Chapter 1

　　(Seraphina''s POV)

　　My name is Seraphina Valentine. I''m seventeen now. But everything

changed when I was thirteen.

　　I killed someone. My first shift. My first kill.

　　Yves Kane was trying to rape me. Again. He was an Alpha. He was also a

sick monster who liked little girls. I was just thirteen. He''d been

touching me for months when no one was looking. Whispering disgusting

things. Making me feel dirty.

　　That night was different. He cornered me in the storage room. Said he

was going to make me a woman. I shifted for the first time. My wolf took

over. Yves died.

　　I should feel sorry. I don''t.

　　But everyone else thinks I''m a murderer. His wife Gwen screams it

every day. Says I''m lying. Says her husband was a good man. The pack

believes her. They always believe the Alpha family.

　　My parents got demoted to Omega because of me. They hate me for it. I

don''t blame them. I ruined their lives. Mine too.

　　Now I live in a tiny room next to the storage closet on the second

floor. It''s cold. It leaks when it rains. But it''s mine. The only space

that''s mine.

　　Gwen makes sure I suffer every single day. She hits me. Kicks me.

Calls me names. Makes me cook for over a hundred pack members. Clean their

messes. Scrub their floors. My hands are always raw. My back always aches.

　　I used to go to school. I loved reading. Math was easy for me. I had

friends. That life is gone now. I had to drop out to work for the pack.

Education is for valuable members. Not killers.

　　The worst part? I''m in love with someone who hates me.

　　Grover Kane. Yves''s younger brother. The future Alpha. He''s everything

I''m not. Strong. Respected. Beautiful.

　　He bullies me worse than anyone. Calls me a murderer. Pushes me

around. Makes jokes about me in front of his friends. Each time he hurts

me, it feels like dying.

　　But I still love him. I''m pathetic.

　　Sometimes I dream about my old life. Sitting in chemistry class.

Eating lunch with Bridget and Hazel. Walking home without fear. Simple

things. Normal things.

　　I''m seventeen now. One more year. When I turn eighteen, I can leave.

Find a new pack. Start over. Maybe someone will want me. Maybe someone

will believe me.

　　My wolf Ozymandias thinks differently. She says our mate will save us.

She believes in fairy tales. I believe in survival.

　　Every morning I wake up and choose to keep going. Not because I''m

brave. Because I''m stubborn. They want me broken. They want me to

disappear.

　　I won''t give them that satisfaction.

　　The pack house is busy today. Some important visitors are coming

tomorrow. More work for me. More chances to be invisible. I prefer

invisible.

　　Gwen found me scrubbing the kitchen floor an hour ago. Kicked over my

bucket. Called me worthless. Said I should have died instead of Yves. The

soapy water soaked my only clean shirt.

　　My knees are bleeding through my jeans. The floor is dirty again. I''ll

have to start over. Always starting over.

　　Grover walked through while I was on my hands and knees. Stepped right

over me like I was furniture. Didn''t even look down. His friends laughed.

They always laugh.

　　I watched him leave. Broad shoulders. Confident walk. He''ll be Alpha

soon. He''ll choose a beautiful Luna. They''ll have perfect children. I''ll

still be here. Still scrubbing floors.

　　Ozymandias whimpers in my head. She hurts when I hurt. She''s the only

one who cares.

　　"Our mate will come," she whispers. "He''ll love us. Protect us."

　　I don''t answer. I just keep scrubbing. One more year. Then freedom.

Then maybe I can forget what love feels like. Maybe I can forget Grover

Kane.

　　The water turns pink from my bleeding knees. I don''t stop. Pain is

familiar now. It''s better than feeling nothing.

　　Tomorrow the visitors come. Tonight I''ll dream of escape. In the

morning I''ll wake up and choose to survive another day.

　　That''s all I can do. Survive.