Kalina
When I was born, I was given a death warrant not just by anyone, but by my very own parents.
Prophesied to bring chaos and ruination, my father and the pack were more than happy to take the living light within me. But my grandmother, who had already stepped down from being the Luna, went down Elokia Mountain to plead for my life.
At four years old, I realized I was an unwanted child. It was hard not to know when everyone in the pack made sure I felt and heard it every single day. And as if to prove their point, when the kids around my age had already turned and shifted to their beast form, I sat in the corner, unable even to feel my wolf.
I was a lost cause. An outcast. I knew it long ago. But I tried to bury the sadness deep inside me so my grandmother wouldn't cry because of me again.
My heels clicked against the cold marble floors; each step echoed my own dread. The maids flanked me in stony silence, offering me no answers to the questions swirling in my mind. Why was I being summoned? Was it Father who called for me? It had to be him—no one else would.
And yet, something about this felt very wrong.
When we reached the familiar oak doors that led to my father's study, my heart pounded so loudly I feared the maids might hear it. To my relief, they stepped forward and pushed the doors open without a word, ignoring the hammering of my beating heart.
I stepped forward, my gaze instantly locking on the figure waiting in the center of the room, behind the desk where my father would always sit with a scowl on his face.
I froze when I found my father wasn't there.
"Robert?" I managed, my voice trembling with disbelief.
My brother sat there, arms crossed, and a smug grin tugged at his lips.
A pen spun between his fingers, a slightly sinister mirth filling his eyes. He wasn't alone. There were three other men, who were barely in their twenties, standing inside the room. My stomach churned when my eyes landed on one of them. Nicholas. His familiar face brought a rush of joy and bitterness. He had become a handsome man.
A decade ago, Nicholas had been the only kid who had helped me get through my boredom. I had no one else to talk to within my age range. But he was there. Although I only spent hours with him at the edge of Elokia Mountain, where I used to live with my grandmother.
The other two were strangers. But their leering gaze made my skin crawl.
I shifted uncomfortably under their gaze and turned to Robert, forcing myself to stand tall, even as my voice betrayed the fear rolling inside me. "Why is it you?"
"Why am I here?" Robert rose from his seat. "It's because I missed my dear little sister and felt a bit sympathetic. So, I brought you out. You know, get you a bit of some fresh air from that rotting little corner of yours."
I breathed in, filling my lungs with air. Then I said, "Thank you. I got enough. Can I return now to my little corner?"
My mouth moved faster than my mind. And before I could hold back, the words spilled.
Robert's grin faltered for a split second before he stepped forward. His eyes glowing gold—a predatory energy oozing out of him like a can of soda bursting. My knees almost gave out in fear. I braced for the pain to come, almost expectantly, knowing that my older brother wouldn't pass on decorating my skin with black and purple.
But even with the anticipation and preparedness I committed myself to, his hand moved so fast I didn't even have time to react. The sharp sting of his slap reverberated through my skull, and I staggered back a couple of steps before I slumped to the ground.
It hurt so much that my brain almost thought my head was separated from my shoulders. That bastard. He didn't even hold back.
"You will return to your pigpen when I tell you to, bitch." Robert spat to the side and walked back to where his friends stood.
I bite back the tears that were threatening to fall from my eyes. But the pain didn't help. A single drop of tear slid down the cheek where Robert had slapped me. Then I flinched.
"Damn, that was amazing."
"Oh, shit. You made her cry."
The two strangers next to my brother laughed and pointed their fingers at me. Once again, I was washed with shame and anger. But mostly shame, because I was not privileged to display my anger.
Running out of the room was the only thing I could think of. But with the four werewolves in front of me, could I outrun them? Besides, the door behind me was closed by the maids. Who knows if they're waiting outside or if they locked it when they pushed me into this place?
"Does Father know?" I forced myself to speak, tasting the blood in my mouth. Shit. That slap also tore the inside of my cheek.
I stared at Robert. The only one who could get me out of the dungeon was our father. Unless he ordered it, no one can take me out.
