I was born in a land controlled by Alphas. Everyone below the status of a delta is already deemed omega, the lowest of lows. Fortunately, I am the Alpha's daughter, but on the other note, I am the least favorite. Living a life of nothing but unfairness fuels my morale and sympathy for those who share the same experience as me.
"Run," I ordered the rogue after releasing him from his shackles.
This is the first time I've pushed myself over my limit. Rogues are our enemies. It is as though I am bending my morale and pride by releasing it. But I couldn't give a damn. The thought of this man's probable fate made my stomach quiver.
Death.
That is the only course he will eventually take. Alpha Luke is unforgiving: he strictly adheres to our domain regulations. He's not going to make any exceptions. Once captured, rogues are doomed to death. It’s their fate. Some willingly chose to take that path, while some were forced to. Something that I could relate to.
The rogue cast a dubious glance at me before fleeing. He was skeptical. That is understandable. Ironically, I was the sister of the now-Luna of the pack. I should have followed the rules established by the pack's ruling officials. But something inside of me refuses. My parents had been disappointed with me for a long time. There's no use in proving something if I'm still going to get the same reaction.
I hate to admit that rebellion is my form of comfort. At some point in my life, I was able to alleviate the injustice meted out by releasing the aggrieved. It was not the right way but there's no other way. Not in our realm. For only when you have power will justice be served.
"Aria Summersault!"
I was brought back to reality when I heard a shout followed by the screeching sound of a metal door as if someone had forced their way into the station.
"Did you let the rogue escape?" Alpha Luke's thunderous voice booms as he walks in.
His aura screamed rage, one that is unforgiving. "Did you?" he reiterated.
I swallowed anxiously. This reaction from him was what I had expected before doing such a thing. But now that I've seen him up close, terror has taken over my body. Fear lurks behind my strong façade, which no one has yet revealed. His Alpha power made my knees weaken, but I concealed it with a scowl.
"I did, Alpha."
As expected, without wasting a second, his feet landed squarely on my abdomen, causing my body to fly straight toward the wall. When my back crashed on the hard concrete, I growled in agony, dropped to my knees, and coughed up blood.
Fuck!
"You fucking rebellious bitch!" he shouted.
I tried to conceal the discomfort by wearing a blank expression. Showing any sign of weakness in front of him is humiliating. Although deep inside, I'm writhing in pain.
"I just delivered him justice!" I argued.
Death is a harsh punishment for them. They are redeemable. It made no sense to kill them just because they were stereotyped as wicked werewolves. Every one of them has a reason for being in that situation. We couldn't just end their lives as if that's what they deserved. Nobody was murdered by the rogue I let loose. He had earned the right to live.
"You still haven't learned anything, Aria! Everything isn't a fairytale, you stupid bitch!”
Alpha Luke walks straight at me. He took hold of my collar before striking me in the face. The intensity of his smack feels like separating my flesh from the bone. It was painful.
"The urge to kill you is on the tip of my fingers, but I know Mysha would disapprove," he clenched his teeth. "You're lucky because you're my mate's sister; else, you'd be dead by now.”
He shoved me back to the floor before leaving the place with his beta. When his presence was no longer around, I screamed in despair. I felt like I'd fractured a rib from the intensity of the prior kick. I know it was partly my fault, and I have no choice but to embrace the consequences.
"What happened to you?" our resident physician inquires.
"I fell on the stairs," I lied, hissing in pain as she treated me.
I can't tell her the truth. This crisis I'm dealing with the Alpha stays between his official and us. Nobody else needs to know. Fortunately, Maia seemed to believe me. Or maybe not, but she decided not to ask further.
"Everything is good," she added, "there's only a tiny fracture on your ribs, but it's not too bad."
I heaved a sigh of relief, offered Maia a genuine smile, and then thanked her. My body feels a lot better now. Perhaps it's because of the ointment she applied earlier.
"I can still do my usual routine, right?"
Maia nodded, "you can, but you have to rest for two days."
After settling everything, I left Maia's consultation room and went straight to my friend's mini-bar. I don't dare to return to the packhouse and face Alpha Luke. My disgust at seeing him is still at its pinnacle. I need to unwind a little.
"What brings you here, my dearest Aria?" Asaiah inquired as I entered her mini-bar.
She walks with me to the stools. And instead of responding, I proceeded to make my order. "Give me a glass of tequila." When she didn't get an answer, Asaiah rolled her eyes and started making me a drink.
"Don't tell me you oppose the Alpha again?" she implores, giving me the drink. Asaiah knows me too well.
I inhaled some air and then sipped the alcohol. It has become a habit of mine to oppose Alpha Luke. However, this is the first time he has ever hit me. It seems like I overstepped my bounds by unleashing that rogue.
