I ran without knowing where I was going. I only knew I couldn't stay there anymore, and leaving was the only thing in my head.

And guess what?

Nobody called after me.

Nobody came running.

Instead, they laughed.

They f*ck*ng laughed at me.

It would've been better to be in hell, because what I felt in that house was no different-maybe worse. At least hell doesn't pretend to love you before it burns you alive.

I didn't stop until I reached the lake, a short distance from home. The only place I ever ran to when my head became too loud. My hiding place.

I sat on the rock by the water, picking up stones and throwing them as far as I could. One splash at a time.

One stone.

One pain.

One memory I couldn't erase.

A presence shifted behind me.

"You're here today," a calm voice said. "I was starting to think this place was mine alone."

Blade Lucious.

He lowered himself onto a rock beside me, not too close, not too far...carefully like he understood silence.

Blade is Alpha Ryder's Beta, he's different from the others-quiet, controlled, never trying too hard. I'd met him here weeks ago, by this same lake and he seemed decent.

But I still didn't want a friend.

Friends always left.

He watched the ripples fade before speaking again. "Today was rough," he said gently. "For a lot of people."

I stiffened.

I said nothing, It wasn't like I could and walking away now would only be rude. Besides, he was just trying to be nice unlike everyone else.

"I don't think being rejected or not finding a mate means something is wrong with you," he continued, voice casual, almost detached. 

"Everyone knows my mate died two years ago. I'm twenty-one now, and I haven't found another."

He paused, then added, but guess what? It doesn't bother me anymore."

Liar.

Even without looking at him, I could hear the weight in his voice.

I couldn't forget how his mate died in that car accident because I was there that day.

But there was no way I could ever tell anyone.

After all, I was just the mute girl in the pack.

We sat in silence. I kept throwing stones and he  didn't interrupt.

Eventually, he spoke again. "It's getting late. You should head home, your parents might be worried."

I almost laughed.

If anything, they were probably hoping I wouldn't come back.

The thought made my lips twitch.

"Oh," Blade said softly. "You smiled."

He sounded genuinely surprised. Almost pleased.

I frowned, how could something so small make him happy?

His father was wealthy, he had a loving family. No siblings to compete with him and everything in his life seemed arranged.

The universe must've taken offense to my thoughts, because rain suddenly poured from the sky-cold and heavy.

We both stood.

Blade reached for my hand, instinctive, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

I shoved him away.

Then I ran.

Being close to me would only stain his reputation, and I wouldn't let that happen. One of the top girls already had her eyes on him anyway. I couldn't afford more attention. The twins were already enough.

I reached home soaked and gasping.

At the door, I paused and counted to five. Something I always did when fear crawled up my spine.

Then I stepped inside.

Laughter drifted from the twins' room. Loud. Excited.

I moved closer.

Veronica was jumping around the room. Vanessa was showing off a new backpack. Their mother stood nearby, smiling proudly.

New school uniforms.

School.

It hit me then I'd forgotten school resumed in a week.

The twins were in twelfth grade now.

I hadn't felt excitement for school in years. I stopped attending in ninth grade. Since then, I stayed home while they left every morning.

I stayed behind.

"But Mom, what about Doris?" Henry's voice cut through the room. "At least let her enroll with Vanessa and Veronica. She's brilliant."

"Don't start, Henry," Veronica snapped.

"I will," he replied calmly. "You all know you haven't treated her right. One day, karma will catch up with you all."

Vanessa scoffed. "You still believe in karma? Grow up, karma doesn't exist in this generation."

Henry had always been like this.

When I was still in school, he sneaked into classes, copied notes, listened to lessons, and came home to teach me everything. He fought anyone who tried to bully me.

And here I was now hiding in my own house listening to him defend me again.

Do you know how painful that is?

And how grateful?

Everyone deserves a Henry in their life.

Footsteps approached.

I quickly ran to my room and shut the door. Leaning against it, I slowly slid down until I was sitting on the floor, my back pressed tightly to the door.

I tried to hold the tears in, but they never listened, they flowed freely down my cheeks anyway.

I could feel Candy stirring softly inside me.

It had been a long time since I let Candy take control. 

Maybe because I didn't want her out yet or maybe because I no longer know how to let her out at all.

I sat there longer than I could remember.

My eyes grew heavy and my body felt weak, I didn't even have the strength to stand up and crawl into bed.

I stayed there until exhaustion pulled me under.

When I woke, pale morning light crept through the window.

A sharp knock hit the door.

"You're still sleeping?" my stepmother shouted. "Get up and prepare the snacks for the twins' mating ceremony. Since you couldn't even find a mate, you might as well be useful."

Right.

Today was the ceremony. Those who'd found their mates yesterday would stand before the Alpha, the elders, the council and claim them.

