"Goodness me, Señorita María Jośe! He's here!" The excited screech from Juana, my best friend and personal maid, boomed through the narrow hallways of our old Spanish villa.
I could hear her footsteps racing toward my room where I was currently being glammed up by the biggest stylists in Spain, all thanks to my father.
I needed to look perfect. I needed to be the dolled-up daughter, the perfect Luna candidate, and make father proud.
What no one cared to ask me was if I wanted to be Álvaro's Luna. I mean, what girl would want a self-centered boy who had refused to pick a Luna since two years ago when the Luna wolf was found in my eldest sister, Rosa?
Álvaro had been the Alpha heir of our pack since his brother refused the post, but his arrogance was only matched by his unwillingness to choose a mate.
He needed a mate to complete the coronation process but he had rejected countless candidates, one of whom was my older sister, Rosa.
She was supposed to be his Luna. She was everything an Alpha could want: fierce, strong, and clever. But when it came time for him to accept his fate, he turned her away.
Wanna know why? It was because she wasn't the prettiest in the family. That was me – the most beautiful daughter of the De la Vega family.
It wasn't Rosa, my first sister, it wasn't Camilla, my second sister – no, it was me. The one cursed with a breathtaking beauty.
The rejection had shattered Rosa, and, for some strange reason, it also left me in the spotlight. After Rosa's rejection, came Camilla's. Now, two years after Rosa was rejected and a year after Camilla's, it was finally time.
"You look beautiful, María José," one of the stylists—Clara, I think her name was—said as she stepped back, admiring her handiwork.
My long black hair was styled in soft waves, and my makeup was flawless, as if I was a goddess in the flesh.
I didn't want to look beautiful. I wanted to be left alone, to make my own decisions, to choose a path that didn't revolve around the idea of becoming someone's property—someone's perfect Luna.
"Beautiful?" I whispered, giving my reflection a side glance.
I looked the part, certainly. But beauty wasn't the problem, was it? It was the role. The expectations.
Juana knocked on the door, poking her head in. "Miss, you need to come out now. He's waiting for you in the main hall."
I took a deep breath. I didn't want to see Álvaro. The mere thought of him made my chest tighten. Yet here I was, dressed to the nines and ready to play the part of the perfect Luna—a role that was never mine to begin with.
I glanced over at Juana. "My God, Juana. Do I have to?"
Juana's smile-ridden face flattened for a moment, and I could tell she wasn't entirely comfortable with this either.
But she was loyal to my family, and her job was to ensure I complied. "Yes, Miss. It's your duty."
A duty. That was all this was. A duty I didn't sign up for.
"Fuck this." I facepalmed before standing up.
Then, I strode toward the door as graciously as Father would want his perfect daughter to. My hands, however, betrayed me as they trembled slightly when I reached for the handle.
Juana's eyes followed me. She wasn't blind to what was happening, but she had her own loyalties—her own responsibilities.
"Don't worry, María José," she winked. "He won't bite. At least, not literally."
I chuckled softly, but it was hollow. The truth was; I didn't know what to expect from Álvaro. I didn't even know what I wanted from him. All I knew was that I was in a fucked up ring of expectations that didn't belong to me.
.
.
After a few strolls in the hallways, I and Juana arrived at the main hall where Álvaro stood. He was exactly as I remembered—bigger than most men his age with his broad shoulders and posture that practically screamed dominance in caps.
His eyes were sweeping around as though he were searching for something… or someone.
Me.
When they finally found me, I stopped in my tracks, feeling the heat clouding over my body.
What did he think of me now? Was I just another face in the crowd, another beauty he could cast aside—as he had with Rosa and Camilla?
Álvaro's gaze remained on me for a while, and I felt a sharp spasm of discomfort. He hadn't changed, I realized—still distant, still spoiled, still utterly different from what I wanted in a mate.
Juana nudged me forward and I heaved deeply, forcing myself to move towards him.
"María José," he breathed, nodding approvingly. "You look... perfect, as always."
The words should have been a compliment, but they felt like a cold remark. Like he was sizing me up, not seeing me.
"Thank you. I suppose you've been waiting long." I replied stiffly.
He shrugged, the casualness of his movements making him seem as though he had all the time in the world. "It's not like I have anywhere else to be. You look ready. For what's next."
What's next; that… I dreaded.
I tried to push that thought away. There was no space for me here. Not in Álvaro's world.
"Shall we?" he asked, extending his hands.
I nodded and took them. "Sí, vamos."
———
When we arrived at the Packhouse, nearly the entire pack was in seats, awaiting us. Usually, the Luna candidates were to arrive latest, and in the end, the Alpha would go escort his favorite Luna candidate to the gala.
Today was the Luna wolf's hunt where girls like me who had just clocked eighteen in the pack would stand before the altar, until the full moon was out, and our wolves were revealed.
My father was the pack's Gamma and was seated amongst the other nobles. When our eyes met, he gave me a sharp nod, acknowledging my presence.
It was the same look he always gave—expectant, as though everything was in its place. As though everything was going according to his plan.
I was about to look away when I noticed Camilla whispering something to Rosa beside Father. I glanced their way and saw the disdainful looks they were both shooting me.
My hands were fisted beside me as I clenched my teeth. My sisters hated me and it was all thanks to Álvaro.
