Chapter 1 /-Selene-/ "Selene, you worthless thing! Why haven't you made breakfast yet?" My mother thundered from inside. Breakfast? Here I was, strapped to a pole right outside our house. The cold night air freezing over my bones and hardening the wounds from the whipping my father gave me last night. The thick scent of wolves was all over the air while I hung there, naked, trembling, but no one was worried because no wolf would even look at me twice. My scarred face wasn't only a big turn-off, but my little hunchback made my appearance so unbearable that even my own family bullied me while my step-sister, Elara, the beautiful swan, turned heads everywhere she went. "Selene!" My stepmother thundered again and I flinched. Was I supposed to free myself from this rope? Before I could think, the front door went ajar and my stepmother came stomping to me with a whip. My heart skipped a beat. No please, no... I haven't even recovered from the one I received last night. "Can you be any more useless?" She hissed. "Just because you were punished last night doesn't mean you should neglect your chores or are you trying to get whipped again?" "No... no please," my throat hurt even as I pleaded from dryness. I was going to be down with a terrible cold but I don't think anyone would care. They just wanted Selene to do everything while Elara sat there looking pretty and issuing orders. Even my own father treated me like garbage. "I... I was out here all night... father forgot to untie me, and I couldn't get out..." "And who told you he forgot?" She snapped. "Are you trying to gain pity, you wrench?! We are starving in there and you are giving petty excuses. These ropes aren't even knotted tight enough! You have five minutes to get out of there and prepare something for us to eat," she said coldly and walked back inside without helping me. Tears rolled down my cheeks and my lips gritted together from the cold. I struggled to get off but the ropes were too tight and ended up ripping through my wounds. I cried out in pain. Just then, a black car pulled up in front of the house and two men stepped out. My cheeks stained red in shame as they glanced at me, but what made it worse was the disgusted look that followed it. They didn't bother to spare me a second glance and walked inside. Who were they? What did they want from us? I was still thinking about this when my stepmother hurried out of the house to me. "Selene..." she panted. "Now is your time to be useful to us and everyone else." I was confused but I also noticed that she was untying me. "Hurry up and go in. The debt collectors are trying to take your sister away because your father couldn't pay back the loan he took," she said harshly. My brain barely processed what she said as she kept shoving me inside. "I don't understand..." "Are you stupid?" She snapped and I flinched. "Now is finally the time for you to be useful to us! Get in there and make that man take you instead of your sister!" Oh, I understood now. They wanted me to be the sacrificial lamb as always. To be taken away to pay off my father's debt. Tears gathered in my eyes but I blinked them back. It's not like they were treating me any better here. Leaving is definitely a good thing, even though it was to a different kind of suffering. It would hurt a lot less. I entered the room to see my father pleading, Elara was beside him, on her knees, clutching to his arm like her life depended on it. "Please don't let them take me, father... please..." she sobbed. Stepmother nudged me and I took in a deep breath, a little ashamed that I was being forced to do this naked. I quickly rushed in front of them and knelt down. "Please take me in her place, I beg of you. I will be a lot more useful and more efficient than she will ever be. So please take me, mister, please," I pleaded halfheartedly. Then a mocking laughter followed. Laughter that made me feel so ashamed that I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me. "Is this a joke?" The man asked harshly. "What use do I have for an imbecile like you when there is a stunning beauty right there?" My heart twisted in pain as the words hit me. I should have been used to it by now since my family addressed me like that half of the time, but it still hurt. "Please I insist," I bowed my head to the floor, clasping my hands in plea. "Please let me take her place. You really can't take her. She is engaged and pregnant for her fiance!" That was the only lie I could think of at that point, but apparently, the man didn't care. "She might as well be in labour for all I care! As long as you do not have the money, she is coming with me!" He started, then turned to his companion. "You, take her!" They grabbed Elara despite her screams and pleas while I knelt there, unable to say anything else. It was pointless, his mind was already made up but my parents didn't want to buy that. They kept begging and trying to convince him to take me. After their futile attempts to get me to replace her, they stormed back inside with murderous glares and I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me. "You worthless little...!" My father growled. "Why couldn't you beg harder, huh?" He kicked me in the stomach and I curled on the floor in pain. "I tried..." I sobbed. "I really tried..." "No, you didn't, you wrench!" My stepmother yanked me by the hair off the floor and hit me across the face. You let them take my daughter on purpose, you jealous thing! You wanted to enjoy all the affection in her place,. didn't you?" She yelled, slapping me again. I couldn't argue, just let the tears flow Even in my wildest dreams, I have never imagined being loved by this family. I knew it was impossible and simply accepted my fate. "You think you will get away with this?" My father growled like I was the one who asked him to take the loan. "You are just like your useless cursed mother! I am going to sell you off and buy back my daughter!" He stated and my heart skipped a beat. He... didn't mean that, right? Even my stepmother was shocked by his words but it didn't make her less happy. Anything to get her daughter back, right? "Father, please, I really tried my best, but he didn't want me and..." I crawled to beg at his feet. "I don't care for your stupid excuses! Tomorrow night, I am going to sell you off at the auction, and that is final!" he spat, kicking me in the face to get away from him. Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!