Alpha Alexander

Pearl’s POV

"What?" He gasped in surprise.

"I won't endure any more of this pain and embarrassment. I have had enough. My wolf is tired of the constant rejections from you. Just make it official already."

"You don't know what you're asking. You're just emotional now and can't make good decisions—"

"This is a right decision. I don't want to be with you anymore. Just reject and divorce me." I demanded. "I am also taking my possession, my Moon Pearl with me."

His eyes filled with terror at my words.

"No, I can't let you take it!" He refused. "That pearl stays with me!"

He was so concerned about the pearl because it had saved his pack. Before I met Carlson, I had a Moon Pearl that sucked in bad energy. It was a gem passed down from my ancestors, a crucial part of me. Without that Pearl, I would never be able to survive, my wolf was already useless without it. If I stayed too long away from it, it would be a disaster.

When Carlson and I became mates, I discovered that a curse had been placed on the Pack because of a bad thing he had done. The Pack members were dying so much and different calamities were occurring.

However, my Moon Pearl was able to lift the curse and save the Pack. The Pack had been prospering since then.

"I need my Moon Pearl, without it, I can't survive!"

"No!” He refused blatantly. “Why are you so selfish? Don't you care about the lives of the pack members, like your personal maid, Elsa?" He accused me.

"I'm never giving it back to you and you'll remain my mate!" He said, grabbing my arms harshly. "You're staying with me whether you like it or not!"

He let go of me and walked away while I stood there, wondering why I settled for such a selfish man. The Moon Goddess didn't bless me with a mate. She blessed me with a curse.

___

The next day, I couldn't bear staying in the house. I needed an escape. So, I decided to go to the training grounds and distract myself.

As I got there, the pack members' gazes fell on me. Some bowed slightly, while others scoffed and murmured.

"They say she maltreated the Alpha’s guest," One whispered. "I thought she was nice. How embarrassing."

"I heard she treated the Alpha's guest terribly because she was once his love. How jealous can she be?" another said.

Each step I took came with comments that hurt me deeply. None of them were true. I was the one being bullied and maltreated despite all I had done for this pack.

Carlson had kept me here, refusing to let me go or return my moon pearl. I was trapped, but...I still stayed because of the pack members.

They might be indifferent now, but I didn't want them to suffer. It wasn't their fault that their Alpha was a disappointment and deceiver.

"Moon goddess..." I whispered, stepping toward the punching bag. I slammed my fist into it, watching it swing back and forth.

I punched it again, and again, taking out my rage and frustration.

"Fuck!" I growled, hitting it harder. "Damn you, Carlson..."

"Frustration truly makes people crazy," A familiar voice said, causing me to stop punching the bag. As I paused, the bag swung back and hit me in the face.

I fell to the ground, and Hazel burst into laughter.

"Oh, that was funny," She said, her voice low.

I gasped as a drop of blood escaped my nostril, but I wiped it almost immediately.

"Luna, are you okay?" She asked, her tone mocking. "Why do you seem so weak? Are you sure the moon goddess still supports you?"

Her comment angered me because if the moon goddess didn't favor me, I wouldn't have the moon pearl, even though it was locked away by Carlson.

"You have no idea what you're saying!" I spat, glaring at her. "Why don't you take a walk and leave me alone? I allowed you to have Carlson all to yourself, quit pestering me!"

She stepped closer to me, and whispered in my ear, "I told you yesterday that I wasn't just after Carlson anymore. I'm gonna make your life unbearable."

My fists clenched at her words, but I wasn't going to let her provoke me in front of the pack members. Instead, I could turn the tables and reveal her true character.

"Well, you've got to try harder...because you're failing miserably," I said with a smirk on my lips.

I could sense how her confidence slightly faltered at my words.

"Pearl, how about a race," She said loudly, and I froze. "Let's shift into our wolf forms and run toward the end of the wall and back. Whoever wins will receive an apology on the knees. Is that okay?"

"No..."

"Everyone," She called for the attention of the pack members.

