“So you are out there stealing mates now!” Dorothy’s aunt yelled and the chair she was sitting on wobbled. Right by her side, Bella had her hands crossed as she watched the show.
Dorothy didn't speak, she looked at her cousin who smirked and mouthed the words.
“Serves you right”
Fucking Snitch.
She held her bleeding head and calmed her breathing, suppressing her anger like she always did in similar situations.
Dorothy did not utter a word, there was no point explaining since no one would believe her and everything would only get harsher.
She was used to these situations, where the men from the pack would hit on her even though they had mates, yet it always ended up being her fault.
“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, you are just like your whore mother, having no morals. That bitch even seduced and slept with the Alpha, giving birth to a worthless existence like you before she died", her aunt scoffed, her expression filled with disdain. Dorothy clenched her hands, her lips curved up into a smile and her beauty seemed to radiate from that smile alone.
Wrong, her mother was the victim in that story.
“You talk about your sister like that yet you are all alone here because no one wants you, it's all a shame that those so-called morals didn't stop your husband from running away with a younger woman” she replied, and her aunt and cousin, who seemed fazed by her beauty for a moment, snapped out of it.
“How dare you!”
“Oh my goddess, why would she say that, mother?”
Dorothy just scoffed, she didn't bother wasting her breath as she made her way to the tiny attic that had been made into a room by her.j
She collapsed on her bed and curled up into a ball, the tears that were threatening to spill earlier fell. She hated crying, it wasn't worth giving them that satisfaction, but it was all unfair to her dead mother. Even though she had been violated by the Alpha, everyone blamed her, she was rejected by her mate and Dorothy was brought into the world as a result of that forbidden night.
She sat up, her eyes drifting to the nightstand, where an old, faded photograph lay half-tucked under the pillow. She picked it up with trembling hands as she let the tears flow, crying herself to sleep.
“Beep beep beep” The alarm clock began to ring as she lay on the bed, her knees drawn to her chest and her arms wrapped tightly around her shivering frame. Dorothy woke up drenched in sweat, her body in a sorry state and her eyes closed with tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Dammit,” she muttered under her breath.
Once again she had woken up to the horrible nightmare that seemed to plague her every time she lay down to sleep. She moved, tears soaking the sheets as she struggled to sit up. Her heart pounded as she used the sleeve of her shirt to wipe off the sweat. Running her hand through her hair, she sighed and got up.
She headed to the shower. Turning the water on, she relaxed, her eyes fluttering shut as the hot water flowed over her skin, washing off the blood and sending her relief.
Stepping out of the shower, she wrapped a towel around her body as she walked to the mirror. Looking at the old mirror, her reflection stared directly back at her. Red hair and a pair of green eyes, the replica of her dead mother.
Wolves were often gifted with great beauty, but her mother had that kind of beauty that could ignite wars and topple cities. She would always say to her that beauty was a good thing, but having the power to protect it was much better.
She scrambled through her drawer for something decent to wear, and by decent, she meant a t-shirt that didn't have holes or stitches in it. After practically rummaging through her entire drawer, she finally found a baggy shirt with floral prints. She threw on the T-shirt and a pair of black sweats before picking up the baseball cap on the bed, the one thing she never leaves behind.
***
“Oh my Moon Goddess, did you see all those hot men? I can't believe they are all here for your birthday ” Sophie nearly yelled, and nearly —everyone in the hallway turned their attention to the group.
“Yes, Father said I would be able to meet my mate” a voice replied, and it undeniably belonged to Jessica, Alpha Ryan’s daughter and Dorothy's half-sister, but she wasn't allowed to call her that.
The Alpha had two children, Jessica and James. James is twenty, and he is the future Alpha of the pack, while Jessica is only eighteen, Dorothy’s age.
“You are so lucky, knowing that you will meet your mate, it sounds like a fairytale” Sophie stated, which earned a scoff from Zac, her mate.
“Hey, you have a handsome mate here and Jessica, I wouldn't bet on your luck, your mate might be a fifty-something ugly omega, for all you know”.
