Chapter 1

Vanessa POV

It was the night of my eighteenth birthday. I was supposed to shift.

" Are you ready for your first shift?"

I nodded my head yes. I am mute. I cannot talk. I'm the runt of the litter of the Luna and Alpha. The Alpha is my father. My mother is the Luna of the Swamp Lands Pack. When they were born, each of them was cursed. I was cursed to be mute until I found my true mate. But I was not what people called beautiful, nor was I ugly. The oldest of us, my sister Regina, was cursed with beauty. She could turn heads all day long. My sister Betty was cursed to be pious. We each needed to find our true mates if we wanted the curse to be broken.

I was constantly beaten and forced to perform sexual acts with my mouth. My father wanted to preserve my virginity until I was mated off to the highest bidder. That was the Alpha of the Winterlands pack. He was young, but he also had a temper. He did not want to wait until I turned eighteen. He tried to take me when I was twelve, but my father would not allow it. They had a heated argument, but that was it. I had no idea what was so special about me.

I'm treated worse than slaves.

" Vanessa, I need your mouth."

That was the voice of Thomas. He is the strongest warrior and the meanest. Regina immediately left the room. I tried to go, and he grabbed me by the hair and started to drag me out to the shed. I kicked and fought him to the best of my ability. But it was no use. I couldn't scream for help. He opened the door and threw me on the floor. He dropped his pants, and I could see that his cock was hard. I backed into a corner because I think when he threw me, he broke my wrist. I landed on it. It was hurting so badly that I was in tears.

" Poor pathetic wench."

He started laughing at me, and I began to cry harder. He then grabbed my hair and forced my head up, and then proceeded to fuck my mouth.

" If you bite me, you will get beaten severely."

He continued to thrust it into my mouth, and I gagged every time and threw up what little food I had in my stomach.

" I wish I could fuck your pussy."

Just as he said that he climaxed; I gagged on it and spit it out. He then walked out of the shed. He was laughing. I crawled back to the corner that I was trying to hide in the first place. I sat in that corner and cried. Tonight was a ball, and I could not attend, which was fine. Just as I was gaining my composure, my father stormed in.

" You whore."

" Thomas told me that you fucked him."

I started to shake my head frantically. He slapped me so hard that my ear began to ring. He grabbed me by the hair and started to drag me out into the woods. I wanted to shift right then and there, but I did not. I have not felt my wolf. I had dreamed of a beautiful white wolf with emerald eyes, but that was it. I had overheard my sister say that she is your wolf when you start to dream about a wolf. I wish that were the case. But it was not.

My father dragged me to a tree and tied my hands around it. Suppose I could have screamed when he pulled on my injured wrist to tie it around. He tied the rest of my body to the try. I could feel my stomach pressed against it. He then tore the back of my dress. I knew what that meant. He was going to whip me. He has done it before. I braced for the impact of the whip. The first strike hit hard. It knocked the wind out of me. It also shoved whatever branch was sticking out into my stomach. I was bleeding from that wound already. He usually gives ten strikes, unties me, and lets me go. But tonight, he had all his force behind the swings. I lost track after five strikes. I could feel the hot blood running down my back and pooling around me.

He kept hitting me with each strike. I could feel my back being torn open. Everything started to go dark. I knew he was trying to kill me because he thought that I had given my virginity away. I wish I could speak. I was cursed with not talking. I started to feel myself dying. Then, out of nowhere, there was a soft voice.

" Vanessa"

" Vanessa"

" Who's there? Are you the moon goddess?"

" Yes, I am."

" Your wolf will protect you."

" My wolf."

"Wait, I'm talking."

I knew that this was not real. I can't talk.

" Vanessa, stay with me."

This was a different voice. It sounded like my sister Regina. But I knew it was not because when she tried to help me before, my father beat her. After that, she stayed out of it. She has already shifted. She shifted when she was sixteen. Sheena is the second oldest and is Daddy's favorite. He spoiled her. She would always get me in trouble and beaten. Betty was the third oldest. She was Mom's favorite. They purposely starved me, hoping I would die. Most runts, if there was a litter, were forced into slavery, and then they would die. Some of the pack would kill them.

My father, as the Alpha of the pack, showed me when I was born, and then when I was old enough to understand what they wanted me to do, I was forced into slavery. But he was embarrassed because of me. My parents would pretend I did not exist. Then, when the Alpha of The Winterland Pack saw me, he decided he wanted to take me as his chosen mate. So, my father started to feed me a little more. I believe he was going to take me and kill me. Plus, he was ugly.

" Who are you?"

"I'm Sasha."

"I'm your wolf."

" Why haven't I shifted,"

" I will explain everything to you."

Then she was gone. I was still tied to the tree, and I could feel myself getting weaker. I knew I had a wolf. But why haven't I shifted? I was going to die. Which I truthfully welcomed. I did not want to live anymore. I could faintly hear howling in the distance. Then I felt my hands feel to my sides. The creatures that come and get your soul are coming for me. But then I felt myself being picked up. I was so weak that the only thing I could do was lay my head against his chest.

" There is no chance Im going to hurt you baby."

Wait, baby. Who would call me baby? Then I passed out completely. The next thing I could remember was bright lights and my clothes being cut off. I could faintly hear stuff like she was not going to make it. If she makes it to Alpha, she will have a long recovery. It is going to take a miracle to save her. Then, I could not hear anything else. I felt people pulling on me, and I could feel needles being put in my arms. Then again, I could not hear anything the next time I came around. There were machines hooked to me. Things are coming out of my arms. My injured wrist is in a cast.