Chapter 1: My Eighteenth Birthday

Chapter 1: My Eighteenth Birthday

"Clean the damn floor and tidy the kitchen! The party ended an hour ago, and it still looks like shit!" The chief maid screamed at me. I hurried to grab the dirty rag, my hands already raw from scrubbing all day. The floor was sticky with spilled drinks and food. My knees ached as I crawled around, cleaning up after people who saw me as less than dirt.

It's been two years since I was pronounced a wolfless wolf by my pack, called an abomination, and degraded to an omega. I was even given a special title.

"The omega of the Omegas! Hahahaha, that's so funny..." Aries mumbled in my head, taunting me like usual, and I gave a sarcastic smile.

"Yes, that's so funny. Like it's my fault," I groaned at her, and she purred, now feeling sorry for me.

They never knew my wolf surfaced that night, and she spoke to me. Like every other werewolf, I had connected with my wolf, and it had been a secret.

"Oh, it seems you're just getting started, aren't you?" I looked up. Lily stood in the doorway, smirking down at me. Her perfectly clean dress made me painfully aware of my stained, torn clothes.

"This is going to be so much fun, watching you clean all that," she said, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. "Oh, Aveline, my dear, seeing you like this just made my day. I'm going to tell the chief maid that there's no food for you until you've cleaned the entire kitchen and pack house."

She giggled, about to skip away, when she turned, like she'd forgotten something.

"Happy birthday to us! I hope little Ren hasn't wished you that first. But considering the next alpha will be my new mate, and I will be the next Luna of the pack, and he is throwing me a huge party... I might consider taking it easy on you, hahahaha."

She sarcastically whispered, and then she skipped away, leaving me crouched by the kitchen island, my breath hitching as the tears were about to spring forth again.

I could feel my wolf snuggling inside my head, purring and also feeling the pain I was feeling.

"I fucking hate her and her stupid alpha." My wolf nodded, acknowledging my hate for them.

"But you like him," my wolf whispered, stretching like she'd just woken up.

"Stop listening to my thoughts, Aries," I said, arranging the dirty plates with shaking hands.

She was right; I'd always had a crush on Desmond right from the good old days, and Lily knew about it; that's what made it hurt the most.

"Today is our birthday! I mean, I came into your life two years ago, but still—it's our birthday!" Aries practically screamed in my head.

I rolled my eyes. I knew what day it was, but I'd chosen to ignore it like always.

"There's nothing to be excited about."

"But it's our eighteenth birthday! The one we've been waiting for! The day we meet our mate who will sweep us off our feet and take us away from this hellhole!"

I groaned. Aries was everything I wasn't—happy, hopeful, and never giving up on love. I'd stopped believing in fairy tales a long time ago.

The pack was rumbling with activities. Today wasn't just my birthday; it was Lily's too, and Desmond was throwing her a big birthday party in her honor, and today she would find her mate.

I was now done with house chores, struggling to see if I could get a piece of bread crumb to eat before I fainted because I was exhausted as hell. Luckily, I saw some leftovers in the kitchen, and I quickly devoured them like I hadn't eaten in weeks, my hands shaking as I shoved the food in my mouth.

"Your presence is needed in the packhouse. We need more food and more water." The chief maid said, and I nodded, wiping my hands quickly as I stomped off to the party. I hated being here, among spoiled brats who stared at me like an abomination.

"Welcome, everyone, to my daughter's birthday party and the Mate Bonding Party. This day isn't just for her but for the future of the entire pack. As the goddess may as well know, we want my daughter to be united with our lovely alpha, Desmond, and today, the goddess shall grant us that." Beta Richard said, holding a glass of wine as he raised it for a toast. Everyone cheered and raised their glasses as they toasted one another.

As I pushed myself among each person, ensuring everyone had what they needed, the room went quiet. An elder came out from the entrance, standing in the middle of the ballroom.

The old lady called Eleanor looked around the party, then her eyes landed on me, pausing on me for a second before she looked away.

"What was that about?" My wolf questioned, but I ignored her, watching as Eleanor began chanting some special moon words. She poured out some incense from the golden cup she held onto the ground, and suddenly, there was a surge of energy that filled the entire party. It was an energy everyone could feel.

Then it hit me; I picked up a scent that hit me like a strong wind. My whole body froze. It smelled divine, rich like the most expensive citrus scent, mixed with a dark, woodsy scent, and I felt my legs unconsciously walking me toward the scent, wherever it came from.

Aries was already purring with satisfaction and excitement. With each step I took, the scent grew stronger. I could see my pack staring at me awkwardly, but I didn't care at that point. That scent, that wonderful scent—I wanted to know who had it.

The scent was so strong, so perfect, it made my knees weak.

My mouth watered. My heart kept racing with each step, then I stopped involuntarily, like something urged me to stop. When I looked up, the scent was so heavy on the man standing in front of me, his eyes glaring into mine, and my wolf purred.

"Mate."

My heart stopped for a moment, my very soul shattered into tiny little pieces as I whispered.

"Alpha Desmond…"

The word hung in the air like poison.

I could feel every eye in the room burning into me. The party had gone dead silent. Even the music stopped.

Desmond's face went through about ten different emotions in two seconds. Shock. Recognition. Then something that looked like disgust.

"No." His voice was barely a whisper, but everyone heard it. "No, this can't be right."

His eyes burned into mine like I was something that shouldn't exist.