Diana’s POV “Do you want me to put it in deeper?” His cold baritone voice whispered against my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. I felt the warmth of his breath caress my neck. I didn’t answer—not with words. Instead, I placed my hands on his hips, feeling the soft curve of his dick before pulling him deeper into me. A slow smirk curved his lips. “I see… you want me to go deeper.” Before I could react, he grabbed my wrists and pinned them to the bed, locking them down with his knees. I gasped. The pressure made my fingers crack, the pain sharp—but I was already too far gone. That pain was nothing compared to the overwhelming sensation of pleasure taking over my body. He pushed deeper. Each thrust—deliberate, powerful—was a reminder that this was unlike anything I had ever felt. Not that I had much to compare it to. Not that I had ever even had one. “You want some more?” His voice rumbled through me. I nodded, breathless. He pulled out slowly, raised my hips with one strong hand, and drove himself back in. This time… It felt like the first time all over again. New. Intoxicating. Too much and not enough. Every stroke sent me spiralling— Bliss. Ecstasy. Madness. “Say my name,” he growled, eyes locked on mine as his pace quickened. “Ryan,” I whispered. “Louder.” “Ryan!” I moaned louder, trembling under him. “After this…” He smirked, his voice dark and possessive. “My name will never leave your lips.” He chuckled lowly. Something inside me snapped. I don’t know where the strength came from, but I flipped him over, our bodies moving in one seamless motion. His surprised laugh filled the room. “Now you want to lead?” he teased. I didn’t answer. I straddled him without hesitation, sinking into him with a gasp. My nails dug into his chest, and then— I bit him. Hard. His groan echoed through the room, raw and primal. When he said my name, it came out broken, breathless— The sexiest sound I’d ever heard. In that moment, I knew one thing for sure— He would never forget this night. And neither would I. ***** “Diana! Diana!” My name echoed down the university hallway like an alarm I didn’t want to hear. I kept walking, refusing to turn around. But the voice—loud, persistent, and impossible to ignore—only got closer. “What the hell, Trisha?” I spun around, irritated. “Why are you yelling my name from over there?” I motioned vaguely behind me, not pointing anywhere specific. Trisha caught up, slightly breathless. “I’ve been calling you since the end of class! You wouldn’t answer!” I stared at her flatly. “Uh? Maybe it should’ve occurred to you that I wasn’t in the mood for your non-stop talking and your—stupid—questions.” Trisha was my best friend. Scratch that—my only friend. She was also the daughter of the Alpha’s Beta, which, in theory, should have made her dignified, poised, maybe even a little stuck-up. But Trisha was none of those things. She was loud, messy, unfiltered, and still somehow the one person who’d always stood by me. Sometimes, I wondered how we even became friends. I turned and resumed my walk down the hallway. Destination: the library. “Come on, Diana. Where are you going now?” she asked, trailing behind me. “To the library, of course,” I replied without looking back. “Uh? It’s not even exam time yet.” “Well,” I shrugged, “some of us have parents who don’t hold high ranks in the pack. So, no special treatment.” “Ouch. That hurts.” I ignored her and kept walking, letting the silence stretch. But of course, Trisha couldn’t let it stay that way. “I know you’re trying to avoid me because you don’t want me asking how it went with the cutie from history class,” she teased. “The fact that you’ve been dodging me since last week says a lot.” I stopped walking. “Look, Trisha,” I said slowly, “can you just—chillax? Get off my back. I need to study.” “The exam isn’t for another four months. Why the rush?” I shot her an icy glare that finally made her stop talking. The truth? I didn’t want to talk about it. Not about Ryan. Not about that night. Since then, we haven’t spoken. He hadn’t come to class, and his number had been switched off. Just—gone. Vanished like it never happened. And yeah, maybe I was too quick to fall for him, to get hooked on a pair of piercing eyes and the kind of smile that could ruin a girl for good. But you wouldn’t blame me if you saw him. God, he was fine. And that night… I still felt the imprint of it on my skin, in my bones. I wondered if he thought about it, too. “Tell me what’s wrong, Diana.” “Nothing’s wrong,” I said sharply. “I just need to study. I need to get that scholarship.” My voice softened. “My parents need it, too.” Trisha blinked. “Okay, okay. Slow down. No need to bite my head off.” By the time we reached the library doors, she was still right beside me. “Trisha,” I groaned, “what are you still doing here?” She rolled her eyes. “Um, what does it look like I’m doing? I’m coming to study—with my best friend.” I sighed in frustration and walked in. And then—just as I prayed she wouldn’t bring it up—she did. “Are you excited about Awakening Your Wolf this weekend?” I froze for a second. She just had to bring that up. The real reason I was here wasn’t just to “study.” I was looking for books—anything—about the rare possibility of a child born to omega parents awakening as a beta. Because this Saturday, Trisha and I will both be turning twenty. And unfortunately for us, that day also happened to fall on the full moon. We’d be out in the dark, standing in a sacred circle beneath the stars—alongside the other young adults who’d turned twenty earlier this year. And all eyes would be on me. On what I would become. The girl was born to omega parents. The girl everyone already assumed would amount to nothing. But what if I surprised them? What if the blood in my veins held more than they thought?
