Pocket FM Universe

To find out, listen to the audioseries 'Crowned in Shadow' (FREE for a limited period of time) Click on the link below to download the PocketFM app, now!

Ad Copy

I was born with six eyes and eight legs. My mother saw me… and died screaming. My father called me a monster then threw me into the river for crocodiles to eat. But they saved me instead as if they knew who I truly was. That night, the sky split open. Thunder and lightning struck me transforming me into a normal girl. That's when Alpha Edward found me and took me to the Red Moon pack Where he turned me into a slave. When I grew up I was made to clean, cook, and serve the other wolves. I had no inner wolf, no power. I was given harsh punishments and treated like a slave. Marcy, the Alpha's daughter, treated me like a toy. She ordered me to be locked in a prison for days without food, water, and merciless beatings from the Alpha and his Luna. Until one day, when the special guest was arriving Alpha Damon. Leader of the Dark Howlers, fiercest pack in the realm. He was the most powerful Alpha in all of North America. Women threw themselves at him. Rulers feared him. He could seduce a she-wolf with a glance, or tear out a man's throat just as easily. Damon was untouchable. He scorned the idea of love. Rejected every political match. Not a single potential bride, despite the many presented, could win his affection. None were worthy of being his Luna, the proud she-wolf to rule by his side. Love was a distraction, an attempt to tame him. And Damon would never be tamed. Still, there were those who tried. Alpha Edward, leader of the Red Moon pack, was desperate to secure his political power. He invited Damon to meet his daughter, Princess Marcy, beautiful, cunning, cruel. She intended to make him hers. Talia feared their union. Would Marcy succeed where so many others had failed? Would Marcy's cruelty only intensify as Luna to such a powerful Alpha? The moment Alpha Damon stepped onto Red Moon Pack grounds with his mated Betas, Caden and Maya, something felt off. His wolf stirred uneasily beneath the surface. Damon didn't need confirmation, he already knew: no one in the Red Moon Pack could be trusted. They all sat down in the dining hall, its gaudy opulence a reflection of Red Moon's inflated ego. Marcy arrived fashionably late, every detail of her appearance sharpened like a blade. Shimmering blond hair, a sculpted figure. She was the type of girl who got what she wanted. Her friend, Nora, wasn't as restrained. She eyed Damon with hunger, her gaze sliding over him like a caress. The rumors had reached her ears: about his appetite, his stamina, his size. She didn't care that Marcy was supposed to win the Alpha's hand. Nora wanted a taste for herself. Marcy's mother, Luna Layla, noticed the heat in Nora's stare… and the flicker of fury in her daughter's eyes. "Marcy," Layla said, too sweetly, "Why don't you show Alpha Damon to his room so you two can… talk?" While the Red Moon Pack celebrated Damon's arrival, elsewhere in the kitchens, Talia worked until the sweat stung her eyes. All she could dream of was the scraps she might scavenge when the feast was over. The other Omegas had different plans for her. Anna, their cruel ringleader, stepped into Talia's path, towering over her, "Listen up, slave." The other Omegas giggled behind her like hyenas. Anna's lips twisted into a cruel smirk. "You're going to deliver towels to Alpha Damon's room." Talia froze. "Right now? But... what if he's inside?" Anna raised her hand, ready to strike. "Are you questioning me?" Talia flinched, her heart pounding. Without her wolf, she was defenseless against the bullies. Without another word, she took the towels and hurried off, every step dragging her closer to the Alpha's quarters and whatever fate awaited her behind that door. When Talia entered the room, she froze. Damon was in his room. But he wasn't alone. There was Marcy. On her knees. Between Damon's legs. Marcy whipped around, her eyes blazing with fury as they locked onto Talia's. The insolence! A jolt of fear shot up Talia's spine. Retribution would be certain. Damon's eyes snapped to Talia. "Stop!" he barked. But Talia was gone, bolting from the room, too terrified to look back. What Talia didn't know, what she couldn't have known, is that in that moment, Damon's world had shifted. Her scent. It hit his veins like a spark of kindling, igniting something primal within him. Could it be? His inner wolf howled the truth within him, again and again. She, a lowly omega, a serving girl without a friend, was his fated mate? Ignoring the mocking laughter of Anna and the others, Talia ran until she reached the attic, shoving the cabinet against the door before collapsing in the corner, struggling to quiet her frantic breathing. 'Is this it? Is this the day I die?' Back in Damon's room, Marcy landed clumsily on her backside as Damon shoved her away, his expression thunderous and unreadable. "Who was that girl?" he demanded, hastily buttoning his pants. Marcy knew exactly who she was. Talia. That wolf-less bitch. How dare she step into an Alpha's chambers uninvited? And worse, if word got out that Marcy had been pleasuring Damon before he'd even proposed... she'd be humiliated. A laughingstock. Her reputation would be in shreds. Marcy's jaw clenched with fury. She should've done more than just beat the girl this morning. But Damon didn't notice Marcy's simmering rage. He was too distracted, his mind replaying the moment when she walked in. How that intoxicating scent, freesia and citrus, had struck him. How his wolf had howled, wild and urgent. All he could think about was pulling her into his arms. 