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.

Diana

I nervously take a step towards him, my hand subconsciously reaching out towards him, but he coldly raises a palm towards me. I stop in my tracks as my heart gives a sharp twinge.

“Yes I knew you were my mate a long time ago”, his voice flat.

For a second, my brain is too muddled to understand what he is talking about until I realize that he had just answered my earlier question.

“You were too young at the time so I had to wait until you were of age to be able to recognize it too”, he continues.

“Then-“ my voice coming out shaky.

“Now that you are, I can finally say what I wanted to”, he adds coldly. What he says next destroys whatever hope I had in me.

“I cannot be with you. I am an Alpha. You’re a Wolfless wolf. There’s no way I can mate with you. As an Alpha, I need a mate who can stand tall by my side; not someone so weak she cannot even protect myself, much less of the pack if an attack ever came”.

Every single word that leaves his lips feels like a knife being stabbed into my heart. The blood drains from my face and I sway unsteadily on my feet, suddenly feeling light-headed. He doesn’t reach out to help.

I slowly shake my head, as though by doing so, I could will his words away and out of my head, “No. No, it’s not like that. That’s not how it works. The Moon Goddess ordained us as mates. The rest of the details will work themselves out with time- that’s the meaning of Fate. We’re meant for each other-”

“She made a mistake”, he cuts in mercilessly.

My head shakes even more vigorously, my body language plainly expressing my desperation, “The goddess is never wrong-“

“She is this time”, he cuts again, his voice firm.

What is happening? This is not what is supposed to happen…none of this is making any sense…

I take another step towards him again and this time he takes a big one back. Away from me. And the pain in my heart grows even more intense.

Annoyance crosses his features at my stubbornness, “Don’t be ridiculous. You have about as much strength as a human female and not only that, you heal like one too”, and he gestures to my still healing nose.

“If I accepted you, you would quite literally be the easiest Luna to kill in history. Our enemies wouldn’t even have to try hard. They could literally just send an Omega and he would effortlessly be able to get the job done. Hell! I bet even rat poison would be enough to do you in”.

“In terms of value, you have none. You are unable to do any labour that requires physical strength or any heavy lifting like the other Omega. That’s why all you’re relegated to are cooking and cleaning duties. And even with those duties, it’s not like it has to be you. Literally anyone in the pack could do those chores”.

“To put it bluntly, you’re quite literally the most useless member of this pack- a walking burden. And. I. Refuse. To. Mate. With. You”, he bites out. Enunciating each word so that he was sure I could understand him.

These vicious words, uttered in the same captivating voice that had just seconds ago called me beautiful, are excruciatingly agonizing… the same lips that had stolen my breath away with such a romantic kiss could still be used to destroy me so.

His words are brutal and merciless yet his expression is calm. In fact, he doesn’t look like he is trying to insult me or to hurt my feelings at all. He looks as though all he is doing is stating the facts as they are.

And that breaks me even more. Worse because I know that every single accusation is true.

…does that mean that I am undeserving of love then?

My throat feeling as dry as sandpaper, all I’m able to croak out is, “Then why-why did you kiss me?” my voice tinting with desperation,

“If you didn’t want me, why did you kiss me? Why? Why?!!” I want to scream and yell at him, but the egg-sized ball in my throat makes my voice come out an agonized whisper,

“Why give me hope that you want me just to snatch it away?!”

His eyes narrow at the blatant disrespect but I don’t care.

This time he takes a second before replying. His words came out slow as though he is mulling them over, “I wanted to know what it felt like to kiss my mate. I wanted to know if it was worth being with you regardless-“

“And I do have to admit, it’s the best kiss I’ve ever had-

“But unfortunately no, it’s not worth forever being mated to a liability”, he then looks me up and down, “You are quite beautiful too…” and then shakes his head.

“Pity”.

-and that word makes me feel even smaller. And that’s it isn’t it? My entire worth summarized into one word. A liability.

