~ A wish

**Raina's POV**

It took a while for the burning sensation in my stomach to stop. When I could finally breathe without my gut feeling like it was being ripped from the inside out, I went to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

The packhouse had plenty of omegas who were supposed to be responsible for such tasks, but I was tasked to do the majority of it.

All because I was different.

I sighed, looking at the dishes in the sink. They couldn’t even have the decency to wash the dishes they used for breakfast.

Pushing my anger down, I walked to the sink and grabbed the sponge before pouring some of the dishwashing liquid on it.

As I began to wash the dishes, a few omegas walked into the kitchen and moments later, I heard them talking.

“I don’t like being in the kitchen when she’s here,” one of them said.

“Oh, just ignore her. Everyone treats her like she’s invisible anyway,” her friend responded.

“Have you seen how big she is? She’s NOT invisible,” the other female said and laughed. “Damn, four of me could fit in her pants.”

I bit my lower lip, trying hard to ignore their mockery.

They couldn’t even bother to keep their voices down as they talked about me. I mean, I was just there.

I didn’t blame them though. My own family treated me like trash. Why would I expect people who were not related to me to treat me any different?

“Come on, girls. That’s not nice,” an annoying voice reached my ears and I coiled my hands into fists.

I knew she would smell Silas’ scent on me and give me hell again.

“Don’t talk about my sister like that… she can hear you, she has feelings too, you know.”

“M-Miss Gwen, we are sorry, we didn’t mean to.”

I rolled my eyes.

They respected Gwen because she was a beauty, and me? I was not worth respecting just because of how I looked, even if I was also from a Beta family.

“We won’t do it again,” the females said in unison.

“That’s alright. My big sis is very kind. She’s already forgiven you,” Gwen said, and after the omegas left the kitchen, she approached me and stood next to me.

“Big sis, are you joining the hunting games today?” She asked, and I glanced at her, silently asking if she had gone mad.

Since when did I participate in pack activities?

I was this pack’s dirty secret.

They didn’t want anyone to see me and know that they have someone like me in their pack.

“I have some reading to do,” I answered anyway. If I ignored her, she wouldn’t leave until she provoked me into responding.

I knew her smile was all fake. She’s the same person who talked shit about me behind my back and enticed people to bully me.

“Really?” Gwen asked in an exaggerated tone. “Oh well, I guess you will have to miss out. I hear Silas is granting the winner a wish.”

I felt my ears perk up, my heart slamming hard against my ribcage.

A wish…

This could be my chance to escape this horrible life. I have nowhere to go, but living as a rogue was surely better than this hellhole.

Gwen suddenly giggled. “Oh my… see how thoughtless I am… how can I suggest you join the hunting games when you can’t even run without breathing heavily?”

There it was… her true colours always slipped out in the end.

“Don’t worry, you wouldn’t win anyway, so you won’t miss anything,” Gwen said, patting my back. “I gotta go warm up. I’ll be going with Silas to the hunting grounds. You know… it’s his way of slowly introducing me as his Luna.”

A pang of pain shot through my heart, making a lump form in my throat. No matter how much I tried to swallow, it wouldn’t go away.

Yeah… Silas deserved a Luna like Gwen. At least he wouldn’t be ashamed of her. He would even want her to have his babies.

Hours later, I was done with the chores, and I finally found some free time and decided to join the hunting games, hoping I wasn’t too late.

My heart raced when I made my way to the hunting grounds. Everyone was settled in the clearing. A big tent was set up where the visiting packs were resting before the games began.

From the auras blanketing the place, I could tell it was filled with very powerful Alphas and Betas.

This was the first time I was joining a hunting game, so I just approached people from my pack. Silas was addressing them, and Gwen had her arms hooked around his like a koala bear. It was like she was staking her claim so that everyone knew who the Alpha belonged to.

I swallowed my pain and approached the crowd, hoping to stay hidden.

But someone who weighed one ninety pounds in a werewolf pack could do so little to hide herself. I always drew attention everywhere I went.

As usual, I heard a few snickers, and my stomach churned. I felt self-aware.

Like everyone in this clearing was looking at me and laughing at my appearance.

“Hey fatso, what do you think you’re doing here?” Silas’ beta, Jake, sneered, and the rest of the crowd laughed.

“I was wondering why this place stank. Turns out we have a pig in our midst,” someone from the crowd sneered, and everyone laughed again.

I felt my eyes blur with tears, and I lowered my face to hide the single tear that stubbornly rolled down my cheek.

“Seriously, why is she here? The other pack members are staring. They must think we won’t be good at the hunting games after seeing that we have a baby elephant with us,” someone else complained.

“Let her be… I’m sure she’s just here for tonight's feast. After all, it seems eating is what she’s good at,” someone snickered, and everyone laughed louder than earlier.

I dug my nails into my palms, and I felt my wolf's anger rising.

I raised my head and glanced at Silas, only to find him snickering along with everyone, and my heart clenched painfully.

“Yeah… there’s no way she’s joining the games,” he sneered, and I felt something snap within me, giving me the courage I needed to do what I came here to do.