Diana’s POV Trisha was not giving up. She kept following me to every shelf I went through. “Come on, Trisha, you’ve got to give me some breathing space.” “Girl, since when did we start giving each other breathing space?” she asked. I sighed. “Look, Trish, I know we are—” “Found it!” she yelled, raising a book. “Found what?” I asked, confused. “Found what you are looking for, Diana,” she said, handing the book to me. Surprisingly, when I saw the title of the book, it was exactly what I had in mind. I was shocked. How the hell did she know that this was why I was worried? “Trisha.” “Diana.” “How did you know that this is what I was looking for?” She took in a deep breath before answering. “It’s obvious, Diana. I am your friend—do you think I wouldn’t know when something is bothering you?” “I am sorry I tried to hide it from you. I just—” “It’s fine, Diana. I get it,” she said, smiling. “I am just gonna go through a few pages and then we’ll go,” I said, tapping the book. “Oh, no problem. Take your time, girl.” About one hour into the book, suddenly, the heavy wooden doors of the library swung open with a dramatic creak that made everyone glance up. And just like that, Ava Storm walked in—like she owned the damn place. Scratch that. She did own the place. Or at least, her father did. She strutted in on designer boots, her Moonbound High blazer draped fashionably over her shoulders like a cape. Her platinum blonde hair shimmered under the dusty rays of sunlight spilling through the tall windows, and her crimson lips curled into a smirk that reeked of mischief. “Gather around, ladies!” she called out, loud and unapologetic. “I’ve got something important to share.” Girls abandoned their books mid-sentence, swarming to her like moths to flame. Only Trisha and I stayed put, unmoved. “She’s at it again,” Trisha muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes. Ava’s sharp gaze swept over the room, pausing briefly on us—like we were dust on her manicured nails. Then she flipped her hair and turned her attention back to her loyal swarm. “I turn twenty this weekend,” she said sweetly, her voice laced with arrogance. “And it just so happens to be my first transformation.” Gasps. Giddy whispers. Typical. “Well, guess what? I heard the next alpha of the pack would be at the transformation ceremony too.” Everyone began to giggle. “The next alpha!” Trish exclaimed. I didn’t care about the alpha or anything else. What I was bothered about the most was how my transformation would go. My transformation would determine if my family would be saved from shame or remain in shame. “You know what I also heard?” Ava asked, leaning forward a little and smiling. Everyone was asking. “I heard he’s gonna be choosing his mate and Luna too.” Being the Alpha’s mate was every girl’s dream, including the dream of my friend Trisha, but I was different. I wasn’t like any other girl. I didn’t see myself becoming an Alpha’s mate or a Luna. It wasn’t because I was born to omega parents. I simply never dreamed of becoming a Luna—it just never appealed to me. I could see Trisha smiling. She seemed happy, and I was happy that she was happy. I finally scanned through the book’s table of contents but didn’t find anything that made mention of the possibility of transforming into a beta wolf. So there are different categories of wolves. There is the Alpha, who is the strongest and the leader of the pack. And then there’s also the Alpha of Alphas. Just as the name implies, this is an alpha whose pack is made of only Alphas, and then there are the beta wolves. Beta wolves are the next in line when it comes to strength and power. All Alphas must have a beta wolf as their right-hand man and personal guard as well. The next in line are the omega wolves. These are the weakest of all wolves, just like my parents. Though there are omegas with ranks, these are omegas that have successfully climbed the ladder of strength and have probably levelled up to the beta’s strength. But this is very rare. Despite these levels of wolves, strength still varies depending on the individual and the family and how hard they’ve trained. My parents tried everything they could so they could level up for me, just so they could save me from humiliation and rejection, but all their efforts were fruitless. “Hey Diana, I hear you are also turning twenty on that day.” “Yes, she is, and so am I!” Trish interrupted. “I wasn’t talking to you, bitch.” “Say that one more time and I swear you will regret crossing my path today forever.” Trisha wasn’t just my friend—she was also my protector. Countless times she’s saved me from people who tend to mock me for having two weak omegas as my parents. There were other people with omega parents, but I was the only one with two omega parents. Others had an omega mother and a beta father, or an omega father whose strength already equals that of a beta and a beta mother. One characteristic difference is the eye colour of the three ranks. Alphas have red eyes, beta wolves have golden yellow eyes, and omegas have blue eyes. No matter the amount of level-up, an omega’s eye colour would never change, except there’s a way the omega can become an Alpha wolf. “You’ve got so much nerve, Trisha. Don’t think that my father would take it easy on you because dear daddy is his beta,” Ava chuckled. “I will be counting on it.” The weekend. It came so fast. Mom had woken me up with a happy birthday song, singing and praying for me. But that wasn’t my problem. The transformation ceremony was later tonight. I wasn’t ready. I picked up my phone and there were about ten missed calls from Trisha and about seven happy birthday messages from her. I smiled and called her back to wish her a happy birthday too. We talked for a while and then we ended the call. I spent the rest of the day surfing through the net for stories, folktales, and legends that might talk about the possibility of becoming a beta wolf, but there was nothing. My heart was heavy. I paced back and forth. I was having trouble breathing. The night had finally reached. The one I dreaded the most. All the ladies who turned twenty that day and the ones who had turned during the earlier days of the week were called out and made to stand in a straight line. The boys were made to stand in the other line. Trisha stood by my side, holding and squeezing my hands tightly, assuring me that everything would be fine. After the speech the alpha made, we all stood waiting on the full moon. But before then, I was feeling something strange in my heart, something like a pull. It started small but became stronger as the full moon came out. Suddenly I could hear bones crack. Screams of agony and pain filled the Moonbound square. But then something strange happened.