However, it seemed he wasn’t done with me just yet. He could still crush to smaller pieces whatever is left of my broken heart.

“I, Magnus Aldridge, reject you Diana Castellanos as my mate. By my will and my word, I sever the bond and fate that exists between us”.

Immediately, I feel as my wolf who had began to stir retreat even further back into my mind; all activity stopping as she falls dormant once more.

I stagger back, hand clutching at a chest that feels as though it is doused in flames. My legs give out and I collapse to the floor. And the entire time, I am unable to look away from his face.

My mind feels fractured by the shock and I try to gasp for air. Yet no matter how much I take in, it just doesn’t seem to be enough.

I want to scream but the impact of those malicious words leave me with an emptiness so profound I can’t even find the voice to make a sound.

All of a sudden, my head spins and I curl into myself, gasping for breath. The pain in my heart is so intense it feels as though my lungs are collapsing.

This can’t be happening…no…no it’s not possible…the Fates can’t be this cruel…after everything I have been through, after suffering with the terrible cards the universe had dealt me, they can’t possibly not let me have this one piece of happiness.

I shake my head. This must be a dream- a nightmare that my exhausted brain must have conjured up. However, the pain in my heart tells me that is very much real.

My mate has just rejected me…I wasn’t even aware that that was possible but somehow, he had. He didn’t want me. He doesn’t want me.

“I’m going to be late”, I vaguely hear him mutter in annoyance.

“For your sake, you had better accept the rejection so we can put this all behind us and carry on with our lives”.

“I’m not cruel. Just because I don’t want to be with you doesn’t mean I’ll let you keep suffering. So know that If you don’t accept the rejection, the pain will never stop”, he adds, a furrow in his brows as though he were a teacher lecturing a dull student, his entire aura oozing impatience.

I however am unable to utter a single word, much to distraught and in pain to be able to process a word of what he is saying.

Annoyed, he rolls his eyes and looks down at his watch, “Well you can stay here until you’ve got yourself back together and then you can leave”, he says dismissively,

He takes a step closer only to realize that I am still curled up against the door, “Move. I need to go”.

Getting no reaction from me, his brows furrow tighter, “I said MOVE!”

This time, he uses his Alpha Command and my body instantly obeys, quickly scrambling away from the door. He might not be my mate anymore, but he is still my Alpha.

He takes one last look at me before striding out, the door banging shut behind him, and I am left alone in the silent room, tears flowing down my cheeks and my body wracking from the pain of rejection coursing through my being.

…

Miles away…

“No! No! Please… oh God No… ahhhhhh!” and with a sickening crunch, a dark creature swoops in bites down on his shoulder. The bite hadn’t been too deep, just enough to maim, but not enough to kill. It is about to take another bite when suddenly, something stops it in its tracks.

Something has changed. It doesn’t know what it is but it rudely forces his human consciousness back to forefront for a second. Its eyes flicker from blue to brown and back again.

What is it?

The creature growls in annoyance. Whatever it is, it feels familiar. It drops the man and tilts its head in confusion.

Its familiar… this feeling… it feels like something from a past long gone…

What is it?

The creature shakes it head again with an even louder growl.

Taking the opportunity while the creature is distracted, the injured man, tries to slowly drag his body away. Unfortunately, the movement brings back the creature’s attention to him.

Its prey is getting away.

The blue in its eyes wash out all the brown and its muzzle curls in a terrifying growl. Lightening quick, it snaps its jaw around the man’s throat, picks the man’s body and viciously shakes it, biting down harder until the gurgling sounds from the dying man come to a stop. It throws the body to the side and the man falls like a broken doll, right beside his own weapon.

With a loud howl, the creature disappears deeper into the dark forest.

Unknown to the creature, deep in the recesses of its soul, something rope-like; thin but firm, has appeared, emitting a soft and ephemeral glow.

It is a half-formed mating bond.