Dark clouds hovered low in the sky, creating a gloomy haze over the gathering. A haunting memory of the recent rains was the sense of damp dirt mixed with the aromatic aroma of pine. Maira stood amid the mourners, her heart heavy with grief and memories of the late Alpha Zamin, the man she had known as her father figure.
As Maira stood amidst the mourners during the funeral, her thoughts wandered to the unsettling events that had unfolded, leading to the untimely demise of Alpha Zamin. The somber atmosphere around her only heightened her feelings of unease.
The funeral had drawn both the Jaha and Warg packs together in an uneasy truce, the tension between them palpable. Maira couldn't help but notice the Warg pack members casting glances filled with disdain and smugness in their direction. She clenched her fists, feeling a surge of protectiveness for her pack and a profound sorrow for the loss they had suffered.
"What will I do without you, dad?" Maira whispered under her breath, her voice barely audible amidst the hushed murmurs of the crowd.
As the ceremony proceeded, she observed the mourners, trying to read their emotions as she always did. Some faces displayed genuine grief, while others masked their intentions behind a facade of sorrow. The Warg pack's Alpha, a formidable man named Fehim, appeared disinterested, a hint of triumph gleaming in his cold eyes.
Maira's keen intuition whispered that something wasn't right. It was as if a puzzle was slowly unraveling before her, and she was desperate to piece together the truth. Her father's death felt like more than just a tragic accident. Her heart ached with pain. It was inconceivable to imagine someone wanting to harm the kind-hearted Alpha who had raised her as his own. But her instincts, honed by years of observing emotions, sensed the hidden undercurrents.
As the adopted daughter of the deceased Alpha, Maira had never quite felt like she belonged to the pack. Though she possessed a gentle soul and a keen ability to read the emotions of others, it seemed Kairo, who was now Alpha of her pack was an exception to her empathetic prowess. She had known Kairo since she was four years old when she had been adopted by Kairo's uncle, Alpha Zamin. Kairo was only two years older than her. From early on, their interactions had been fraught with tension and cold glances over the years, and she couldn't quite put her finger on why their connection remained strained.
Maira's thoughts drifted back to the day she had turned sixteen, the day when every young werewolf found themselves embracing their true form for the first time. But for her, the transformation never came. Instead, she remained unchanged, baffling her and everyone around her. Despite this peculiarity, the late Alpha had been unwilling to throw her out of the pack. She remembered once packing her bags to leave quietly in the night, only to find Alpha Zamin sitting right outside her bedroom door in an armchair. He had somehow known that she would try to leave and he was there waiting to stop her. His sleeping form in the chair had melted her heart and made her go back into her room and abandon the idea of leaving the pack. Alpha Zamin was the only father she had ever known and he had loved her unconditionally, only as a true father would.
As she observed the pack members shedding tears and sharing heartfelt memories of the Alpha, Maira couldn't help but feel like an outsider once more. Her empathetic nature made her sense the depth of their grief, yet she remained detached, unable to experience the full weight of the loss. She had always been adept at blending in, understanding the unspoken emotions that lingered in the air, but it was different with Kairo. His feelings were a mystery she could never fully grasp, and it frustrated her to no end.
Kairo, now standing tall beside the grave, exuded an aura of power and authority as he prepared to take on the role of Alpha. But beneath the facade, Maira sensed an undercurrent of uncertainty and insecurity. His eyes briefly met hers, and in that fleeting moment, she saw a flicker of something she couldn't quite identify.
"Rest in peace, Uncle," Kairo's voice resonated through the clearing, and the pack members bowed their heads in respect. Maira followed suit, her mind swirling with conflicting emotions. She felt gratitude for the life the late Alpha had provided her, but also a lingering sense of unease about her place in the pack now that Kairo would be in charge.
As the ceremony concluded, Maira quietly retreated from the crowd, finding solace in the embrace of the ancient trees that surrounded the pack's territory. The rustling leaves seemed to whisper to her, offering a sense of belonging she craved but couldn't attain within the pack's boundaries.
Lost in her thoughts, Maira was startled by the sound of approaching footsteps. Turning, she met the intense gaze of Kairo, his amber eyes searching her face for something she couldn't quite comprehend.
"You should have left long ago," he said, his voice tinged with bitterness.
"I had nowhere else to go," Maira replied calmly, refusing to let his harsh words rattle her.
"You never belonged here. The previous Alpha's sentimentality kept you in this pack, but now he's gone, and it's time for you to leave."
Maira felt a pang of hurt at his callousness, but she pushed it aside, understanding that his anger was likely a manifestation of his own insecurities.
"You may be the Alpha now, Kairo, but that doesn't give you the right to dictate my fate," she said firmly. "I will stay here as long as I see fit, and I will find my place within this pack."
Kairo's eyes bore into hers, a myriad of emotions flickering within them, but before he could respond, Maira turned away, leaving him standing alone amidst the shadows of the forest.
As she walked away, she couldn't help but wonder if fate had a twisted sense of humor, pairing her with someone she couldn't connect with. The weight of her hidden secret about Kairo being her true mate bore heavily on her heart. She had kept this revelation to herself for six long years. The thought of Kairo rejecting her again was more than she could bear.
She had discovered the truth on that fateful day of her 16th birthday, when the Mating Moon ceremony had taken place. The pack had gathered under the luminous moon, anticipation thick in the air. One by one, young werewolves had shifted into their wolf forms, embracing their destinies as they found their true mates. But when it came to Maira's turn, nothing happened. She remained human, her transformation eluding her. Though she had not turned into a werewolf, the ancient bond had revealed Kairo as her true mate. His reaction had been immediate—his face had contorted with disbelief and embarrassment. Maira had seen his gaze dart around the gathering, the fear of judgment apparent in his eyes. He couldn't accept being mated to someone who couldn't shift—a defect in his eyes, a stain on his reputation.
In that moment, she had made a difficult decision. She would keep her identity as his mate a secret, sacrificing her own happiness to protect him from shame and rejection. She had convinced herself that it was for the best. She didn't want to be with someone anyway who couldn't accept her for herself.
But as the time passed, the burden of the secret grew heavier, weighing down Maira's heart. She despised the need to hide from everyone, even her adopted parents, the truth that Kairo was her mate. Whenever he spoke to her, his avoidance of eye contact hurt deeply; it was as if he couldn't bear to acknowledge her presence. The sting of his embarrassment pierced her soul, making her question her worth. How could the powerful Alpha Kairo be so weak, so unwilling to fight for her? The pain of losing her beloved father, coupled with the rejection from her own mate, became an unbearable weight that threatened to crush her spirit. She channeled the hate welling within her into a fierce animosity towards Kairo.