Kade

I shut my eyes, slowly tapping my fingers on my thigh, clenching my chiselled jaws as I tried to contain my rage while receiving information from my Beta via mind-link.

A bastard was caught snooping around the pack borders! How unlucky he was.

Successfully Submerging my furious wolf who kept whining and growling in my head, I quickly mind-linked my beta to send him into the dungeon where I was.

Where my captives were taken care of.

I took a long drag on my tobacco, feeling the gush of adrenaline throughout my body that charged me with pleasure and vigour.

"Ahhh," I exhaled slowly, puffing out the smoke in the air with my eyes tight shut.

I relished the feeling and at once I was excited. Excited to execute, to cause a massacre, to wreak havoc.

The swinging and slamming of the door broke my euphoria, causing my eyes to open at once. A small smile broke on my lips as I smelt my Beta fast approaching. He was the only one that could barge into my space without getting torn apart by my irate wolf. I could sense his closeness and I could sense another presence with him.

The smell of sweat and blood suddenly swept across the room, making me cringe my nose in disgust. That moment, I knew it was the spy sent from my rival pack. My Beta, Silvius, had delivered him the way I wanted.

Brutally beaten.

Slowly turning to my Beta who held a man in his late thirties that looked like he was about to pass out any moment, I nodded at him signifying a job well done.

"Alpha," he bowed, before lifting his eyes to meet my gaze. "He was caught trying to—"

I raised my finger in the air, interrupting him as my eyes were fixed on the body of my blood-soaked prey. Suddenly, the excitement I felt died, replacing itself with apathy.

"Take care of him," I said, quite surprised at how dull my voice sounded as I started walking towards the door.

"But why?"

I stopped in my tracks, drawing in sharp breaths as I snapped my eyes shut before opening them slowly. I almost forgot that Silvius was the only one who could question my authority. But not all the time. He was my Beta, my right-hand man. Even if we started as enemies to friends, he had proven to be trustworthy and I trusted him with my life, the same applied to him.

"Don't tell me you just beat him up without noticing the tattoo on his body." I bellowed as my gaze didn't leave the half-dead man. I let my eyes travel from his blood-stained head that made his hair appear sticky as they concealed his face to his badly broken torso as his cloth was ripped apart and then to his twisted knees that couldn't support his legs anymore.

Silvius had done a good job. He had been brutally beaten which made it difficult to recognize him. But I recognized him, and this time, he won't slip off my fingers.

"Don't be dumb. Don't tell me that you didn't see those," I pointed at the mark and tattoo on my prey's body that hid beneath his ripped cloth and blood. "It is crystal clear that even the blind can see it."

"I am sorry, Alpha." Silvius mumbled as I watched him from the corner of my eyes as he scratched the back of his head in confusion.

The sound of my footsteps resonated throughout the room as I walked Silvius with my hands buried in my black leather jacket. I could smell their fears as Silvius' hands won't stop trembling behind his back and my prey won't stop gasping like he had seen a ghost, mumbling pleas that triggered my anger.

I like that. Fear me.

"You know what this means?" I asked, pointing at my prey's ripped arm, maintaining eye contact with Silvius.

"Yes, Alpha. He belongs to our rival pack, the Dark Moon pack. The tattoo says it all," he said, admitting his stupidity.

"This mark here..." I placed my heavy black boot on the left side of my prey's chest, balancing my weight on the leg that pressed his badly injured chest, "means the mark of secrecy." I increased the pressure on his chest, ignoring his screams.

"He will never reveal a word," I angrily crushed his chest with my boot causing him agonizing pain.

"But we can torture him, Alpha. We can make him talk, this time, he might give us some information..."

"We can do nothing!" I yelled, irritated by Silvius' optimism. "He is a trained spy for fuck's sake, he won't reveal a thing," I sighed, looking at his badly crushed chest as he gave his last breath.

"You think you can make him talk by causing him pain? He had gone through hell...Just like..." I paused and looked away as I remembered my days of hell, the days I craved death.

The Alpha of the Dark Moon pack took something from me, something of inestimable value and I will never relent till I watch him give his last breath, together with those he loved.

Make him die slowly and painfully before throwing his carcass to the vultures to feed on.

"Never stop fighting," the last words of my dying father rang in my head as my eyes met with the moon outside the window and a small smile broke on my lips.

"When is the Alpha of the Dark Moon's pack birthday?"

"Tomorrow," Silvius replied as stared at me in confusion, wondering what I was up to. No one knew what I was up to, not even Silvius, my Beta who was my childhood friend.

No, you cannot predict me.

