Chapter 1The Alpha heir's favorite girl said she'd never seen a real mummy before.
So my childhood packmate decided to make one.
Out of me.
Victor Holmes and every unmated male in our class knocked me unconscious, wrapped me head to toe in white binding cloth, then hung me from the stadium bleachers like prey after a hunt.
I woke up to laughter.
Howls.
Phones recording.
Some asshole even spat on me.
Two hours.
That's how long I hung there while the entire Blackthorne Pack academy walked past.
Victor finally showed up.
"Lottie wanted to see a real mummy," he said casually while cutting me down. "We were just messing around."
"You're not actually upset, right, wolfgirl?"
I just stared at him.
At the guys behind him still laughing.
At Lottie Lloyd standing in the corner, covering her mouth while trying not to grin.
Oh.
So that's all I was to them.
Entertainment.
A joke.
Something to humiliate for a pretty she-wolf's amusement.
Fine.
Didn't matter anymore anyway.
Next week, I was transferring to another territory.
Victor could keep acting like Lottie's loyal Beta all he wanted.
As for me?
I'd survive without him just fine.
Right after combat training, I went to the equipment room to grab my bag.
A group of guys suddenly surrounded me.
Victor stood in front of them.
My best friend since we were pups.
He flashed me a grin. Lazy. Familiar.
"Yo, Phoebe. C'mere a sec."
Before I could even react, something slammed into the back of my head.
For half a second, I saw Victor hesitate.
A flicker of uncertainty crossed his face.
Like maybe he was finally realizing this was going too far.
Then it disappeared.
Replaced by excitement.
Everything went black.
My last thought before passing out?
Victor, what the actual hell?
When I woke up, I couldn't move.
White cloth wrapped around every inch of my body.
Only my eyes and nose were exposed so I could breathe -
and fully understand how screwed I was.
My body was tied to the top railing of the football stadium.
At least twelve feet above the ground.
Silver tape dug into my skin while the wind made me sway back and forth.
Lunch hour.
The busiest time of day.
And I was hanging there like some cursed decoration during the Blood Moon Festival.
"Yo, is that a real mummy?!"
"Who the hell is that?"
"Damn, record this!"
"I'm already filming!"
"This is messed up... but kinda hilarious."
"Post it in the pack chat!"
Phones pointed at me from every direction.
Camera flashes burned my eyes.
I tried to scream, but tape sealed my mouth shut too.
All that came out were muffled, pathetic sounds.
Like an injured animal waiting to die alone.
Someone below suddenly froze.
"Holy shit - that's Phoebe Jordan!"
"The girl always following Victor around?"
"Yeah, Patterson's class."
"The quiet she-wolf in the oversized gray hoodie?"
"Oh my God, she's literally tied up there."
"I mean... she's been obsessed with Victor forever."
"True. She's basically his stray pup."
"Guess the future Alpha finally got tired of her."
"You posting this to TikTok?"
"Already sending it to the group chat."
Every word stabbed deeper into my chest.
The crowd laughed harder.
Some people actually spat at me.
Warm saliva slid slowly down the white wrappings.
My stomach twisted violently.
I wanted to throw up.
Couldn't.
All I could do was hang there while humiliation dripped down my body.
I struggled hard enough for the ropes to cut deeper into my wrists and ankles.
Burning pain exploded through my skin.
I felt something warm running down my arms.
Blood.
Two hours.
Two whole hours.
I hung there while hundreds of wolves pointed, laughed, mocked, and recorded me.
At one point, an instructor walked past.
He frowned slightly.
Then kept walking.
Not a single person helped me.
I squeezed my eyes shut as tears streamed down my face uncontrollably.
Victor.
This is your idea of a joke?
Did sixteen years as your packmate mean nothing to you?
Chapter 2
Finally, Victor showed up.
Still rocking that cocky walk, hands shoved in his pockets. Strolling up like he was just here to watch a show.
Behind him were all the guys who'd helped pull this off.
And Lottie.
She stood there in this flowy white dress, hair down, looking like some pack princess off a magazine cover. Hand over her mouth, eyes wide with shock.
"Oh my God, you guys actually did this?! That's so bad!"
But her voice gave her away.
She was way too excited. Trying not to smile but totally failing.
That's when it hit me.
This was all for her.
My humiliation was her entertainment.
"Fuck yeah we did." Victor grinned at her. "You wanted to see a mummy, so we delivered."