“I am joining the games,” I said, my voice loud and clear despite the painful lump in my throat. “I’m going to win and have my wish granted.”

~ A mate

**Rowan's POV**

“Is this even necessary?” I growled, looking at the invitation card in my hands with the Whitecrest Pack seal. “Since when do I go to such events?”

“We need to mingle with other packs if we want to make alliances with them,” Flynn said, looking at me seriously. “This is important, Alpha. We can’t miss this opportunity.”

A scoff escaped my lips. “What opportunity are we going to miss? What does the Crescent Moon Pack lack?”

Flynn sighed heavily like he had the weight of the whole world on his shoulders. He was my beta and had been for the past five years since I took over from my retired father.

I think he was finally starting to get tired of me. Soon, he might leave just like everyone else.

“We may be the richest and strongest pack, but we will soon weaken if our Alpha has no Luna. Most of our pack members haven’t been able to find their mates because we’ve closed ourselves off. We don’t interact with other packs, and we can’t have people who just have chosen mates. We need fated mates too. It’s the goddess’ wish.”

I arched an eyebrow. “So, you want me to go to this shitty event to play around just to look for a mate? Dude, I’m twenty-seven. If I had a mate, I would have met her by now.”

“Oh really?” Flynn asked. “She would have dropped from the sky?”

A growl escaped my lips. “Don’t speak to me that fucking way.”

“Sorry, Alpha,” Flynn said, straightening his back, but I knew he wasn’t afraid. He was the only person who could tell me off, and my wolf would tolerate him. “We all just want you to find your fated mate. And most of our pack members are looking forward to meeting theirs too.”

I fell silent for a few seconds before saying, “A mate? I’m not interested in such a useless thing.”

Flynn inhaled sharply, and I was sure he would give up on me now.

“Alpha, please… this is your father’s wish. He knew you got an invitation and accepted it on your behalf. Who knows? You might find our Luna,” Flynn remarked. When he saw that I was still not interested, he added. “He also said if you don’t find your mate, then he will arrange for you to marry Brooke–”

“The fuck?” I growled, and Flynn smirked at finally getting my attention. “Why the fuck would I marry Brooke?”

“Oh, you know why… she was the late beta’s daughter and since she’s an orphan and your father promised to take care of her, making her your Luna would be the best course of action.”

“He should marry her then,” I spat, furrowing my eyebrows.

Brooke? Is he kidding me?

That she-wolf was irritating and fake as fuck. Why would Dad want to make her my Luna?

“He’s serious this time around… he might use something that you’ve always wanted. And you will end up giving in… and choosing Brooke as your mate.”

I wrinkled my nose in disgust.

“Oh hell no.”

“Oh hell yeah… if you don’t want that ending, you've got to go to this event. At least you can say you’re searching.”

I frowned deeply.

He was right.

I needed to placate my old man somehow. But I knew I wouldn’t find my fated mate. That’s because I had already found her, and she’s dead.

The day I found her is the day I lost her. I’ve never told anyone… she was a rogue, and was already dying at that time.

I didn’t see the need to tell anyone my Luna had died.

There’s no way I would find a second chance mate. That kind of miracle never happens in our world.

You only get one soulmate for life.

“Fine… when is this event again?” I asked, and Flynn grinned from ear to ear.

“Why are you so excited? You already have a mate,” I murmured.

“I’m happy you’re finally willing to try,” he said. “It’s in a few days. I’ll get a few of the pack members ready.”

I sighed when he walked out of my office, excited like a little kid.

Well, it won’t hurt to get some air in another pack. Perhaps that fool, Silas, won’t annoy me this time.

…

That was what I thought, but the moment I laid my eyes on Silas Fenwick, the Alpha of the Whitecrest pack and my former best friend, a murderous growl reverberated in my chest.

He approached me with a blonde female clinging to his arm like she was trying to mould herself into him.

“You’re late,” he said.

“Yeah… the rules don’t apply to me,” I replied cockily, looking around the area.

The place was empty, and I could hear some thudding sounds in the distance, signalling that the forest ahead was occupied.

“So, what do I have to do?” I asked.

“Well, for this game, the one who captures the biggest animal wins, and they will get an anonymous prize,” Silas said. “More like the prize will be decided after the games are over.”

I arched an eyebrow. “What happened to granting a wish?”

He sneered, and the female beside him laughed. “Well, someone was becoming too delusional, so we changed the rules–”

“I wasn’t talking to you,” I cut her off icily, and she flinched, her heart racing.

“Come on, Alpha Rowan. Don’t scare my lady… she’s already scared of you thanks to your reputation.”

“Ah… you mean the rumour that I fuck women to their deaths?” I scoffed, glancing at the blonde woman. For some reason, she annoyed the fuck out of me. “You have no reason to worry. You wouldn’t even get a chance.”

I saw something flash through her eyes before she smiled at me. “Alpha Rowan, since this is your first time coming to such an event, I would like to recommend the areas that have the biggest animals. If you go towards the east side, you’re sure to find something big there.”

~ A trap

**Raina's POV**

The sound of mocking laughter reached my ears, and my heart lurched.

“Oh goddess… did you come here to entertain us with your jokes?” Someone asked, sneering.