"We want to race. Why don't you watch and see who wins?"

"Let's do this pearl or are you scared?" She asked, smirking.

“Yes, Luna. Are you scared?”

“We have never seen you shift. Or don’t you have a wolf?” The Pack members mocked.

I looked around to see them waiting for me to agree to the race. What reason would I give for not agreeing to a race? If I turned Hazel’s request down, it would confirm the rumors about me and even make even more bad ones.

I should have refused for my own good, but I wanted to prove that I was good enough for something. Refusing to race with this devil would only prove that I was weak in the eyes of the pack.

"Why would I be scared?" I retorted, stepping forward.

"Okay, let's start shifting...Luna," She said with a mocking tone.

Swallowing hard, I began to take off my clothes. It was normal to be naked in front of one another. We were werewolves after all.

I couldn't let myself be shamed. However, no one there knew about my secret. And I realized that Hazel must have found out from Carlson and that was why she challenged me to a race.

My heart broke once again, at the betrayal of my mate.

“Just this time, Lyra. Let’s prove ourselves. Can you hold on?” I whispered to my wolf.

“I can. We will make sure to finish in five minutes before it kicks in.” She assured me.

I nodded and finished undressing, and we began shifting. The sounds of cracking bones and our groans filled the air.

Shifting had always been extremely painful for me, but I did it. As I transformed into a golden-colored wolf, I glanced at Hazel to see her wolf in a similar color. But the color of my wolf was much brighter and shinier.

"At the count of three," One of the pack members said. "One, two, three!"

We began running toward the end of the wall. Lyra's legs moved faster with each stride. While Hazel was lagging behind.

I smiled inwardly when I reached the wall. I began running back, close to victory. It was three minutes since the race started and I knew I could do it. But at that moment, Lyra's legs began shaking.

"No!" I panicked inwardly.

With each step I took her legs grew shakier until they gave way and my wolf crumbled to the floor.

Embarrassment washed over me as gasps echoed around the training grounds. Lyra tried to get up again, but her legs failed.

"She can't even stand," Came a mocking voice. "What kind of a Luna is she?"

"Is her wolf paralyzed?" another chimed in, making my heart wrench.

My wolf was indeed a cripple. Lyra and I had always been disabled since childhood. But my moon pearl had helped with my disability, and it was my close proximity to it that enabled me to still walk. My Moon Pearl had to be in my body as well as Lyra's for us to be completely whole.

I shouldn't have raced with Hazel, but for a moment, I thought I would win.

The pack members' laughter echoed in the air, their jabs stung me more than my defeat.

"You can't even win a race that pups can easily achieve," Hazel chuckled mockingly. "Oh moon goddess, you're a disappointment."

They all began insulting me, and the pack members even threw things at me. At that moment, I realized they weren't different from their Alpha, they weren't worth all the pain I was experiencing.

My moon pearl deserved to be with me.

"Pearl, why do you enjoy embarrassing me?" I heard Carlson's voice behind me.

I didn't turn to look at him, but at the same time, there was a presence behind him. But I was solely focused on Carlson’s voice.

"You're being a disgrace, and I won't tolerate that.” I bowed my head in shame at those words.

“I brought someone here in hopes of showing him my wonderful Pack and not to witness your failure. I can't allow you to embarrass me in front of my future partner, Alpha Alexander."

My lips parted at the mention of that name. Alpha Alexander was a powerful Alpha, his pack was more prosperous than any other pack, including this one.

"Get up!" Carlson commanded.

I turned to him and glared angrily.

"It's been a long while, Pearl," I heard a calm and charming voice.

I turned, and gasped at the sight of Alpha Alexander, Alpha of the Crystal Hills Pack, the strongest Pack! His extremely handsome face brought back memories of us back in college.

Seeing him brought this realization that I had a way out. I could finally escape. I was ready to beg Alexander to help me, it didn't matter if he still considered me a friend or not. We could be allies.

"Pearl," Carlson called.

As I looked back at Carlson, a wicked smile instantly spread across my lips.