His voice had this edge to it I'd never heard before - like he was trying so hard to impress her.
That kind of tone was never for me.
He walked up to the bleachers and looked up at me.
The sunset hit his face, lighting up features I'd known my whole life.
But right then, he looked like a complete stranger.
Those eyes I used to think would always protect me? Now they just looked amused.
"So Phoebe, how's the view from up there? Pretty sick, right?"
He was actually joking.
Like the person hanging up there wasn't even a wolf - just some prop.
"Alright alright, that's enough. Someone cut her down."
Casual as hell. Like he was talking about taking down Solstice decorations.
A couple guys fumbled around untying the ropes.
None of them gave a shit if I'd get hurt falling.
I slammed into the ground hard.
Knocked all the air out of my lungs - felt like every organ in my body shifted. Like all my bones were about to snap.
Pain had me curled up on the dirt like a wounded animal.
Victor crouched down and ripped the bandages off my face in a few rough yanks.
Didn't care at all that it hurt like hell.
The fabric tearing at my skin made me gasp.
When he saw my puffy, bloodshot eyes, he froze for a second.
For just a moment, I thought maybe he'd feel bad. Maybe apologize.
But nope. The guilt - if that's even what it was - disappeared fast.
He was back to his usual self.
"Why are you crying? Dude, it was just a prank."
"We do this shit to each other all the time. What's the big deal?"
He said it so lightly. Like it really was just some harmless joke between packmates.
But he forgot - we'd never done anything like this before.
Never humiliated each other in front of the entire pack.
Never been this cruel.
I stared at him. My throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton. Couldn't get a single sound out.
Not that I didn't want to - I just had no idea what to even say.
How do you confront someone you've run beside since you were pups?
How do you call out the wolf who used to share his kill with you at pack feasts?
He started squirming under my stare. "Stop looking at me like that. It's creepy."
His eyes darted away - totally guilty.
But then he recovered fast. Found his excuse.
"Lottie said yesterday she'd never seen a real mummy, so we thought..."
"Whatever. It's not that big of a deal. You're fine."
Fine?
I looked down at my bloody wrists. At my spit-covered shirt.
This is fine?
The guys around him started piling on.
"Yeah Phoebe, why are you being so dramatic?"
"It's just a prank. Chill."
"We spent like an hour getting you up there."
"You could at least say thanks."
"Honestly, if Victor wasn't your friend, you'd be a total lone wolf."
"For real. Nobody would run with you."
Every word hit the same - I wasn't worth shit.
Not worth respect. Not worth kindness.
Only worth being used as a joke for someone else.
Lottie walked over, putting on this apologetic face. "Oh my God, Phoebe, are you okay? I'm so sorry! I was totally kidding when I said that!"
"I didn't think they'd actually do it!"
Her eyes got all watery. Like she was about to cry.
Playing victim so perfectly - like she was the one who got hurt.
Immediately, guys rushed to comfort her.
"Lottie, it's not your fault."
"Seriously, Phoebe just can't take a joke."
"You're so sweet, Lottie. A true Luna in the making. She doesn't even deserve your apology."
I slowly stood up. Legs still shaking like crazy.
Blood crusted around my wrists and ankles.
Every part of my body screaming in pain.
But I didn't make a sound. Just looked at Victor one last time.
In that look was years of history under the same moon. Countless runs through the forest. Countless good memories.
And how completely destroyed I felt right now.
Then I turned and walked away.
His voice called out behind me. "Yo, Phoebe! Where you going?"
"Come on, chill out! I'll grab you a steak at the pack dining hall to make up for it."
"Phoebe! Hello?? I'm talking to you!"
I didn't turn around.
My steps were shaky as hell, but I kept going.
Each step felt like walking on broken glass, but I couldn't stop.
If I stopped, I'd break down.
I'd shift right there from the stress of it. Lose control in front of him.
And then I'd really lose. Completely.
Chapter 3
Soon as I got home, I went straight to the shower.
The second I pulled off my clothes, I saw bruises and welts covering every inch of me. Looked like I'd been mauled by a rogue.
I cranked the water as hot as it would go and scrubbed myself raw.
Trying to wash off the spit. Wash off the shame.
Trying to wash off every trace of Victor Holmes.
But it wouldn't come off.
The laughter still rang in my ears.
Those hateful stares still crawled all over my skin.
And Victor's casual "just a prank, bro."
