Diana

My house, if it could even be called that, is situated at the furthest reaches of the Omega District, slightly removed from the small identical houses making up the homes of the Omega.

By the time I get to it, I am already out of breath and have to slow to a jog. Eyes trained to the ground, I ignore the perpetual looks of ridicule and schadenfreude thrown my way from the Omegas, and speed walk the rest of the way with my hand clutching the bloody tissue to my face.

I hastily shut the door behind me, cutting off those sharp eyes. Ignoring the trembling that runs precariously throughout the entire house at the slight movement, I sag against the worn wood of the door and slide to the floor.

With a painful sigh, I let the tissue fall soundlessly to the floor, the bleeding had finally stopped… I pull my knees up to my chest and wrap my arms around them. my head falls back against the door with my eyes fall shut.

A single tear escapes, silently, out my closed lid, coming from the deep recesses of my own heart. It flows down my cheek, before disappearing down the side of my jaw.

I stay like that, still and unmoving for a few minutes before the pain in my nose has me staggering back up to my feet again.

In the bathroom, I brace my arms on the cool ceramic of the sink before staring at my reflection in the broken mirror.

Looking back at me is the face of a nineteen-year-old girl with dried blood all over my face and neck, browned and already beginning to crust. My face is lax and expressionless, but my eyes are filled with so much despair and hopelessness…

This is me…I think. As the years pass by, I become more and more unrecognizable to myself.

My lips pull up in a sardonic smile before I focus my gaze on my nose. I stall for a minute, dreading what I am about to do yet knowing I have no choice but to do it anyways.

“It’s only going to take a second Diana”, I mutter to my reflection, and then deciding to be even crueler, “It’s not the first time anyways. Should’ve fucking gotten used to it by now”, I hiss ruthlessly.

My hand comes up and I grasp the bridge of my nose. Huffing loudly three times through my mouth to boost my courage, I yank the cartilage back to the centre, releasing a piercing cry at the sharp pain that explodes on my face. The pain radiates through my nerves and I could swear I felt it all the way to my fingertips. The motion instantly brought warm tears back to my eyes and I feel as though I had just broken the nose all over again.

I hunch over the sink, groaning in agony while biting my lip hard enough to draw blood. With my eyes tightly closed shut, I wait for the worst of the pain to subside.

It takes a good few minutes before I am able to function again and I slowly turn the valve, opening the tap. The pipes make loud banging noises in the walls before a second later, cold water gushes out of the faucet.

I carefully and gingerly wash my face, gently cleaning off all that dried blood until my face is clean.

My house is more like a shack than anything. It is old and literally falling at the seams. At ten years old when I had been banished from the Pack House to the Omega District, this place, which had been used as storage had been hastily cleaned out for me to use.

It was very small and literally consisted of only two rooms. The main room was turned into a bedroom while the connecting room, a really tiny one, was made into the bathroom.

The Omegas had taken pity on me and a few of the men handy with their hands had fashioned a single bed for me out of discarded wood, and then placed an old mattress on it. They had also roughly fixed up a condemned table, chair and chest of drawers for me, which were literally the only other things in the room.

Though the entire house is small and everything in it is roughshod and old, I still make sure to keep it all very clean and tidy.

Right when I'm finished dressing, a knock sounds on the door, making me jolt and then still.

Standing outside is a man with long, matted hair and a bushy beard, his facial features are almost completely covered up by all that hair. His clothes are dirty and his body oozes with the overpowering stench of booze mixed with the odour of a body unwashed for a good number days.

He glares at me with narrowed eyes, taking me in. I don’t move, patiently letting him take me in with a scrutinizing gaze.

“Good. Yer not dead yet”, he grunts finally, his voice deep and gruff.

I release my first genuine smile since waking up that day.

“I’m okay Billy”, I say softly.

He snorts at that, squinting at me, “I’m sure yer are”, he replies sarcastically, “that’s why yer come back dripping in blood. I was half expecting ta find ya dead as a doornail, body startin’ to rot”, he snaps.

His words are harsh but I don’t mind them. I know they are nothing but a front for the true affection he has for me. I have seen the worry in his eyes when he had looked me over and then that worry had turned to relief on seeing that I am well. His hard words are nothing but a cover for his soft heart.