"Great. Tell Gamma Lukas to prepare a lovely birthday gift for the Alpha. The gift should contain the bastard's head and his balls, wrapped in a beautiful foil, with the pack's tattoo on it. Tell him not to forget to wish him a happy birthday." I laughed devilishly, holding my stomach. How interesting this game was.

"That was his favourite spy."

Kade

"Remind me where we are going and what our next agenda is." I rubbed my palms in anticipation as I got out of the inner chambers of the dungeon, glancing at Silvius who tried to keep up with my pace.

"We are—" Silvius' voice trailed as he brought out an iPad, squinting his eyes a little to read the content displayed on its screen.

"Let me guess." I raised my finger, interrupting him. "We have a meeting with the Alpha of the Night Walker pack." I sighed. "That bastard."

"No, Alpha. You are supposed to be at the Moon ball ceremony of the Crescent Moon pack and it is themed Romance."

"How? The ceremony is supposed to be tomorrow, not today. Today is Friday." I stated, getting a little irritated at the mix-up.

"You are wrong, Alpha. Today is Saturday, not Friday. The meeting with the Alpha of the Night Walker pack was fixed for tomorrow and the Moon ball ceremony is today and if you don't hurry, you will be late." Silvius stated proudly, indirectly reminding me that he had gotten a mate.

I was wrong?!

No one had ever told me that I was wrong.

I have been stressed lately, hence the forgetfulness.

I am the Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack and I am never wrong!

There is no way I could forget the Moon ball ceremony of the Crescent Moon pack. The Crescent Moon pack was one of the packs that formed an alliance with my pack as they didn't want to get on my bad side. My pack was at peace with the rest of the packs as long as they didn't break the rules.

The Moon ball ceremony was rotated among the packs. The Blood Moon Pack hosted last year's Moon ball ceremony, and this summer, it was the Crescent Moon's turn to host the Moon ball ceremony.

Moon ball ceremonies weren't my thing as I couldn't wait to leave even if I hadn't gotten at the pack. I wish I could ignore the invitation as I had always done, but I couldn't as my presence was mandatory.

"You don't have to look all gloomy, this Moon ball is going to be wonderful, I can feel it in my guts and you've always told me to follow the feelings in my guts."

"This time, you will find your mate, our Luna, I am certain about that."

But I wasn't interested in finding my mate.

Years before, finding my mate was something I desired, something I longed for but after years of no luck, I tossed the feeling aside. Right now, finding my mate was simply out of necessity as I must have a mate to keep the pack in order.

Mates doesn't excite me anymore after seeing how my stone-hearted Beta turned weak the moment he found his mate. I could still remember how he couldn't stop smiling, showering her with kisses, and clinging to her like a second skin.

Or was it how my brother turned to a lily when he found his mate?

Pathetic.

"Fine." I waved my hands, dismissing the topic as it started to irritate me.

"You can't just say fine, you need a suit with a touch of red since the theme is romance. You can't go dressed like that. You are attending a Moon ball not a fucking club!" Silvius complained making me roll my eyes.

"Stop acting like you are my father, I can wear whatever I want." I walked away from him, glancing at my outfit. Black denim jeans, a black denim leather jacket that was left unbuttoned, partly covering my white shirt with black boots.

Not bad.

"You will look odd compared to those that will attend the event." Silvius hit his head in frustration as he tried to convince me.

"I have always looked odd," I said, ignoring Silvius as something flapping in the fountain caught my attention. I strode towards the fountain with my gaze fixed keenly on it as it struggled to stay afloat in the water. I let my hands wander in the water before they caught something.

A bird.

Its wings got stuck in a branch, making it drown in the fountain. But I had saved it.

How compassionate.

I carefully lifted its fragile feathers, pulling out the branch that hindered its flight and placed the small bird on my large finger palm, urging it to fly, to be free. But it turned around and pecked my fingers with its sharp beak, repeatedly.

Interesting.

"Never help a person because he appears weak. When he gains strength, he will turn against you." My father's warning resonated in my ear. I couldn't grasp the meaning because I was young, but now, I finally understood.

A low growl escaped my lips as I tried to warn the bird to stop pushing its limit but it continued pecking my finger, causing it to bleed before flying towards my face to peck me.

The audacity!

I caught it before it could come in contact with my face and began to pull its neck apart, slowly.

"I can see that you have chosen death!" I whispered into its ears as if he could understand what I said.

"Alpha, it is just a dumb bird," Silvius tried to intervene but a dangerous growl from me cautioned him. He dared not intercede for the unfortunate bird.