Diana’s POV My eyes moved from one direction to the other, watching as people began to change under the full moon. Ava had a bright smile on her face. Despite the cracking of her bones, she didn’t even flinch or show any signs of pain. “Is she even normal?” I muttered to myself. I watched as she changed, now on all four legs. Her form was… I don’t even have the right words to describe it. It was massive, beautiful, with white fur and elegant—the best fit for an Alpha’s daughter. She had the best and the biggest form among every other person who had turned. My eyes drifted to where her father, the alpha, and her mother, the luna of the pack, stood. I could see satisfaction in their eyes. Their beloved daughter turned into a beautiful and obviously strong beta wolf, a perfect match for an Alpha’s mate. Honestly, I was jealous. I envied her. Ava had always had everything at her beck and call. She never needed to struggle for anything, and now she had this beautiful form too. Could the universe ever be so unfair? “Aarrrggghhhh!” a loud groan laced with pain came from beside me. Trisha! She was changing too. Her grip became tighter. Her bones cracked loudly, and then slowly her fur began to show. She had silver-colored fur. Very beautiful. My eyes were filled with tears. I was happy for her. She transformed fully, and she was no doubt a beta wolf too. I could tell that her strength was close to Ava’s, if not exactly the same. They both had the best forms. My eyes drifted to my mother and father. I could see them praying to the moon goddess to help me through it. Almost everyone had turned, but nothing was happening to me. Despite still being in her wolf form, her eyes were still encouraging me not to lose hope. She moved closer to me, rubbing her fur against my body, attempting to calm me down. It was hard to be calm. Everyone had now transformed—I was the only one left. What is happening to me? Why am I not changing? I closed my eyes, attempting to force the transformation, but nothing was happening. I looked up at the sky. The full moon was almost gone. They’d soon be asked to shift back into human form… And I still hadn’t changed. I was devastated, frustrated. I wanted the earth to open up and swallow me. People of the Moonbound pack had already started whispering. Some were laughing. One behind me said, “What would you expect from a girl whose parents are the weakest omegas we’ve ever seen?” My heart ached. It raced. “Now that we have our new wol—” “Aaarrrgggghhh!” I screamed out in pain. Finally. I was transforming. I could feel the shocked stares, but the pain I was feeling made it hard to concentrate on them. After a few minutes, I was on all four legs. My eyesight had changed, and I wasn’t standing tall. I knew that it was done. I had transformed. But then laughter echoed from every corner of the square. Why? I wasn’t sure. “Silence, everyone.” I noticed footsteps coming towards me, alongside mocking laughter. What the hell was going on? I screamed in my head. In the blink of an eye, Trisha was in front of me, still in her magnificent wolf form. She roared. I still couldn’t understand what was going on until someone brought out a very large mirror and placed it beside me. Then I saw my form. I wasn’t an alpha, wasn’t a beta, wasn’t even an omega. My fur was a strange, shimmering black tinged with silver streaks—unlike anything I’d seen before. My limbs were too slender, my stance unsteady. I didn’t look like a wolf. I looked… wrong. What was I? An abomination. It’s what you call something that no one knows about or understands. I took a few steps backward. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Everyone mocked and laughed. They called me useless, weakling, abomination. Some even went as far as throwing tiny pieces of rock at me. Though Trisha tried to protect me, they were skilled. They made sure none of the rock pieces hit her because they knew who her father was. But somehow they still found a way to hit me. The full moon was finally over, and everyone turned back to their human form. I felt so ashamed of myself. My heart raced. My stomach churned. “Now, with time, you all will be able to control your shifting.” The alpha paused. His gaze shifted from one person to another until it landed on mine. All I could see was disgust. He had spent time observing every other person, but he barely looked at me. I bowed my head in shame. “Now to the next phase of tonight. Please, all male wolves, could you step aside, leaving only the females at the center?” Some of the males felt too shy to move because they were naked—we all were. Our clothes had been torn off while transforming. They left the center of the square, leaving us females. I didn’t care about what was going on anymore. Tears rolled down my eyes. Trisha tried to calm me down, but I couldn’t help it. My worst fear had happened to me. I had brought more shame upon my parents. “Now, as we all know, I am getting older and as well becoming unfit to lead this pack with my strength. Very soon we will be crowning a new alpha, and right now that alpha is here tonight, and he