The Neglected Girl Chosen by the Moon Goddess Chapter 01

The Neglected Girl Chosen by the Moon Goddess Chapter 01

The first day of summer break, my parents found me another job.

“Insurance sales. The pay’s good, and it’ll help you build work experience. If you can’t secure a position in the Pack, at least you’ll have a job in the human world.”

From freshman to senior year, they’d said the same thing for four years.

Freshman year, they sent me to the Pack labor camp and took my sister to the Wolf Council headquarters for her coming-of-age ceremony.

Sophomore year, they put me in a human convenience store and bought my sister a car so she could go on a self-driving trip.

Junior year, they dropped me off at the Pack pup daycare and took my sister to Hawaii.

So where was it this year?

“Europe.”

My brother walked in, smiling, and handed me a pair of shoes.

“Bought these just for you. Wear them—you’ll be able to spend ten hours running around making sales calls without getting tired.”

“I paid for this year’s trip. Lily’s young. She needs to see the world.”

My sister beamed, squealing as she threw herself into his arms.

“Brother, I knew you guys loved me the most.”

I looked at my parents. They deliberately looked away.

No one cared how I felt. Even though I was only a year older than her.

I laughed. Then I crouched down and put on the shoes. Light. Light enough to carry me right out of this family.

My mother was packing my sister’s suitcase when something occurred to her. She looked up at my brother.

“Lucas, Elara’s starting her senior year soon. You’re the Pack’s trainee Beta now. You have to keep an eye out—see if there’s any position in the Pack that would suit her. She’s too soft for the human world.”

She stopped mid-sentence, as if suddenly remembering there was another daughter in the room who was about to graduate and was also looking for a job.

My brother didn’t notice.

“Don’t worry, Mom. I’ve already made arrangements. The second Elara graduates, she’ll get a cozy little job at the Pack hospital.”

He paused, like he’d just remembered I existed. He asked, with token effort, “Elara, do you need any help?”

“No.”

I’d already found one. A job in the human world. Overseas assignment. I’d leave as soon as I got my diploma in a few days.

That meant leaving the Pack. My wolf would lose the comfort of Pack bonds and blood ties.

My brother just hummed and said nothing more.

My father sensed the tension and tried to smooth it over with a laugh. “Our second daughter’s always been independent. So easy to raise.”

I paused, lacing my shoes.

It wasn’t that I was independent. It was that I knew if I didn’t do everything myself, no one would do it for me.

My parents were elders on the Pack Council. Our family had deep roots in the Pack. My brother was the firstborn—an Alpha-nominated trainee Beta, everyone had placed their hopes on him from the moment he was born. My sister was the youngest—the little princess held in the palms of our parents and the entire Pack.

Me? I was stuck in the middle, never standing out and never truly belonging anywhere. Like an invisible person.

My sister put down her soda and ran over, linking her arm through mine.

“Sis, is there anything you want? I’ll bring something back for you.”

Her face looked earnest. Her eyes flickered with something—maybe guilt. She knew this wasn’t fair.

But I knew her.

She’d forget. Just like every other trip. She’d remember the scarf Mom wanted, the tie Dad needed. She’d collect wolf fangs and bones for my brother.

But she’d never remember me.

That flicker of guilt faded fast.

I was used to it.

I gave a small smile. “Just bring whatever you think looks good.”

My mother paused mid-pack, then smiled at me.

“Elara, look how sweet your sister is to you. Don’t you want to show your appreciation?”

My father seemed to have been waiting for that opening. He said, smoothly, “How about this—your first month’s paycheck from your summer job from your summer job can be your sister’s allowance.”