The Shadow Wolf Trilogy

[Denali’s POV] “We’re sorry. We’ve done all that we can, but she’s gone.” Who knew such words would lead to my misery? My name’s Denali, and I was born the daughter of the Alpha and Luna of Emerald Moon. Although I was born to such parents, I wasn’t blessed with anything special. I was weak, and I didn’t have any innate abilities. Maybe that was the reason my father hated me so much, or maybe it was because he blamed me for his mate becoming so sickly after giving birth to me. As far as I can remember, my mother was always in and out of the hospital due to her poor health. It was when I turned eight that she was sent there, and in the end passed away. Where I thought my father would be devastated, he seemed perfectly fine, leaving immediately after her cremation and then returning a week later with a new family. “Beatrice will be your new mother.” I remember him saying this on the day of his return. “And her daughter Anastasia is your half sister.” I’ll never forget the emotions that flowed through me that day. It was like the man who I thought I actually knew was someone completely different. A half sister. I had a half sister, but wasn’t my father madly in love with my mother? He was always by her side until the day that she left this world. Before that he always treated her with great care and like she was the most precious thing he owned. Was there something I possibly missed during that time or was it all an act for the pack and those watching? From that day on, I became a slave to that woman and her daughter, having to do everything they asked of me. Even when my father was around, he would say nothing and go about his day like nothing was actually happening. Along with being treated like their personal maid, when my sister did something wrong, I was blamed for it. She would simply cry and put on a face that screamed innocence after intentionally falling or breaking something, and my father would instantly buy it, even if I tried to argue. “Daddy, I was just trying to play with Denali and she hit me!” Anastasia would whine, letting the tears flow. “Is it because she thinks that I’m stealing you from her?” “I didn’t!!” I would argue while a new scratch or bruise rested on my skin, proving who the true villain was. “If anything…” “DENALI!” My father would roar each time, letting his hand connect with my cheek. “Why can’t you get along with your sister?” “Maybe she blames my mommy for taking her mothers place and that’s why she refuses to accept me.” Anastasia would cry, adding insult to injury. “I really didn’t!” No amount of times I said this seemed to work since in the end I was the one who would end up in the wrong position when my father appeared to break up whatever was happening. After having this scenario repeat again and again, I eventually gave up entirely, knowing whose side my father would take. Life was hell at home and outside of it. I was abused, beaten, bullied, and treated like a pariah instead of the proud daughter of an alpha. It started small with the boys taunting me. When they did I would argue back and that would lead to them getting physical. At first, I tried to fight back, but due to my physical strength being no match for them, I couldn’t do much. When word of this got out the number of members of the pack who joined in grew. It was only after the third time that I was jumped that I gave up in fighting in hopes that the beatings would end. I hoped that if I didn’t fight back or argue they would stop, but they didn’t. That’s why, when I turned eighteen, I couldn’t take it anymore and decided to end it all. At first I tried to escape, but my father’s men always caught me before I could escape Emerald Moon’s territory. That was why the only true way to escape everything was to end my life. On that day, I jumped from the highest waterfall in the area and plummeted to the ground. My body hit that freezing cold water, and the current dragged me down, causing rocks to rip at my skin and clothes. When my instincts kicked in and the urge to fight against it hit, it was simply too powerful, and soon I wasn’t even able to breathe. I should have died then, but two strong hands somehow managed to grab me and pull me up. At first, I was too delirious about what I was sure was a concussion from impact to really understand what was going on. It was only later, when I woke up in a warm bed with a handsome man sitting beside me, that I knew I was saved. He was almost like an angel, staring at me with his bright blue eyes and shaggy blonde hair. His face was so kind, and I felt myself falling right then and there. His name was Alexander, and he was a delta from Cresecent Moon pack. He happened to be in the area because he was on his way to visit with my own pack. It was after that day that we began to meet frequently, and those meetings were what kept me going. I didn’t think I could be more happy than I was when he saved me, but on the day he asked me to be his girlfriend, I was over the moon. Alexander began to restore the confidence I lost so long ago. He reminded me every day that I was beautiful, that I was intelligent, and that I was actually worth something. He truly was my hero. From that point on, we were almost inseparable, and I even introduced him to my family. With luck, they actually acted decently when he was around, which wasn’t surprising since they were determined to act innocent and loving, but when he would leave, the abuse continued. A few times Alexander asked me about the marks that marred my skin, but I couldn’t tell him how I truly got them. It was too dangerous to admit that my family and packmates were responsible for this. What if he tried to fight them for me? I wouldn’t be able to see him anymore and just the thought of losing him made me feel empty. So I can only trail off about the marks on my skin, referring to them as small scratches. That’s why I held the hope that Alexander would soon propose to me so that I was completely free of all the abuse and suffering. And I was certain that day was coming when he asked me to spend the day with him. He insisted that he had something special planned, and I convinced myself that it would be the proposal that I was desperately longing for. Little did I know that on the promised day, things would change completely, but not in the way I was expecting.