Chapter One

RUE

It was my father and stepmother’s wedding anniversary. A big celebration, like they always had. I already felt exhausted before even stepping into the ballroom. But I had promised my father I'd be on my best behaviour, so here I was, hand in hand with my best friend Jessica.

"You look stunning, Rue," Jessica whispered as we descended the grand staircase.

The lights were bright, and the room smelled of roses and expensive perfume. The kind of place that made me feel out of place, but Jessica was right- I looked good tonight. My dark blue dress was the perfect fit, and my hair was styled exactly how I liked it.

"Thanks," I muttered, trying to smile. "Let's just get through tonight."

We reached the ballroom floor, and I scanned the crowd. The clink of glasses and soft chatter filled the air, but something caught my eye- Cassie. My step-sister. She was wrapped around one of the Pack degenerates, giggling and looking at me with that smug smile she always wore. My mood instantly soured.

Cassie and I never got along. In fact, we hated each other. It wasn't a secret to anyone in the Pack, she was the perfect little daughter in my father's eyes, and I was the outsider. It was like a punch to the gut seeing her so cosy with a guy everyone knew was trouble. Jessica noticed because I soon felt her hand tighten around mine.

"Hey, don't let her ruin your night, Rue," Her voice was packed with concern, lots of it. "She's not worth it."

I took a deep breath, trying to let go of the anger bubbling inside me. I had promised Dad, after all. "Yeah, you're right," I replied, but my eyes couldn't leave Cassie.

She glanced over at me, whispering something into the guy’s ear before both of them laughed. It was like they were mocking me. I turned away and focused on the rest of the evening, though it took every ounce of energy I had not to lose my cool.

The party dragged on longer than I wanted, and all I could think about was how much I wanted to get out of there. Finally, the celebrations ended, and I couldn't be happier to leave.

"Let's go," I said to Jessica as we made our way towards the exit.

But of course, nothing in my life was ever simple. As I grabbed my coat and headed for the door, a servant handed me a small envelope. "It's from your stepmother," he said with a slight bow before walking off.

I opened it reluctantly. An invitation to tea tomorrow with some of the female Pack elders. Great. I rolled my eyes but knew I had no choice. If I wanted to be Luna one day, I had to start making connections early, even if that meant spending time with people I didn't care for.

The next afternoon, I showed up at the tea, dressed as nicely as I could manage and wearing a forced smile. But when I entered the room, it wasn't the Pack elders waiting for me. No, it was my stepmother’s clique of rude, gossipy friends, and sitting around the table, laughing and whispering like schoolgirls.

"Rue, darling, so glad you could make it!" She cooed, her voice dripping with false sweetness. I could barely stand the sight of her. I sat down, fighting the way my stomach twisted with irritation. This was clearly some sort of trap.

The women around the table barely acknowledged me, too busy talking about themselves and tossing insults my way whenever they could.

"What a lovely dress, Rue. It's so... simple," one of them sneered, her laser-like eyes scanning me like I was some kind of charity case.

I forced a smile, biting my tongue. If I wanted to survive in this world, I had to play the game. But by the time the tea had ended, I was mentally exhausted and ready to explode.

Later that day, I went straight to the gym. I needed to let off some steam. I punched the bag harder than usual, trying to burn off the frustration from the horrible day I'd just endured. That's when my phone rang.

"Rue! Help me!" Jessica's voice came through the line, full of panic.

"Jess? What's going on?" I asked, immediately on alert.

"I-I’m a... at Sundown Hotel... ROOM 206..."

The line went quiet, eerily quiet.

"Jess?" A very cold feeling clawed its way down my spine.

"He's here." She whispered. "He's going to kill me."

I was terrified.

The line went dead again, then suddenly a scream tore through the phone.

"PLEASE...DON'T KILL ME!"

And then the line went dead.

My heart was racing frantically when I grabbed my things and rushed to the hotel. Someone was trying to kill her. She'd never sounded so scared before. I pushed open the door and bolted up the stairs, ignoring the strange looks from the people in the lobby.

When I reached room 206, the door was cracked open slightly. Smoke filled the air as I stepped inside cautiously, calling her name.

"Jess? Where are you?" I whispered, my voice trembling like a leaf in the gale.

That's when it happened. It was too fast, too fast I couldn't have reached to save myself. I'd barely turned when a crushing blow to the back of the head floored me. The adrenaline kicked in, but another blow shut it out.

Suddenly, everything went dark.

The next thing I knew, I woke up on the floor. My head was throbbing and my vision was blurry. I tried to sit up, but every movement hurt. That's when I realised I wasn't alone. There were voices in the room, laughing, and the terrifying, yet unmistakable sound of a camera shutter.

Panic set in as I blinked, trying to clear my vision. I looked around and saw Jessica standing there, but she wasn't the Jessica I knew. Her face was cold, almost smug. And beside her was Cassie, laughing like she had just pulled off the world's biggest joke.

"What... what is this?" I managed a croak. "Oh, Rue, don't act so innocent," Jessica had a twinge of sarcasm in her voice, something I'd never heard before. It... it terrified me.

"We all know you've always been the little slut of the Pack. We just gave you a little push."

I looked down at myself, horrified to see I was barely dressed, my body exposed in ways I never imagined. There were men in the room- strangers. And the proof of what had happened was right there.

The camera, the setup, the betrayal. Jessica and Cassie had made it look like I had paid these men to sleep with me.

"No...no, no, no. This can't be happening. What have you both done to me?!" My body shook with rage and shame.

"Oh, it's happening, sweetie," Cassie sneered. "Everyone’s going to know what a little whore you really are."

I tried to stand up, but my legs gave out beneath me. I felt broken, more by their betrayal than what had happened. Jessica, my best friend, has done this to me. And Cassie... she has finally gotten what she wanted- to destroy me completely. I stumbled out of the hotel room, barely able to see through the tears and the pounding in my head didn't make it any easier.

My legs carried me down the hall, and I didn't stop until I was outside, gasping for air. I felt sick to my stomach, and a thousand thoughts were running through my mind as I tried to process everything. Then, out of nowhere, I walked straight into the path of a moving car. The headlights blinded me, and I froze, too lost in my pain to care.

But instead of hitting me, the car swerved, and a pair of strong hands grabbed me, pulling me out of the way.

"Hey! Are you okay?" A deep voice asked, full of concern. I looked up, dazed, into the striking face of a stranger. He was angry, but when our faces met, the anger began to melt. It gave way to worry.

He held me upright. But before I could say anything, everything went black. And that's when I knew... everything in my life had just changed forever.