'Mate.' His wolf howled. In confirmation, I couldnt my wolf had been silenced years ago. My name is Talia, but no one calls me Talia except for teachers on the first day of schooling. I'm more popular as the wolfless freak. I'm a werewolf in the red moon pack. Since I'm an orphan, I'm not completely sure how old I am, but I'm pretty sure I'm 16. Also, I'm an omega, which means I'm a servant. My job is to make the meals for the werewolves who live in the pack house. Between making breakfast and dinner for over 100 wolves, cleaning up after them, and restocking the pantries of the ranked members' apartments on the 3rd and 4th floors, I do normal teenager stuff, except I don't have a lot of spare time to do so. Homework is the extent of living my teen life. Right now it's 11:30 at night. I'm putting the finishing touches on my English essay when I hear the door of the dungeon slam open. Great. Now what did I do? It doesn't take much. Alpha Edward is an alcoholic. It's really difficult for werewolves to get drunk, which means you have to drink heavily to feel the effects. This means he probably had a fight with Luna Layla about his drinking. Which means she locked him out of their room. Which means he has come down to take out his anger on me. Just an average Tuesday in the packhouse. I know the drill. I'm already on my feet waiting for him. I'm thinking in my mind. "Alpha Edward, what can I do for you?" I ask with my eyes looking at the floor. I keep my hands clasped in front of me, trying to look as small as possible. Without a word, a whiskey bottle whizzes past my ear and smashes against the wall above my cot. I flinch and can't help but start to tremble and hug myself. Whatever is about to happen it's going to be worse than usual. He lunges forward and grabs me by the throat with both hands. I feel tears coming to my eyes as the lack of oxygen turns the edges of my vision dark. I desperately claw at his hands, trying to escape his grip but it's no use. He picks me up by the neck so I'm at face level with him. His eyes are pitch indicating his wolf Ruckus is at the surface. His breath stinks because of alcohol. I start gagging and choking from the lack of oxygen. Without warning, he throws me across the room as if I weigh nothing. My back slams against the wall and I land on my back on the cot. The shards of the broken bottle pierce the skin on my back through my thin t-shirt. The whiskey makes the cuts burn. I try to muffle a scream as the pain sears through me. He comes across the room and picks me up roughly by the hair. I feel the shards of glass cutting deeper as he pulls me up. He throws me to the ground. The glass bits are grinding deeper into my back. I can feel something wet soaking through my shredded shirt. I don't dare move and make him even madder. I feel my ribs snap when his foot makes contact. One of his feet lands on my jaw. I feel a sickening snap. Rattle in my brain. The metallic taste instantly fills my mouth. Alpha Edward has been using me as his punching bag for years, but this was way more intense than it has ever been before. In the past couple of years, he started dipping the whip in wolfsbane, which makes me heal slower, so now I have gnarly scars across my back and arms. I managed to eke out. My voice is small and garbled. He abruptly stops and walks out of the room. He comes back a moment later with the whip and starts lashing my back relentlessly. The whip is dripping with wolfsbane. The lashes, combined with the glass shards still in my back, combined with the wolfbane are too much. My vision turns blurry and I pass out. Numbness surrounds me. Is this what being dead is like? It's peaceful, but a little bit boring. At least I don't have to feed the pack. Oh dang, I didn't get a chance to turn in that English essay. It was a good one too. The constant soft beeps are soothing. I don't know how long I've been dead, but I feel like I want to open my eyes, ready to take on the afterlife. After what seems like forever, I'm able to open my eyes and find I'm alone in soft comfort in a brightly lit, clean room. This is the afterlife? Maybe this is some sort of waiting area, but where's the lobby? Is there a receptionist? My mind slowly becomes more clear and I realize I'm not dead.I'm in the pack hospital. I need to leave before the Alpha finds me outside the dungeon. I try to get up but I can barely move my body. Every move causes excruciating pain. I start to panic, making the beeps in the room become faster. Oh, I'm hooked up to a bunch of machines. I try to figure out how to unhook them so no one hears the noises. Too late, I hear people in the hallway getting closer. I try to sit up. I need to ignore the pain. I have to escape. I slowly slide off the side of the legs. My legs were wobbly. The tubes and wires sticking out of me prevent me from getting too far. The door opens and the pack doctor comes in with a nurse. The doctor is an older person. "Ah, Talia. You're awake. Let's get you back on the mat, shall we?" The doctor says gently. He and the nurse come to either side of me and reach out to hold my arms. A deep growl escapes my chest. "Don't touch me," I snap, shaking them off. My voice is scratchy and raw and my mouth feels like a thousand needles are poking into it. "It's alright, Talia. No one is going to hurt you here. We're trying to help you heal. Let's get you back to and get you a drink of water," the doctor raises his hands in surrender. I look at him hesitantly before accepting their help. The nurse hands me a cup of water with a straw. The water feels good on my throat. The doctor sits in the chair beside the bed as the nurse checks my vitals and starts messing with the tubes and wires attached to me. "Talia, you had surgery to remove hundreds of shards of glass from your back, we also had to reset some ribs, your jaw, and you had a lot of wolfsbane in your blood. We gave you a transfusion to clear it from your system so you could heal," the doctor explains, "You're lucky your wound isn't badly serious." Sure about that last part, doctor? I think to myself. "When the pack realized breakfast had not been prepared, Tony went to get you and found you on the ground in your...uh...room," he looked at me with sympathy, "Talia, who did this to you? It's a crime that could be grounds for banishment from the pack. Based on the scarring, this isn't the first time you've been attacked." I can't answer him. I stare at my hands on my lap quietly. How can I tell him Alpha Edward is the one who caused this? There's no way he'd believe me, even if he did, what are they going to do? Banish the Alpha? Fat chance of that. I decide my best move is to just shake my head no. I don't want to get out of the pack for lying. I have nowhere to go. I would be nothing. "Okay. Let's move on to the next question. When do you turn seventeen?" He looks at the papers inside his folder. "I-I don't know exactly, sir," I say honestly. He looks at me with a furrowed brow. He glances at the nurse and asks her to give us privacy for a few minutes. Am I in ... Show less This snippet was truncated for display; see it in full