will be choosing his mate—the one whom the moon goddess had chosen for him.” The girls began to whisper. Ava stood proud, flipping her hair backward like her beauty depended on it. “And now the new Alpha is none other than the great Ryan Wesley, son of the late alpha Gabriel Wesley.” “Ryan,” I muttered. I had quick flashback memories of that steamy night. “Could he be the same Ryan?” I muttered. I shook my head. There’s no way it’s the same Ryan. Besides, Ryan is a common name, so it could be anybody. But deep down, something told me that he was the same Ryan, but I didn’t want to believe it. There was a sudden change in the atmosphere. Like a powerful presence. It came from behind the crowd, up to the center, standing in front of the alpha and bowing his head. “This power,” I muttered. I clutched my chest tightly. There was a pain and a pull towards this individual who was standing in front of us. And just then he turned in our direction. His presence was intoxicating. As I raised my head to get a clearer look at him… There it was. The night that I couldn’t forget was standing in front of me. “Ryan,” I muttered. “Oh my gosh!” Trisha exclaimed. She recognized him too. At that moment, all I wanted was just to die. Ryan is the next alpha? He was here all along. He saw my disgusting form. The pull came stronger, and now that I saw him, I could hear it clearly. Mate! The way he looked at me when he came closer, I could tell he was feeling it too, and he remembered me from that night—no doubts about that. He walked up to me, stood in front of me for a while. In my mind, I knew he was going to choose me. We both had a very beautiful night—that was the basis of my belief. And I knew that if he chose me, my status would automatically change, irrespective of the kind of wolf I am. But to my greatest surprise, he walked past me and went over to where Ava stood, taking her hands and raising them up. “I, Ryan Wesley, take Ava Storm as my one and only mate. She is to be my luna when I eventually become the Alpha of this pack.” I felt a sudden sharp pain hit my chest. My heart skipped beats, and then I was on—
Diana’s POV I still couldn’t believe my eyes. My heart still ached from the whole ordeal of that night. The memory haunted me—it felt like I was going to die. The pain of Ryan’s rejection was still etched deep in my heart. I sat in my room. For days, I had refused to see anyone, nor had I eaten anything in the last three days. All I wanted to do was die. Death felt like the only solution to the shame I felt. How was I going to go back to school and look at everyone, especially Ava Storm? How was I supposed to face those demon-jesting haters at school? Pictures of my wolf form in the mirror haunted me. ‘What an abomination,’ I thought. “Diana, dear, you can’t remain inside forever. You have to come out, please.” Mom’s voice echoed from behind the door, her voice shaky. She hadn’t seen me for three days. I hadn’t even spoken for three days, so they didn’t know if I was dead or alive. “Please, Diana, you have to come out,” Dad’s voice followed. “At least say something to us. Let us know you’re alive,” Mom pleaded. I remained silent. ‘I don’t deserve to be your daughter. The only chance I had to change your status, I destroyed by turning into an abomination,’ I thought. Mom’s tears broke me, but I couldn’t afford to be any form of disgrace to them. “Look, dear, it’s not your fault that you turned into something else. It’s not your fault that you are—” “An abomination,” I muttered. “Please, Diana, you have to come out. You haven’t eaten in days,” Mom begged. Honestly, I didn’t like that I was making them go through this pain, but what could I do? I was an abomination. As if that wasn’t enough, I had tried to beg my way into becoming Ryan’s mate after he chose Ava. Yes, I was that stupid. I know that now—I wasn’t thinking straight. After Ryan had chosen Ava, I went down on my knees, holding his leg and begging him to accept me as his mate. I even went ahead and told the whole pack that we were mated, hoping there would be a change, but everyone looked at me like I was an abomination. Some laughed; others whispered. Ryan had kicked me off like I was some dirty scum, a dangerous leech. Imagine that scenario and place yourself in my shoes. Would you be able to look your parents in the eyes anymore? There was no way I would be able to look them in the eye. Knocks kept coming at my door, but I ignored them. After a while, there was a brief silence, followed by a hard banging sound on my door. The knocking became fiercer, and then the next thing I heard was a loud thud and a rush of wind on my skin. I looked to see what was going on. Lo and behold, it was Trisha James—my only best friend. She had been coming to see me ever since the weekend, but I didn’t open the door for her either. She stops by in the morning before going to school and stops by in the evening before going home. The last time she came, she had promised me that if I wasn’t out, she was going to break down the door. And yes, she did. Typical Trisha—never going back on her word. “What the