Chapter 1

 "Diana! What are you still doing in bed?" A furious voice from outside pierced the silence of my sleep, accompanied by loud knocks on my door. The sound jolted me awake, making my head ache as I slowly opened my heavy eyes and realized it was already morning.

 But it was still early—the sun hadn't even risen. I was supposed to be up and doing my endless chores already, even though I had been the last to sleep last night.

 I had barely gotten two hours of sleep.

 "Open this door!" the angry voice roared again, and I scrambled to unlock it.

 There she was—Sofia, the Alpha's daughter—standing in the doorway, arms crossed and glaring at me with utter disdain.

 "Have you suddenly forgotten it’s my brother's coronation ceremony today? And here you are, sleeping as if you own the place!" she sneered, disgust evident on her face.

 "I'm sorry," I mumbled, the apology bitter on my tongue. I hated having to apologize to her, but it was the only way to avoid punishment from the Alpha. It didn’t matter if I was right or wrong; I'd still end up blamed and punished.

 “Pig! Get out of my sight and go handle your work before the ceremony starts!” she snapped, grabbing a handful of my hair and yanking me out of the room like I was her toy.

 "I don’t know why my father won’t just banish you from this pack since you insist on being lazy and useless!" she spat, her words boiling my blood as I fought back the urge to retaliate, rage building up inside me from the humiliation I felt.

 She hissed and walked away while I headed to the cloakroom to iron the clothes which needed ironing. It was the first thing to do since that was the dress the royal family would wear today.

 Sofia is the Alpha's precious daughter, and I was just a slave, maybe even less than that.

 The whole pack despise me and in this castle, everyone treated me like trash—even the omegas were not left out.

 All I could wish for was to escape this hell one day. It hurt how the very people who were once my friends and family turned their backs on me, treating me like a rogue for the sin of my parents.

 I wasn’t born a slave. I have Beta blood in my veins but that doesn't matter anymore.

 My parents were the Betas of this pack until they were framed for treason against the Alpha. I don’t know how, but they found a mountain of evidence in my parents' room, supposedly proving they were planning to get a charm from the demon king to kill the Alpha and take over the throne.

 Because of that, they were put to death.

 I stood there, forced to watch as my parents were executed by hanging, convulsing and fighting for breath till they gave up the ghost. After they were killed, I was stripped of every bit of my status and made a slave.

 They claimed that since my parents couldn’t suffer for their supposed sins, I would serve as their replacement.

 In my heart, I know my parents were innocent. I’ve vowed to uncover the truth, but as the days passed, my hope dimmed.

 My mother told me they were innocent, tears in her eyes as she held my hand and asked me to believe her even when no one else does.

I was sure they would never do anything to harm the Alpha and Luna, not to talk of killing them for the throne but they weren't even given the chance to prove their innocence.

 As I thought about that day, tears filled my eyes, and a wave of sadness engulfed me. It’s been a year, but the memory remains fresh, and my hopes of finding justice are slipping away.

 My life only got worse. The torture and suffering never end, as everyone made sure I regret being my parents' daughter.

 After ironing, I wiped the sweat from my face, tied my gown ribbon, and hurried to the banquet hall, which was already set up for the guests, decorated with intricate tableware for the celebration.

 The sun was rising, and soon the guests would start arriving. I needed to move quick. I grabbed the mop and bucket, and started with the staircase, meticulously cleaning every inch.

 My back ached, and my legs felt like jelly. I was exhausted, my eyelids heavy from lack of sleep. But I had no choice—I had to keep working, or face the anger of the Alpha.

 I heard footsteps and caught Sofia’s scent as she entered the hall but I Ignored her and focused on my work even when I couldn’t help but wonder why she was here.

 Did she really need to follow me around, looking for any excuse to torment me?

 "Diana, you lazy pig! Why didn’t you clean this part?" She whined, forcing me to look up and I growled on seeing the dirty soot footprints scattered across the freshly cleaned floor.

 “What?!” I gasped, glaring at her while she scowled back.

 "Why are there dirt marks here?!" she shouted, feigning innocence as if she hadn’t just intentionally trampled across the floor with soot smeared feet.

