The Luna Who Owed Them Nothing Chapter 01

The Luna Who Owed Them Nothing Chapter 01

Because I was never given enough to eat, I once stole $5 from the money jar in the pack house.

After my sister, Eden, told on me, my parents called me a thief by nature.

From that day on, my monthly allowance is cut to $50, while Eden’s is raised to $5,000.

Every dollar they spend on me is recorded in a ledger. They calculate interest at the highest bank rate, turn it into a promissory note, and force me to sign it.

The day I receive my acceptance letter, I clutch the admission letter from Royal Fang Academy, the highest-ranking academy in the entire Werewolf Realm, and approach my parents, hoping to ask them to advance my college tuition.

But they are gathered around Eden, who can only attend a community wolf college, and they do not even look at me.

“Your tuition is only $100,000 a year. That’s not expensive. Of course we’re willing to pay!”

My brother Damon, the future Alpha of the pack, waves his hand with a smug smile.

“I’ve already rented you an apartment off campus for all four years. That way, you won’t have to share a dorm with anyone, and you can throw parties whenever you want.”

The whole family laughs for a long time before finally noticing me standing in the corner.

My parents frown and, as usual, pull out a stack of promissory notes.

“Well? How much do you want this time?”

Damon glances at the ledger, his voice as cold as if he is reading out some meaningless bill.

“You’ve cost the pack $127,629.90 over the years. With interest, you now owe $357,363.20.”

“I suggest you get a job as soon as possible. Otherwise, you’ll never be able to pay this off in your lifetime.”

I slowly tighten my grip on the acceptance letter.

The next second, the promissory notes come flying at my face like snow.

Meanwhile, my parents and Damon sit nearby, excitedly booking a Michelin-starred fine-dining restaurant that costs over $1,000 per person to celebrate Eden’s college admission.

Four seats.

None for me.

Before they leave, they make sure every valuable and important item in the pack house is locked inside the safe. They put several locks on everything, inside and out, guarding against me as if I am a habitual thief.

Promissory notes are scattered all over the floor, each sheet spread open like a mouth stretched into a cruel grin.

I bend down and pick them up one by one.

They record every dollar I have spent in this family over the past ten years.

From $2,400 in tuition and school fees to a $9 bottle of ibuprofen, every expense has a date, a borrower, and a debtor. The interest that keeps piling up is deliberately enlarged and bolded, glaring back at me so harshly that I can barely look at it.

Tears drip onto the papers, blurring the red ink into stains that look like scars left by a branding iron.

And that scar is burned into me from the day I turn eight.

Back then, I am so hungry that I cannot stand it anymore. I take $5 from the money jar in the pack house and buy myself a piece of bread.

Instead, they call me a thief and say I am a disgrace to our family, even a disgrace to the entire pack.

My mother shoves my eight-year-old body to the floor.

“You forgot to give me my allowance. So what? Did you really have to steal? It’s not like you’re the only one who didn’t get your allowance. Why didn’t your sister steal?”

“Do you have any idea what the other pack members will think of us? How are we supposed to maintain the authority of the Alpha and Luna after this?”

I want to tell her that Eden’s allowance has always been twice mine.

She has plenty of money, yet she refuses to lend me any for food. She even deliberately encourages me to take money from the jar.

But at eight years old, I cry so hard that I can barely breathe, let alone explain myself.

Just like now, I roughly wipe away my tears and return to the attic of the pack house, to the “bedroom” they make out of a storage room.

Carefully, I unfold the acceptance letter, already soaked with tears.

Royal Fang Academy.

It is located in the territory of the Royal Pack, where the Alpha King resides, and is the most prestigious academy in the entire Werewolf Realm.

The heirs of the major packs study there, along with the most talented pack doctors and warriors.

But in this family, even Royal Fang Academy is considered less important than Eden’s community wolf college.

Just then, my phone rings with a burst of static.

I pull out the old phone Eden tossed away four years ago because she did not want it anymore. After tapping the unresponsive touchscreen several times, I finally manage to answer.

“I accidentally booked one extra seat.”

Damon’s voice comes through the phone, sounding slightly annoyed.

“Are you coming or not?”

The moment I hear those words, I almost think I am dreaming.

“Yes! I’ll be there right away!”

The answer slips out before I can even think.

Maybe they still care about me after all. At the thought, even my wolf gets excited.

I rush toward the door, ready to run downstairs, but then I remember that it is an upscale fine-dining restaurant.

I look down at my dirty, ripped T-shirt and stop.

Then I turn around and search through my closet. In the end, I find a blue floral H&M dress.

I buy it for $1 at a yard sale, and it is the nicest piece of clothing I own.

I cannot even afford a taxi, so I have to take three different buses.

An hour later, I finally arrive at the French restaurant on the top floor of a building downtown.

The moment I reach the entrance, a server stops me and looks me up and down.

“Sorry, we’re not hiring servers right now.”

I quickly point toward a table nearby, where my family sits with their backs to the entrance, and awkwardly explain, “That’s my family. I’m with them.”

Only then does the server realize the misunderstanding. He quickly apologizes and steps aside to let me in.

But I have barely taken a few steps when I hear whispers behind me.

“Didn’t that table say they only have one son and one daughter? Where did this other daughter come from?”

“Maybe she’s some poor relative who came to mooch a meal. Just leave it. Let’s see what happens.”

I instinctively clutch the hem of my dress, lowering my head another few inches.

Just as I am about to reach their table, Damon’s voice suddenly hits my ears, clear as day.

“Mom, why did you insist on making me call Aria? The moment she shows up, I lose my appetite.”

My mother picks up a piece of fish, patiently removes every bone, then smiles as she places it on Eden’s plate.

Only then does she answer casually, “We left in such a hurry that Eden said she hadn’t had time to put away her allowance. Aria has sticky fingers. What if she steals it again?”

My legs instantly go stiff, as if they are filled with concrete.

I stare at them in disbelief.

Tears blur my vision as the figures of my family of four begin to overlap.

My father happens to glance back and finally notices me. The smile on his face freezes. He merely lifts his chin.

“Why don’t you sit down and have something to eat?”

I look at the table covered with seafood that will trigger a severe allergic reaction in me, then curl my lips into a bitter smile, “No, thanks.”

I turn around and start to leave, but Eden’s voice suddenly comes from behind me.

“Hey, wait.”

She smiles at me.

“Aria, which college did you get into?”