Playing on repeat in my head like some nightmare I couldn't wake up from.
Hot water hit my open wounds and I was shaking from the pain.
But the pain was good. Kept me focused.
Reminded me this wasn't a bad dream. This was real.
Victor really did turn me into a toy just to impress Lottie Lloyd.
Mom knocked on the door. "Phoebe, you've been in there forever."
"You're running up the water bill, honey. Hurry up."
"Okay, okay!"
My voice sounded wrecked - didn't even sound like me.
Mom was probably heading out to her pack council meeting. Didn't notice anything off.
Fine by me. Didn't wanna explain anyway.
How would I even explain it?
Hey Mom, the wolf I've trusted my whole life just hung me from the bleachers for laughs?
The entire pack academy filmed me and posted it everywhere?
Yeah, no. Couldn't say it.
The girl staring back at me in the mirror looked destroyed.
Pale as a ghost. Lips totally drained of color.
The marks on my wrists were brutal.
Deep, purplish-red circles - like someone had tried to saw through them. My wolf should've been healing these by now. But she was curled up quiet inside me. Ashamed.
I grabbed some antiseptic and started dabbing at the wounds.
Stung like hell.
But nowhere near as much as my heart hurt.
Sixteen years.
I'd known Victor Holmes for sixteen years.
Our families ran in the same pack. Our moms did full moon gatherings together. Our dads hunted as a pair.
We'd been in the same training class since we could shift.
His first day of pup training, he cried his eyes out. I gave him half my jerky from my lunch sack.
After that, he followed me everywhere like a lost wolf.
"Phoebe, wait up!"
"Phoebe, want some of my venison?"
"We'll be Alpha and Beta forever!"
Back then, Victor's eyes lit up when he smiled - pure and sweet like a pup who hadn't seen the world yet.
He was always getting into trouble. I was the good kid who kept him out of the elder's punishments.
When the trainer asked who shredded the supply shed door, I said it was me. My claws. My bad.
Even though it was totally him - lost control mid-shift during drills.
He sucked at pack history. I tutored him constantly.
Before every exam, I'd give him all my notes. Then stay up all night rewriting them for myself.
He told me once, "Phoebe, you're the best. I'm gonna claim you as my mate when we're older."
I turned red. "As if!"
But inside? I was secretly happy.
I thought we were fated.
Two wolves who'd always have each other's backs.
And yeah, deep down I hoped for more.
Hoped that one day he'd look at me seriously under the full moon and say - Phoebe Jordan, be my Luna.
Turns out, to him I was just a punching bag he could use whenever he felt like it.
Just some backup option who'd never leave.
To impress Lottie, he didn't think twice about hanging me from damn bleachers.
Let the whole pack laugh at me. Crushed whatever dignity I had left.
Suddenly, my phone started blowing up.
The pack group chat.
I opened it like an idiot.
Someone had posted the video from earlier.
Title in all caps: DYING LAUGHING - PACK REJECT GETS HUNG FROM BLEACHERS
In the video, I'm swinging around like a broken toy.
Wind blowing me side to side.
Comments flooded with crying-laughing emojis.
[omg Phoebe finally got what she deserved]
[she looks like a mummy lol]
[Victor's a legend for this]
[all for Goddess Lottie, what an Alpha move]
[Phoebe's usually so stuck-up, bet she's embarrassed now]
[been sick of her forever, always scenting around Victor]
[like a barnacle fr, it's so cringe]
[she actually thought she'd be his Luna lmaooo]
My hands were shaking so bad I almost dropped my phone.
Every comment felt like a claw to the chest.
So this is how the pack saw me.
I left the group chat. Then opened the pack social feed.
Sure enough, videos and photos of me hanging there were everywhere.
Different captions, same message - pure mockery.
Mocking how pathetic I looked. Mocking how I didn't know my place.
Victor posted too: [today's entertainment lol @LottieLloyd you happy now?]
With a pic of me dangling there.
Even added a howling wolf emoji.
Lottie replied: [omg you guys are so bad~ I was kidding!!]
With three blushing emojis.
What a fake.
She knew exactly what she was doing.
Comments under his post were hyping him up like crazy.
[Victor's the real Alpha]
[whatever Luna Lottie wants, we deliver]
[what should we do next? we got you queen]
I closed the feed.
Felt completely numb inside.
My pain was their fun.
My dignity was their joke.
And Victor - the wolf I thought would always protect me - was now the one destroying me.