"It is not a dumb bird, it is more clever than you think." I gritted my teeth as I stared at the trembling bird in my hand. "I saved it but it turned against me."

Angrily, I twisted Its neck before tearing them apart, dropping it on the floor and walking over it, crushing it completely as a horrid look was plastered on Silvius' face.

"I might be compassionate, but my soul is the devil's residence." I said, walking away from him and entering my car.

"I have a Moon ball to attend." I drove off, ignoring the greetings from my guards.

The ride from the Blood Moon pack to the Crescent Moon pack lasted for a few hours as I kept my distance from everyone when I got to the venue.

I strode in, observing the beautiful decorations before I was greeted with frightened faces. Mothers hid their daughters away from me, mates clung to themselves dearly, moving out of my sight, and mateless wolves ran for their dear lives, praying to the moon goddess not to be mated to me as I was rumoured to be the most ferocious Alpha and no one dared to piss me off.

Turns out the rumours were true.

I liked that. Fear me.

"Have you found her?" Silvius said excitedly as he mind-linked me which I wanted no time in blocking him. I didn't want any disturbance.

I walked towards the end of the tent, where nobody sat as I occupied a table, entertaining myself by glancing at other wolves who turned away in fright.

How I enjoyed the fearful look on their faces.

While some were scared to make eye contact with me, some looked at me curiously.

Was it because of my outfit?

At once, my sense of smell heightened and I was assaulted with the strong smell of creamy vanilla, jasmine and lavender. I hadn't smelt something as good as this before but I liked it. The seductive smell of jasmine, intertwined with the creamy smell of vanilla and a touch of lavender sent my eyes hungrily scanning the crowd.

My wolf became agitated, whining and pacing about in my head as my head began to throb.

"What is the matter, Tyson?" I asked, maintaining the expressionless look on my face.

"Our mate, I think she is here..." he grumbled as he kept pacing about in my head.

I stood up, letting my nose lead me to the source of the scent as it grew stronger and wilder, driving me nuts, driving my wolf nuts as he wouldn't keep calm.

I had practically walked out of the tent still following the scent before I caught the sight of a small girl, a lady, standing at the edge of the tent, peeping at the cheerful crowd with hope plastered on her face. She looked like a slave, clad in rags, in the shadow of herself.

She looked like she had seen better days.

"Mate! Mate! Mate!" Tyson yelled in my head as he won't keep calm.

"Mate?" I whispered as my heart thumped loudly in my chest. My gaze travelled up to the full moon who shone in her glory before it landed on the slave girl who looked like she had seen a ghost.

This can't be true. Someone should wake me up from this nightmare.

Esmeralda

Last night, I had walked into my cell feeling dejected, but this morning, I walked out of my cell the happiest person, causing confused eyes to turn in my direction, wondering the reason for my sudden happiness.

The Moon ball was today!

Forgetting my terrible backaches, I bounced out of my cell to the hall and collected the cleaning equipment from a senior servant who stood by the hallway with an unimpressed expression on her face.

"Good morning, ma'am." I greeted with the widest smile, expecting the same from her but she welcomed me with the most disgusting expression and dismissed me almost immediately.

I didn't let that get to me as I hurriedly collected the cleaning equipment from her and followed an older wolf who was followed by other pups. He was in charge of cleaning the hall that will be used for the Moon ball and he had other pups to assist him but more hands were needed as we were expecting lots of wolves from numerous packs, making them choose a few others help in cleaning, including me. I tread carefully, walking behind the pups to avoid being noticed and bullied. Getting bullied by those pups was a memory I would never forget.

"You Omega girl, follow me!" Mr Mason, the man in charge of cleaning suddenly stopped walking, turning to me, causing me to jump in fear, dropping the brush, mopping stick and the buckets that I was holding.

I knew I was an Omega, there was no need to remind me.

"She never does anything right."

"She is too weak that she jumps at the slightest sound."

"I hate her."

My shoulder slumped and my head inclined forward, as my eyes met my feet as those hurtful words flew from different directions, penetrating deep into my fragile heart. Complimented by those words daily, I should have been used to them by now, but somehow, I wasn't. I wanted to be showered with words of encouragement, words filled with love and hope.

I could only get that from one person, Selene.

I almost ran out of the hall as the threatening footsteps of Mr Mason resonated in my ears, sending goosebumps to my body that instant, I knew it meant trouble. Even if I couldn't see him, I knew he was the one.

What was my offence this time?

