The Moon Festival

Clary was very excited about the Moon Festival now that she was finally of age. She could finally attend and that made her so incredibly happy. Eighteen years of age should have made her feel different but there was barely any change. 

She had always dreamed of finding her one true mate; someone that would save her from her life of misery and bullying. You see, Clary’s life was a living hell. 

She had been struggling with acne from the moment she hit her teens. She had tried everything but it only got worse and worse over the years. This made her very self-conscious and insecure, which in turn got her bullied by a bunch of awful, entitled girls at school.

But that was not the only thing she was bullied for. 

She was also bullied and looked down on because she was an omega; a low-rank werewolf that was destined for a life of service to the higher-rank werewolves. 

That made her sick to her stomach. But that was the life that she was given. And on top of that, she was reminded every day by her dad of how she ruined his life. And it made sense, she did.

Clary was not the real daughter of the man that she called dad. He had told her that when she was just nine. Her real parents left her at the doorstep when she was a baby. They left no note or anything, they just left her. 

At that time, the man that she was left with was a famous preacher; in fact, the only preacher that the pack had. But it all went to crap the moment she was introduced into his life. Maybe she was cursed. Or maybe she was not. 

The preacher’s wife told him to get rid of Clary when she was a baby but he refused. That was the beginning of how his family fell apart. A year later, he was alone and began to drown himself in self-loathe and alcohol. 

But he still did not get rid of Clary. He took care of her but with each year that passed, he became more of a drunk and even more abusive. He would beat on her often. Sometimes just because he was reminded that his family had left him because of her. 

And with all that, Clary still had hope. She believed that that night of the Moon Festival, everything was going to change for the better. 

It was a Friday and Clary had just come from school. Her spirit was broken and she felt a wave of depression. She loved school and learning but it was the people at the school that made her want to punch walls. 

Every day she was bullied and this Friday was not an exception. She was called names and reminded of how lucky she was to have the scholarship that she had to go to Elites High. Even the name of the school sounded classist. 

But she did not pay much attention to all that because tonight was going to be the night! It was going to be the night that the heavens would smile on her, she believed. It was the night of the Moon Festival. 

The Moon Festival was an event that was held every year at the mansion of the Alpha and Luna of the pack. Every werewolf in the pack that was above eighteen was there to have a good time but mostly to find a mate. 

It was a night that was meant to celebrate the Moon goddess and the mate bond; a night when dreams came through. 

The drunkard that Clary referred to as dad was not home even though it was now past eight in the evening. He was probably still out getting his system drowned with more liquor. She just hope that he did not pass out somewhere and she had to go get him. 

She had done that two times in the past month and it was not easy or pleasant. 

Clary decided to get the house cleaned and cook something for him before getting ready for the Festival. It took a solid hour to do that but she got it done. She made some rice and stew. She also scrubbed the floors and made sure everywhere was tidy and sparkling clean. 

When she was done, she did not even have the appetite to eat even though she had not eaten since she came from school. It must have been the excitement and the thin layer of anxiety that came with it. 

When she was satisfied that she had done all her chores and it was past nine, she decided to get ready. Clary headed to her room, took a quick shower, and got ready. She found one of her best clothes to wear. 

It may have been a raggy dress but she adored it anyway. This dress was gifted to her by her dad, and not because it was a special day. It was because he had beaten her so badly that she had to be rushed to the hospital and he was afraid that she would press charges against him. 

So the dress was like an incentive. But it was not the reason Clary did not press charges. She did not because that man was the only family she had; the only real home that she had. 

And she had this small hope that maybe one day, just one day, her real parents would come back for her. So she had to be with him when they did. 

When she had worn the dress, she admired herself in the mirror. She wore her dark-brown hair down and wore lovely slippers that made her feel like a princess. The dress was a faded blue color and had a light glow to it. 

When she was satisfied with her look, she headed out of her room and down the stairs. She approached the front door with the intention of leaving but when she reached for the doorknob, she heard a small click that caused her to flinch away. 

Her heart dropped as the door swung open slowly, revealing her dad. She stood like her feet were cemented to the floor and watched him walk into the house. 

He stopped in his tracks when he saw her. He ran his eyes over her and scoffed lightly. “You look nice, where are you going?” The smell of alcohol on him was evident. His eyes were bloodshot and he barely had a good balance. 

Clary swallowed nervously and tried to speak despite her heart thumping in her chest. “Um, tonight is the night of the Moon Festival.” Her voice was shy. 

“Mm-hmm,” He mumbled and smirked. “Go get our puzzle from my room so we can work on it together. Go on, it would be fun.” He burped and then chuckled deeply. 

Clary was tentative and her body was shaking but she had to tell him. “Can we do it another night? I’m going to the Moon Festival tonight.” She smiled nervously. “I’m finally of age, dad. I think it’s time that I find a mate.”

Her dad made a small grunt and then ran his hand through his gray hair that was thinning. He glared at her for a few seconds and then spat in her face. “After everything I have done for you, you rather go out there and behave like a sl*t than spend time with me?!” He raised his voice. 

Clary took a few steps back in fear but she was too late. Her dad’s eyes hardened and he suddenly reached for her neck with a strong force that caused her to gasp sharply. “Dad, please,” She cried as she struggle to breathe. 

His hands tightened around her neck with each passing second as he stared into her eyes.