“Oh shut the fuck up” Jessica glared at him, and he just chuckled, shrugging his shoulders.
“But it is a pity that someone wouldn't even get to meet their mate, I mean they can't even shift” Jessica’s eyes locked on Dorothy, but she only rolled her eyes, ignoring their snickers as she slammed her locker shut.
The walk to Agnes' place was quite lively, Dorothy could see a lot of new faces and that was understandable because different packs from around the world were currently visiting for Jessica’s party. Dorothy avoided people as she walked, keeping her down so as not to attract attention.
“Agnes?” Dorothy’s hand stopped at the slightly ajar door. The sounds of footsteps echoed in the house and, thanks to her heightened hearing, she noticed there were two people in there.
No one apart from her ever visits.
Damn, robber. Quick to her thinking, she grabbed the first thing she could see and that was the vase she gifted Agnes for her birthday.
Shit shit. She was silently crying as she gripped the vase tighter, she was sure her pounding heart could be heard miles away, but she didn't care, she had to save Agnes. She didn't know why someone would rob this house of all places, the walls were barely holding on together for their lives.
She stopped as the voices in the bathroom grew louder.
“Haha please don't do that”
Oh no, what was the pervert doing to a ninety-year-old woman? Her eyes widened and with a warrior’s cry she kicked the door and held the vase higher, ready to bash the culprit’s head, but only a moment later would she see Agnes hugging one of the most beautiful men she had ever seen.
“What the hell” she barely registered the scene before hurriedly running to pull Agnes away from the man, her hands removing the surprisingly strong grip that held his shirt.
“Oh my Goddess, I'm so sorry for this” She quickly bowed her head at the man who seemed to watch her with an amused smirk.
“Alpha Killian” Another voice broke the silence, and she looked to see a man at the door.
Oh my, they are dead.
A week had passed since that incident and the anticipated day had finally arrived. The event started and the party was in full swing.That day Agnes saw the Alpha at the front door of the house and dragged him in wanting to rip off his clothes. Dorothy was just grateful he found that day funny enough to laugh about it or she dreads what would have happened to them.Alphas, betas, gammas, and other high-ranking wolves began to associate and mingle with themselves, their presences laced with power making the air suffocating to the omegas serving them. Dorothy, well she was currently standing as her aunt spat out both words and spit at her. She wiped her face with the sleeve of her shirt with a deadpan expression“You are not allowed to step a foot out of this house, you hear me?” her aunt yelled as she held Isabella towards the door. Isabella smirked, twirling a strand of hair around her finger, the end of her dress trailing behind her.Seemed like her aunt spent a fortune on that dr
Dorothy could feel her nerves as she stepped out of the limousine. Many eyes immediately stared at her, she was a vision to behold. She was dressed up for the first time today. The golden gown clung to her figure in all the right places, her red hair had been curled and let loose. Elegance was a simple way to describe how she looked. People's attention was easily turned towards her as she made her way with her pack with Alpha Ryan leading the group. She turned around intrigued, her heart thumping as she realized she was inside the borders of the most powerful pack.Maybe it was excitement or fear but everyone else felt the same way. They couldn't believe that after so many years, the king had allowed them a chance to enter the borders of his pack. Some hoped they could get the opportunity to see Alpha Ace but he was nowhere to be found. The atmosphere was tense as everyone made their way to the ballroom. The Nightclaw pack truly lived up to its expectations, rows of gorgeous and pow
No fucking way. Impossible. Whatever phrases you could use in the dictionary to describe this situation. She could hardly believe any of this was real but standing there with her rapid heartbeat seemed to have proven she wasn't dreaming and what was even more surprising was that this breathtaking man before her was hers, her mate. Damn.“Mate” she could hear Alya moan out in her head and she could feel her excitement and by the moon goddess she felt the need to pounce on him too.A sharp scream jolted her from her trance and that was when she noticed ‘her mate’ had thrown the man who he held in his grip away and he was now inching closer towards her. Something seemed to have clicked in her head and she covered her mouth, stepping away from the man that screamed danger despite Alya’s objection. Dorothy didn't know when he closed the distance that was once between them but his arms found their way to her waist, pulling her towards him before holding her by the chin as he moved close