And I would be there too.

Not as anything important.

Just their slave.

The ceremony hadn't even begun yet, and my body already felt like it had been dragged through dust.

"Doris, hurry up with ironing my dress!"

Veronica's sharp, impatient voice echoed through the house.

It hadn't even been five minutes since she'd dumped the dress on my hands, yet she'd come to check on it at least five times. Not because the dress wasn't ready, but because frustrating me was the point.

She was the only one who had found a mate.

Julius Armstrong would claim her today, obviously.

When I finished ironing, I carried the dress to her room and laid it carefully on her bed. 

I didn't wait for approval, I quickly turned and left her room immediately.

"Doris."

Henry's voice stopped me.

"You're not dressed yet?"

I looked down at myself, then back at him. I tugged lightly at the torn gown I was wearing, silently telling him this was it. 

This was what I had.

His brows pulled together in confusion.

"Wait... Doris," he said slowly. "Is this what you're wearing to the ceremony?"

He pointed at my gown.

"Even a beggar wouldn't dress like this," he muttered, anger slipping into his voice.

Before I could react, he grabbed my hand and pulled me along.

He didn't stop until we reached his room.

He released my hand and walked to his bed. "I got this for you."

I followed his gaze.

A dress lay neatly spread out on the mattress.

Long beautiful pink gown.

My breath caught.

Tears burned my eyes before I could stop them, and the next thing I knew, I was hugging him tightly.

When I finally pulled away, questions rushed into my head. 

I grabbed my notebook and quickly wrote them down.

How did you get the money for this?

You didn't steal it from the twins, right?

I held the notebook up to him.

"No," he said quickly, shaking his head as a small laugh escaped him. "I didn't steal it, mom gave me the money."

Relief washed over me, and before I could stop myself, I smiled.

I picked up the dress carefully. It was soft beneath my fingers, lighter than anything I'd ever owned. 

I held it against my body and turned slowly, the fabric brushing my legs as I spun.

Henry smiled at the sight. "Why don't you go put it on?" he said gently. "The ceremony will start in a few minutes."

He nudged me playfully toward the door, and I hurried to my room.

I slipped into the dress carefully, afraid of tearing it. When I finally looked up, my gaze met the mirror or rather, the broken piece of one nailed to the wall.

The girl staring back at me didn't look like someone used to hiding in corners.

For the first time, I looked beautiful.

Excited, I rushed out of my room to show Henry.

I didn't make it far.

My stepmother stood at the corridor.

Her eyes swept over me slowly, from head to toe, that familiar look of disgust settling on her face.

"Where did you steal the money to buy this dress?" she asked coldly, stepping closer.

Before I could react, her fingers grabbed the fabric.

The twins stepped out of their room just then.

"So now you're stealing from us?" Vanessa sneered, her face fully done, eyes sharp with jealousy.

"How can you wear a dress prettier than ours?" Veronica added. "It's not like you even have a mate, you mute girl."

My stepmother tightened her grip on the dress. "Go back inside," she ordered. "Change into that rag you were wearing before and give this gown to Veronica."

My hands shook.

"No." Henry's voice cut through the corridors.

He came running toward us, his eyes dark with anger.

"I bought the dress for her," he said firmly. "She's wearing it to the ceremony. Is there a problem with that?"

My stepmother turned on him, her lips curling. "So I gave you money to buy clothes for yourself, and instead you wasted it on this sl*t?"

Before anyone could stop her, she yanked the fabric hard.

The sound of tearing filled the house.

The dress ripped against my body.

I gasped, clutching the torn fabric to my chest as tears spilled down my face, hot and unstoppable.

Henry reacted instantly, he pulled off his jacket and wrapped it around me, shielding me from their eyes.

"Come," he said softly, guiding me back toward my room.

He stood between me and them until I was safely inside, then closed the door.

I slid down to the floor, shaking.

The dress lay ruined at my feet.

A few minutes later, the door swung open.

"Doris."

My stepmother's voice was sharp, impatient.

"Get up and come out. Now."

She didn't wait for a response, the door slammed as she walked away.

I pushed myself off the floor, my body still trembling, I slipped back into the old torn gown and stepped out of the room.

For a moment, I just stood there.

The twins were already dressed, glowing in expensive fabrics and jewelry. Their laughter filled the house... I was barefoot, my feet pressed against the cold floor, watching them like someone who didn't belong in the same space.

A sharp clap echoed.

"Doris," my stepmother snapped. "Stop staring like a fool and start walking."

I obeyed.

I carried cartons of drinks from the house to the ceremony grounds. 

My arms shook under the weight, but no one noticed or maybe they did and simply didn't care.

The twins laughed loudly with their friends, snapping their fingers at me as if I were a pet.

