makes a home. Plus, all those beatings and lashes Ms.Leana has given you over the years, the Alpha knew about them. Why do you think she got those bonuses? He was paying her to break you..."

"Okay," I say, absolutely defeated by all the information she just threw at me. "Where do we go? What do we do?"

"We will wait till 2 am when they are changing out patrols. Dress in all black and make sure you cover your hair. That bright red hair of yours will give us away instantly. When we get to the border of the pack's territory, I'll denounce the pack, and we'll run like hell south." She says, looking confident.

"Okay, let's get dinner and everything ready so the kids will at least be taken care of till Ms.Leana realizes we're gone," I say, putting the last of what I own into the duffle bag Jess hands me.

"Sounds like a plan!" She said, walking out of the room.

CHAPTER 4 The Rejection

We've spent the rest of the morning with the kids playing, making sure they had everything they needed, showing them where the first aid kit is and anything else they may need once we leave.

"Rain... Jessica." Called Joshy, a 14-year-old orphaned boy whose parents died along with Jessica's parents in the rouge attack on the pack.

As we walked down the hall to the stairs, I was hit with the most amazing scent of cider and roses.

If only I could bottle the scent and keep it forever.

But as we got to the bottom step, my thoughts were pulled from finding the source of the scent to the chaos that was in front of us.

The Alpha was standing in the living room with an adorable little curly brown-haired girl by his side, who smelled like a rouge, Ms.Leana, and two of the pack guards I didn't recognize.

Apparently, they killed the little girls' father at the border after he crossed over into the packs' territory, and since there are laws about executing underage rogue children, they had to bring her to the orphanage.

While everyone was checking on the little girl and talking to each other about what the girl was and what to do with her, I stood in the corner so I wouldn't get in anyone's way.

Suddenly I was yanked by my hair, and a hand came down over my mouth so I couldn't yell out.

I was pulled into the storage space under the stairs.

I looked around quickly to figure out what was going on, and froze when I met the son of the pack Alpha, the future Alpha Ian.

With what I'm sure was confusion and panic written all over my face, I asked him what was going on, but he just looked at me with hatred and amusement in his dark brown eyes for what felt like forever before he spoke.

"I, Alpha Ian, future Alpha of the Blue River Pack reject you Rain, as my mate and future Luna," he says with a smile plastered on his face. "I would never accept a witch as my mate. Especially a worthless and weak orphaned witch like you! The Moon Goddess really screwed up pairing us as mates."

Alpha Ian walks out the door closing it behind him, leaving me alone in the small storage room.

My mind starts to swirl with questions.

What did he mean he rejects me as his mate? Do witches even have mates? Did he say worthless and weak? I'm not even 17 yet. I thought Jess said you have to be 17 before finding your mate. Did the Moon Goddess make a mistake? What am I supposed I do now?

As I'm panicking, I feel a dull pain in my chest getting stronger and stronger, till I can't anymore and pass out.

When I wake up, I'm in our room on Jessica's bunk.

I look around in shock and try to remember what happened.

As soon as Jess realizes I'm awake, she rushes to my side.

"What the hell happened to you? One minute you're standing in a corner of the Livingroom, and the next minute you're gone. Then I find you in the storage space under the stairs passed out on the floor. Are you okay? Are you getting sick or something?" She asks, on the verge of crying.

"I'm really not sure what happened, But you're right. We need to leave tonight," I say, sitting up before I feel a burning pain in the pit of my stomach, making me want to claw it out.

"Oh, My Goddess, You found your mate," She says in complete shock.

"Ian, it's Alpha Ian..." I say, trying to breathe through the sharp burning pain.

"he rejected you?" She asks, and I nod, not sure I could even speak right now.

"You shouldn't still be feeling the pains of his rejection. Did you accept his rejection?" She asks, and I shake my head no in response.

"I didn't know I was supposed to, not like he gave me any time to do or say anything before he walked out, leaving me in the closet," I tell her as the pain starts to dissipate.

"He knew you wouldn't know what to do. Now he's forcing you to feel the pains of his betrail on top of the pain of his rejection." She says, shaking in anger.

"What can I do to stop this pain?" I ask her

"Nothing right now." She says, trying to calm herself down. "We have to leave tonight. Once we get to the border, I'll denounce the pack, and you can accept Ians' rejection, and then we'll be free from this hell."

"Okay," I say, getting up to grab some snacks to put in our duffle bag for when we leave.

"Ohh, just one more thing," Jess says, and I turn around to look at her. "The new orphan girl, we have to take her with us."

"What? You want to kidnap an orphan? Are you out of your mind?" I ask, looking at her in shock.

"She's a rogue wolf. Not a pack member. Once she turns seventeen they will execute her." She says.

I have no arguments because I couldn't bare the thought of knowing we left a defenseless child behind to be killed by these monsters, so I agree with her decision.

CHAPTER 5 The Beginning Of The End

As I'm getting ready to cook dinner for the kids for the last time, I decided to cook their favorite meal, Pork tacos, mac and cheese, and red velvet cupcakes for dessert.

The kids demolish every bit of the food I've cooked.

