She was the daughter of a beta, but the most hated. She was beautiful with a good heart but something was missing. At twenty, she was yet to meet her wolf.
Then she was mated to Alpha Floyd, but he despised her because she had no wolf.
He would have rejected her but for reasons best known to him, he kept her.
Dumped under the cruel hands of other wolves in the palace including the lowly omegas, torture was the only familiar word to her. She knew its voice, its scent and its colour.
As the former beta, her father would have helped but he despised her more than the alpha. As for her mother, she regretted birthing a disgrace and humiliation.
In the entire Broln pack, she was the only one more than sixteen without a wolf. Duanne said she was a late bloomer but it was more of a wishful belief.
Since her parents wouldn't allow her into their home and the alpha was kind enough to let her into the royal house, she endured all the hardship she faced as long as her stomach would be fed and her body sheltered.
She wouldn't leave the pack or she would remain a rogue for life.
The ceremony reached its peak where Alpha Denovan handed over his daughter to Floyd and she was pronounced the luna of Broln pack.
And the humiliating part of the ceremony came, when all were to transform into their wolves to pay reverence to the alpha and his luna. The part that would expose her vulnerability and defect to all.
Then at the command of the beta, the sound of bones cracking and clothes shredded filled the air.
Alora knelt immediately, hoping she could hide her misfortune but then, her head pounded, her head spun and her skin crawled when she noticed a large dark shadow looming over her.
Floyd in his wolf scanned the crowd and his eyes darkened in fury.
Then howls erupted from different angles, like melodious song in several pitches, and Floyd's muscular wolf trotted out speedily with his brown furred luna keeping pace with him, while the other alphas and their entourages followed suite.
Then every other wolves trotted around in jubilation, howling loudly as they welcome their new luna to their pack.
Still on her knees, Alora's heart pounded in her head as the shadow refused to disappear.
Her eyes were tightly shut and cold sweat hit her body, then she felt her body lifted from the ground and a sudden gush of air smashed her face.
Was she flying? She wouldn't know as her eyes were tightly shut.
She felt her body laid on a soft surface and slowly, she opened her eyes.
She was in her room, on her small bed and a large wolf beside her.
She recognized it, Moro! Duanne's wolf. The shadow in the hall!! It was Moro!
Duanne stood above her and covered her shame.
Tears welled in her eyes and she quickly scrambled off the bed. She smiled brightly at the large creature which whined and flickered its tail, then ran out of the space.
"Thank you cousin." She muttered.
She slowly laid on her bed about to travel to dreamland but her tormentors wouldn't let her.
"Piggy!!" The creaking old door which was her only safety from prey- seeking wolves was pushed heavily, and her heart left her chest.
"Alpha requests your presence!!" With the look of disgust on her face, the omega girl hurled a shoe at her, then walked out.
The alpha wouldn't request her presence if not to taunt, humiliate or punish her.
With head pounding in tension, she got out of bed, slipped into her tattered flip- flop and headed to the court.
The closer she got to the court, the more her fingers twitched with nervous energy.
Standing in front of the huge metal door, she placed her quivering palm on her chest which rose and fell rapidly.
Who knew what awaited her in there?
She sulked in breath, then made her way inside.
Sitting on the royal sofa was Floyd but there was something different, his luna sat beside him, their hands clasped.
The moment she set her eyes on Alora, a sudden jolt of electricity coursed through her veins."She's his mate."
She felt the bond they shared, it was stronger than hers. She was his first and strongest mate. But seeing how tattered her appearance was, a wave of relief washed over her. If he valued her, she would have been his luna.
If he wanted her, she would have looked more appealing. Even the omegas looked cleaner and more attractive than her.
"You sent for me, my alpha."
She could hear her nervous breath thundering in her head as he shot her a dark stare which sent cold spider line fingers racing up and down her spine.
"Where were you today?"
"In the pack." Her uneasiness pushed her words out of her throat and her muscles tightened.
Though her eyes were lowered but she could feel his dreadful eyes piercing into her body.
"You were absent in the ceremony."
"I wasn't alpha." She gripped her cloth tightly, her breath accelerating.
He scoffed, his eyes darkened in fury. "So you call me a liar!!"