He didn't give me much time to think as he halted in front of me, pinching my soft ear, squeezing it before pulling me by my hurting ear forward in the presence of the other pups who seemed entertained by the show. I rubbed my throbbing ear the moment he let go of it, blinking hard to suppress my ears and biting my lips to stop any sound from escaping. One rule I learnt as an Omega was to be immune to pain, or pretend to be immune to pain as I could be punished for expressing my pain. I closed my eyes as I remembered those words.

Conceal. Don't feel. Don't make a sound.

"I have always told you to walk at the front, you weak idiot."

"I am sorry, Mr Mason." I bowed, preparing myself for the torture that followed but I was surprised as Mr Mason ignored me, It seemed he was in a good mood. I was grateful that walking beside him saved me from being bullied as the rest of the walk to the woods was quiet.

Concentration was far from me as one person got stuck in my mind.

Selene.

I kept scanning the crowd for her as we got closer to the venue. I hadn't seen her in days and it made me worried sick.

Had she been killed?

As much as I dreaded the thought, I knew it was something bound to happen. I and Selene lived every second of our lives in fear as we were not guaranteed if we would live to see the next day.

It was our fate and the earlier we accepted it, the better for us.

I snapped out of my thoughts as my gaze landed on Mr Mason who had stopped walking as he stopped in front of a large clearing with a solid concrete flooring, nodding slightly and muttering inaudible words to himself before turning to us.

"Listen up everyone." His commanding voice pierced through our ears, capturing our attention, "Normally, the Moon ball was held in the pack's event hall but today, it will be held...here." He smiled proudly, stretching his hands slowly to reveal an empty space with concrete flooring that ran through its length and breath.

"In the woods?" I couldn't help but ask as curiosity got the best of me. My sharp almond shaped eyes didn't leave him as they stared at him in disbelief.

"Yes, in the woods, it is the only place that can accommodate any amount of wolves. And it is left for the decoration team to beautify this place. What we are concerned with is cleaning the floor, spotlessly." Mr Mason said, emphasizing on the last word before he began to fumble with his pocket for some time till he brought out a white handkerchief and sneezed violently on it, slightly throwing his head back and gasping for breath, making me seize my breath for some seconds.

I always seize my breath whenever someone close to me coughed or sneezed.

"I am allergic to dust." He forced a smile at us before pocketing his slimy handkerchief.

Gross.

"I will be back soon and I expect this place to be spotlessly clean." His hoarse voice sounded more like a warning before leaving us alone in the woods. Leaving me to my fate in the hands of my bullies.

Someone save me.

I looked at the full moon with pleading eyes, expecting my saviour to come out of it, to save me from my bullies. What a fairytale.

Instead of believing in fairytales, I accepted reality, No one was coming for me. I was simply going to avoid them at all cost as much as they would avoid me.

"You Omega." A girl that I recognized as the ringleader walked up to me, her face expressing pure hatred. Her claws dug into my jaws as she yanked my hair so hard that my scalp began to hurt. She wanted an emotional response from me, but I knew better than voicing out my emotions.

"We have better things to do than to clean this godforsaken place, so, why don't you become useful for once and make this place spotlessly clean," she grinned wickedly, throwing a mop, a brush and some other cleaning equipment at me as I struggled to pick them before it fell to the ground.

"But he said we should do it together." I murmured under my breath, as my blood boiled in anger. I wouldn't let them toss me around.

How dare they order me to do the whole work while they lazy around, doing nothing?!

"How dare you challenge us!" She rushed at me, hitting me hard which sent me flying on the buckets as my back hit the wet grass, making me whimper in pain. As if that was not enough, they took turns with me, scratching me with their sharp claws, tearing my skin so that I felt the warmness of my blood, escaping from my wound.

It was my fault. I should have kept quiet knowing they wanted an opportunity to beat me up and I was foolish to give them.

"Serves you right, Omega," she smirked, as her chest rose and fell, feeling fulfilled that she had broken my face.

The name is Esmeralda! I screamed in my mind.

"We have to look good because the Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack will be in attendance, seeking his mate." She adjusted her crop top and lifted her chin proudly.

"Who knows? I might be his Luna," she said in a melodious voice as she fanned herself with her hand.

"Your job is to clean and keep your mouth shut. Mr Mason must not know about this, or else, I will not hesitate to kill you," she threatened, as her melodious voice was replaced with a dangerous growl, making me flinch back in fear.

With teary eyes, I got up from the floor when I sensed their absence, dusting my stained wet dress as I picked up the items I will use for cleaning. I had to hurry before Mr Mason arrived, or else I would be dead.

I picked up the brush laying on the wet grass and hurriedly swept the spacious floor which brought nothing but pain to my aching back.

