Chapter 1

Aaliyah

"Get up Aaliyah! Time to work!"

I groaned, turning to see the morning sun filtering inside my small room. Pulling the blanket in an attempt to hide from Jack, my older brother, he yanked it off me. I still wanted to sleep after not having enough rest, as my brother made me clean up five houses in the pack last night.

I don't understand how he could hate me so much, knowing we were family. Ever since my father died and he took on the role of Alpha, he had been such a dickhead. He made life so much more miserable for me, demoting me to the Pack's janitor.

"Get up!" he yelled. Not looking forward to having a fight with Jack, I got up from the bed.

"Better be fast," he said. "I need you in my room."

I walked towards the mirror, running my hands through my brown hair. My father used to tell me I looked a lot like my mother. With my curly hair, amber eyes, and brown skin complexion, I was her mirror image. Freckles lined the upper part of my cheeks, like a small brush dipped in brown paint and used to trace delicate dots. Though Mother had thin lips, mine were full and naturally pink.

Leaving my room, I headed to Jack's, finding him standing by the window. He turned around, a smirk playing on his face.

Without answering, I began to sweep the dirt from the floor with the vacuum. As I continued, my eyes fell on Olivia, Jack's mate, who was sitting at the edge of the bed. Her eyes softened at the sight of me. She was the only one who treated me nicely in the Pack's house. Even the maids didn't show me respect after seeing how Jack treated me.

Closing the distance between us, Jack grabbed my arm.

"You're too slow," he hissed, his breath hot against my face. He smelled of alcohol, his eyes darkening. I yanked my arm from him, stepping away.

"I'm not your servant, Jack," I snapped, glaring at him. My heart raced, but I refused to show him any fear.

"Have you forgotten I assigned you as the Pack's janitor?" he asked, taking a step closer.

"You don't get to control me," I said.

The smirk on his face disappeared, replaced by a cold look. As he started to walk towards me, I moved backward until I collided with the hard wall.

"I am the Alpha, and you are in my house. You will follow my rules."

I looked at him, observing his features. Jack resembled Dad, with his sharp jawline, high cheekbones, and brooding eyebrows. His hair was uncombed, his jaw unshaved. His skin was light, a mix of Dad's pale skin and mom's darker skin. He was dressed in a long white shirt and black pants.

"The house belongs to Father," I snapped, stepping away. But Jack grabbed me again, pushing me back to the wall, cornering me.

I was trapped.

"You need to change that attitude of yours, little sister," he said.

"Get off me!" I yelled, struggling against his grasp, but as the Alpha, Jack was strong.

His hand shot toward my neck, pinning me against the wall. I struggled to breathe, feeling the air knocked out of my lungs. Panic gripped me as I tried to push Jack away.

"Stupid wolfless cunt," he spat. "I don't think you understand the kindness I've shown you in this house. If, by the next full moon, you don't have your wolf or mate, you'll be exiled from this pack. I'm not like Father."

"I might be a wolfless cunt, but I had Father's trust and love. What about you?"

Jack shoved my face to the wall, his grip tightening.

"From today, things are going to change between us," he said. "Looks like I'll have to take that kindness away."

"What kindness?" I scoffed.

"From today, your privilege of eating with me in the dining room is revoked," he said. "You'll eat the scraps you find in the kitchen. You're not allowed to leave the pack house unless it's for work. And you'll sleep in the servant's quarters."

I stopped moving, my heart racing as his words sank in, cutting deep. A heavy knot settled in my chest.

"You... You can't do that," I stammered. "You won't."

"When I'm done with you, you'll wish you'd died with father that night."

The back of my eyes burned as a flood of emotions rushed through me. I bit my bottom lip, fighting back the tears threatening to fall, but they won, pouring down my face.

"Are those tears, little sister?" Jack asked. "Did my words affect you that much?"

"Why? Why do you hate me so much?" I asked, my voice breaking.

He leaned closer, whispering into my ear. "Maybe if the midwives had saved Mom instead of you, we wouldn't be here, fighting each other."

My breathing turned ragged as Jack's words echoed in my head. Somehow, he was right. Sometimes I asked myself why Mother decided to save me instead of herself. She had died birthing me. Though I never met her, the pain lingered, knowing she died because of me. I carried that grief from childhood.

I struggled once more. "Get off me."

He chuckled. "Call me your Alpha."

His grip on my neck tightened, his smelly alcoholic breath fanned my face. I cursed under my breath, clenching my hand into a fist.

"Say it with respect."

"Get off me, Jack," I frowned deeply.

"You're not saying what I want to hear," he said. "Call me your Alpha with respect. I haven't heard you call me that since I became the Alpha."

There was no way I would call him that. Jack would never be my Alpha unless he treated me right. I'd had enough of him. I was not his toy to play with whenever he felt bored.

"You are not my Alpha," I snapped.

He chuckled, taking a step back as he released me. I gasped, clutching my neck, breathing heavily. My jaw ached, and my neck felt like I'd wrapped something heavy on it.

"You know what?" I glared at him. "Send the maids to finish the chores."

Turning around, I stormed out of the room. I knew Jack was going to send guards after me, so I decided to go work at the Beta's house. At least he wasn't as hard on me as Jack. He hated how Jack treated me harshly but couldn't do much as the Beta.

As I strolled down the street, a dull ache formed in my head. I was tired, but I still had work to finish before heading to the hospital to heal those who were hurt. And when I was done healing, I would return to the pack house to continue working before I could rest.

I thought back to the night my father died, a few months ago. The pack house was attacked by rogue wolves. I had woken from a nightmare of seeing my father dead. I immediately ran to his room, finding the servants screaming. When I reached his room, I was shocked to see him lying on the ground, blood everywhere. Father had been killed by one of the rogues.

Though I tried to use my powers to heal him, the pain was too much for me to take, and he died. Jack didn't blame me, and two hours later, he declared himself Alpha. He set new rules, warning everyone what would happen if they disobeyed.

Looking down at my white gown, now stained with dirt, I shook my head. Jack never let me buy clothes; I was forced to wear Olivia's old ones. Even though she pleaded with him, Jack wouldn't budge. He listened to no one, not even his mate.

He wasn't always like this. When we were young, we used to go hunting together. We played and did everything together. But that was before he found out Mom died because of me. Jack loved Mom so much that, after her death, he slept, wrapped in her blanket.

Father hid the truth from him, not wanting him to grow up resenting me for her death. But somehow, Jack found out, and since then, everything changed. He refused to go hunting with me, started fights for no reason, and drove my friends away, telling them I killed our mother. I never had a single friend because of Jack. He made sure my life was miserable.

As I continued to walk, I picked up the faint sound of a low groan coming from the woods. I turned toward the sound, my heart racing as I heard it again.

Holding my breath, I walked into the woods, turning around to ensure I wasn't being followed. What was that sound? Was someone hurt?

Taking another step, my entire body froze at the sight before me.

.....

New book alert:

Title: The Wolven's Bride.

Blurb: When a young and naive girl, Ivar falls in love with her Uncle, Ragnar, she defies her parents wishes to marry him, believing he's the man holding her heart. Ignoring her mother's warning, Ivar marries Ragnar before fleeing with him to his village.

But upon reaching his village, Ivar realized there's more to Ragnar than she thought. Ragnar is not just a man—he's a wolven, bounds by a dark curse that haunts not just him but his entire tribe. And Ivar, is the key to breaking that curse.