Shattered Hope

River had gotten up that morning, grinning excitedly. 

She hadn't even slept a blink. She only slept for about thirty minutes and got up to start her day when the alarm rang.

She was the mate of Alpha Caden, the soon-to-be Alpha of the North. The Alpha of the North was a leader who oversaw the activities of all the Packs in North. 

The North had over 300 Packs and 320 Alphas. Alpha Caden was going to be their Alphas. And she, River, a lowly Omega, an orphan that had grown malnourished due to lack of healthy feeding, would be his Luna, overseeing the activities with him.

It had all happened fast. Alpha Caden made the approach. He invited her to the large jacuzzi in the Pack house. Then, the rest was history. Either way, she was becoming his Luna.

She couldn't believe she was getting married to an Alpha. And, not just any Alpha, the soon-to-be North Alpha, who would oversee all Wolf Packs in the North.

She was going to be his Luna.

She couldn't believe her ears when Caden blurted it out the previous night while they danced around the jacuzzi. He had said he would be making it official to the school tomorrow, so he asked her to dress pretty.

River picked the only thing resembling pretty in the duffel bag where she had managed to stuff all her clothes. It was a dress she had borrowed from one of the Beta's daughters in the North and when she returned it, she had said she couldn't wear it again. It is a black bodycon short leather dress with bell sleeves and a large bow by her chest.

Tessa, her friend and also an Omega, had seen this dress on her as well as her bright smile and given her a suspicious gaze. But River said nothing. She wanted it to be a surprise.

She was going to be the Luna of the North. Her excitement intensifies.

She strode to school, her head up high unlike other days she had had to go to school when nobody had arrived, to avoid irritable gazes and, in a worst-case scenario, bumping into one of her bullies.

Olivia, one of the girls that had always bullied her, had watched her strode past her in surprise, her brow pinched together. River never had the guts to sweep past her without acknowledging her. But, that morning, she did.

However, all through the lectures, River hadn't caught a glimpse of Caden. He hadn't been in any classes. So, she searched for him once it was lunchtime. Maybe he wanted to make it like. A proposal, River thought. You know, decoration and all. This made River more excited as she continued searching for Caden.

He wasn't in the cafeteria when she checked.

When River started searching desperately for him in the school hallway among the few students that were gathered there, she suddenly stepped on a paste and slipped, flying back and landing flat on the tiled floor.

The students in the hallway burst out laughing. River bites her lower lip anxiously when she sights Cecilia and her group.

Cecilia had always hated the sight of her ever since young Beta Damien, son of Beta Smith, had rejected her and sternly warned her to leave River alone.

But, she only had the right to lay a finger on River whenever Damien wasn't around. Like now.

Her group strides towards her, pinning her with an irritated gaze.

"Your saviour is nowhere in sight." Cecilia smirked, extending her hand to help River up.

River rejects the offer, getting up on her own. She had once fallen for her trick and accepted it, and Cecilia dropped her to the ground back. More aggressively.

"Oh, little River can finally do things herself."

Cecilia mocked.

"I heard you were seen with the Alpha Caden yesterday?"

Hannah, one of Cecilia's group of friends, suddenly chipped in, sounding annoyed.

"Alpha Caden?"

The group murmured, sharing glances

River's lips curved into a smirk.

"Yes, Alpha."

River confirmed, eyeing the group and the test of the students in the hallway who had all shifted their attentions to her.

"Th-that's impossible. Alpha Caden was at the main packhouse yesterday." Cecilia pointed out, her tone unsure. "Right?" she turned to Tracy, Damien’s cousin, her strawberry blonde, her sweeping her face. Tracy responds with a shrug.

"A waiter said she had seen them and three other people from bloodhound the same thing. According to the waiter that had attended to them, they were flirting. And, Alpha Caden asked her out."

The school hallway echoed gasps of shock as everyone in the hallway already had their attention on the informant of the rumor, and River's lips spread wider in a smirk.

"Shut up, Hannah. You mostly spread baseless rumours without checking facts."

Cecilia spat angrily, still glaring at River.

"Let's hear from Alpha Caden."

Cecilia suddenly said, looking over River's shoulder.

The hallway stayed silent, and everyone looked at the direction Cecilia had her focus on.

Alpha Caden walks into the hall with calculated and purposely steps. A bag is swung over his shoulder, and he wore a black t-shirt, blue jeans, and black boots. His blond hair dampened as if he had just had this bath.

Cecilia pushed past River and walked up to Caden as he unlocked his locker, paying zero attention to everyone. Including River.

Maybe he wants to confirm the rumour with Cecilia, River assumed delusional.

"Alpha, is the rumour true?"

Cecilia asked Caden, and the hall went silent. Everyone focused on Caden to hear his answer

"Yes." Caden blurted out, and River released a sigh of relief as the rest of the hallway gasped out another shock. She thought for a second that he would deny her.

"I had a great time," Caden continued. "It was a great dare."

"Dare?" River mumbled to herself in the corner.

"What dare?" Cecilia asked curiously in the place of everyone in the hall, including River.

"Yes. Finn dared me to sleep with an Omega." The hallway echoed a gasp of shock the third time. 

"It was so challenging and difficult, but I scaled through. I thought I wouldn't." Caden said, shoving his textbooks into his bag from his locker.

"How were you able to manage with her? Weren't you irritated?"

Cecilia asked Caden, a hint of amusement in her tone.

"Like I said, it was difficult.

"Caden." River suddenly called out in the crowd, brushing past them as she made it towards Caden.

Caden threw a blank stare at her.

"Is this a joke?" River stopped before him, a few inches shorter than him.

"What joke?" Caden deadpanned.

His eyes were cold. They were not the exact ones that had regarded her with so much interest and thrill. It wasn't possibly the same ones that was madly in love with her the previous night. No, it couldn't be.

"What do you mean dare? Can you explain?" Rive demanded, a bile in her throat.

"I don't owe you any explanation."

River grabbed his forearms when he started to leave. Flashback of how she had ran her hand down his forearms at the pool the previous night came rushing back into her head. Now, she is more enraged.

"Oh hell, you do! You can't just defile me like that and tell me it was a silly dare.

Caden chucked darkly. Even his tone had grown cold. What had happened overnight?

"Defile? Would that be a way to put it? Last thing I remember, you deliberately got yourself drunk last night to get me to sleep with you."

"Caden, I—"

"Are you aware of the punishment that accompanies addressing an Alpha by his first name? You lowlife really want to live the rest of your miserable life outside the Park, right?"

"But, you can't do this to me. You stole my innocence! You told me I was your mate! I thought it was something."

River cried out, caring less about the students that had brought out their cellphones to capture the moment.

"Right about that. I reject you as my mate. The heavens thought I should be paying for my ancestors' sins by making you my mate. Their bad."

Chuckles and snorts emerged from the crowd.

"I can't afford to stay in the same breathing space as you. Being with you was torture, and I would rather tear my skin with my claws than endure that again.

A teardrop slid down River's face.

He started to stride away but halts and swirls around.

"Right. You tasted so good. Though I hate to admit. That was the only good thing about yesterday. Thanks for giving me a good time, even if it was brief. Have a terrible life, River."

Caden said, striding away.

River fell onto the floor, uncontrollable tears flowing freely down her eyes.

Since that day, life had treated her miserably. It was as if the heavens had heard Caden when he said, "Have a terrible life." and had worked extra time to make it possible.

Unfortunately for her, Damien, the omly friend that stood up for her, had also travelled out of the country. And, she was left all by herself, facing her bullies and the humiliation.

There was never a day of peace for River.