Olivia's POV
"Oh, dear Olivia, this is the first time I've seen you dressed like this, it's very beautiful."I listened to the hypocritical praise of the servant and the stylist Janice who were helping me try on clothes. In the mirror, I saw myself, my long hair rarely let loose, which they had curled for me, and they were now placing the diamond crown, a symbol of power, on my head.
The white silk dress slipped through my fingers like water, its delicate fabric a stark contrast to the calluses on my hands. Calluses earned from years of combat training, from proving myself worthy of being the first female Alpha heir of the Ebony Pack.After years of not wearing dresses but only training clothes, it was a rare occasion for me to try on a fancy dress like this, but it made me feel uncomfortable.
"You look ridiculous."
I didn't need to turn around to know Adrian was leaning against my bedroom doorframe, his presence an unwelcome intrusion into my private moment. My twin brother's scent – pine needles tinged with bitterness – had become all too familiar in its hostility over the years.
"Don't you know how to knock?" I continued examining myself in the full-length mirror, adjusting the dress that somehow made me look even taller than my usual 5'10". The engagement ceremony was in two days, and nothing felt right.
"Something bad is coming," Cora, my wolf, whispered in my mind. She'd been restless all week, pacing in our shared consciousness.
"Why bother?" Adrian sauntered in, his reflection appearing beside mine. We shared the same amber eyes and dark hair with natural red highlights – gifts from our mother. But where my features had sharpened into angles that marked me as a warrior, his remained almost delicate. "It's not like you can hide what you are."
His words struck their intended target. I squared my shoulders, refusing to let him see how they stung. "And what exactly am I, dear brother?"
"Look at yourself." He gestured dismissively at my reflection. "All muscle and height. You look like a man playing dress-up." The maid next to me and Janice were both frightened by Adrian's words and kept their heads lowered, not daring to speak.His companion, one of his usual sycophants, snickered from the hallway. "No breasts to speak of, shoulders broader than most male wolves. You really think you can pull off being a proper Luna?"
"Don't let him provoke you," Cora warned, but I could feel her hackles rising too.
"I don't need to pull off being a 'proper Luna,'" I replied, my voice deadly calm. "I'm going to be Alpha. The Luna role is secondary."
Adrian's face darkened. "You're an aberration. Father may have lost his mind enough to name you heir, but—"
I moved before he could finish. Years of training kicked in as I grabbed his wrist, using his momentum against him as I flipped him onto his back. His friend rushed in, but I was ready. My Alpha power surged through me, a golden wave of energy that slammed them both against the floor.
"An aberration that can still kick your ass two-to-one," I growled, maintaining the pressure of my power. The air crackled with tension as both males struggled against my hold.
I sneered mockingly, "I'm a maverick, but Adrian, that's all because of your failure. If you weren't so weak, how could our father let his daughter become the heir?"Adrian's face flushed red with anger at me. Janice stood beside him, looking uncomfortable and hesitant to speak.
"Olivia!"
Oliver's voice cut through the moment. My fiancé stood in the doorway, his honey-colored eyes wide with apparent concern. He was everything a male omega should be – slight, graceful, beautiful. The Moon Goddess's supposed gift to me, my fated mate.
So why did my wolf recoil every time he came near?
Oliver's eyes showed deep disapproval, as if accusing me of behaving too rudely.I released my hold on Adrian and his friend, who scrambled to their feet, shooting me vengeful looks.
"Adrian, are you alright?" Oliver completely ignored me and hurried to my brother's side, gently helping him to stand up. The caring look in his eyes as he touched him made me feel uncomfortable in my stomach.
"Your future mate is out of control," Adrian spat, but I caught the way his expression softened almost imperceptibly when Oliver touched him.
Oliver turned to me, his face a perfect mask of disappointment. "Olivia, violence isn't the answer. Adrian is your brother. Whatever he said—"
"Whatever he said?" I cut him off, incredulous. "You didn't even ask what happened. You just assumed I was in the wrong."
