The morning mist clung to the forest floor, curling around Lia's bare feet as she tiptoed past the sleeping quarters. Her breath puffed in the cold, her finger numb from hauling water before sunrise. The rusty bucket squeaked with every step, a betrayal in the silence she desperately tired to preserve.

She didn't want to be seen.

Not by the.

Not by the wolves who mocked her existence.

“Wolfless freak,” they'd call her. “A waste of space, should've been abandoned at birth.”

She tightened her grip on the bucket’s handle.

The path to the well cut straight through the training grounds– enemy territory. She'd tried asking the Alpha to move her duties begged even, but he word held no weight in the pack. Not when she was the cursed one. The weakling. The girl who never shifted. The one the moon goddess has forgotten.

Snap.

Lia's head whipped rub the side. A twig.

Voices followed. Laughter.

And the she saw them.

Sariah and her gang of golden wolves – perfect, graceful, cruel. They emerged from the fog like predator who'd scented blood– Sariah’s crimson braid swayed as she walked her lip curling with wicked amusement when she spotted Lia.

“Well, well,” Sariah purred, stepping into Lia's path. “If it isn't the pathetic excuses for a werewolf.”

Lia swallowed. “I'm just getting water. I'm not looking for trouble.”

“You never have to look for it, Lia. Trouble always finds trash.”

Sariah knocked the bucket from her hands. The icy water splashed over Lia's skirt. Soaking her to the bone. Laughter echoed like a chorus of knives.

Lia crouched, trembling picking up the bucket.

“Maybe if you crawl enough,” Sariah said circling her, “the goddess will bless you with a flea or two. That's all you're good for.”

Lia clenched her jaw, refusing to cry. Not today. Bit again.

The clearing buzzed with tension as omegas and pack warriors gathered in circles, murmuring about the sudden call. Lai stood on the edge , trying to remain invisible, her soaked skirt clinging to her legs, eyes lowered to the dirt.

That was when Sarah's voice rang out–loud, clear, and laced with venom.

“She’s the one who stole the Alpha's moonstone!”

Collective gasp rippled through the crowd.

Lia's head snapped up.

What?

Sariah pointed straight at her, golden eyes gleaming with theatrical outrage.

“I saw her near the Alpha's chamber last night. She had no reason to be there unless she was up to something!”

“I– I didn't,” Lia stammered. Her heart began to race.”I've never stepped near the Alpha's quarters.”

“Lair.”

The word hung in the air, unspoken but deeply felt.

Two other girls from Sarah's group – meera and Elin – stepped forward with smug expressions.

“She's lying,” meera said. “I saw her sneaking out of the East way with something hidden in her shawl.”

“She was walking fast,” Elin added. “And looking around like she was trying to not to be seen.”

“That stone was blessed by the moon priestess herself.” Sariah hissed.

“It's protect the Alpha from dark magic. Without it, he's vulnerable and she took it.”

More murmurs. Louder this time. Heads turned. Faces darkened.

Lia stepped back, choking on her own breath. “No, please — you have to believe me. I was never there! I don't even what the moonstone look like!”

“That's exactly what a thief would say!” Sariah shouted. “She always been jealous of us. Of the Alpha. She's probably trying to curse him–likr she cursed herself and killed her family.”

A rock slammed behind into Lai gut.

The air shifted.

Someone in the crowd whispered, “maybe that she's wolfless, she's cursed and be witch.”

“No,” Lia whispered, backing away. “No, I'm not…. I wouldn't…”

The faces that surrounded her were no longer neutral. They were suspicious. Angry. Disgusted.

“I think we should take her to the dungeon until the Alpha decides what to do to her,” Sariah suggested her voice icy sweet. “It's only fair.”

Lia's knees buckled. She dropped to the dirt, tear stinging her eyes. “ Didn't do it? Why would I ever….?!”

The world blurred around her.

The circle of onlookers grew tighter . Walls of fur and flesh closing in judging eyes. Sneering lips . Not once voice spoke in her defense.

Not even the Beta.

No one.

Just as Sariah’s triumphant laughter echoed through the clearing, a deep, guttural voice cut through the tension like a blade.

“Enough.”

Everyone froze.

Lia's heart skipped a beat. The voice was command, dark–yet about it sent shivers down her spine.

She wasn't the only one who felt it. The pack, even Sariah, stood still as statues. Ever breath seemed to be held in the air, like the world itself has paused.

The forest seemed to grow eerily quiet as all eyes shifted toward the trees.

A figure from the shadows at the edge of the clearing.

Tall. Broad. His presence swallowed the space. His dark leather armor shimmered with power. Thrrough his posture remained unnervingly calm. Every step he took exuded strength. Authority. The pack member instinctively took a step back, their heads dipping in respect without a word.

But it wasn't the imposing figure alone that had them so terrified.

It was his aura. It was plausible. Thick. Almost suffocating.

The man's eyes scanned the clearing, and everything in it seemed to shrink under his gaze- except for Lia. His cold, predatory stare settled on her.

First, lingering as though searching for something.

He didn't speak, but there was no mistaking the storm of dominance rolling of him.