hell are you still doing, holed up inside here?” she yelled angrily. Mom rushed in, hugging me tightly like a mother hen who had just found her lost chick. “I am so glad you’re alright,” Mom said. “I’m sorry, Mom!” I muttered through tears. “Hush now, dear. You don’t have to be sorry for anything. We, your parents, are supposed to be the ones apologising to you for failing you.” “No, Mom, you didn’t fail me. I was the one who failed you both. I couldn’t—” “Enough of that bullshit, Diana,” Trisha butted in. “Trisha,” I called calmly. She walked swiftly with what looked like wolf speed and grabbed me by the hands. “Mom, I’m sorry, but I have to drag her out to start preparing for school.” “But she hasn’t eaten anything in three days,” Mom said. “Prepare the food. She’s going to eat it when she’s out of the bathroom,” Trisha replied. Trisha dragged me to our bathroom. Of course, she knew where it was—she was my best friend. She knew the ins and outs of my house. But I didn’t know the ins and outs of hers. Her parents never approved of our friendship, but Trisha, being the stubborn, strong-headed girl she was, disobeyed her parents and went ahead to become friends with me anyway. My home was small. Our bathroom was just beside our kitchen. As soon as we got there, Trisha released her grip, and the next thing I saw were her arms around me, hugging me tightly. Through tears in her eyes, she said, “I missed you, Diana. Don’t you ever do this to yourself again.” I wrapped my arms around her, hugging her tightly too. She finally released me, urging me to freshen up fast since we were already running late for school. After a few minutes, I was out. I ate the food Mom had prepared, and then we left for school. **** At the school gate, I stood with my heart in my mouth. “Come on, Diana, we have to go in.” “I’m scared,” I muttered. Trisha held my hand. “Don’t worry, I’m here with you.” I took a deep breath and walked through the school gates with Trisha beside me. Everything felt different now. Students stopped talking when they saw me, staring and whispering to each other. My heart was beating so fast as we walked down the hallway. Then I looked up, and there she was—Ava Storm. She was standing by her locker with all her friends around her, looking perfect as always. Her cold blue eyes met mine, and I could see exactly what she was thinking. There was no kindness there, just satisfaction that she had won and I had lost. All the shame from that night came flooding back, and I wanted to disappear.
Diana’s POV “And here comes the abomination,” one of her followers announced. The others burst into laughter. Ava sat on her locker, her cold eyes still watching me. I could literally feel the hatred in her eyes. If only staring could make people disappear, then I would have disappeared—or maybe exploded at the rate she was staring. Trisha held me tightly, drawing me close to her. “And there goes the mother wolf protecting her weak cub,” another girl mocked. The rest burst into mocking laughter. “Don’t you girls have anything better to do with your time?” Trisha shot back at them. “And who the hell are you to talk back to us when we’re talking?” Trisha looked around for a brief moment. “Last I checked, we are all students here—same age and same class,” she replied firmly. “I see you’ve got a lot of nerve, Trisha,” another one said. “Fuck off,” Trisha blurted out. “How dare you—” “That’s enough, everyone,” Ava interrupted, raising her right hand as a signal. Her minions kept quiet. She jumped down from her locker. “It’s surprising that you could still show your face here,” she said, her eyes fixed on me. “Honestly, when I didn’t see you for about three days, I hoped you were dead.” Trisha was about to react with her fist, but I stopped her. Ava looked at Trisha with disdain in her eyes. “Just because you transformed into a striking wolf doesn’t give you the right to challenge me.” “And who are you to tell me what to do?” Ava laughed scornfully. “Did you have memory loss or something? Or do I need to remind you that I am your chosen Luna?” Trisha scoffed. “Please, Ava, could you just let us go? We’re just trying to get to our seats.” “And the abomination can talk!” she said mockingly. Everyone in the classroom laughed out loud. Some mimicked the way I sounded. Others looked at me with disgust in their eyes. Then, from nowhere, I suddenly became cold and wet. Someone in Ava’s team of girls had gone behind our backs secretly to get a bucket of water and poured it on me. They had purposely pushed Trisha away so she wouldn’t get wet. They dared not include Trisha. Her dad was the Alpha’s beta—a very strong one at that. Rumour even had it that he had overpowered the Alpha during one of their spars. And also, Trisha herself had transformed into something magnificent, so no one would want to cross her—well, except for the Queen herself, Ava. Trisha was surprised when she was pushed and fell to the floor. She got up and saw a soaked and shivering Diana. She turned to Ava and was about to grab her by the collar of her uniform, but I told her to stop. “What the