Awakening The Sliver Wolf

I sat next to the grave, holding the flowers I brought. I just stared at the name on the stone, tears flowing freely from my cheeks.

"It's my birthday, mum," I whispered as I stroked the name on the gravestone.

Isla Hale.

My mother, my world, my everything. Dead, gone, and left me all alone in a world where I do not belong.

"It's my birthday," I said again. "And no one remembered. Not even father. He didn't even look my way."

My twenty-first birthday.

The tears were flowing wildly, my vision blurry.

It hurts. It hurts so much to live - like I'm invisible, like I'm nothing, a nobody.

My father doesn't even see me, not really. He doesn't look at me, doesn't care. My stepmother treats me like dirt under her shoe, and my stepsister is even worse.

The only one who cares is Lucas.

Just thinking about him makes the tears slow down.

Lucas. My boyfriend.

The reason I still get out of bed every morning.

We've been together for three years, and Lucas has been nothing but supportive, loving, and helpful.

Even though the pack and my own family treat me like I'm worthless, Lucas has been there, offering his strength and love through it all.

He was like glue keeping me together.

My pack members and family saw me as weak, all because I had no wolf.

I was born without a wolf despite my Father and Mother being full-blooded wolves.

Some people call me an abomination, a curse.

Things were different when Mother was alive.

I was loved then, seen as a person. But then she died, and everything changed. Father changed, the pack members changed.

Then he went ahead and married Lila—my stepmother—and my life became so much worse.

She came into my life, took my Mother's place as Luna and made my life miserable, along with her daughter.

Turned me into a slave, and Father never batted an eyelash at her cruelties towards me.

I pounded my chest, trying to get the pain to lessen, but it didn't, it just increased until I felt like I couldn't breathe.

"Why did you leave?" I shouted at the gravestone. "Why did you leave me alone? I can't do this without you, mum. I just can't. You told me to be strong, and I am trying, mum. I am really trying, but it hurts. It hurts so much."

I cried and cried, the pain in my chest getting worse, but I just kept crying.

And then I felt it.

A breeze, a gentle breeze. It would have been a normal breeze but it wasn't.

It had a smell—apples and lilies.

It smelled heavenly, it smelled peaceful, it smelled like home, it smelled like Mother.

I wiped my eyes and looked around, wondering if I was losing my mind. Nobody was here, and even if someone was, it couldn't be Mother.

She was dead, gone from my life.

The breeze, though, whispered a different story. It wrapped around me like a comforting blanket, soothing my aching soul.

It felt like a caress, a silent promise that I wasn't alone.

"You're not alone." The breeze kept whispering, and for the first time in five years, I felt like I wasn't.

Mother was with me, always and forever.

I wiped my face and stood up, brushing the dirt from my dress.

I wanted to stay there forever, just be with Mother, away from life and its harsh reality.

But I couldn't.

I had spent too long and someone would come find me soon, and the consequences will be bad.

I picked up the basket of eggs, my errand unfinished, and rushed back to the pack house, praying I hadn't lingered too long.

The pack house was bustling, everyone preparing for tonight's event: the Lunar Eclipse.

For us werewolves, the Lunar Eclipse was more than just an astronomical event; it was a moment of immense magical significance, tied to us and the moon goddess.

It occurs once every century and is said to be a time when the barriers between the mortal world and the realms of the gods are thinner.

During this time, the moon goddess can exert her influence over the world, and powerful magic is released, affecting all who are connected with the moon, particularly werewolves.

It was such a rare and beautiful event.

And to think, the event was also aligned with my birthday.

It made me feel special, even though no one else saw it.

I walked through the pack, some tying the decorations, while others set up tables.

I tried to make myself as small as possible.

I didn't like being seen, because there would always be sharp words thrown at me, and I had my fill of tears for today.

I had almost reached the kitchen when someone shouted my name.

"Ravenna!" I stopped short, freezing, fear gripping my heart.

The one person I had tried so hard to avoid.

I turned slowly and faced Lila, holding the basket tighter to steady my shaking hands.

I looked at her feet, not daring to meet her eyes, already knowing what I'd see there—hate, anger, and disgust.

"You vile girl," Lila's words cut through the silence, sharper than any knife. "You spent over an hour just to fetch a few eggs?"

"It's not up—" I felt my cheek sting and my ears ring.

When had she gotten in front of me?

I held my slapped cheek, trying to hold back tears, still not raising my eyes.

"Do not ever talk back to me again, do you hear me?" she commanded.

"Yes, Lila," I responded, nodding.

"Weak thing," Lila threw the words as she went, and I turned and made my way to the kitchen.

Yeah, this was my life.

I dropped the eggs near the chef, who didn't acknowledge me, and helped with chopping vegetables and washing dishes.

When I was finally done, I was tired and wanted to retire for the day, to rest a little before the celebration started.

I was on my way to my room when I received a text. I brought out my phone from my pocket, and a smile spread across my face when I saw the name on my screen.

Lucas.

"Meet me in my room." The text says.

I immediately abandoned all ideas of rest, quickly freshened up, and made my way to the upper floors. Maybe he remembered my birthday this year.

Hope filled my chest as I reached his floor.

I was about to knock when I heard a noise that seemed to shatter my already shattered world.

"Oh, yes. Like that, Lucas." Came the noise from inside.

I burst into the room, and there they were—Lucas and my stepsister, both completely naked, wildly entwined as they moved against each other.

I stood at the door, frozen, still not believing what I was seeing.

Lucas and my stepsister hadn't even noticed I was in the room, too tied up in each other to notice.

"Oh, Lucas, you feel so good." Zara kept moaning.

I'm sure the whole house could hear her.