Then Jess takes the kids upstairs and starts getting them ready for bed.

I decide to get to know the little girl we will be taking with us.

She's a tiny little thing with long curly brown hair and emerald green eyes, just like mine.

I sit her on the edge of Jessica's bed and start asking questions like her name, her age, her favorite color, and anything I can think of that she may be able to tell me.

But I get nothing, not even the smallest of noises.

"She hasn't spoken a word since she arrived," Jess says, walking into the room. "Either she's too scared to talk, or she can't."

"Will you have enough masking spray for the both of you?" I ask, curious if we'll have to get more before we leave.

"Yes, I have plenty to make it at least a week for the both of us." She replies.

I nod and turn to look at the little girl, knowing I have to explain what's about to happen.

"We are leaving tonight, and we're taking you with us, Okay?" I ask, sure I won't get a response, but to my surprise, she smiles and nods her head.

Jess and I look at each other in disbelief before looking back at the adorable little girl.

"Do you have a name?" I ask again, and she shakes her head.

I think for a moment, then look at her. "Odett, What about the name Odett?"

"Pretty," She and Jess say in unison.

"Great, Now lay on down and cover-up," I say happily. "Try to get some sleep, we'll be leaving in a few hours."

She lays down, and she's out as soon as her head hits the pillow.

I look at Jess as she tucks in our little Odett and smiles.

"We're gonna need a bigger bag to put some stuff for her in too. Ours is packed full." I say, motioning to the full-to-bursting black duffle bag I pulled out of the closet.

"I already have a bag packed with stuff for her and ready to go." She says, as pulls a small bookbag out from under her bunk and smiles at me.

"You're amazing!" I declare as I hug her.

A little after 1 in the morning, I get up and start getting ready.

I walk to the bathroom and pull my hair up into a tight bun, pull my oversized black hoodie on, and look in the mirror as I pull the hood up over my head to make sure my bright red hair is covered completely.

I find a pair of black leggings and my black beat-up sneakers, pull them on, and make sure I tighten the laces to make sure they won't fly off if I have to run.

When I get back to the room, Jess is already dressed and ready to go.

I pick up Odett while Jess grabs the bags and a blanket before we quietly walk down the stairs and out the back door that opens up to the wood line.

Once we're far enough into the woods, Jess shifts into Shina.

She's a beautiful wolf, but the sounds she makes while shifting terrifies me.

When she's done, I place a still sleeping Odett on her back, and I wrap the blanket Jess brought with us around them, making sure she is secure before I tie it.

I grab the masking spray out of the duffle bag and spray them down well before placing it back in the bag and tossing them both over my shoulder.

I check my watch, and it's 1:56.

"It's 1:56, time to go," I say to Shina.

She nods her head to show she's ready, and we make our way to the border.

After walking for a few minutes, Shina stops and quickly jumps behind a huge tree.

I follow her lead finding a bush to hide behind.

I peek over it and see two guards coming our way.

My body goes stiff, and I hold my breath, praying to the Goddess they don't find us.

They walk by completely, oblivious to us being here.

I look over at Shina behind the tree to see her nod to me, and we start walking again.

A couple of minutes later, we make it to the border, and I take Odett off her back and watch as she shifts back to her naked human form.

"Okay, we're gonna have to do this quickly. As soon as I denounce the pack, you'll have to say your name and that you accept Alpha Ians' rejection, I'll shift back while you do that, then you secure Odett on my back, and then we run like hell." She says, and I nod in agreement.

"Okay, I, Jessica Tompson, denounce Alpha Max as my Alpha and the Blue River Pack as my home." She says and nods to me before shifting back to Shina.

"I, Rain, accept Alpha Ian as his mate and Luna of the Blue River Pack," I say as I place Odett back on Shinas' back, tying the blanket securely around Odett and Shina before grabbing our bags, and we run.

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The whip bites into my back for the tenth time, and I bite down on my lip until it bleeds, refusing to give Ms. Leana the satisfaction of hearing me cry.

The basement reeks of iron and sweat, the chains cold against my wrists.

"You embarrassed me," she snarls, yanking my hair back so I'm forced to look at her. "Again."

I don't answer. There's no point.

When she finally leaves, Jess finds me—half-conscious, trembling, my shirt in tatters.

She unlocks the chains, tears streaming down her face as she presses a wet cloth to my wounds.

"We can't stay here," she whispers. "In two weeks, you'll be seventeen. And the Alpha… he's ordered your execution."

My breath hitches. "What?"

She grips my shoulders. "He's afraid of your magic. But there's more. Ian—he's your fated mate. And he's going to reject you publicly tomorrow. If you don't escape, you'll die from the bond rupture alone."

I stare at her, heart pounding. "Then we run."

"Not just us," she says, voice dropping. "There's a new girl. Odett. A rogue pup. If we leave her, they'll kill her too."

I close my eyes. Two lives already depend on me. Now three.

"When?"

"Tonight. At 2 a.m. When the patrols change. Dress in black. Cover your hair. And whatever you do—don't look back."

I nod, but my chest tightens. This isn't freedom. It's flight.

And somewhere beyond the trees, the Moon Goddess is watching.