Laura's point of view:
The music was loud, and the familiar disgusting scent of sweaty humans mixed with alcohol made me feel sick.I would normally mingle among these humans and dance until my body couldn't take it anymore.The loud music hurt my human ears, and the drink in my hands seemed to do wonders, as it was the only way for me to forget how unfair life could be.Indeed, I'm just a human. I've never shifted, nor do I believe I ever will.My 18th birthday was an awful day, the worst in my entire life. As if it wasn't enough for me not to shift, I was also rejected.I tried hard not to let the tear in my eye slide down my face. I don't show weakness, especially since I'm the only person left for my mother.Yes, my mom and I live alone, we don't have anyone by our side. We used to have a father, but he's gone. He's been gone for so long that it doesn't hurt as much as it used to.He was killed while protecting me from a rogue attack.No matter how hard I try to explain it, you will never know how hard it is to witness the death of your loved ones.As I've said, it was a long time ago, so it doesn't hurt as much. Years have passed, and life has taught me how to smile even through the pain.I might be the offspring of an omega... I might not have a wolf. Still, I'm not a weak woman, and I will never be.What annoys me isn't how sick my life is now, but how sick it will be starting from next week because of the run and the werewolves' mating ritual.It's a ritual that occurs every five years in which all unmated werewolves who are over 18 have to take part. Rejected ones are not excluded.The normal thing is that you meet your mate once you shift.If it's not the day you shift, then it's a few months later. If not, it only means that you are mateless, which is rare to happen.Worse, you'll be forced to take part in a brutal ritual in which you'll be forced to have a mate. Fun fact, it's held in our pack this year - The Blood Moon Pack.Let me explain how sick this ritual can be… I mean, we she-wolves need to shift and run from one moon to another – twenty-four hours.As for the males, all they need to do is catch us and force us into submission, which is not fair.The entire ritual takes place when it's a red moon. Marking a female on such a night will create a mate bond that could be similar, if not stronger, than the original.Why stronger?Well, it's because rejection doesn’t work for this bond. Meaning, that whoever gets to bite you on the neck will be yours for an entire life.Well, I'd rather die than find love that way.I'm already heartbroken, and I don't deserve to end up in the hands of any horny male who thinks he could be superior to me just because of his gender.Did I mention that I don't have a wolf yet?Yet, as part of the pack, I'm forced into being part of such a ritual. Which, of course, makes me the easiest target for low-ranking wolves who cannot force strong females into submission.Whenever I think about it, I get even angrier. The only thing that keeps me from ripping someone's head off is the cheap drink in my hands mixed with wolfsbane.Not too much wolfsbane, of course. I never shift, but for some reason, I cannot stand silver or wolfsbane.Not to mention that the human drink is far too weak to affect werewolves or make them drunk. Even for me - the 'not a werewolf', the human drinks don't seem to affect me unless I add a tiny amount of wolfsbane.While lost in my misery, a strong aura hit my senses, causing me to shift my attention to a man who seemed to be in his twenties standing nearby.He was gorgeous as hell; I admit it.I mean, I used to think that Noah is the most handsome man who ever existed. Blame it on the mate bond, not me.Yet, I don't believe Noah could hold a candle to that man.In fact, I could sense that he was a powerful creature, not an ordinary one.The type of creature I'd do my best to ignore, a werewolf.Why?Well, what would you expect from a girl who spent her last two years being bullied and teased by our future alpha and his female beta, only to turn out mated to the bully and rejected by him.Same as our alpha, the man seemed to be an alpha, maybe?I concluded that based on the much power radiating from him.Well, in my situation, the rational thing to do is to ignore him, which I did, of course. Still, the strong aura kept getting stronger until I felt his presence near me.I don't know if I had drunk too much, or if it was the ocean blue color in his eyes that stole my breath. Yet, before he said anything, I stood up from the stool I was sitting on, creating some distance between us.Then, what I didn't expect happened. I stumbled, tripped, and was about to fall before his hands circled my waist, preventing my butt from kissing the floor."Watch it!" He spoke, not too loud, but I was able to catch his words even in the noisy environment."Get lost!" I spoke the same way he had spoken. My head was dizzy, so I wasn't intending to stay any longer in his arms."Is that your way to thank someone who just saved you..." I lost focus on the words bursting out of his mouth as his voice started creating a harmony that woke the sleeping butterflies inside my stomach.Then, I focused on how handsome his face was.Never in my life have I seen someone with such beauty.Unlike Noah, his skin wasn't deeply tan, it was quite the opposite. Pale as snow yet incredibly matching his ocean blue eyes.I've always thought that the brown chocolate hair color that Noah has couldn't be beaten by any other hair