She turned her face in my direction and smirked. She goddamn smirked.

"Lucas!" I snapped.

Lucas peeled himself away from Zara, staring at me with shock.

"Ravenna, it's not like that. I can explain," he said in a rush as he tried to put on his clothes.

But I wasn't looking at him, I was looking at my stepsister, who still had that smug smile on her face, still lying there naked.

"Ravenna let me explain, please," Lucas said as he moved closer to me.

I snapped my head to him so fast. "Explain what, Lucas? Explain why you're fucking my goddamn stepsister?"

"I... I just..." Lucas stammered, unable to finish.

Zara, slithering out of bed with the blanket draped around her, finally spoke. "Oh, poor Ravenna," she mocked, stepping toward Lucas. "Did you really think anyone could love you? You're weak, broken—pathetic. No one could ever love such a thing."

My eyes stung at her voice but I wouldn't cry in front of them.

"So you texted me just to show me this?" I asked, turning to Lucas, who was desperately trying to push Zara away.

"Texted you?" Lucas frowned in confusion. "What text?"

I glanced back at Zara, her smug smile widening.

"You're twisted, Zara," I snapped. "A spoiled, worthless brat. You'd really stoop this low just to mess with me?" Since I couldn't touch her, I used my words as weapons.

"Pathetic," I added with a harsh, bitter laugh.

They had finally succeeded in breaking me. I was never coming back from this. Ten points to them.

"Where's your mummy?" I continued. "Is she somewhere pulling the strings as we speak? Aren't you tired of being her little puppet?"

Zara moved so quickly I barely saw her coming before the sting of her slap hit my cheek, followed by another on the other side, just as sharp and sudden.

"Zara, don't do that!" I heard Lucas shout, but I just smiled.

I smiled because I finally had her where I wanted.

I was going to hurt her today, damn the consequences. Damn it all to hell.

I grabbed her hair forcefully and she let out a pathetic sound.

I was stronger than her, even without my wolf. I had trained every day for years.

I had strength and knew how to use it.

I slammed her head to the wall, satisfied with the sound she was making.

"You don't have any sharp words to say now, dearest sister?" I taunted, watching the blood trickle down her face, a twisted smile still lingering on my lips.

Yes, I was definitely broken.

I felt hands on me trying to peel me off Zara, but I wasn't done.

I landed a slap on her face, splitting the skin.

I was about to land another one when someone grabbed my arm.

I looked up and there he was—the Alpha, my Father.

He peeled me off Zara and I let him, because all the fight had been drained from me.

"Father—" I tried to speak.

"Silent," he said.

I heard someone shout—Lila—and I looked away from my father's cold eyes.

My eyes met Lila holding her bleeding daughter, and she raised her head and looked at me.

I saw the usual emotions in her eyes, but now there was a new one—fear.

Good, be scared of me.

I looked around the room, to Lucas, to bleeding Zara, to my father, and they had the same look in their eyes. The same fear.

Now they see me. Now they notice me.

"You weak, vile creature," Lila hissed, clutching her daughter tightly, that same hateful look fixed on me. "Look at what you've done to her."

"Weak?" I replied. "Weak wouldn't do that to your precious daughter."

Her expression shifted, shock and more fear flickered in her eyes.

I was enjoying every second of this until my father spoke. "Not another word from you, Ravenna."

I kept quiet, fixing my gaze on the ground.

"She should be punished," I heard the anger in Lila's voice.

"And she shall." Came my father's response.

I braced myself. No matter what the punishment was I would take it and my small victory today.

"And you will be the one to decide her punishment, Lila," he declared. "Whatever judgment you pass on her will be carried out."

I didn't need to look up to see the smile on Lila's face.

She passed the bleeding Zara to Lucas and walked up to me. I still kept my eyes fixed on the ground.

"Look at me," Lila said. And I knew whatever was coming would be harsh and cruel, just like her.

I raised my eyes to hers and all I could see in them was satisfaction.

Yes, this was really going to be harsh.

"Ravenna Hale," she began, "as Luna of this pack, I hereby banish you. You are to leave this pack and this forest, never to return. Should you ever set foot in this territory again, it will be the day you die."

My eyes widened, my ears rang, and the pain in my chest grew unbearable.

Banished. No, I can't be banished.

"You can't do this to me," I said.

"Oh but I can," Lila responded with a cruel smile. "Leave immediately. And do not take anything with you. After all, everything you own belongs to this pack."

No, no, no. This can't be happening.

"Father," I turned to him.

"I am no father of yours," he said, turning away from me. "Leave. Immediately."

I stared at my father, at the man I had grown to love. This wasn't him.

I nodded once and straightened my back. If this was my last moment with them, I wouldn't be remembered as weak.

"As you wish," I replied.

Without a glance back, I turned and walked out—out of the room, out of the pack, and just kept walking.

They had done it. They had succeeded in breaking me, in stripping away everything I had left, including my sanity.

I didn't cry as I kept walking, too numb to feel anything.

I was banished. Now an exile. Now a rogue.

I walked and walked and walked, not knowing where I was going but I still walked.

Night had fallen, and rain poured down, soaking me to the bone, draining what little strength I had left. Shivering, I kept moving forward.

Finally, I reached the river—the border between my former pack and the neighboring one.

It was here that I crumbled.

I collapsed to the ground and let the tears flow, sobbing until there was nothing left but the emptiness inside.

Thunder boomed across the sky, each rumble vibrating through the earth.

Lightning flickered, briefly illuminating the world in sharp, brilliant flashes.

But I knelt, rooted in place, lost in my sorrows, defying the storm's fury.

Then, in a single, blinding instant, a searing bolt of lightning tore through the sky, striking me with a force that sent my entire body trembling.