"Doris, bring more wine."

"Doris, wipe this."

"Doris, you spilled that."

Each command peeled away another layer of my dignity.

Around us, other girls sat proudly beside their families, their faces bright with excitement. Today, they will be claimed officially. 

High-profile ladies occupied the front rows, whispering amongst themselves. 

There were rumors the Alpha would choose his Luna today.

Most believed it would be Clara Anthony.

She sat at the center, her posture perfect, chin lifted, confidence written into every movement. 

She had been close to the Alpha since childhood, to everyone else, the match made sense.

I stood at the edge of it all, holding a tray, invisible.

Then an elder in the pack stepped forward.

His staff struck the ground once.

"The mating ceremony," he announced, voice carrying across the crowd, "has begun."

"Doris, hurry up with those drinks."

My stepmother's sharp voice cut through the music and laughter.

I lowered my head and obeyed, I always did. After all, I had learned early how to disappear.

The tray felt heavier with every step, my hands trembling beneath its weight. Sweat soaked into my clothes, I didn't smell like perfume or excitement like the other girls...I smelled like dirt.

By the time the ceremony truly began, my entire body ached.

As I moved through the crowd, one of the twins brushed past me deliberately. Her shoulder hit the tray, and a cup slipped free, shattering against the ground.

She gasped loudly, eyes wide in fake shock.

"Oh no," she said, turning quickly to her mother. "Look at the mess Doris made."

Her voice carried.

"I don't understand why Doris can't do a single thing right," she added, shaking her head.

Every conversation stopped.

All eyes turned to me.

My heart slammed painfully against my chest as I dropped to my knees, gathering the broken pieces with shaking fingers. 

The glass bit into my skin, but I didn't stop.

No one cared.

Except two people.

A shadow fell beside me.

Then another.

Before I could react, someone gently pulled my hand away from the shards.

Blade Lucious.

He took over without a word, picking up the broken glass carefully. Henry knelt beside him, helping just as quietly.

I shook my head, panic flooding me, I didn't want them dragged into this neither do I want more troubles.

They both looked up at me.

And smiled.

"It's okay," Blade said softly.

He gathered the last pieces and walked back to his seat as if nothing had happened.

Henry stayed a moment longer. He disposed of the glass, then pressed a clean cloth into my hands.

I nodded.

His mother noticed.

"Henry," she snapped. "What do you think you're doing? Go sit with the other boys. That's where you belong."

He hesitated, then obeyed.

Her gaze shifted to me coldly.

"And you," she said quietly, her voice low enough to cut deeper. "After today, you won't be coming back to my house."

My breath caught.

"I don't need you anymore," she continued. "I don't need trash like you under my roof."

I stood there, frozen.

"There's a rejected omega who needs a mate," she went on casually, as if discussing groceries. "You'll be going to him."

Her lips curved slightly.

"Veronica will be mated to the Gamma. Vanessa will be mated either to the Alpha or the Beta. I won't have your bad luck around my family anymore."

I nodded.

That was all I knew how to do.

I wasn't invited to sit anywhere, so when no one was looking, I slipped away to a corner. I leaned against the wall at the edge and watched from there.

An outsider.

Then the music faded.

A figure stepped forward.

Alpha Ryder.

The crowd erupted in cheers as he raised his hand.

"Today," he announced, his voice carrying across the grounds, "I will be choosing my Luna, according to the laws of our pack."

The cheers grew louder.

Alpha Ryder Stone had ruled Moon Park for three years.

I'd heard how he took the throne after his parents were poisoned and killed, a tragedy that shook the entire pack. 

Many had doubted him then because he was young.

They had been wrong.

In three years, Ryder had proven himself. 

The pack was secure under his rule, its borders reinforced, its enemies silent. 

Whispers said rivals feared Ryder more than even his father.

Alpha Ryder's gaze searched the crowd and settled on me. I looked away quickly, but not before I caught the faint smile on his lips.

~ Ryder's POV ~

I would be lying if I claimed yesterday wasn't still weighing on my mind during the mating ritual, the painful scene of Julius rejecting Doris replaying over and over.

Part of me had felt satisfaction and relief. She had been out of his reach and for reasons I couldn't explain, that made my chest tighten in a strange kind of happiness. 

But there was also guilt. The rejection had been brutal, and I had seen how badly it hurt Doris.

A knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts.

"Come in," I said, straightening.

The door swung open, Julius and Blade walked in-my closest friends since childhood.

"Don't tell me you're not going to the ceremony today," Julius teased, leaning against the doorway with a smirk.

Blade chuckled, giving me a light punch on the shoulder before sliding into the chair at my desk, calm in contrast to Julius's energy.

