Chapter 2 (Midnight Pack)

Valeria POV

I sat by the window of the car, looking outside into the endless woods. The dinner ended with sour faces and two smiling faces. Mother and father were happy to have gotten rid of me, while the rest were not happy with their Alpha’s choice, but they couldn’t argue with him. Ruby was disappointed, throwing a fit of temper and storming out of the dining room. Father was, of course, embarrassed; she embarrassed his guests and him, and he had apologised to the young Alpha by bowing his head. His cheeks were a bright red, and it was a funny scene. This is not the first time she embarrassed him, but he never said a word, and this he couldn’t overlook.

“Are you sure of this, Adrain?” a deep voice across me asked. I didn’t turn my head. I don’t know who this man is, but he seems to talk to the Alpha like he is his brother, and from his aura, he is probably the beta of the pack.

“No,” he replied.

“So, why did you choose her? She looks timid; our pack would not survive a week in her hands; her sister was a better choice,” he exclaimed. The alpha took his time replying, like he was gathering his thoughts.

“Trust me, Collin. I have no interest in Alpha Julius’ first daughter. Ruby is better, but I promised my father and mother to wed their first daughter; I can’t go back on my words,” he said. Collin breathed out, and a small smile sat on my face. They are both like my pack and family; they look down on me and talk harshly about me without caring if I was there or not. He doesn’t even know my name.

“All this won’t be happening if you have a mate,” he said. I tilt my head in confusion. He doesn’t have a mate. Mates are hard to pass by; there are so many packs in the world and they could be anywhere, but destiny or fate always brings us to our mates. Every wolf was created with a mate, so how come he doesn’t have a mate? Is she dead, or wasn’t he born with one? Yes, some wolves are that unlucky.

“Let’s not talk about mates now, Collin. We should think of how the pack would accept her; I don’t want rebels,” he said, and he sounded stressed. I breathe out. Well, I wish he would have picked my sister instead so I could look for my mate, but it’s too late now. No wolf would ever want me, as they all know I am mated to Alpha Adrain of the Midnight Pack. He is not anyhow Alpha; he is powerful and successful. No Alpha or wolf would want to take something that belongs to him, which means I am fucked. Collin burst into a loud laugh.

“No one would accept her, Adrain; that is why we have to fix this before they start rebelling,” he said, and I could feel their piercing gaze on me as usual, but I ignored it. The remaining ride to the pack was smooth. I tried my hardest not to fall asleep, as I don’t trust everyone around me and I needed to be vigilant, so I kept on pinching myself hard. By the time we got to the pack, my hand was pure red. The pack house was empty; I guess he commanded everyone to stay in their rooms; it was night anyway. I stood looking at the men; I could tell they were conversing.

“Show her to the room,” the alpha said, walking out. The other men also walked out, and the man, Collin stood in front of me. He sneered at me.

“Follow me,” he said, walking away, and I followed him. We climbed the stairs, going to the 3rd floor. The 3rd floor had no scents; it smelt old and rusty. I guess I would be the only one living here. We got to a room, and he opened it. I stood by the door, looking into the dusty room.

“Listen to the instructions,” he said. I turned around, looking at him.

“This third floor belongs to you. There is everything you need: a kitchen, extra rooms, multiple bathrooms, a jacuzzi, a movie room—everything you might need or want is here. The kitchen is well stocked, so I guess you can make your own food. By saying that, I mean you are not allowed to eat with the Alpha,” he said. I kept looking at him.

“Trust me, no one is going to come here; this room belongs to you only. Now we have not accepted you as our Luna, so you are simply a guest. You may roam around if you want, but don’t cause any trouble. A guard would be assigned to you by tomorrow; if you need anything, you tell him; that would be all,” he said, not waiting for me to reply. He walked off. I stood rooted to my spot as he slammed the door shut. The night was quiet—no sounds, nothing. I entered the room, and it looked so dirty. The sheets looked dirty. There was cobweb all around; everything looked so abandoned. 

The tears I have been holding for so long fell down my face. I collapsed on the dusty floor, holding my chest as I cried out. I always wondered, Why was I ever born? If I almost killed my mother when she wanted to have me, like they said, why didn’t they just kill me? Why keep the worthless girl that nobody wants? I have never received love in my life; my mother never braided my hair; my father never carried me on his shoulders running around; I was never given any gifts or ever celebrated any birthday. 

No princess gowns or tiaras; no favourite foods. I have never even eaten a cake; I have no idea how it tastes; I have never had a friend; nobody celebrated my shift with me. I remembered my first shift. I was 13 years old and never educated about shifting. I was running low, I was confused, and I went to my father, but he chased me out and told me never to show my face to him ever again. I walked around the pack looking for help. I cried, hoping a parent would hear my cries and help me, but no one did. I screamed on top of my lungs, my bones breaking, but no one looked at me twice.

I shifted all by myself, and I taught myself how to shift back into my human. That was the most horrible day of my life. I couldn’t tell if I was hurt physically or emotionally. Knowing the world was so cruel to a little girl in pain, I screamed and begged, but no one. Now once again, I am abandoned, thrown into this dirty room, treated like a slave. No, even a slave is treated better than I am; I am just a tool passed around for people to use as they like.

“I never should have been born,” I cried out, rubbing my chest. My chest was heavy; no amount of crying could reduce the burden I carried in my heart. I didn’t move from the floor; I had cried myself to sleep.