“Tsk! How boring. Then I’m going back”, he snorts and turns around to leave.

“Thank you for checking up on me Billy”, I sweetly call after him.

He snorts again, “Who is worried about you?“, he gruffs under his breath as he storms away. But with this one visit of his, most of the heaviness in my heart is lifted.

Diana

Coming back to the Pack House a few hours later, I jog up the wide marble stairs leading to the large oak door with stained glass panels serving as the front door. I grab the handle but don’t get to open it before a force swings the it inwards.

I quickly step back, moving aside to let whomever it is pass. However, after seeing who it is, my body involuntarily stills. My eyes clash with honey brown eyes that extremely similar to mine. It takes only a second for the surprise wear off and I expressionlessly stare back at him.

I watch as his eyes take in the darkened bruises on my face. An emotion akin to concern flickers through them but takes less than a second to disappear.

After staring for a moment, his lips tighten but in the end, doesn’t say anything. He looks away, jams his hands in his pockets, and stalks off; his booted feet thumping on the staircase on his descent.

I let out a humourless laugh, a sardonic smile spreading across my face. Typical.

Refusing to let myself dwell on it, I wipe my face of all expression before stepping into the house…only to come stock still once more. My heart shudders violently before issuing a loud thump; my pulse starts racing, and my eyes widen in horror.

Standing on the opposite side of the living room and leaning leisurely against the wall with his arms folded across his chest is a man with a smirk on his face, his white teeth glistening.

“What a touching scene that was”, he says, voice laden with amusement. “Really, it’s always a delight watching you two. The proud Gamma with his twin sister the…err…what are you again?” he asks with exaggerated confusion on his face, “Right! You’re Wolfless…” and I find myself flinching; the word a sharp jab to me, “Well whatever”, he adds dismissively his eyes running down the length of my form.

My hands clutch tightly together in front of me, my body, already beginning to quiver. I have this overwhelming urge to cover myself from head to foot to escape his gaze.

I want to just turn on my heels and run out; to get as far away from here as I can. Away from him. I even take an involuntary step back but self-preservation stops me at the last moment- reason reminding me that the consequences for that would be even more dire…

I really don’t want to speak to this man, and I don’t want to be anywhere near him even more. But yet again, years of experience remind me that if I refused to acknowledge my superior, especially after he had directly called out to me, it would be regarded as insubordination. And that would only lead to more trouble.

And so, with extreme reluctance, I force myself to greet him. Praying that my voice doesn’t betray my terror, yet unsurprisingly unable to completely hide the tremor in my voice.

“Good evening Beta Mason”, I call out, head bowed.

He hums distractedly, his eyes lowering and stopping on my chest and I have to once again will my body not to bolt out of there as feel his gaze on me- lewd, invasive…disgusting.

My stomach turns with the realization that I would have no choice but to pass by him to get to the kitchen and from the glint of sick pleasure I catch in his eyes, I can tell that so does he.

Resisting the urge to dash the rest of the way to the kitchen, my steps are hesitant as I walk. Each step that brings me closer to him feels more horrible than the last. I lower my gaze when I can no longer take the sight of the slimy gaze that is locked shamelessly on me, leering perversely at my body.

There is still a good three-meter gap between us as I pass by him but even that is too uncomfortably close for me.

Mason can see just how terrified I am of him and as always, he thrives in it. It gives him a sick and perverted sense of pleasure for me to quake in his presence. I catch his twisted grin out the side of my eye and I know the man is reveling in my fear; my terror some form of nourishment to his evil and warped nature.

When I am just a few inches away from him, he moves a bit and the movement makes me- who is hypersensitive to his presence, flinch. Of course, he notices, and from the dark chuckle he releases under his breath, I understand that he had done so intentionally. My strides lengthen subconsciously as I hasten my pace, anxious to get to the safe confines of the kitchen sooner and be out of his line of sight.

I feel his eyes train on my ass as I pass by and even despite my fear, I have to stop myself from turning around and snapping at him. It is only when I am finally in the kitchen and he can no longer see me that I am able to release the breath I had been holding. My body sags against the wall, and it is only then, that I realize that my hands are damp with sweat.