As if he could read my mind, Robert snarled. "I'm going to be the next Alpha. I don't need Father's permission. I can do whatever I please."
There was no doubt about Robert's position in the pack. Our parents gave birth to five children, of which four were all girls, and Robert was the only boy. The moment he was born, the pack celebrated for an entire day and already gave him the title of the Alpha's Heir.
I clenched my fists. "What do you want?"
Robert's grin returned, his eyes sparkling with malice. "I lost a bet." He gestured lazily toward his companions. "And I'm out of money. Dealing with Father right now is… not possible. While Mother isn't back yet from her afternoon party. So, I figured, why not introduce my little sister to my friends? Treat them to something… special. You're quite a prize, after all."
My stomach turned as the eyes of these men began to change. The mockery and disdain remained, but another added on top of it. Lust. The hazy eyes of the two men beside Robert were too potent. My skin crawled.
"You disgust me," I spat, my voice barely a whisper.
Robert chuckled. "Oh, don't be so dramatic, Kalina. We're family. And family help out each other."
One of the men, lean and brown-haired, leaned forward. His eyes pointedly looked at the spot between my chin and shoulders. My hand shot up to cover my neck in alarm.
"What's with the collar?" I heard the brown-haired teenager ask my brother.
I blanked with terror as soon as the collar around my neck was mentioned. They're not going to… Oh my God.
They eyed my collar with the same ferocity one would have when a crack appeared on a fine China tea set you would save for your grandchildren. To them, my collar was a subject of their curiosity. But to me, it was the bane of my existence and also my protective charm.
The collar had been around my neck since I was eight years old—the day I started to go in heat—and since then; I had never taken it off. My father told me it would stop the leakage of my pheromones like a lid on a cauldron and stop me from being in heat. It truly was a protective charm.
But for a werewolf, being not in heat was similar to being forced not to drink, eat, or pee.
Fortunately, I hadn't gone insane even after a decade of wearing it. However, that didn't stop my father from reminding me of what I was. A pathetic aberrant. No one will ever accept me for who I am. Yet, that didn't stop my father from parading me around like I was a paragon. I wasn't.
"This should remind you of what you are."
"These people, they've become like this because of you."
"You will always carry the sin of existing forever."
I thought of the bodies, writhing and moaning in pain. People bled from their orifices as they desperately, almost like mindless zombies, sought for me.
Robert smiled. "Ah, the collar. That's a special little thing. Extremely expensive and rare. If you want to know why she's wearing it, you'll have to pay extra."
The second teenager tossed something to my brother. A subtle noise clinking.
My brother put the thing his friend tossed him into his pocket. Then he reached for me.
Panic surged through me. "Don't touch me!" I shouted in desperation. "You know what will happen if you take this off. Father will never allow this! So, stop this."
For a moment, Robert hesitated. "You're overreacting. Besides, Father isn't here. The moment he comes back, everything will be over. He will be mad, but that's it." His eyes squinted ever so slightly. "As for you, I'll try my best to tell Father how useful you are."
"Useful?" Tears brimmed my eyes. This time, I couldn't hold it back anymore. "Dragging me around like an animal? That's your idea of useful?"
"Yes."
"You're insane—!"
His hand lashed out again. The force sent me against the door with a loud crash. Pain radiated through my back. For a second, I couldn't breathe. It hurts so bad.
"Enough. If you don't cooperate, I'll make you," he growled. "Hold her down."
The two men approached, a self-satisfied smile spreading across their faces. I backed away, but there was nowhere to go. Their hands reached for the collar, and I closed my eyes, silently praying for a miracle. Anyone will do. Just make them go away.
Just as a ghostly finger touched my neck, a voice cut through the tension.
"Stop."
Nicholas peeled his back from the wall he was leaning against the entire time. As soon as he spoke, everyone stopped, including me.
For a moment, hope flickered to my chest. My eyes flew open as I looked at him pleadingly. Perhaps Nicholas would stop this madness. He would stand up for me. He wouldn't let their mistreatment go.
He stepped forward, crossing the entire room and reducing the distance between the two of us.
Then, his hand extended toward the collar.
"I'll do it."