Chapter 1

Her father died in the front row in the outbreak of war. He was shot by a lethal arrow that contains rancor that was solely made for wolves where it instantly killed him, leaving Tatiana and her brother in the hands of his other half, their mother.

The house of Thyagaraja has boosted to fame for being condoned by the Alpha 'cause of the sacrifices her father did for their clan. And the house of Wilbur was offered hundreds of golds for compensation.

Tatiana scoffed upon reminiscing that. Can fame revive his father? Can those golds redeem her mother from the misery? No!

Tatiana's brows furrowed. Every wolf in their clan, be it as a she-wolf had told that the Alpha was benevolent enough to bestow these gifts to them. Yet she couldn't urge herself to comprehend with that.

She just sneered at herself. "How foolish these people can be?" she mumbled and took a stroll in the woods.

While randomly collecting some logs, she heard a howl approximately from her side. When she tilted her head for a peek, her mouth was covered by a callous hand.

"Stay still. Rogues are striding near us."

Without a word, she was tugged somewhere to hide. Her protest to rid her mouth was stifled by his cruel hands that almost wrap half of her face.

Tatiana sighed in relief after the man that yanked her to lie low slacken the grasp in her mouth. But the subsequent steer he does makes her stupefied on the spot.

He was sniffing her, fondling her hair, and curbing it in his palm.

"How can my mate be this weak?" his raspy voice was dominating, eroding, and can terrify anyone who finds the root of their conversation.

"A-Alpha..."

Her knees were shuddering in panic. Perhaps, it was fear for her petty life.

If only she knew that she'll hit upon the Alpha in the forest, then she wouldn't dare swagger without a care of the world. But it's too late now to repent her decision, right?

Tatiana could only plead in her mind for her dear existence that the Alpha will be lenient enough to spare her.

"You're not compatible for me." the Alpha cracked up a mocking barb. "I kept up with such an outstanding expectation from Thyagaraja clan and what did I get in return? Disappointment, perhaps."

Tatiana was tight-lipped while hearkening to his insults. How could she berate if the man who disgraced her is the Alpha who controlled a massive territory?

His clasp on her hair shrank. "The goddess must be ridiculing me for having such a failure mate."

Before she could utter something, the Alpha fend off another clause that made her pity herself.

"I can reject you if not for the honor of your clan. I hate weak wolf, it's loathed even." he chuckled darkly. "You're not an exemption, baby."

After he asserted those, he strode away from her but his voice still wavered inside her mind, shriveling deep within.

She clutched her chest, thumping it a bit while sighting furiously. After that, she dried the beads of sweat that unconsciously stream in her forehead.

She puffed a sharp intake of whiff before clenching her teeth. She knows that she's born weak, almost dubbed human. She knew longer than him that her she-wolf was withering away from her soul. That contacting it will only gore her pain.

Tatiana blankly stared from the footpath of the Alpha. She knows it before them, but why scraped it to her face? What? Just to poke fun at her and inflict pain?

Sometimes, Tatiana wishes to be human than be this feral animal worst than a monster.

"Where have you been?" her mother's troubled face hailed her on their doorstep.

"I was strolling in the woods and picking up some branches."

"Next time, tell me when you wander around." her mother reprimanded her.

Tatiana bobbed her head for a nod. Her face was hazed with a conscience for bothering her mother for her sake.

"I'm sorry, mom."

"Come here."

Tatiana paced and crouched beside her mother's niche. Her mother stroked her hair gently regardless of what she did earlier.

"I'm not mad, Tatiana. I'm just worried about your well-being. Only you and your brother were left in me. I can't afford to lose the both of you."

Her remorse thrived bigger. Hence, she concealed what went on between her and the Alpha in herself to deflect further quandary that shows up in their way.

"I understand, mom. I'll notify you next time."

"Alright. Go to the kitchen and cook something for me." her mother baded, dismissing her by waving a hand in her face.

"Is this a stipend for my mistake?"

"If you want it that way, then it is what it is."

Tatiana chuckled and ambled towards the kitchen. Moreover, while clutching the knife in her hands, her older brother entered inside and later joined her.

"I heard that the Alpha caught some rogues along with his scout in the forest." her brother started a conversation.

Tatiana was startled but recouped her composure after then. She resumes pulverizing the carrots into a trivial piece.

"Oh? I didn't know." she blinked and settled the chunks in the bowl near her.

"You were in the woods. How come you didn't know?" her brother named Croft inquired, his voice was hinted with doubt about her retort previously.

"I didn't come across with them. Probably they meandered in the diverse route."

Croft was still a bit skeptical but he let the topic go. Tatiana huffed with solace because of that.

"I want adobo for a meal."

The atmosphere was lifted up 'cause of his brother's request. The hefty tension in her chest was elevated, too.

"Whatever you say, brother."

Furthermore, their meal was served and they happily dine together, well, except for her father who wasn't there to feast with them just like in the old days.

A single knock from their door swelled variously. It irked their amicable chewing to the point that her mother couldn't bear it. Her mother, Solar, gestured for her brother to unlock the door.

The screeching of the chair being tugged out fortified more to the pressure inside their house.

"There's a summon for every unmatch she-wolf in this region. They need to battle for the throne as the Alpha's Luna. For those who lose, their life will be the cost. And for the victor, she will be hailed as the Luna in the upcoming eclipse."