Defy The Alpha(s)

Chapter 1: Special Skills

Chapter 1: Special Skills

Today was the Marked Day.

Every eighteen-year-old girl like Violet Purple had waited for this day from the moment they entered high school.

It was the day when young women from all districts were given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become a member of Lunaris Academy.

An academy that wasn't just a school, but a ticket out, a chance to rise above, to be chosen.

It was no secret that the top-performing human students ended up marrying alphas, the apex of werewolf society.

After all, the war two centuries ago had decimated the werewolf population, particularly the she-wolves. With only ten percent of them left, alphas had turned to humans for their mates, creating an uneasy yet necessary alliance.

The werewolves had been initially strong and persistent during the war but a virus, designed by human scientists, had ravaged the werewolf population, killing eighty percent of their female population. The werewolves, faced with extinction, had no choice but to call for a cease-fire and peace was brokered between the two races.

But it wasn't true peace. There were rules, agreements, and an ever-present tension that underscored the delicate balance. Perhaps to symbolize this coexistence, the alpha king had married a human, a woman he met at Lunaris Academy, giving the school its fame and regality.

"School, my ass," Violet Purple muttered under her breath, casting a disbelieving glance at the teacher in front of the classroom.

The woman was holding up the official-looking application form, droning on about the importance of making a good impression and how the form could be the key to changing their futures.

Everyone knew the academy was less about learning and more about matchmaking. But no one would say it aloud, not when they needed a shot at a life they couldn't otherwise reach.

"Make sure you fill in every section carefully," the teacher instructed. "Lunaris Academy will only select one student from each district, and with two other schools in our district, the competition is fierce. So use all the skills you have. Make your form irresistible. Ask your parents for help if you need it. Some of them have gone through this process, and their experience might guide you. And remember, submit your forms first thing tomorrow. The law mandates that you apply, and non-compliance comes with heavy penalties. Treat this form like your very life. Good luck. "

As if on cue, the bell rang, signaling the end of the lesson. The classroom erupted into chaos as students rushed to pack their bags and head home, their conversations buzzing with excitement, as they gossiped about the upcoming selection.

Violet shoved her books into her backpack, her fingers trembling slightly from the tension that had settled deep in her bones. This was a chance she didn't know whether to take or reject.

Even if by zero point zero chance that she won the spot at Lunaris Academy, she wasn't interested in being the princess in distress who needed to be saved. Nor was she stupid to fall for the stupid fallacy called love – her mother's occupation had ruined any appeal such emotion might hold for her.

Also, she knew the game was rigged. Alphas didn't marry girls like her—poor, broken girls with nothing to offer. They married beauties, winners, and girls who knew how to play the game. Violet wasn't one of them.

"Hey, purple whore," a voice jeered from behind.

Violet froze, her breath catching in her throat.

Not today, she thought, squeezing her eyes shut, praying they would leave her alone.

But she should have known by now,

feel the malicious eyes on her back as her tormentors gathered behind her. The same group that had

surged through her, but she forced the emotion down. She was honestly not in the mood to get her fist dirtied, not to mention she had more important things like the Lunaris Academy form

disdain. "Don't make me laugh. They wouldn't want trash like you anywhere near them. I mean with a used hole like yours, I

laughed at the cruel joke, emboldened by their leader's

fists clenched, her nails digging into her palms as her pulse quickened. Blood pounded in her ears, the sting of their words sinking deep. Being an

her mother's idea of a joke was to call

her hair had been black at the roots and purple at the tips. It would have been better if her mother had called her "Violet

have been worse: being Nancy's real daughter or just

for as long as she could remember. Once, in a fit of rage, she had chopped off the purple tips of her hair, but they grew back just

straightened her spine, adjusted the

steady despite the heat of anger bubbling beneath her skin. She didn't want to fight, but if push came to shove, she'd handle it. A week of punishment or community service was nothing new,

wouldn't be

Hit me? You

them knowing it was

voice dripping with false pity. "Do you think she's too dumb to understand? Or just

in. "She's probably shaking in her boots, thinking about all the

laughed once

her chest, her fists trembling at her sides. She could feel the fury burning through her, every word they had ever thrown at her fueling the fire. She wanted to hit her, to wipe that smug look

urge, a teacher came into the room and said, "what

the man could sense the tension in the air. Not to mention, Jasmine and her

out of the class and headed home."

was the fist to move. With one last burning glare, she shoved her way past Jasmine and her lackeys. She

which meant it had a huge population. Violet quickly lost herself in the

Violet let her eyes roam the destruction still lingering from the war. The

and the air still carried a faint scent of ash and devastation. Two hundred years

reached the patch of land that housed a vast number of trailers. It was the only form of shelter for people like her. After the

were guarded and isolated from the crumbling world outside.Her mother had always said they were lucky to have a trailer. She had bought it second-hand when

they had were scattered across the tiny space, clothes draped over chairs, empty cans that had long since lost their

wasn't the kind of place to raise a child, but it was better than sleeping in the streets, where the bigger predators of this new world waited. Crime was rampant now, though in the trailer park, it was mostly petty theft. At least here, Violet didn't have to worry

be found when Violet arrived home. The silence wasn't unusual. Nancy was rarely home and, when she was, it wasn't like she cared to interact. She had made it clear over the years that she was no maternal figure. But Violet didn't push her luck—having a

Instead, she fished out the snack bar she had been saving and sat at the table,

wasn't sure she had. The only reason she was even considering filling it out was the slim chance

the elite could afford. If she somehow managed to get into Lunaris Academy and come out on top, she could escape this life. She could become someone different—someone who didn't have to