Chapter 1 - The Richards

A black SUV whistled down the almost empty road of the diversion road. Inside the car, the atmosphere was very dark and heavy.

“Are you even listening, Miss Richards?” A middle-aged man with a sullen face was sitting arrogantly behind the driver’s seat as he openly showed his disgust towards the lady seated at the back of the car.

“This is nothing like the countryside, Miss Richards. We hope you can behave well,” he said with no effort at trying to be polite.

Sitting in the last row of the car was Bella Richards, the youngest daughter of the Bluemoon pack's alpha. She was cockily chewing a gum in her mouth as she stared at the man with her beautiful eyes and thin lips that were slightly crooked as she listened to the senseless words of the man in front of her.

“You should always be thankful to your older sister, Miss Caitlin. She was the one who insisted on finding you and bringing you back into the pack.” The man’s voice suddenly shifted into a proud tone as he mentioned the alpha’s other daughter, Caitlin Richards. “She went against the council’s objection to taking you back—”

“And so?” Bella asked in a bored tone as impatience finally got the best of her. She was already tired of the endless and needless rambling of this guy.

“Caitlin asked for me?” Bella chuckled coldly as soon as the question left her lips. Her eyes mocking and cold as she finally lifted her head and turned to look at his eyes. “It was her and her mother who sent me to the countryside when I was a child. For years, I didn’t have anyone to look after me.”

The man in the front seat was too stunned to say anything. He wasn’t expecting that this lady would talk back. He heard how meek and scared she was as a child.

“So pardon my attitude if it is not on a par with the standards set by your lovely young lady.” Bella’s voice was filled with sarcasm.

“You…” the man uttered angrily, but Bella just playfully winked at him before returning to her original position earlier. She pulled up the headphones that were hanging on her neck and put them on as she let her eyes get lost in the moving scenery outside the car’s window.

The loud music drowned the voice of her father’s useless men. She let her mind temporarily wander around her memory lane as familiar sceneries appeared in front of her.

After years of being neglected in the countryside with no one but an old man to cater to her needs, Bella can’t believe she’s back in this city once again.

It actually baffled her after receiving news about her father’s request to bring her back. She was six years old when her mother, who was a mere rouge died. The luna of the pack, Caitlin’s mother, hated the sight of the living evidence of her mate’s infidelity and so they sent her away with the excuse of teaching her how to be independent.

Her father, who had no real attachment or affection for her, said nothing and just conceded to his wife’s request, sending the six-year-old Bella to an unknown place without no one to depend on.

She was so sure that she held no place in the family. But what actually does her father and that two-faced sister of hers want from her?

When she got out of the car, Bella looked up at the familiar and yet unfamiliar house in front of her. Her heart wavered a bit as memories of her mother’s loving eyes resurfaced in her mind, but she kept smiling to hide her emotions.

“You’re here.” Her attention was snatched away by the man who had just come out of the huge mansion in front of her.

“Behave. It’s your sister’s birthday today and there is a party ongoing. Know your place.” Allen Richards told her coldly before turning his back on her.

Bella rolled her eyes and quietly followed him inside.

Inside the mansion, the crowd was boisterous and vivacious.

‘So this is how Caitlin celebrates her birthday?’ Bella mockingly asked herself. She can’t even have a slice of cake for her birthday!

The guests raised their glasses to toast and gathered around in groups as soon as the father-daughter duo entered, their eyes curious and judging. Soon enough, loud sounds of whispers lingered in the air.

A petite girl, wearing a high-fashion evening gown and delicately dolled up ran over sweetly, “Daddy!”

Allen Richards affectionately stroked the girl’s head, his eyes' loving gaze directed at her. The gaze of a loving father gave an indescribable mockery to Bella’s eyes.

“Oh my gosh! Are you Bella?! You’ve grown up!” Caitlin’s gray eyes flickered with the lights as she stared at Bella with a haughtiness that was not seen by everyone.

Bella wears a wide short-sleeved shirt, white-washed jeans, and a pair of very simple sneakers while carrying a black backpack. And there’s one word to describe her… cheap.

Her very presence is the very opposite of the expensive-looking Caitlin in front of her.

A guest from the side opened her lips and spouted disgusted words while staring at Bella. “Who is that, Cait? She reeks of weak blood! Oh my God! Don’t tell me she’s an omega?!”

Caitlin subtly bit her lower lip to hide her smile. “Stop it, guys. This is Bella, my sister. We were separated for a very long time. She grew up in the countryside, so I guessed she was pretty much outdated, but I hope you won’t look down on her just because of that.”

Caitlin’s words sound like a concerned sister. However, in reality, her words had already pulled down Bella’s name into the dirt.

The curious eyes of the people around immediately turned contemptuous. They were all sons, daughters, nephews, and nieces of powerful pack leaders who usually look down on the weakest of their kinds.

“I requested for her to come back here because I already missed her so much and I wanted to be the one to educate her before she actually has her first turn!” 

“That’s so nice of you, Caitlin!” the girl complimented. “But you should be careful. Even though she’s your sister by blood, you can’t be too sure of her intentions.”

The surrounding people nodded in agreement with the girl’s statements, chiding in some comments and advice from here and there.

Bella unintentionally looked around, only to feel full of the strange eyes and new things in the mansion. All the familiar furniture in her memories is already gone, replaced with new ones.

“But she’s just an omega. Have you vacated a room in the servant’s ward for her?” the same girl mocked once again.

Bella picked on her ears with her own little finger. Impatience resurfaced in her fair face. “Some people really enjoy talking big.”

The crowd suddenly went silent hearing her arrogant tone.

With no one’s words, Bella blew on her finger before she ascended herself upstairs, leaving the stunned looks of the guests.