"Well, you were the one using your Alpha power—"
"Against two males who came into my private space to harass me." I yanked off the silk dress, standing in my training clothes underneath. They were my real armor anyway. "But by all means, continue defending him."
Adrian smirked, dusting himself off. "See? No femininity whatsoever. Stripping in front of males like it's nothing."
"Get out." My voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "All of you."
Oliver tried to approach me, his omega pheromones attempting to soothe my anger. "Love, please—"
"OUT!"
They left, Adrian throwing one last satisfied look over his shoulder. The door clicked shut, and I sank onto my bed, the silk dress pooled at my feet like spilled moonlight.
"You're too strong for them," Cora said softly. "That's what really bothers them."
"It wasn't always like this," I whispered, closing my eyes. Memory swept over me, sharp and bitter.
We were once a close-knit pair of siblings. After our mother's passing, our father had to handle the affairs within and outside the Pack, and we two grew up relying on each other. Adrian used to be very good to me; if he had only one piece of candy, he would not eat it himself but give it to me to eat.
We were twelve, Adrian and I, training in the pack grounds. Father had promised a golden moon pendant to whoever showed the most progress. That was a very beautiful pendant, I fell in love with it at first sight, and I had to have it, it was clear that Adrian did as well. To this day, I still remember the weight of the staff in my hand during that day's practice, and the burning determination in Adrian's eyes.
"I'm going to win it," he'd declared, charging at me.
That day we started off evenly matched, but it was clear my endurance was better, I was faster and stronger. We fought for an hour, and in the end, my stick swept his legs, and he crashed heavily to the ground. I still remember the sound of his head striking the hard earth echoing in my ears.
"Adrian!" I'd dropped to my knees beside him, terrified I'd really hurt him."I'm very sorry, brother, I'm sorry." I was so scared that I dropped my tears.
He'd pushed me away, blood trickling from his scalp. The hatred in his eyes was new, foreign. "Don't touch me!"
My father was amazed at my strength and praised it.Father had awarded me the pendant, praising my progress. I wore it for exactly one day before leaving it in Adrian's room. But the damage was done. My brother never looked at me the same way again.I haven't received his care and attention either.
I have also tried many times to ease our relationship. On his birthday, I gave him a computer keyboard that he had liked for a long time. The next day, I saw the keyboard disassembled and thrown in the trash can. I also pretended to lose to him during training and surrendered to him, but I was scolded even more severely.
As we gradually grew up, after two years, I felt his attitude towards me had eased, just as our relationship started to improve, and we were able to have normal conversations. On our 16th birthday, my father suddenly announced that I was the heir. From then on, Adrian went back to his previous attitude, and even worse. Whenever he saw me, he would sneer and mock, and he wouldn't even call me "sister".
A howl from the perimeter snapped me back to the present. My communication device buzzed: "Alpha heir, we're detecting irregularities in the defense system. Section 7 needs inspection."
I welcomed the distraction, quickly changing into my patrol gear. The night air was crisp as I jogged toward the forest, my boots silent on the familiar path.
The moon hung low and heavy, casting long shadows through the trees. Something about the quality of the darkness felt wrong. Movement caught my eye – a familiar figure slipping between the trunks.
Oliver?
I dropped into a hunting crouch, masking my presence as I followed him. He moved with purpose, heading deeper into the territory. But why would my omega fiancé be out here alone at night?
After several minutes, he turned back toward the pack house. I tracked him until he disappeared into his room, confusion and suspicion warring in my mind.
"He's hiding something," Cora growled.
"Everyone's hiding something," I murmured, staring at his now-dark window. "The question is, what will it cost us to find out?"
The engagement ceremony will be held in two days, but as an alpha's intuition, I always feel that something is not quite right. "I don't think this ceremony will go smoothly," I silently talk to Cora in my heart.
"We'll face it together," Cora assured me. "Whatever comes."
"Whatever comes," I agreed, and turned to continue my patrol, leaving the silk dress crumpled on my bedroom floor like abandoned dreams.