His wolf, Kylo stirred. "Mate!" And he locked it up immediately.
"No, I di... didn't, my...my alpha." Her words broke into stutters as fear squeezed air from her lungs.
"Otto!!"
"Her knees gave way and she knelt in submission. She knew what would come next, intense punishment.
"Forgive me alpha." Her eyes shimmered in tears as the images of what her punishment would be, filled her mind.
But his heart was hardened, his ears blocked.
Otto came in, he was his beta. The last alpha who was Floyd's father died few years ago from an illness, her father was his beta but when Floyd assumed authority, he put her father aside and picked a beta for himself.
"Let her work in the field for a week!!"
With demeanor rather arrogant, he took his luna's hand and left the court.
"And what did you do again?" Otto's eyes pried into her.
She shook her head in tears. "Nothing."
Grievance had taken over her voice, reducing it to only a whisper.
Otto eyes hardened as rage festered in him. Must he torture her always? Floyd's actions towards Alora was disturbing, he wasn't comfortable with it.
She was wolf-less, so what?
"Return to your room, I'll send for you."
And with anger flooded in his veins, he stormed out.
Alora rose, suppressing the pressing dejection she felt. She wiped her tears, bit her lower lips, then trudged to her room.
Otto pushed the door to the royal chamber and went in. He stopped, his gaze tore through Floyd who was standing beside the window, viewing his pack.
"I know very well she didn't commit a crime, your heart elates when you inflict pain on her?"
Floyd's face contorted with rage, he turned slowly, his fists clenched by his sides and his wolf hit him. "Let me out!"
"And who are you to question me Otto?" Floyd shot him a dark stare.
"Aside your beta, I'm your best friend Floyd!!"
He took steps towards him, his deep gaze on him.
"She's your mate Floyd." His once resonated voice hushed.
"A wolf-less mate Otto? I'm an alpha, you know?"
"A heartless alpha tormenting an innocent girl who Selene denied a wolf."
He wished he could break into his head to see his irrational thoughts.
Otto closed in on him and took his hand. "I thought you've always loved her, you were fond of her those days, what changed?"
He recalled how close they were before he became the alpha. How he pampered her.
"I never said so Otto." Even his voice which was too low to be heard was a proof he was obviously lying.
"You didn't say so but it's true, you loved her then, I believe the love wouldn't die just like that. Do you hate her because you love her too much to accept she has no wolf?" Otto's eyes bored into his forcing Floyd to lower them.
Otto raised his brows meaningfully, he had no mate but was familiar with things of the heart. If he wasn't wrong, his alpha was insincere to himself.
Otto pulled away his hand, took a deep breath and faced away from him. "Reject her!! Free her!! Cease the torture Flyod!!"
Otto's crusty words thumped him hard and he felt a pinning melancholy.
He couldn't reject her, he couldn't send her away. The Seer told him so and it has been his secret.
Rejecting her would suppress his authority for years, an opportunity for a contender to challenge him and take his position.
Forcing her to reject him would produce a worst result and the only solution was a willing rejection from her, but that was where the problem laid.
How would he make her reject him willingly?
He had tortured her for four years yet no sign she would leave.
He had subjected her to harsh conditions but she endured all and remained in the royal house. He couldn't mate her, as her wolf was yet to appear.
"I can't reject her Otto."
Otto's eyes bore through him, he could see the lingering sadness in his eyes.
"Why?"
He pinched the bridge of his nose and a strained smile surfaced.
"I might lose my position as an alpha. I will be weakened for years and vulnerable. My enemies will cease the opportunity to attack. Otto, I might lose this seat!!"
In the entire chamber, only their hushed voices were heard.
Otto's mouth hung open as surprise stole the air from his lungs.
His brain became blank momentarily as the thump from his revelation destroyed its circuit system.
He blinked repeatedly, trying to comprehend what his alpha said. "What?"
Floyd slumped into the sofa, repeatedly rubbing his face.
"Yeah man, that's how it would be." Unsteadiness smote his regal voice.
Otto forehead wrinkled as hundred of thoughts skunk through his mind. "No other way?"
In the depth of his misery, he shook his head. "Only her willingness."
"Then let her be! Perhaps, she might." And an air of quietude swept across the room.