Though I can’t see him anymore, I can hear him humming softly outside. His voice is actually pleasant; a sharp contrast to the true monster that he truly is on the inside.

I find myself paralyzed against the wall even after I have escaped his sight. His presence is stifling and oppressive- my entire body’s reaction to him one of complete terror and revulsion.

He could follow me into the kitchen if he wanted to, but he doesn’t. He stays outside instead; letting his proximity and his voice petrify me instead. And like a malevolent spirit, he feeds off of my fear.

“Aren’t you going to start making dinner yet little Diana? It’s getting awfully late”, he drawls out in a sing-songy voice.

Having him suddenly address me directly scares me even more and I jump. My heartbeat accelerates and my palms get more sweaty.

“If you don’t start soon, dinner is going to be late. And if it’s late, then I just might have to punish you. I really am quite hungry you see”, he continues lightheartedly, his voice streaming in through the kitchen doorway.

I blanch, my face paling at the way he had said the word ‘hungry’. It didn’t sound like he was talking about food at all, and I nearly throw up.

My heart literally stops beating for a second before it resumes again with a loud thud, threatening to jump out of my chest. And with his heightened senses which are currently trained on me, I know he hears it loud and clear.

I hear him laugh. His voice has a deceptively pleasant bass which does nothing but send a tremor of disgust up my spine. The sound sends me into a panic and I scramble towards the pantry, blindly reaching for ingredients; every instinct telling me to get out of there as quickly as I can.

With haste, I quickly whip up something. It is only the years of practice that makes the food to still taste good. And the entire time I cook, I hear him outside, humming that same tune softly under his breath.

It takes less than half an hour for me to dish the food into ceramics before hastily cleaning up the kitchen

Done, I stand and stare apprehensively out the archway leading out of the kitchen. The light streaming from the living room casts the shadow of the man standing outside onto the kitchen floor.

From his shadow, I watch as he leisurely swings one leg up and down. Up and down. Still, that same unnerving humming continues.

I bite my bottom lip hard and clench my fists tight. I want to escape back to my house but I really, really, really, don’t want to have to pass by him again… but there is just no way around it.

Taking a deep breath, I force myself to take even steps out, determined not to let him see how spooked I really am. I can’t do anything about my thundering heart beat, but I don’t want to give him the satisfaction of seeing the actual fear on my face.

The moment I step out, his eyes feeling akin to that of a venomous snake- intrusive and vile, pin me down and watch me greedily.

Diana

After the unpleasant run-in with Beta Mason, I sprint out of the house and towards the Omega District as fast as my legs can carry me, completely forgetting to even pack myself some dinner before I leave. But I would rather go hungry than stay an extra second in that place, being nauseated by that monster

…

Today, when I wake, I do so with a big smile. Giggling, I jump down from my bed and stretch out with a big yawn. It is my birthday.

Today is finally the day. Today is the day I meet my mate.

My entire body thrums with energy as I practically skip to the bathroom to take a bath and brush my teeth. I take my time carefully detangling my hair before putting it up in a high puff, the hairstyle exposing my facial features. I slide in the only pretty hair clip I have- with tiny flower details on it- into the hair at my temple.

In the bedroom, I rummage through my drawers until I find the best set of clothes I own. I take out a pair of skinny jeans; though still washed out, it has no rips in it and the size fits me so perfectly that the denim feels almost tailor-made against my body. I pair it up with a plain nude-coloured T-shirt. It’s the most presentable shirt I have and though it might not be much, at least it has no holes and is also not faded at all.

Giving myself a once over, I nod. I look pretty. Giggling again, I give a little twirl, giddy with excitement. My mate wouldn’t care what I wore anyways. He would love me and accept me regardless of the way I am dressed. But still, I want to look my best for him.

For years this is the day I have been waiting for. Once my mate claims me, I won’t just be the “wolfless wolf” that no one cares about anymore. I would have him, and then nothing else would matter anymore. And if he is a high-ranking wolf, no one would dare to disrespect me anymore. But I don’t even care about this. my mate could even be an Omega and it wouldn’t matter. I myself have been discriminated against enough that I wouldn’t be so shallow as to judge a person based on their class. As long as we have each of me, I would be perfectly content.

