It was a filthy cycle, the same cruelty repeating itself again and again. I hated this pattern, yet it always found its way back without warning. There was no predicting when it would begin. All it took was someone looking for entertainment.
And I already knew how it would end. It always ended badly for me.
Through the windshield, the streets I knew came back into view. My parents wouldn't step in to help me, not even if I were bleeding out in the yard. Still, everything shifted the moment I crossed into the house. Inside those walls, the Beta's word stood above everything.
I forced the car into a narrow space, and the sudden stop threw me forward. My hands shook as I reached for my keys, dropping them twice before finally clutching the cold metal.
Only one thought pushed me forward. I had to get inside.
The car door shut behind me. I stepped out, unsteady, my legs barely holding me up. The keys rattled against my fingers as I moved, each step tightening the fear inside me.
Just a few more steps. Almost...
A warm, damp breath brushed against my side. The air around me thickened with raw aggression.
I turned sharply, my keys clenched between my fingers like a weapon. My chest locked, and everything around me froze.
A few steps away, a wolf stood still, its coat catching the faint light with a strange shine. Its lips curled back, and saliva slipped past teeth sharp enough to tear through anything. I didn't need a second look to know it was Todd.
Making me suffer had always been his favorite game.
He didn't attack. He just watched, his eyes glinting with quiet amusement, while my hand searched behind me for the handle. The moment I found it, I rushed inside and slammed the door shut.
Tonight, he let me go. I was more than willing to take that small mercy.
The lock clicked into place. I leaned my forehead against the wood for a moment, my mind already drifting to the damage on my car. The cracked windshield would cost more than I could afford, cutting into the savings I had been building for so long.
Damn it.
"Ava. Get in here."
My stomach tightened at the sound. I straightened and made my way toward the living room.
My father didn't say a word about the wolf outside. Of course he didn't. If it didn't happen right in front of him, then to him, it didn't exist. He sat stiffly in his armchair, exactly as always. Behind him, my mother stood watching me, her expression cold and judging. I couldn't even remember the last time my father looked at me for anything other than weighing my worth.
I dropped my gaze and fixed it on his boots, the dried mud clinging to them.
I stayed silent. That was all he expected from me anyway. Someone like me didn't deserve to be heard.
My injured wrist throbbed as I shifted it slightly, unnoticed by either of them.
Then his voice cut through the room, low and absolute. "This year, you will attend the Lunar Gala. Make sure your... job doesn't stop you from dressing properly. Be grateful to the Alpha for granting you this."
Cold dread spread through me. My fingers tingled as my thoughts scattered. The Gala?
My heart stumbled in my chest. It had been two years since I last stepped into that place.
It was the biggest gathering in the Northwestern Territories. Werewolves came from everywhere, all hoping to meet their mates. Officially, it served as a break after the Council meetings, but everyone knew what it really was. A masked ball where deals were made and powerful matches were arranged.
The Blackwood pack almost never showed up. Even Jessa had never been invited before. They always blamed it on conflicts between Alphas, but I found that hard to believe.
The tension around my father pressed down on the room. His gaze stayed fixed somewhere above me, as if even looking at me was too much. His nose creased, like my presence alone offended him.
"Phoenix and Jessa will stand for this family. Make sure you don't disgrace them."
Without another word, he turned and walked away. That was all I got. An order thrown at me like something insignificant.
I forced my unease down, but something still flickered inside me. A quiet thought. A chance to leave, even if it was just for one night.
The Lunar Gala felt like a breath I had been denied for too long. It carried the promise of stepping outside this invisible cage. Still, I kept that hope locked away. I would never let them see it.
My mother moved closer, and her smooth voice sent a chill through me.
"Don't embarrass us, Ava. Try not to look like something that belongs in a cage."
I kept my eyes on my shoes as her scent drifted around me, jasmine and honey, stirring memories I wished would stay buried. There was a time she held me close and spoke to me with warmth. That version of her no longer existed.
"Of course," I breathed out. I would do whatever was required.
Their concern lay with Phoenix and Jessa. I didn't matter.
I would be nothing more than decoration. Something to display.
She drew in a slow breath, forcing herself into a calm front. Her hand rose toward my shoulder, then halted just short, lingering in the air without ever touching me. An empty gesture, cold and distant.
"Jessa will take you to pick out a dress. Make sure your hair is done. And get rid of those coffee-stained clothes, alright?"
They would never spend a single coin on me.
"Yes, Mom."
Her jaw tightened as she ground her teeth.
"Don't just grab the cheapest option. You carry our name. And cover those marks. I won't have you making us look like savages."
With that, she turned and left, her scent lingering in the air along with the emptiness she always left behind.
I stayed where I was, my chest rising with a strange mix of fear and something dangerously close to excitement. The Lunar Gala felt like a crack in the walls around me. A chance to step outside, even if only for a moment, and see what else existed.
Maybe I'd meet someone there. Maybe I could leave this place behind. Maybe everything could finally change.
Was it wrong to hold on to that hope?