Rejecting them publicly just because he didn't perceive them as 'good enough' had sown a seed of discord in their hearts toward me.
"I can't wait to claim you, María Jośe." Álvaro kissed my cheek before leaving me on the altar.
Beside me, fourteen other eligible girls stood, all with the same nervous, hopeful glimmer in their eyes—girls who looked like they could crush my skull with their bare hands, yet they were all waiting for the same thing. A chance to be chosen.
Maybe, just maybe, this time around, tables would turn. Maybe the Luna wolf wouldn't be found in the De la Vega family and the chain would break; those were the prayers of every family in the pack for the past two years.
However, they were met with disappointment as our family continued to make father proud. It was a great honor for him as the pack's military leader.
It'd be an honor for anyone, honestly but I wasn't like them. I didn't want this.
The three pack elders stepped forward. They were the oldest members of the pack with knowledge of the rituals, rules, and whatnot.
"Today, we gather to witness the ancient ritual of the Luna wolf hunt," one of them announced. "Fifteen eligible maidens stand before us, each hoping to be chosen by the Luna wolf."
Another raised his hands in a melodramatic style. "Shall we begin, folks?!"
"Sí! Let's begin!" Roared the pack members, many of whose eyes were on me.
I shut my eyes and reopened them. Didn't want to be a Debbie Downer but this sucked.
The old men began to chant, preparing our inner wolves to rise from their deep slumber and showcase themselves for the first time since we were all born.
As much as I despised the purpose of this, this was also a big moment for me. This was the first time I'd meet my wolf. I remember not being able to sleep for weeks, wondering just what she'd be like.
Finally, I'd have another best friend apart from Juana. In the Pack of the North, we could converse with our wolves like they were our buddies.
As the pack elders' chanting reached its climax, the air was electric with suspense. The girls around me began to transform, their wolves bursting forth in a magnificent display of power and beauty.
But I remained still. Empty.
What's with the delay? I gulped down, smothering my dress like it was the problem.
The room fell silent, all eyes fixed on the spectacle before us. And then, I saw it. A wolf with a coat as white as snow and eyes that shone like the brightest moon. The Luna wolf.
It rose from Emilia Vasquez, a petite blonde from the respected Vasquez family.
The Luna wolf had risen from another family! My family's heritage had been broken in my tenure!
Oh, no. The Shame. The Humiliation. Father wouldn't take this lightly. My heart began to race so fast, that I feared it might spring forth instead of my wolf.
Meanwhile, Emilia's eyes widened in stupefaction as she stumbled backward, her wolf roaring all around her, its powerful aura swirling in a ball of white light.
The room broke into disarray. Gasps and whispers spread like wildfire as the pack's eyes fixed on Emilia. My family's expectations, my father's pride – all of it was shattered in this moment.
My Dad's face reddened with humiliation and shame. He glared at me with disappointment blazing in his eyes. "María Jośe, cómo pudiste fallarme así?" he spat. "How could you fail me like this?"
'This is a situation that is out of my control, Dad! How is it my fault?!' I wanted to scream at the top of my voice, but I remained tight-lipped.
As the favorite and Golden daughter, I dared not talk back at Dad. Now that I was an Omega, I couldn't even picture the complication of such an act.
Hence, the silence. It seemed that'd be my closest melody from here on. Silence.
Rosa calls me a fool – silence.
Camilla thinks I'm useless – silence.
B-but I didn't understand what was going on.
Every other girl beside me has had their wolves revealed. Those who weren't lucky enough to have the Luna wolf were silently fuming, but at least, they'd unite with their respective wolves.
Where was mine? What the hell was wrong with me? I looked heavenward and saw no smoke, no flame, no roaring of my wolf—nothing.
My lips began to twitch in panic, my fists drenched in my own sweat. D-did this mean I was…
Was it what I was thinking? I was…
Álvaro's jaw clenched in anger when my eyes trailed to him.
"Pathetic. You're not even worthy of being a pack member, let alone a Luna. I can't believe I spent two years waiting for a worthless Omega!" He spat, sending a chuck of saliva on my pretty white dress.
I yelped, gasping as I stumbled back while the realization hit me. I was an… Omega.
"Oh, no." My eyes began to fill up with tears. I stared down at my palms that were twitching so fervently. "Why did the Moon Goddess do this to me?"
It was one thing to disappoint Father and not possess the Luna wolf, but it was a whole 'nother level of humiliation to emerge as an Omega. In a world where power and status were everything, an Omega was the lowest of the low. Someone without a wolf—an outcast.
And I had been born one.
Emilia's family rushed to her side, beaming with pride. "Our Emilia, the chosen one!" her mother exclaimed, tears of joy streaming down her face.
I also had the tears running down mine, albeit, tears of sorrow—of hopelessness. I was doomed. I couldn't even imagine what awaited me.
The snickers from the pack members in attendant began to fly around.
"A beauty without a wolf is what again?" One person sneered.
Another pack member replied, loud enough for everyone's ears. "A worthless beauty! An empty barrel!"
My wobbling legs were about to fail me when someone whom I hadn't noticed earlier stood up, yawning loudly like he had a microphone implanted in his voice.
"You motherfuckers are as BORING as ever!"