Time seemed to stretch out as Ace and Dorothy stared at each other, the world blurred around them and it felt like there was no one else aside from them at that moment. Dorothy touched her chest, expecting the harsh pain to grip her and drive her insane but nothing came. She didn't feel anything– maybe she had high tolerance to pain, that was her first thought as she stared in confusion. Ace frowned, sensing something was wrong. He knew he wouldn't feel any pain, he was much stronger than to feel a mere pain of rejection but– he narrowed his eyes at her, leaning in closer than they already were. The connection was still there, she was still his mate. “Your name?” He asked without an ounce of emotion in his voice. “W-what?” She managed to blurt out before she could stop herself. “What is your name?” He repeated like he was talking to a child. “Dorothy” She didn't know why she answered but it came out from her mouth. She could hear Alya call her stupid in her head and she inwar
“Eleanor!” The man’s figure cradled her body tightly, desperate to find any sign of life, any reassurance from her gradually dull expression, even a false hope would do. “Please Eleanor, please…” he pleaded, his voice breaking at the end. Her hand, despite being weak, stretched out to wipe the falling tears, the man sobbed, whispering words of assurance but they both knew who they were for. “I'm sorry, I couldn't fulfill the promise” Eleanor whispered through painful gasps, her voice barely audible but he heard it. His grip on her tightened, refusing to face the cruel reality, he muttered under his breaths but she couldn't hear his words anymore for her life began to slip away with each passing moment. “Eleanor!” Dorothy’s eyes shot open and she sat up, gasping for air. Her hand came clutching her neck in pain and she groaned as she weakly laid down back. Her strength seemed drained and she didn't seem remember her dream but she had been crying yet again. She wiped her tear
Witch Doctor!? Dorothy stared in horror, thinking she had misheard his words but judging from his stoic expression, he didn't seem like he was the kind to joke. She watched as Lucas walked in with the elderly woman from earlier by his side, her eyes were narrowed at Dorothy and her stare made Dorothy move back in slight fear. Dorothy didn't know much about witch doctors but she knew they were different from pack diviners like Agnes. Witch doctors practiced dark magic, worshiping unknown gods while the pack diviners worshiped the Moon goddess, getting prophecies and visions from her. Agnes had warned her to stay away from them. She had told Dorothy that they killed people and offered their bodies to their gods as sacrifices. Agnes told her that witch doctors carried bad luck on them, and they were extremely cunning and that she should run whenever she came across one. Now why the hell was there a witch doctor advancing towards her. Dorothy swallowed and Ace moved away, allowing t
I've heard so much about you, Dorothy," she said, her voice smooth, a warm smile playing on her lips. "Shall we have a little... chat?". Dorothy swallowed nervously, her heart beating fast against her chest. How did she know about her, she doubted anyone in her pack knew her that well to be able to say so much about her and she was as hell sure their words weren't nice at all. The most they would probably say was that she was a slutty omega who would seduce men in the pack and that wasn't true. So what did Lyra hear about her? “Why are you so scared of me?” Lyra asked Dorothy as she drew nearer and sat on the door beside her. Dorothy smiled nervously and tried to say she wasn't, because of course she wouldn't give Lyra the idea of using her body for sacrifice. “I am sorry for being jumpy, I am not scared of you. I'm just tired”. Dorothy lied through her teeth without blinking. Lyra frowned and suddenly, her bony fingers curled towards Dorothy like creeping claws, her eyes gl