Seriously I wouldn't have done it if it weren't for pity. It just so happened that my feelings took control. They have caused so much harm to that poor creature that I felt the need to rescue it.
"What did you do this time?" she inquired once more. Asaiah seemed to be quite insistent on getting the truth from me, else she wouldn't stop grilling me with questions.
So, I eventually told her everything.
"OMG! Aria, that's extreme!" she exclaimed, both hands on her mouth covering it.
Is it?
I never actually cared about everything. My sister frequently intervenes whenever I am subjected to punishment. Mysha puts up with my wayward behavior. It's most likely her way of easing the anguish I've had with my parents. When my sister is around, the punishment becomes less severe. I got used to it.
"What if that rogue returned to get his revenge? You should have thought about everything before intervening."
Parallel to what Asaiah had predicted, later that night, while I was assisting Mysha in setting the dinner table and struggling with a confused thought, a commotion intermingled with howls, growls, and the foul smell of blood arose.
"What was that?" I wondered, though part of me already had a hunch of what was going on.
"This is what I am talking about, Aria," Mysha heaved a sigh, looking calm despite what was going on outside. "I know how much you despise injustices, but this world is far from fair."
"Rogues are dangerous: a creature we must not simply release out of pity. They are a walking danger, and who knows how many lives they have already taken?" she nagged.
I admit, she had a point. Every decision should be weighed out, but I fall short in that area. I let my emotion take over and not my rationality.
Before Mysha could add more to her lecture, someone unexpectedly entered the kitchen, refining my hunches.
"A certain pack has attacked us! Send the vulnerable to the safe house immediately," Angelo, the pack's beta, declared.
It was indeed an attack, but from which pack? We had encountered a couple of invasions in the past but to no avail. This one, for sure, won't shake our foundation.
I was trying to process the situation when Mysha uttered something in a low voice, just enough for me to hear it.
"I never expected them to attack right away."
Who?
Mysh stared at me, and before I could react, she pulled my hands. "Let's go."
Although bewildered, I accompanied her as she hurried to bring the weak to the designated safe location the officials had prepared for them.
"Faster!"
Every senior who could no longer fight and all minors who weren't yet able to do so entered the safe house immediately. After putting them there, we immediately went to where the battle occurred. And just before reaching the field, I ran across Asaiah, who was also confused.
"What happened?" she inquired, concerned.
"There's a fight. Someone attacked us," was all I could say when a giant black wolf appeared in front of us. It has drooping saliva and bloodshot eyes as though ready to attack us at any moment. The adrenaline rush in my body increases as Kaia, my wolf, takes shape.
"RUUUUN!" Asaiah shouted in horror, and before I could think clearly, blood spilled on my face, followed by a nerve-wracking pain.
Aria's POV Tears streamed down my cheeks, which I quickly brushed away, not wanting everyone to see how sorry I was for what had occurred. The war ended with a large number of losses on our side. It was a horrible sight to behold. I was able to deliver my sister from the fangs of death. But there is one thing I failed to do, save my best friend. Asaiah died. She died rescuing me from the wolf, sacrificing herself for someone insignificant like me. As I gazed at our fallen shifters, the guilt slowly ate me up while my heart bled with regrets. It was my deeds that precipitated the conflict. None of this could have happened if I hadn't allowed my emotions to dominate me. The grieving and distress of the bereaved hit me hard in the head. It never dawned on me that one choice could have such far-reaching consequences. One stupid decision from me, and many people suffer for it. "You should not have let the rogue out, Alpha! Look what happened now!" one of the locals shouted, and the r
Aria's POV My initial plan backfires. Kaia was able to hold my choices in her fingers and twist them into doing the opposite. She is skilled at trickery. Unfortunately, I always give in to it without notice. 'I'm sorry, Aria. He's not really our mate,' she admits after we have faced a hundred werewolves. The freaking illusion fools me. If I had known it before, I would have abandoned the wolf and refused to take part in any of its fights. It was the freaking bond that obliged me to give in. And now, everything turned out to be a lie. The injured wolf was not my mate. It was nothing more than a made-up mirage created by my stupid wolf so that I would help it. Indeed, it was stupid of me to believe Kaia. I could have sensed the connection, but I let my wolf trick me. Not because I'm desperate to find my mate; it's just my foolishness. Now Kaia and I have to face not just one wolf but a fleet of them, and my sole partner is a wounded wolf who appears to be incapable of battling a c