color. Well, not until I saw this stranger's raven black cool and stylish one-side-swept hair.Even his bridged nose was perfect, linking his sharp eyes and delicious-looking lips.I breathed in and out the moment my eyes spotted his delicious-looking lips. It was then that all sorts of rational sense I used to have disappeared.I felt all my blood boiling under my burning lips as my breath hitched with every passing second.I was in no control over my body, and my lips landed on his.Yes, I kissed the stranger werewolf male in the middle of a bar.What the hell is wrong with me?I sort of expected that he would push me away and act as if I were trespassing his private space or even assaulting him.I don't know what was happening to me...Unexpectedly, he responded not only to my kiss, but he took control from me.He seemed to be the type who liked to be in control, and I wasn't against giving him the control he demanded.His tongue made its way into my mouth, pulling me into another reality where gravity was lost the moment he started kissing me.His hands, which prevented me from falling a while ago, tightened and tensed around my waist, for which I was grateful.I mean, my knees weakened, and I lost strength that I didn't doubt I would fall if he let go of me.My hands, on another level, started roaming passionately around his silky dark hair, clutching him to me. His mouth seemed a perfect match for my mouth, more than I had pictured Noah ever would be.The kiss didn't slow, yet it never lost its tenderness, which made me feel that something inside of me came alive. Like literally alive...I heard a half growl mixed with a half moan, not coming from him, but from me.A wolf's growl, right followed by another one coming from the stranger's wolf.Frustration woke me up to what the drunk me was doing... No way did I just hear a wolf growl, I don't have a wolf.I'm not even a half-shifter, just a damn human.I gathered all sorts of rationalism I had left, then moved my hands from his silky head toward his powerful chest and pushed him away from me."Get off me, freak!"A perplexed look was plastered on the handsome dude in front of my sight. I mean, he probably thinks that I'm an insane woman, which I wouldn't disagree with him about. The thing is, I don't care about what he thinks, or perhaps I do?I don't know. I just want to leave."Do you have any idea who you're talking to?"His voice brought me back to reality, and part of me wanted to snap at him the moment he spoke. The way he spoke reminded me of my rejected mate, which caused me to roll my eyes before I started."Another arrogant alpha who thinks he's better than everyone else just because he was born with a title. But I think not, and I don't care about who you are. All that matters is that I want you the hell out of my sight!"A weird silence consumed both of us, and as I was about to leave, he spoke one last time.In fact, what he said next made my heart tremble in fear, which wasn't a feeling I was used to."Guess visiting that tiny pack wasn't as bad as I thought. See you at the run, Wolfie..."Laura's point of view:"See you at the run, Wolfie."It’s already been a week since I met the stranger at the bar, yet his last words kept repeating themselves in my mind like a promise that will come true.That kiss, that single kiss, has become a drug I'm addicted to, but I cannot have.It haunts me in my dreams, and even when I'm awake.Worse, I don't feel the same. Something inside me woke up the exact moment his soft, sweet, tasty lips touched mine.I shook my head while trying to push away all those worthless thoughts, then I collapsed onto my bed, exhausted. I couldn't sleep last night, and the night before.Furthermore, I am not just afraid, but terrified. Tonight is the big night, the moment the moon is spotted in the sky, and the run will start.The thing is, as a she-wolf, I need to shift, and when I do not...Well, I don't want to think about that either.A knock on the door brought me back to reality."Laura! Are you ready yet?" Mom sweetly called, but I could only help bu
Laura's point of view:It’s almost night. A few minutes are all that keep us all from running. Everyone seems to quietly enjoy their time, everyone but me.Of course, not only unmated wolves are welcome here. There are also mated couples who are here to celebrate such a magical night.I must admit that the bonfire looks quite appealing, and my body is so into giving in to the sweet melodies of drums.I would normally enjoy it all and wouldn’t find it hard to blend in between the wolves dancing around the bonfire. Still, I have more serious matters to think about for now.I stand along with the other rejected and unmated she-wolves, getting myself ready to run as fast as I can when it’s time. It’s a matter of twenty-four hours before my entire nightmare is over.I know I might lose my wolf once and forever. Still, it’s better than being enslaved in the hands of males who would want to break my soul and make an obedient breeding machine out of me.I was lost in my thoughts when I spotted