Dorothy came out of the shower with her new dress. It was white in color and the dress clung to her figure in all the right places. Her red hair dripped with water as she used a towel to dry it. She was stunning, beyond beautiful and Sofia had seemed to stare at her for too long .“Hm” Dorothy brought Sofia out of her trance and Sofia smiled, walking to take the towel to help dry Dorothy’s hair. “Thank you” Dorothy muttered, a faint smile tugging at her lips."It's no problem. I'm glad to help," Sofia said with a warm smile. Dorothy felt a flicker of warmth in her heart. It had been a long time since someone had dried her hair—her mother used to do it back then but she had forgotten her touch, her laughter that she missed it so much.When Sofia was done, she forced Dorothy to put on makeup."I don't think—" Dorothy started, shaking her head. Why would she even bother putting on makeup right now? It wasn’t like Ace was dying to see her, and besides, wasn’t she in the middle of a seriou
“What did you say?” he muttered, his voice barely a whisper.Dorothy seemed to have fallen into a trance as she stared at the man before her. Tears streamed down her cheeks, glistening like delicate crystals. Her heart hurt—it ached unbearably, as if something within her was missing, something she wanted to remember but couldn’t grasp, no matter how hard she tried.“Ace, I—I missed you so much. I really did,” Dorothy whispered, the words slipping from her lips before she could stop herself.Ignoring the pain of Ace’s strong grip, she took a step closer, her legs trembling but determined. She stopped just inches away from him, her hand hesitantly reaching for his face.Ace stood frozen, his heart pounding wildly in his chest as Dorothy’s thumb gently stroked his cheek. Her touch was soft, yet it carried a sadness that pierced through him. She offered him a sad smile, and for a fleeting moment, the image of Eleanor overlapped with hers.It was as if Eleanor was standing there in Dorothy
“You know,” Eleanor suddenly turned towards Ace with a bright smile that seemed to dazzle the entire place. Her eyes sparkled, curving slightly from the radiance of her smile, and her steps were light as sunlight streamed through the windows of the garden. Ace froze in his steps, and for a moment, he admired his beautiful Luna—the only woman, no, the only person who could bring a smile to his face. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and she was his—only his. “Ace, Ace. Are you there?” Eleanor frowned when she noticed Ace wasn’t listening to her. He seemed lost in a daze, and a pout made its way to her lips. Was she so boring that he pretended not to hear what she was saying? Hmph, What an annoying, insanely attractive, tall man. Ace tilted his head and blinked when he saw her pout, her glare directed at him. She looked like an angry cat upset at its owner for not giving her attention. She was so cute, and he wanted to stroke her head, but he fought the urge, clenchin
Dorothy came out of the shower with her new dress. It was white in color and the dress clung to her figure in all the right places. Her red hair dripped with water as she used a towel to dry it. She was stunning, beyond beautiful and Sofia had seemed to stare at her for too long .“Hm” Dorothy brought Sofia out of her trance and Sofia smiled, walking to take the towel to help dry Dorothy’s hair. “Thank you” Dorothy muttered, a faint smile tugging at her lips."It's no problem. I'm glad to help," Sofia said with a warm smile. Dorothy felt a flicker of warmth in her heart. It had been a long time since someone had dried her hair—her mother used to do it back then but she had forgotten her touch, her laughter that she missed it so much.When Sofia was done, she forced Dorothy to put on makeup."I don't think—" Dorothy started, shaking her head. Why would she even bother putting on makeup right now? It wasn’t like Ace was dying to see her, and besides, wasn’t she in the middle of a seriou
I've heard so much about you, Dorothy," she said, her voice smooth, a warm smile playing on her lips. "Shall we have a little... chat?". Dorothy swallowed nervously, her heart beating fast against her chest. How did she know about her, she doubted anyone in her pack knew her that well to be able to say so much about her and she was as hell sure their words weren't nice at all. The most they would probably say was that she was a slutty omega who would seduce men in the pack and that wasn't true. So what did Lyra hear about her? “Why are you so scared of me?” Lyra asked Dorothy as she drew nearer and sat on the door beside her. Dorothy smiled nervously and tried to say she wasn't, because of course she wouldn't give Lyra the idea of using her body for sacrifice. “I am sorry for being jumpy, I am not scared of you. I'm just tired”. Dorothy lied through her teeth without blinking. Lyra frowned and suddenly, her bony fingers curled towards Dorothy like creeping claws, her eyes gl