When I finished sweeping, I sat on the floor, trying to gather some strength before I resumed mopping. My back ached terribly like it was about to split into two as I had not recovered from the lashes.

I had barely sat for some minutes when I felt a hand covering my eyes from behind. I jumped instantly, screaming in fear, thinking the girls were back to punish me for taking a break when I still had a lot to do, but I was greeted by the only person my heart yearned for.

Selene.

I stared at her for some seconds before I crashed into her welcoming arms, wailing like a baby as I couldn't hold back my emotions. I tugged at her, hugging her tight as if my life depended on it. Selene was the only one I could reveal my emotions to without being judged. She had seen me broken, depressed, happy, sad. Selene was my confidant, my mother, the sister I never had, my family and most importantly;

My best friend forever.

"I thought..." I said when I found my voice as Selene shook her head. She was the only one that knew my thoughts even without saying them.

"I'm not dead. I am right here." Her soothing voice sent calmness to my troubled soul, easing the pain I felt earlier as I hugged her tighter, afraid that she would slip away.

"Ouch!" I hissed in pain when she embraced me in a bear hug, awakening the pain I felt in my back.

"What happened?" her voice shook as her Emerald-green eyes stared at me, demanding an explanation.

"I got whipped for trying to escape and asking for a more comfortable cell." I looked away, feeling guilty for attempting to escape without her.

Maybe I was selfish.

"So you tried to escape without me? Huh?"

"You know that I can't go anywhere without you. I love you." I cupped her face, planting a kiss on her forehead. I could feel some emotions flashing in her eyes but she gave me a gentle squeeze in return. I knew she was trying not to cry.

"How many lashes?" she demanded as she clenched her jaws, gritting her teeth as I could feel raw anger oozing out of her, causing her green eyes to glow brightly in the dark.

"You really need to control your powers before you get caught and by the way, it was fifteen," I walked away from her, sitting on the floor as the event flooded my memory.

The memory that reminded me of defeat

"Sorry about that." Selene gave me a worried look, placing her hand on shoulder while I mouthed 'thank you' to her.

"You need to get some rest while I relieve you of your burden. The decoration team will soon be here." Selene said as she resumed cleaning, starting from where I had stopped.

I had asked the moon goddess for a saviour and she gave me Selene. I was grateful to have her.

By the time the decoration team had finished decorating, the empty clearing had turned into a lovely sight to behold. Beautiful antique lanterns, covered with flowers lined up as they illuminated the darkness, leading further into the woods. A huge transparent canopy hung over the flooring, allowing people to have a clear view of the full moon. White flowers as well as coloured paper lanterns were attached to the top of the canopy, making the hall appear magically colourful.

I couldn't help but gasp at how beautiful lights and flowers cascaded down the canopy, making everywhere glow.

Flowers were everywhere.

Since it was themed romance, flowers were mandatory. I leaned on the canopy stand and let my hands feel the softness of the vines that were intertwined with the stand as I watched people walk in, sitting on chairs that had round glass tables with plethora of delicacies on it, making my stomach rumble.

"This is beautiful." I gasped as my eyes travelled around the canopy. I couldn't believe this was the empty space that I and Selene had cleaned a few hours ago.

I stood at the far end of the canopy, away from people, afraid that I might be spotted and looked down on or bullied because of my rank. I hugged my small frame as I began to shiver a little, the dress I wore wasn't helping matters.

Selene insisted that I had my bath and changed into a decent floral gown. It was shabby compared to the clothes worn by the rest of the pack, but I liked it. It was the most beautiful dress I possessed and I wore it with pride.

Speaking of Selene, I was running out of patience as I couldn't find her anywhere. She was supposed to be back by now.

I was almost on the verge of searching for her when a faint scent wafted my nose. It was no doubt the sweetest smell ever.

The scent of sandalwood, citrus and warm honey that made my mouth water.

It was very faint that I didn't know where it emanated from. I took a few steps from my hide-out, scanning the crowd to point out the source of the smell but I almost collapsed when a huge man towered me, pinning me down with his sharp gem-stone green eyes. His aura was so powerful that I bowed in submission before accessing much of his features, afraid to look him in the eye.

His aura was deadly.

Who was this man that made my stomach twist in knots? That made my legs turn jelly, refusing to support my weight? If I wasn't leaning on the tent stand for support, I would have fallen flat on the floor.

"Mate?" his deep husky voice sounded, filled with uncertainty, making me gasp in shock.

My heart thumped loudly in my chest as reality dawned on me. Does that mean he was my...mate?