Laura's point of view:Darkness surrounded me everywhere. I don’t know how long I’ve been sleeping, but I guess it’s time to wake up. The first thing I noticed was that I wasn’t in my room."Where the hell am I?" I wondered deep inside myself before it all started coming back to my mind.I was on the run, and I was about to make it out of there free. Then I saw Julie, and I decided to help her. Noah was about to mark me, but he didn't...Worse, the stranger from the bar was the one marking me. It was then that I lost consciousness.Still, where am I right now?Something about this room doesn't seem right. It's as if I was moving.I stood up, left the bed where I was lying, and made my way right toward the door.What was I thinking? Of course, it would be locked.My head was still in a daze, and my mark spot was burning like hell. Still, my eyes were searching for a way out.Hopefully, my eyes spot a tiny window. Yet, it wasn't my way out. Nothing here seemed to be my way out.I was mov
Laura's point of view: I spent my entire life believing that our alpha packhouse was the biggest house my eyes would ever see. Well, that's a lie, a huge lie. I could not stop gasping the moment my eyes met the marvelous palace I was standing by its gates. I shifted my gaze from the place to my mate, whom I still don't even know his name. "Where are we?" I wondered, and with a smirk on his face, he answered. "Home, Wolfie..." My head started spinning around as realization started hitting me as hard as it could. Then I remembered what my mom had told me the day of the run when I was still in my room. "...Some people even claim that the alpha king would take part in the ritual this year..." Her voice kept repeating inside my head, creating a wave of uncertainties and doubts. Until I could hold it no more. "What's your name?" I questioned him while wishing the claims my mother told me about were anything but true. "Damien..." He started, but another loud gasp escaped from me, w
Laura's point of view: I can't imagine my life getting any more sinister. It's still hard for me to understand what happened a while ago. Well, it turns out that the mating ceremony that was prepared in the palace was in honor of Prince Damien, but not in my honor. Instead, another female named Selene had something to do with my mate. The furious, growling man was indeed the king, and of course, he wasn't on his own. Also by his side was the Queen, who was my mate's parents. None of them were making efforts to hide how much they despised me. Looking at the so-called Selene, I get why they would dislike me. She is also of high rank, stunningly beautiful, and is supported by a powerful father. One of the Lords who attended the ceremony, and based on the way he threatened me with death and promised the prince vengeance, was her father. Anyway, back to the lady that my mate was supposed to mate with. She was a graceful, gorgeous, good-looking she-wolf. You know, the type of fairyt
Laura's point of view: "I want to know who she is. What's between you two? Is she your mate?" I stated the facts. I've always hated being in the dark, and I couldn't stand not knowing what was happening around me. "She's not my mate!" He confesses, causing my heart to relax, but not for too long. What was coming was too much for me to handle. "She's my first love!" "You're what?" I chuckled while pushing him away from me. This time, he didn't hold me still. Instead, he let me go. I sat opposite the one who was supposed to be my second chance mate while waiting for a real answer, but he didn't say a thing. "Okay, I get it! You love her, and I wish I could be happy for you both, but I'm not. The thing is that I want to know... If she's the one you love, what am I to you? Why did you even involve me in the thing between both of you? Let me guess! Are you trying to make her jealous by using me? Of course, you would do it. I mean, what am I? Just an unknown omega from an unknown pack.
Laura's point of view: I received an invitation to the Queen's royal suite. I can't believe my luck. Perhaps Damien explained the misunderstanding to her. The naive part of me thought. I used to believe that everything would be fine. Little did I know what awaited me. After waking up from that nightmare, I couldn't fall back asleep. So, I stayed awake until my mate joined me. We had breakfast together here in his room. Then he excused himself, saying he had some assignments to deal with. Once again, I found myself stuck in his room. Unconsciously, I started thinking about the woman from my nightmare. Who could she be, and why am I dreaming about her? A few minutes after Damien left, a maid knocked on the door before entering to inform me that the Queen herself invited me to her royal suite for tea. She also gave me a gift: a moon-shaped necklace. It's one of the most beautiful pieces of jewelry I've ever seen. In fact, I never thought I would be able to wear something so ex
Point of view: I sat on an ottoman in the grand salon of the Queen's royal suite. Physically, I was present with the Queen and Selene, but my mind was still preoccupied with the closed room, Mery's room. Ultimately, I didn't enter the room. I don't want to get on the king's bad side in my first few days. He and the Queen already dislike me, and I haven't done anything to deserve their hatred. So, it's better to keep a low profile. However, I haven't forgotten about Mery. I will find her and help her, regardless of the cost. For now, all I wish is to get out of here. It turns out that the Queen summoned me not because she was interested in getting to know me. Her intention was to humiliate me and explain why Selene is a suitable choice to be queen, whereas I am not. Did I mention that Selene was wearing the same necklace the Queen gave me? Well, she was. And I don't believe it's a mere coincidence. Soon, the hidden card in their deceitful game will be revealed. I didn't have to w