hell, Diana!” she said angrily. “Please, I don’t want you causing trouble because of me.” “They are the ones who caused the trouble” I pulled her close and lowered my voice to a whisper. “The board of directors won’t agree with you—you know that, Trisha. If your father finds out that you fought with the Alpha’s daughter, he won’t be happy with you. Plus, if he discovers it was because of me, things could get very difficult for you at home.” “But—” “No, Trisha, no buts, please.” I was worried about what her father would do to her. “You know, Trish, with your strength and your level, you shouldn’t be rolling with riff-raff like this,” Ava said, pointing at me. “Do not call her a riff-raff!” Trisha said firmly. “Oh, but I’m sorry—that’s all she is, nothing but a riff-raff who is about to become a dead rat,” she said, folding her arms. “I wonder why you weren’t banished the moment you turned into that abomination.” Trisha’s hand had formed into a fist, but I placed my hands on her shoulder and my other hand on her fist, attempting to calm her down. “What do you want to do? You want to hit me?” She scoffed. “Let me see you try.” “The only person stopping me from destroying your canines right now is Diana,” Trisha yelled. “Oh, so should I be grateful?” “Yes, you should.” Trisha retorted. “Okay, class, settle down,” the teacher said, dropping his book on the teacher’s desk in front of the class. Everybody dispersed to their seats except Ava, who remained standing, blocking our path. “Please, Miss Ava, could you kindly go back to your seat so Trisha and—” he paused “—can go to their seats?” he said, omitting my name. I didn’t even care about that. I was used to teachers not knowing my name already. Some would even go ahead and refer to me as “the girl born to the weakest omega wolves.” “Of course, Mr. Thompson, I will gladly do that,” she said, her gaze still fixed on me. She finally left for her seat. Trisha and I went to ours. “Can I get someone to clean the board?” Thompson requested. “Sure, sir!” Ava said, raising her hand. Everybody looked at her with surprise, including the teacher. I kept my head down, facing my book. “You… want… to… do… it?” Mr. Thompson stammered. “No, not exactly, but I want to recommend someone to do it.” The entire class watched in awe. Her eyes scanned the classroom until they settled on me, and then she pointed. I hadn’t even realised it until Trisha’s voice made me aware. “What the hell are you planning?” Trisha asked, her tone laced with anger. “Okay then, Ms. Leslie, could you please help us with the board?” I raised my head. “Um, sure,” I muttered. Trisha’s seat was directly in front of the board. She alone stayed on that line while everyone else’s seats were behind hers. She would say, “I am the queen of this school. I can’t be sitting in the same line with you lot. There has to be a difference.” As I walked past her seat, a sly smirk played at the corners of her lips. I knew that what she had in mind was nothing short of pure evil, but what could I possibly do? Nothing. As I was cleaning the board, I felt a liquid on my body and heard the thud of a bottle hitting the classroom floor. My body was still wet from the first water—now this. “What did you do that for?” I yelled angrily. She snapped her fingers. And that was it. Two guys—I recognised them to be among the male wolves who had transformed into elegant and strong beta wolves during the transformation ceremony—both held Trisha down to her seat. While the rest kept throwing books, banana peels, snacks, and every single thing they could get their hands on at me while screaming the words: “ABOMINATION! ABOMINATION!”
Diana’s POV My hands were shaking as I held the board eraser. I tried to stop the first tear, but it came anyway. Then another one. Soon they were falling down my face, mixing with the sticky stuff on my uniform. “ABOMINATION! ABOMINATION!” They kept shouting at me. A pencil hit my shoulder. Someone threw an eraser at my back. A crumpled paper landed in my wet hair. I felt like I was drowning in their hate. I looked at Mr. Thompson. Please, I thought, please make them stop. Our eyes met for just a second. But he looked away fast and started moving papers on his desk. His face was white and his hands were shaking. Even the teacher was scared of them. More tears came. My chest felt so tight I could barely breathe. The whole room was spinning as they kept screaming at me. “Look at her crying like a baby!” “Maybe she should go back to her mama!” “Wait, does she even have a real mama?” Their laughter hurt worse than all the things they were throwing. I dropped the eraser and it hit the floor with a small sound that seemed louder than everything else. I looked at Trisha. My best friend was fighting against the two boys holding her down. Her face was red and angry. Her mouth was moving but I couldn’t hear what she was saying because of all the noise. “That’s enough,” I said quietly. But my voice was too soft. Nobody heard me. “THAT’S ENOUGH!” I screamed as loud as I could. Everything went quiet for three seconds. Then Ava started clapping slowly. “Oh, the