Prologue

It was on days like this that I missed my parents and wished the accident had not taken them from me. 

The day was my 8th birthday. My parents decided to take me to the theme park I always dream to. As the pack’s alpha and luna, they have always been busy. I was so excited before we got on the one-way trip.

My dad was driving, my mom was sitting in the passenger seat, and they were talking about how I would definitely cry later and not ride the roller coaster. 

They always have endless words to share with each other. Sure, sometimes it can be a lot when you have parents that are hopelessly in love. But I know I want the same thing when I grow up. Someone who’ll make me content and happy just by stay at his side.

I asked them, why do you love each other so much, my mom smiled and said, “because we are mate honey, you will also meet your mate and fall in love with him after you grow up.”

But they could never see me grow up, our car hit a massive oak tree on our way to the theme park.

I couldn't forget my parents' faces were covered in blood, and then the car exploded.

 I was the only one who survived.

Mom.. Dad..I can’t breathe. I felt like falling down an endlesss hole and drowning at the same time. I need.. I need air

Just before I lose all the oxygen, I woke up. Good news, It was just a nightmare. Bad news, I was literally being suffocated.

There is a pillow pushing over my face, forcing me awake from my short rest. It was Fiona, my cousin.  Was she trying to kill me? I pushed her away with all the strength I had. The oxygen back into my lungs.

"What gives Fiona? Have you lost your mind?!" I snapped at her, wondering why on earth she would do that to me.

"That's what you get for oversleeping, have you forgotten what day it is?"“You bitch, did you eat too much yesterday, how come you have so much strength? If you have no place to use your strength, fucking get up and work.”She asked angrily, folding her arms over her flat chest, her newly straightened platinum blonde hair flowing all the way to her waist as she knelt on my bed.

"I know it's your 18th birthday," And my 17th birthday too. But it’s best not to think about it. No one cares anyway.  I was still trying to catch my breath, "geez, I spent all night making preparations, and barely got enough sleep." I glared at her, looking around my small bedroom for the wall clock. I was still hazy with sleep. It was only past seven in the morning.

I was adopted by my father’s brother and treated like a slave in the house since my parents died. A house that should’ve been my heritage if my uncle hadn't stolen everything from me. 

I was too busy and tired every day, that I have no time to dream about romance or even finding my mate like other girls, For the girls in this age, most of them like to imagine how strong and wonderful their mate would be. As for me, just housework and not to be punished.  I didn’t expect the mate as my mother said anymore.

I got out of bed, arranging the sheets on my worn-out floor bed, "you are a witch Fiona, nothing more." I whispered.

"Excuse me?!" She came closer, "what did you just call me?"

"Forget it," I scoffed. 

"I thought as much, hurry downstairs you fucking slut, if you don't want my mom in here and plucking your ugly eyeballs out of their socket!" She smirked and flipped her hair so hard, that it slapped my face when she turned to leave the room.

I frowned in disgust when she left my room, if you could call it a room. It used to be the basement and was too small and dark to fit a person correctly. We had four bedrooms in this house that used to belong to my parents before they died but my uncle didn't think I was worthy of a room that size. I only had a bed in here, an old oak desk and a small chest where I kept old pictures and my clothes.

I scooted over to a small framed picture of my parents and me , and blew the dust from it, "happy birthday day to me," I shrugged and sighed. It was taken a few days before my eight birthday. Fiona and I used to look forward to celebrating our birthdays together but once my uncle took over as the alpha, it went downhill. After my parents died, no one cared about my birthday anymore and I had no friends either.

While other girls my age liked to imagine how strong and wonderful their mates would be, I was too soaked in trying to avoid being punished and doing all the housework.

Heading downstairs, my stomach rumbled at the aroma of sweet smelling meat. I tried my best to ignore all the presents lined up for her, why did she get to have so many gifts and no one even cared to offer me anything. It was sad but I was used to it, my birthday was never a good day for me especially after my parents died. 

"Look who's finally decided to show up." My aunt barked when she saw me.

She had the same build as her daughter and I despised her even more, "good morning aunt Frida."

"What's good when you're in here?"

"Well, do you want me to go back into my bedroom?" I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"Set the plates in the kitchen!" She snapped, folding her lanky arms across her chest, "get going immediately, I hate the smell of humans."

As I strolled to the kitchen, I pictured how amazing it would be to tell her she looked terrible even after so much surgery and was already having wrinkles. She mocked me intentionally and called me a human because I was yet to have my wolf.