Witch Doctor!? Dorothy stared in horror, thinking she had misheard his words but judging from his stoic expression, he didn't seem like he was the kind to joke. She watched as Lucas walked in with the elderly woman from earlier by his side, her eyes were narrowed at Dorothy and her stare made Dorothy move back in slight fear. Dorothy didn't know much about witch doctors but she knew they were different from pack diviners like Agnes. Witch doctors practiced dark magic, worshiping unknown gods while the pack diviners worshiped the Moon goddess, getting prophecies and visions from her. Agnes had warned her to stay away from them. She had told Dorothy that they killed people and offered their bodies to their gods as sacrifices. Agnes told her that witch doctors carried bad luck on them, and they were extremely cunning and that she should run whenever she came across one. Now why the hell was there a witch doctor advancing towards her. Dorothy swallowed and Ace moved away, allowing t
“Eleanor!” The man’s figure cradled her body tightly, desperate to find any sign of life, any reassurance from her gradually dull expression, even a false hope would do. “Please Eleanor, please…” he pleaded, his voice breaking at the end. Her hand, despite being weak, stretched out to wipe the falling tears, the man sobbed, whispering words of assurance but they both knew who they were for. “I'm sorry, I couldn't fulfill the promise” Eleanor whispered through painful gasps, her voice barely audible but he heard it. His grip on her tightened, refusing to face the cruel reality, he muttered under his breaths but she couldn't hear his words anymore for her life began to slip away with each passing moment. “Eleanor!” Dorothy’s eyes shot open and she sat up, gasping for air. Her hand came clutching her neck in pain and she groaned as she weakly laid down back. Her strength seemed drained and she didn't seem remember her dream but she had been crying yet again. She wiped her tear
Time seemed to stretch out as Ace and Dorothy stared at each other, the world blurred around them and it felt like there was no one else aside from them at that moment. Dorothy touched her chest, expecting the harsh pain to grip her and drive her insane but nothing came. She didn't feel anything– maybe she had high tolerance to pain, that was her first thought as she stared in confusion. Ace frowned, sensing something was wrong. He knew he wouldn't feel any pain, he was much stronger than to feel a mere pain of rejection but– he narrowed his eyes at her, leaning in closer than they already were. The connection was still there, she was still his mate. “Your name?” He asked without an ounce of emotion in his voice. “W-what?” She managed to blurt out before she could stop herself. “What is your name?” He repeated like he was talking to a child. “Dorothy” She didn't know why she answered but it came out from her mouth. She could hear Alya call her stupid in her head and she inwar
No fucking way. Impossible. Whatever phrases you could use in the dictionary to describe this situation. She could hardly believe any of this was real but standing there with her rapid heartbeat seemed to have proven she wasn't dreaming and what was even more surprising was that this breathtaking man before her was hers, her mate. Damn.“Mate” she could hear Alya moan out in her head and she could feel her excitement and by the moon goddess she felt the need to pounce on him too.A sharp scream jolted her from her trance and that was when she noticed ‘her mate’ had thrown the man who he held in his grip away and he was now inching closer towards her. Something seemed to have clicked in her head and she covered her mouth, stepping away from the man that screamed danger despite Alya’s objection. Dorothy didn't know when he closed the distance that was once between them but his arms found their way to her waist, pulling her towards him before holding her by the chin as he moved close
Dorothy could feel her nerves as she stepped out of the limousine. Many eyes immediately stared at her, she was a vision to behold. She was dressed up for the first time today. The golden gown clung to her figure in all the right places, her red hair had been curled and let loose. Elegance was a simple way to describe how she looked. People's attention was easily turned towards her as she made her way with her pack with Alpha Ryan leading the group. She turned around intrigued, her heart thumping as she realized she was inside the borders of the most powerful pack.Maybe it was excitement or fear but everyone else felt the same way. They couldn't believe that after so many years, the king had allowed them a chance to enter the borders of his pack. Some hoped they could get the opportunity to see Alpha Ace but he was nowhere to be found. The atmosphere was tense as everyone made their way to the ballroom. The Nightclaw pack truly lived up to its expectations, rows of gorgeous and pow