little abomination found her voice,” she said with that fake sweet smile that made me feel sick. “How cute.” I couldn’t take it anymore. I ran to the door, pushing past desks and chairs. Students pulled their feet back when I got close, like I might make them dirty just by touching their shoes. “Run away, little freak!” someone yelled behind me. I pushed through the classroom door into the hallway. But there were other students there too, walking between classes. When they saw me all wet and messy, they started pointing and talking. “Is that the girl who turned into that thing?” “My mom told me to stay away from her.” “She looks even worse than I thought.” I ran faster. My wet shoes made loud sounds on the floor. More students came to watch me run by. Some took out their phones. “This is going on social media,” one girl laughed. I got to the front doors and pushed through them. The afternoon sun hit my face, but it didn’t make me feel any warmer. I was still shaking from being wet and from the shame burning inside me. The walk home felt like it took forever. Cars drove past me on the street. I wondered if the people inside were looking at me too. Were they thinking the same horrible things about me? When I got to my house, I stood outside for a few minutes. I could see Mom through the kitchen window, stirring something in a pot. Dad was probably in his study reading like he always did after work. I used my key to open the front door as quietly as I could. Maybe I could go upstairs without them seeing me. “Diana? Is that you, honey?” Mom called from the kitchen. I froze. I could hear her footsteps coming toward me. “Oh my God! What happened to you?” Mom’s eyes went wide when she saw me. “You’re soaking wet! And is that food in your hair?” “I’m fine, Mom.” I tried to walk past her to the stairs. “Fine? You don’t look fine. Did someone do this to you at school?” She reached out to touch my arm, but I pulled away. “Diana, talk to me. What happened?” “I said I’m fine!” The words came out louder than I wanted them to. Dad came out of his study. He looked at me with worried eyes. “Did those kids hurt you again?” “Nobody hurt me. I just… I just want to go upstairs.” “But Diana—” “Please just leave me alone!” I ran up the stairs as fast as I could. I could hear my parents talking quietly downstairs, but I didn’t want to listen. I went straight to the bathroom and locked the door. In the mirror, I looked terrible. My hair was full of sticky gross stuff. My uniform was dirty and wrinkled. My eyes were red and puffy from crying. I turned on the shower and sat down in the tub with all my clothes still on. The warm water felt good on my skin, but it couldn’t wash away how ashamed I felt. I stayed there until the water got cold. After I put on clean clothes, I went to my bedroom and lay down on my bed. I stared at the ceiling for hours. I could hear my parents moving around downstairs, probably making dinner. They didn’t come upstairs to bother me again. Thank God they had managed to fix the door of my room when I was away. The sun went down. My room got dark, but I didn’t turn on the lights. I just lay there thinking about everything that happened. About how even the teacher was too scared to help me. About how the other students looked at me like I was some kind of monster. Maybe they were right. Maybe I really was a monster. Around eight o’clock, I heard a soft knock on my bedroom door. “Diana? It’s me, Trisha. Can I come in?” I didn’t answer at first. But then I heard her sigh and lean against the door. “I’m not leaving until you talk to me,” she said. “I’ll sleep in this hallway if I have to.” I finally got up and opened the door. Trisha looked tired. Her uniform was wrinkled and her hair was messy. “Are you okay?” she asked as she came into my room. “I should be asking you that. Those boys looked like they were hurting you.” “I’m fine. They’re just cowards who only feel strong when they’re doing what Ava tells them to.” Trisha sat down on my bed. “I’m sorry I couldn’t stop them from hurting you.” “It’s not your fault.” “Yes, it is. I should have been faster. I should have—” “Trisha, stop. You can’t fight everyone. And I don’t want you getting in trouble because of me.” We sat quietly for a few minutes. Finally, Trisha spoke again. “This won’t last forever, you know.” “How can you be sure?” “Because bullies get bored. And because you’re stronger than you think you are.” She took my hand. “I saw how you stood up to them today. The old Diana would have just taken it without saying anything.” “The old Diana wouldn’t have been called an abomination.” “The old Diana also wouldn’t have had the courage to scream back at them.” I thought about what she said. Maybe Trisha was right. Maybe I was getting stronger, even though it didn’t feel like it. “Besides,” Trisha said with a small smile, “I heard that Ava got in trouble with her father for what happened today. Mr. Thompson finally got some courage and reported it.” “Really?” “Really. Things are going to get better, Diana. I promise.” For the first time all day, I felt a tiny bit of hope growing inside me.