Every year, Fiona celebrated her birthday mornings in the pack's amusement park, and I was beyond glad to be going with them this year, even if I was supposed to be accompanying them to hand fan Fiona since the weather was so hot.

It was a chance to find my mate rather than being enclosed in this house all the time.

**

It was time to leave. Fiona wouldn't stop flaunting her expensive designer gown. I was in regular Jeans and an old top that was Fiona's until she no longer wanted it.

"This has to be the best day ever!" She grinned from ear to ear, walking with my uncle and aunt on each side of her, while I strolled behind them.

My uncle was like my father, the same height of six four and looked so much like him. My aunt and Fiona were on the shorter side, both blonde and five-four.

"It seems there might be something going on with the pack today, there are a lot of servers hanging around," I noted as I saw a lot of omegas holding different materials.

"A high rank found his mate you fool, so there's of course a celebration and…ah!" She trailed off as someone had spilled the drinks she was carrying all over her dress.

Without stopping to think twice, Fiona slapped the poor omega server harshly across the face. 

"I'm so sorry," the server bowed her head, "I didn't see you, the tray was too heavy I couldn't see the other side, please don't punish me alpha." She sounded so terrified, keeping her head bowed.

"My birthday is ruined!" Fiona kept yelling, "my dress, this bastard has ruined it all!" 

"Have you lost your mind?" Aunt Frida snapped at the poor omega. "Do you know the price for doing shit like this? If you don't hurry out of our sight, it will be your last day in the pack!"

"Yes Luna," the omega hurried out of our sight, not bothering to pick her tray up.

"It's okay Fiona," my uncle wrapped his arms around his crying bitch of a daughter. "Hey this was supposed to be for later," he reached into the pocket of his pants, "but you can have it now."

I narrowed my eyes at the necklace he was holding, while Fiona's eyes glowed, "oh my goddess, dad!" She wrapped her arms around him, receiving the familiar sapphire necklace. "Thank you! I love it so much."

"Hey," I snatched it from her grip, "you can't give this to her, it belonged to my mom." I snapped at him and my uncle's angry glare scared me to death, fur sprouting from his skin and his eyes glowing a dark red, it was a sign that his wolf was near. I took a step back, my heart thumping in its cage.

"How dare you interfere in your Alpha's affairs?!" He growled and leaned forward, kicking me by the side before taking the necklace from me.

“​​Remember, you're just a slave living in my house now. You are an orphan, if I didn't adopt you, you may become a rogue,  it's enough to feed you and drink you, all your inheritance is my family's now, how can you compare with my daughter. Don’t forget your place!”

I stumbled backward and fell from the impact of his kick and held where he'd hit. I groaned in pain, unable to hear anything around me anymore. 

I watched them leave, not looking back once except when Fiona looked over her shoulder to smirk at me while her mom assisted her with wearing the necklace.

He was right, I am a slave now, my dear parents were long gone.

"Bunch of assholes, huh?" A voice came from behind me.

I traced the hand to the face. It belonged to the omega Fiona had hit earlier. I managed to take her hand and she helped me to my feet. "Looks like it's not our lucky day." She brushed the grass pieces from my hair and clothes, her blue eyes melting into my green ones with a smile.

"I'm Nancy," she introduced herself.

"Sheila," I said with a sigh, biting back the tears that threatened to fall.

Noticing the look on my face, she put one arm around me, "hey It's okay, why don't you come with me to the rooftop, I go there when I want to see all the affairs of the pack." 

The rooftop was the name given to the rooftop of an old building no one stayed at anymore. It was high enough you could see everything around but people barely went there due to how scary it was.

"Don't you have other things to do besides hang out with me?" 

"Nah," she shrugged, "I just lost my job anyways." She tugged my hand to pull me forward but I stood still, closing my eyes.

"What are you doing?" She furrowed her eyebrows at me.

"Just trying to see if I can feel my wolf yet." I sighed.

"Huh?"

"It's my eighteenth birthday and I still haven't gotten my wolf yet." 

"Wow, that's okay," she shrugged.

"You don't care?"

"Why would I? We can share my wolf, her name's Lara." She teased and we both ended up laughing. She took my hand in hers, "happy birthday to you." Her smile was so calming that for once in my life, I felt like everything would be alright as we headed to the rooftop. I finally had a friend to call my own.

If only I'd known how drastically my life was going to change.