"Obviously, I'm going to the mating ceremony," I replied evenly, my voice steady.

Julius raised an eyebrow. "But come to think of it, Alpha Ryder," he emphasized the title with mock bowing, "you don't even have a mate or a girl you're dating, so how are you going to pick your Luna today? 

The elders make it compulsory. You can't rule for years without a Luna, you know the principle.

Blade leaned back, smirk tugging at his lips. "Except he's probably going for Clara."

Julius's eyes widened in mock horror. "Clara? Really? Clara rejected every mate that came near her. Yeah she's probably been waiting for you all this time, that's so classic."

Blade laughed quietly. "It's going to be a show. Clara Anthony doesn't even know what's coming."

I rolled my eyes and stepped closer, catching Julius by the shoulder and giving him a playful shove. 

"Who says I don't have a Luna in mind, huh?" I said, letting the challenge hang in the air. "And who says it's going to be Clara Anthony? You'll see. It's going to be a surprise for both of you."

They laughed, but I held my ground, smiling faintly. "Now, it's time for you two to leave my room."

"No, no," Julius protested, flopping onto the edge of my bed with exaggerated flair. "We are not leaving. 

Come on, Ryder just tell us who your Luna is. We're your Beta and Gamma-you should tell us first."

Blade crossed his arms, grinning faintly. "Yeah. We're your left and right hands, Alpha. Transparency is part of the job."

I shook my head, laughing softly. "No. Not until the ceremony because I want it to be a surprise for everyone."

Julius groaned dramatically. "You're impossible."

Blade simply shook his head, smiling faintly, as if he had expected nothing less.

I brushed past them toward the door. "Consider this your warning...leave my room, or I'll drag you both out myself."

They exchanged a look, amused but exasperated, and slowly got up. Julius threw a teasing wink over his shoulder, and Blade gave a small nod. 

The door clicked shut behind them.

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. Today, the ceremony and I would find her.

A few hours later, it was time for the ceremony. 

By the time I stepped onto the grounds, everyone was already seated. 

The crowd buzzed with anticipation, but as I walked forward, murmurs quieted.

 All eyes fell on me.

I paused, letting the weight of the moment settle, then raised my voice.

"Today, I will be picking my Luna, following the rules of our pack," I announced. 

The crowd erupted in cheers.

Raising a hand for order, I continued. "But first, we will honor those who have already found their mates."

"If you have a mate, or one you wish to choose as your mate, come forward with them so the elders and I may bless your bond before I select my own Luna."

Immediately, pairs stepped forward. 

Julius took his mate Veronica by the hand, leading her confidently. 

Together, they stood before the elders and me, their union blessed and bound by tradition. Their proud smiles spoke of the ceremony's promise reserved only for the worthy.

And then my focus shifted.

I scanned the crowd for the one who had quietly captured my attention. 

My eyes finally landed on her. 

Doris.

She stood at a distance, almost invisible, quietly observing everything. 

The moment our eyes met, she quickly looked away, hands tightening at her sides.

No one dared meet my gaze.

"I, Alpha Ryder Stone, take Doris Charles as my Luna and chosen mate of the Moonpack," I declared. 

Silence fell immediately. Every whisper, every movement froze as the crowd processed what had just been announced.

I walked toward her, ignoring the murmurs and whispers. Doris's eyes widened, and instinctively she covered her ears, shaking her head as if she'd misunderstood.

She even stepped back, ready to flee.

I stopped right in front of her, my gaze never leaving hers.

"There's no running from this," I said softly, but firmly.

I held out my hands. She hesitated, pulling back, but I stepped closer and gently took her hands in mine. 

Her fingers trembled as she walked beside me toward the center of the ceremony.

Then I noticed she was barefoot, her feet cold against the ground, exposed.

I lifted her into my arms without a second thought. She stiffened, startled, but I held her close, steadying her as I carried her straight to the center.

Once we reached the center, I set her gently on the floor. She pressed herself against my chest, as if trying to hide from the world.

I noticed just how scared she really was, and my gaze softened. She had never felt protection like this before.

I lifted my head, letting all eyes fall on us. "As promised, I present to you the Luna of Moon Park."

The grounds fell silent and all eyes were on us. She pressed closer, hiding against my chest, every inch of her body tight with tension.

Then I raised my hand, signaling the end. 

"The ceremony is concluded, everyone may now celebrate with their mates-visit your mate's family or any place you wish to honor your bond."

I walked with the elders, Doris remained quiet at my side, leaning lightly against me. She barely moved, simply letting me lead her where we needed to go.

That's when her family came into view. I led Doris toward them, ensuring she remained safe under my watch.

I could feel her fear, even without a word, and it was her family that frightened her most.

This was only the beginning, from now on, my Luna would never face fear without my protection.