For a second, I wonder who my mate could be. A face flashes in my mind and I flush before quickly swatting away the thought. Impossible. It’s nothing but a silly teenage crush and I’m better off going out to find my real mate.

And so, slipping on the sneakers I had made sure to wash the last night, I hum as slip out of my house.

I thought it would take me a while to find him but it seems that even the goddess is helping me because the moment I step into the Packhouse, I see him, standing in all his glory halfway down the sprawling staircase.

My breath hitches when our eyes meet. His forest green eyes are vibrant and piercing. His brown hair, swept away from his forehead looks so soft that I am overcome with the urge to run my fingers through it. And his muscular body straining against his dress shirt and pants foretells of his significant strength.

His entire aura screams of power and dominance and at this moment, he is the most breathtaking thing I have ever seen.

As I get lost in his eyes, I feel as if the entire world around us melts away, leaving only the two of us in the universe. My wolf, dormant in the deep recesses of my mind stirs at the connection that had just zapped into place between us.

An indecipherable emotion flickers in his eyes, too quick for me to catch. His face is expressionless and the only indication that anything has happened is the tight clenching of his clean-shaven jaw.

I abruptly fall from the high that I had been on as reality rushes in, effectively bursting my little bubble.

Oh Goddess…Oh, Goddess…my mate…my mate is the Alpha!

“Come”, is all he says before turning around and walking back up the stairs.

“You…you’re my mate”, I say when we are behind the closed doors of his study.

I wanted to say it with confidence but my voice ended up coming out shaky.

He regards me with an unreadable gaze but doesn’t say anything to that proclamation. He just quietly studies me.

I continue to wait patiently yet all he does is stare at me. Right when I thought that maybe he hadn’t heard me, he gives a calm nod.

“I am”, he says simply. But doesn’t add anything more.

We descend into more silence and I notice that his face is still as expressionless- there isn’t even a hint of surprise in it at all and my brain which had slowed down from the giddiness of recognizing my mate slowly begins to work again.

I just turned twenty which is why I am just finding he’s my mate…however, the Alpha himself is already twenty-six… which means…

I gasp, “You already knew…”

With long strides, he is in front of me. My voice catches at the back of my throat at his sudden proximity and I subconsciously take a step back, only to find that the door is behind me. One more step and he has me trapped between him and the door.

My head cranes up to meet his eyes and I swallow nervously. He gently caresses my cheek with the back of his hand. His touch against my skin leave behind sparks in their wake sending delicious tingles down my spine. I gasp at the sensation, my body subconsciously leaning into his touch.

His expression softens and he cups my cheek in his palm.

“Beautiful”, he whispers.

My heart melts. I nuzzle my face against his palm and stare into his eyes; mine one of a she-wolf’s reliance on her male and the last strands of anxiety in my heart disappear.

This is my mate. How could anything go wrong?

Hypnotized, I watch as his head slowly lowers, a second later, soft lips cover mine. His lips are warm and as he slowly grinds them against mine, tendrils of pleasure spread through my body, a moan spilling out of my mouth.

My eyelids flutter shut and my body melts. My lips part on another moan and he takes the chance to slip his tongue into my mouth. His warm tongue gently rubs against mine, and the sensation clouds my mind with pleasure.

The kiss starts slow and soft but in moments, turns passionate and frantic. He wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me tight against his body so I feel the hard planes of his muscular body flush against mine.

The toe-curling kiss robs me of both my breath and my senses and by the time he pulls away long minutes later, I am left leaning weakly against him, my breath coming out in heavy pants.

Suddenly, he abruptly let's go and takes a step back. If I hadn’t quickly stabilized myself with a hand against the door, I would have collapsed in a pathetic heap on the floor.

I look up with confused eyes, my gaze worriedly searching his. What’s wrong?

The gentle expression on his face fades away, his expression shutters and that cold look slides back into place.

Instantly, my heart begins to sink; my instincts telling me that something is wrong. Something is very wrong.