 "That wasn’t there until you walked in!" I shot back, and she scoffed.

 "So?" She put her hands on her hips, stepping closer with her hateful glare.

 "Do you even know who you are, or do I need to remind you that you’re a slave and the daughter of traitors? You have no right to complain or question orders!" she sneered, chuckling with mockery.

 I couldn't say anything as I looked down on the floor, feeling the weight of her words on me.

 Did my parents really do that?

 “What’s going on there? Is the slave causing trouble again?” Luna Mara’s voice sounded from the top of the staircase.

 “Yes, she’s trying to fight me and is insulting me because I pointed out the parts she missed cleaning,” Sofia replied back, and that was all it took for her mother to rush down and slap me hard before I could even speak.

 Didn't she obviously see that her daughter was really messing up the whole place with her stained feet?

 "How dare you? Do you want to kill her like your foolish parents tried to kill me and the Alpha?" she snarled as I clutched my burning cheek, forcing back the tears that threatened to spill.

 “Apologize, now!” She commanded, and as she raised her hand again to hit me I dropped to my knees in defeat, mumbling an apology.

 Sofia snickered, making a video of me with her phone as I knelt there, humiliated.

 “I expect you to finish your chores quickly and disappear to your room before the ceremony starts. I don’t want any of our guests to get their day ruined with that ugly face of yours!” Luna Mara blurted and I nodded to avoid being hit.

 "My boyfriend, Austin will be here too! He can't afford to see this thing roaming around!” Sofia added with a hiss and I almost scoffed at her loudly.

 We both knew right from high school that Austin was only with her because of the benefit of marrying the Alpha's daughter.

 She had been the one shamelessly forcing herself on him even when he preferred me.

 I could clearly remember that day in school when she cried after finding out he picked me as the most beautiful girl in class when asked by his friends.

 “Just say you're still insecure and scared of seeing him close to me.” I almost said it out loud.

 “Let us go.” Her mother beckoned but before leaving Sofia kicked the full bucket of lathter splattering the whole floor.

 “Oh, sorry that was a mistake.” She faked pity, shaking her head as she giggled and walked away while I burned in anger and frustration.

 My only hope of escape from all this was to meet my mate, who could free me from this nightmare.

 “I have a feeling we’ll find our mate at the ceremony. There will be many people attending, and we’re 19 already,” Lena, my inner wolf, whispered, bringing a small smile to my face as I began to dry the floor.

 "Really? But I doubt they'll even let me in the hall," I sighed sadly.

 “We don’t have to be inside. Once he’s here, we’ll find each other; our scents will mingle, and the mate bond will connect us. He’ll love us and treat us kindly.” She squealed with excitement, lifting my spirits as a smile spread across my face.

 She was right, and for a moment, I allowed myself to believe it might actually happen. A surge of hope filled me as I imagined the freedom a mate could bring me.

 I had always hoped to escape this place before Stan, the Alpha's son, officially took over as Alpha, and that day was finally here.

 “Moon Goddess, please, let this happen,” I prayed silently, heart pounding as I realized that once Stan became Alpha, there would be no limits to what he could do to me. Sofia would be just a bonus.

 In the past, he had tried multiple times to lure me to his bed, even while my parents were alive. But I had never liked him; he was a womanizer with no morals.

 Once, he even tried to force himself on me. I reported him to his father, who grounded him for a week, locking him in a room with nothing but moral law books. Afterward, he was forced to apologize to me in front of the council.

 Since my parents’ death, my life has become hell, and he’s made it his mission to torment me more, humiliating me in front of his friends and hurting me whenever he pleased.

When he becomes Alpha, I’ll be in even a worst situation.

My only option will be to run away from this place which is more like a suicide mission. I just hope I get to meet my mate today in the ceremony.

"If we meet our mate today we will be free forever." I breathed, my hand on my chest as I thought of it.

"Yes, it is an abomination to stop mates from being together so no one will stop us from leaving this shit hole. I can feel it that he will be an Alpha." My inner wolf whispered and a rush of excitement coursed through me.

She may be right because I can feel it too.