Diana’s POV I woke up the next morning hoping yesterday was just a bad dream. But when I looked at my school uniform hanging on my chair, I knew it was real. I had to go back to that place. Mom made me breakfast, but I could barely eat. She kept looking at me with worried eyes, but she didn’t ask any questions. Dad was reading his newspaper like always, but I could tell he was watching me too. “Do you want me to drive you to school today?” Mom asked. “No, it’s okay. I’ll walk.” I grabbed my backpack and headed for the door. The walk to school felt too short. I wanted to turn around and go home, but I couldn’t. I had to face them again. When I got to school, the first thing I did was look for Trisha. She always waited for me by the front steps or stop by my place most of the times. But she wasn’t there. Maybe she’s just running late, I thought. But deep down, I had a bad feeling. I went to my locker and got my books. Still no Trisha. I pulled out my phone and called her number. It went straight to voicemail. I tried texting her, but the messages wouldn’t go through. “Looking for your little friend?” I turned around. Ava was standing behind me with her mean smile. She had two other girls with her – Jessica and Mia. They were both smiling too. “Where is she?” I asked. “Oh, didn’t you hear? Poor Trisha is sick today. Something about a stomach bug.” Ava laughed. “Looks like you’re all alone.” My heart started beating fast. Trisha had never missed school, not even when she was really sick. Something was wrong. “You’re lying,” I said. “Am I? Why don’t you try calling her again? Oh wait, you already did.” Ava looked at my phone in my hand. “Still not answering, is she?” The three girls walked away, laughing. I stood there feeling more alone than ever. The morning classes were terrible. Kids kept staring at me and whispering. Some of them made gross faces when I walked by. Others just looked away like they were afraid to even see me. In math class, I sat in the back corner. The teacher, Mrs. Wilson, was nice to me, but I could tell she was nervous too. When she handed back our tests, she put mine on my desk without looking at me. “Nice job, Diana,” she said quietly. But her voice was shaky. Even the nice teachers were scared of me now. At lunch time, I didn’t go to the cafeteria. I knew it would be even worse in there with all those kids together. Instead, I went to the library and sat in the corner with a book. But I couldn’t read. I kept thinking about Trisha and wondering where she was. I tried calling her again. Still nothing. The afternoon was just as bad. In science class, my lab partner asked to switch to a different table. The teacher let him do it without asking why. I had to do the whole experiment by myself. “Freak,” someone whispered behind me. “Monster,” said another voice. I kept my head down and tried to focus on mixing the chemicals. But my hands were shaking so much I almost dropped the test tube. Finally, the last class of the day was over. All I wanted to do was go home and hide in my room. But as I was walking down the hall, I realized I really needed to use the bathroom. I looked around. The halls were almost empty now. Most kids had already gone home or were at their lockers. Maybe I could go to the bathroom without anyone bothering me. I pushed open the door to the girls’ bathroom. It seemed empty. I went into one of the stalls and locked the door. For a few seconds, I felt safe in there by myself. But then I heard the main door open. Footsteps came in. More than one person. “I know you’re in here,” Ava’s voice said. My heart stopped. I stayed very quiet, hoping they would leave. “Come out, come out, little freak.” That was Jessica’s voice. I heard them checking the stalls one by one. The doors were banging open. They were getting closer to mine. “Found you!” Mia said as she opened my stall door. I tried to push past them, but there were too many. Ava, Jessica, Mia, and two other girls I didn’t know. They blocked the way to the main door. “Your little friend isn’t here to save you anymore,” Ava said with that terrible smile. “Looks like it’s just you and us.” “Please just leave me alone,” I said. My voice was tiny and scared. “Leave you alone? But we’re just getting started.” Jessica grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the stall. I tried to get away, but Mia grabbed my other arm. They were stronger than me. “You think you’re so special,” Ava said, getting close to my face. “You think you can just come to our school and make everyone scared with your monster tricks.” “I didn’t do anything,” I said. “You exist. That’s enough.” Then she hit me. Hard across the face. My cheek burned and my eyes started to water. “That’s for yesterday,” she said. Then Jessica hit me in the stomach. I bent over, trying to breathe. “That’s for being a freak,” Jessica said. They pushed me against the wall. My back hit the tiles hard. One of the girls I didn’t know pulled my hair. Another one kicked my leg. “Stop!” I cried. “Please stop!” But they didn’t stop. They kept hitting me and saying terrible things. They called me monster and freak and abomination. They said I didn’t belong here. They said everyone would be happier if I just disappeared. I tried to fight back, but there were too many of them. Every time I tried to push one away, another one would hit me. I felt like I was drowning again, just like yesterday. My nose started bleeding. My lip was cut. There were bruises forming on my arms where they grabbed me. “Had enough?” Ava asked. I was crying now. I couldn’t help it. Everything hurt and I was so scared. “Please,” I whispered. “I’ll do anything. Just stop.” “Anything?” Ava laughed. “Okay. Here’s what you’re going to do. You’re going to stay away from everyone. You’re not going to talk to anyone. You’re not going to look at anyone. You’re going to be invisible. And if you don’t…” She grabbed my chin and made me look at her. “We’ll do this again. Every day. Until you learn your place.” They finally let me go. I collapsed on the bathroom floor, shaking and crying. They stood over me for a few more seconds, looking proud of what they had done. “Remember what I said,” Ava told me. Then they all left. I sat on that cold floor for a long time. My whole body hurt. My face was swollen. My uniform was torn and dirty. But the worst part wasn’t the pain. It was knowing that Trisha wasn’t coming to help me. It was knowing that I was truly alone now. Finally, I got up and looked at myself in the mirror. I looked terrible. I couldn’t go home like this. Mom and Dad would ask too many questions. I washed the blood off my face as best I could. I tried to fix my hair. I practiced smiling in the mirror, even though it hurt. Then I walked home, trying to look normal. Trying to pretend that nothing had happened. Trying to pretend that I wasn’t falling apart inside. But I knew tomorrow would be even worse. And the day after that. And every day until I figured out how to make it stop. If I even could. Best title suggestion for the chapter
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