Aria's POV Light gradually illuminated the darkness that had engulfed me. And soon, my eyes sprang open, welcoming the heat from the sun that had taken over half of the room. I look around and notice the unfamiliar setting. Where am I? Is this the afterlife? While checking the place, I suddenly felt a sting on my head, followed by a wave of heat in my abdomen and spinal cords. It throbs like hell as if a spiky blade was inside it. Amid my suffering, the door opened, and a woman in her white uniform entered. I could tell she was a doctor based on her clothes. "Do you feel any discomfort?" she asked. I nodded — pointing my head and my stomach. She instantly pulled a tool from a small bag and examined my condition. "May I ask where I am?" I inquired in between her check-up. The place I am currently in is still a mystery, though I am sure this is not the afterlife. Neither does it feel like our hospital since this room is cozier than ours. "You're in Rojo La...Red Moon, Miss," she
Aria's POV I was walking back and forth, thinking of ways to get my stuff from Nicholas. Our interaction yesterday was a nightmare. He was a devil in disguise. A sex maniac and an ill-mannered creature. I couldn't wait to get out of this place. Unfortunately, thoughts and ideas fled my mind when I needed them the most. I sat in my bed in annoyance and tugged the cord linked to my wrist. I couldn't think of any other way to escape except to approach Matthew for help. I helped him. Maybe he could help me as well. Isn't give and take a thing? After all, if it weren't for him, things wouldn't have ended up this way. My feet glided to the door, and my hand twisted the knobs. The clicking sound echoed, and my eyes widened in surprise after realizing they hadn't locked it. I took a cautious step outside. The first thing I noticed was the empty corridor coated in white. The ambiance was eerie, mainly because no one was around, not even those ladies in white uniforms. "Where are you goi
Aria's POV "Nicholas Sainthood." I swiftly pushed Nicholas away after hearing a woman's voice. Someone is calling him. And then, out of nowhere, Kaia appeared, her face contorted with curiosity. "You should go before someone sees us here," I suggest. However, he merely glared at me, and instead of following my words, he snaked his arms around my waist, drawing me closer to him. Our situation was so uncomfortable that I almost couldn't breathe. "What are you doing?" I said, my jaws clenched. "Holding what's mine, isn't it obvious?" "I've already told you a million times that I'm not yours," I insisted. He is my mate. But I am not his possession and will never be as long as he hasn't claimed me. "Whatever you believe, Aria." We were in the midst of an argument when the door swung open, and a woman in a red dress entered. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw us, and she lingered in the doorway for a while, apparently absorbing the situation. And, strangely, her hazel orbs fl
Aria's POV"I've been looking for you, and you're just here with my..."Nicholas paused and glanced at Matthew with a bloody expression. He seemed angry, yet despite how deadly he appeared, I couldn't help but admire his gorgeous golden eyes, shining fiercely like a sun in this poorly lit woodland."What are you two doing here at this hour?" he said interrogatively.I didn't respond.Matthew stared at me, his eyes seeking help, but I just shrugged my shoulder. He was the one who brought me here, so he may as well tell Nicholas the reason. "I just brought Aria here to relax," Matthew reasoned. "I swear I didn't do anything to her."It's funny how he sounded so cautious in choosing words before threading them into a sentence. As if Nicholas would hurt him if he did anything horrible to me. Though, I doubt that will happen. "Don't forget what we spoke about, Matt. I'm keeping an eye on you," Nicholas warned before snatching me away.Unlike Matthew, this bloke has always been rough on m
Aria's POV The guilt was lingering at the back of my mind, making me regret the words I had said to Matthew earlier. I knew he was merely concerned, but he saw I had a cut and kept asking whether I was okay. That's plain stupid. Even so, I should not have told him that.I sighed and returned my clothes to my luggage while preparing my cash and phone. My resolve to escape is already set, and whether or not I succeed, I will pursue it. Staying here with Natasha is like being in hell with the devil. I'd rather flee with no assurance than be victimized by that witch. The very thought of Nicholas defending her causes my blood to boil. And those judging gaze earlier, as if I had done something genuinely heinous to Natasha, are driving me to flare in a fury. 'Are you certain about this?' Kaia inquired, appearing. Her gaze was skeptical and judging. She must have a trust issue with me now, given our prior attempts, which frequently resulted in our return. 'Yes,' I replied. Her eyes flitte
Aria's POVI have never expected this thing to happen. My only aim was to get away from Nicholas. But now I'm in prison, with shackles on my wrists. If only I had known in advance that Calixta was a member of the rebel force, I wouldn't have come here. It's utterly my fault for throwing myself naively into the enemy's den. "Now you know what it's like to be a prisoner," Kairo noted cynically. I rolled my eyes and locked my gaze on him. "You're ungrateful; I let you out of that cell just for you to do the exact opposite to me?" I sneered. He was the rogue I freed a few weeks ago—the reason for my banishment and why I suffered so much. I violated my pack's rule to save him, only for him to throw me behind bars after he got the chance. "Uh-huh, don't ever question my gratitude," he smirked. "It's your naiveté that saves me." I wanted to slash his throat open. But the silver chains on my wrist had restrained me from doing it. Releasing this motherfucker was indeed a wrong decision.