1

Maxine. 

It was the night of the annual moon festival. This was a very auspicious moment for us werewolves. 

The place was buzzing with excitement from every corner. I noticed a few influential people. Powerful and influential Alphas came to this festival. 

I couldn't contain my excitement. 

"Tonight," I muttered to myself. "I will awaken my wolf and get chosen as a Luna." I felt confident in myself. 

After all, I was very pretty, and I had a perfect body. So who wouldn't want me as their Luna? 

I felt a pulse of energy cursing through the air, it ignited a fervor within me as I stood at the edge of the clearing. I couldn't contain my anticipation. 

"Now, the young wolf should attempt their howl. Should they be successful, their wolves will come to them." The person who gave these instructions was a man revered highly in the werewolf community. He is Elder Joseph, one of the oldest and wise werewolves out there. 

"This is it," I uttered quietly in excitement. "The night I embraced my true self." 

With a deep breath, I closed my eyes and lifted my head to the sky, ready to unleash the primal howl that laid dormant within me. 

"Here goes nothing!" 

"..." 

I attempted the howl and found nothing but silence greeting me in return.

My heart sank as the realization washed over me—my wolf remained asleep. 

"Why won't you come out!" I didn't realize it when I blurted with rage at my wolf for refusing to heed my call. 

I am already 18. Some werewolves awaken their wolves by 16. Some are even younger. 

My chest became heavy with disappointment. All my expectations were shattered. 

I watched as other werewolves around me awakened their newfound powers.

Their howls reverberated through the night. Each powerful cry felt like a dagger to my heart. 

The moon reached its zenith, signaling the time for the Alphas to choose their mates. I pushed aside my disappointment. 

I hoped to be chosen. "Maybe, just maybe, I'll be chosen." 

But one by one, the Alphas passed by me. They'd spare a single glance devoid of emotions before moving on. 

None of them wanted me. This revelation stung me like a fresh wound. 

Even Gerald, the Alpha of our pack and the object of my unspoken affections, was no exception. 

"I'm sorry, Maxine," he said, his voice carrying a pinch of pity. "But I can't mate with someone who can't even awaken their wolf. You're not fit to be by my side."

Earlier it was daggers. But now, it is as if a bazooka was aimed and fired at my heart, it is exploding into millions of pieces. 

"I, Alpha Gerald, reject you as my Luna."

In the end, he picked my childhood friend, Rhea, to be his Luna. It's as if the night was meant to torture me mentally and emotionally. 

I had a small body. But tonight, I felt smaller than ever. I felt like a rat in the midst of wild cats. 

I did my best to contain my tears. But, a single tear still escaped, tracing a path down my cheek.

I turned away, unable to bear the pitying looks that followed me. 

At that moment, I felt utterly alone. 

I returned home with a heavy heart. I rushed to my room to drown myself with my tears of pity. 

The weight of the rejection still hung heavy in the air. 

I lay awake, my heart heavy with the words that had been spoken, the wounds still ever raw and throbbing.

But even in the silence of the night, I couldn't escape the harsh reality that awaited me. 

My only family, my father, and Gerald's beta, Harold, sought me out. He gave me a stern look of disappointment. 

"You've brought shame upon our family, Maxine," he spat, his voice was laced with venom. 

"I never thought I would live to see the day when my own daughter would fail so miserably."

"Father..." I wanted to explain myself, but he cut me off. 

"Don't interrupt me, child. I'm not yet done talking." 

His words cut me much deeper than any blade. I tried to speak, to defend myself against his accusations, but my lips wouldn't move. I felt suffocated by the weight of his disappointment.

"I wish you had never been born," he whispered. And with that final blow, he turned and walked away, leaving me alone. 

I couldn't sleep that night. His words kept replaying in a loop in my head. 

That was the worst night of my life. But little did I know was that the next day would be the worst day of my life. 

The first break of sunlight hit my face. I wiped away the remnants of my tears, steeling myself for whatever fresh hell awaited me.

Father stood in the doorway. He gave me a stern look. It was devoid of any emotion. 

"Come." 

I didn't know what he wanted, but who was I to disobey my father?

I followed him in silence with a heavy heart, we went outside and boarded his car. 

The ride to the unfamiliar grounds was suffocating. 

Father didn't talk throughout the journey. He didn't even spare me a glance. As such, I zipped my lips with the fear of offending him. 

We pulled up to the gates of a grand castle, its presence loomed over us like a silent sentinel. 

My heart hammered against my chest as we stepped out of the car. Father leads the way with a haste stride. 

As we entered the castle, my eyes widened in disbelief at the sight before me. 

The man who stood before us was revered and feared throughout the supernatural world as a ruthless dictator - Alpha Liam. 

"Harold." 

"Liam." 

The two greeted each other, but the tense atmosphere was enough to tell that they weren't acquaintances, so I assumed us coming here was something akin to a business. 

My father turned to me. 

"I can't bear the shame of your failure any longer, Maxine," he spat. "I'm giving you away to Alpha Liam. He's the only Alpha who would take someone like you. Perhaps he can instill some semblance of discipline into you."

The words hit me like a physical blow. For a moment, time seemed to freeze. 

"Don't do this, father," I begged, "Please, don't leave me with him. You heard the stories, I promise, next year I'll come up." 

But my pleas fell on deaf ears. I clung to him desperately, my fingers digged into his legs as he turned to leave. 

The omegas surrounding us pulled me away. I watched helplessly as my father disappeared into the distance, his figure dwindled until he was nothing more than a distant memory.