“You will win?” Jake snickered, glancing at Silas. “Alpha, I think someone is in the wrong place. Should I ask someone to take her back to the packhouse?”

“Will they be able to carry that load?” Silas asked, and the rest of the crowd burst into fits of laughter.

I took a step back and placed a hand over my stomach instinctively before tucking it in. I always did this to make my stomach look flat, but it didn’t help.

“Silas, it’s fine. If she wants to participate, we can’t stop her,” Gwen said, and I raised my eyes to look at her. What was she playing at?

This was the first time she was speaking up for me in public. She’d been acting strange today, and I couldn’t help but question her motives.

“She will get in everyone’s way,” Silas said, glancing at me and giving me a warning look.

I trembled, knowing what that look meant. I was going to get punished later for defying his orders. He told me to stay hidden, but here I was, embarrassing him and the entire pack.

But I couldn’t stay hidden today… not when there was a chance I could win my freedom.

There’s no way Silas would let me go. He didn’t love me, but he didn’t want to let me go either and always made sure he reminded me that I had nowhere to go.

But I was done and ready to live as a lone wolf. I was more human than wolf anyway… I could find a decent job among the humans and spend the rest of my days there.

At least there were people like me among the humans.

“No, Silas… that’s not very nice,” Gwen said. “She’s also part of our pack and deserves a chance to participate. I bet there’s something she wants to ask you when she wins.”

“Maybe she wants to be your Luna,” Jake chipped in, and everyone burst into laughter.

“This fatty is not Luna material. Luna material is someone like Gwen. She’s beautiful, smart and has one of the fastest wolves in the pack,” someone in the crowd said, and I won’t lie, their words stung.

I was once again reminded that I could never fit in.

“Jake, don’t make jokes like that again,” Silas uttered, his voice laced with anger. “Anyway, today’s prize is not a wish. I will decide what the prize is when I see the winner.”

Anger washed over me in violent waves.

“That’s not fair… how could you change rules at the last minute?” I asked, unable to hold myself back.

Silas glared at me. “Because this is my pack, and I decide what happens on my land. Jake, make the announcement.”

I coiled my hands into fists, feeling like someone had punched me in the gut.

He was doing this on purpose- leaving the prize open so that I couldn’t demand a wish in case I won.

He didn’t believe I could win, but he didn’t want to risk it either. What a calculating and cruel man.

I wanted to give up and return to the packhouse, but Silas forced me to head into the forest. He said I had already shown up, so he didn’t allow me to back out until I participated in the games.

There were a few who seemed to feel sorry for me. They led me towards the area where some big animals are found, and we split up because this was a competition… they had already gone out of their way to help me.

As I made my way through the dense forest, I heard a twig snap, and I turned, sliding an arrow from the quiver on my back and raising my bow into position, ready to strike.

When I was at the werewolf academy, I loved archery. No one knew this, but I was quite good, and if I didn’t suddenly start having more flesh on my body, I would have continued with my archery and maybe become a professional archer in the human world. The bullying made me drop out of so many school activities.

The sound of rustling leaves reached my ears from the left, and I turned swiftly, aiming my bow and arrow in that direction.

Still… there was nothing.

I frowned.

That’s odd… normally, I should be able to spot even something as small as a rabbit.

But so far, I hadn't seen any animals in this place.

I heard some more intense rustling, and it seemed like it was getting closer. Since I couldn’t see anything, my heart jumped into my throat, and I stumbled back, only for me to feel iron jaws clamp around my foot.

“Ah!!!” A scream tore through my throat as excruciating pain shot through me.

I dropped on my ass, my leg trembling at the intensity of the pain jarring through me. It hurt so much that it knocked the air out of my lungs for a few seconds.

My eyes blurred with tears, the pain threatening to consume me.

I didn’t like pain.

My whole body felt like it was on fire, and I felt like I was going to die.

Who the hell put an animal trap in the hunting grounds when there was a hunting game event?

I tried to remove the leg-hold trap, but its jaws were locked into my skin, embedded into my bone. If I forced my leg out, I would lose my foot.

My heart clenched in pain. Who could I even ask for help? No one would come for me. I could feel my wolf whimpering, feeling guilty about our weak state. If I was a normal werewolf, rescuing myself from this trap would have been easy.

I sat for a while, watching my leg bleed out. The pain was so intense that I ended up sweating heavily, and my loose clothes now stuck to my body like a second skin.

All hope was lost, or so I thought, until an intoxicating scent filled the air. It was a mix of woody and something sweet… if I were to be specific, something like cedarwood with hints of dark chocolate.

My wolf stirred within me, and I could feel her excitement, which made me frown because why would she be excited in this situation? I was about to lose a leg for fucksakes. If I lose a leg, so does she, and we would never be able to run in the woods again.

Suddenly, the delicious scent intensified, and I couldn’t help salivating. Footsteps followed, and I looked up, my breath catching in my throat at the man staring down at me with a hungry look in his eyes.

It's shameless of me since I was in pain, and this was the first time I was seeing this man, but I couldn't help but notice how devilishly handsome he was- dark caramel brown, medium, neatly styled hair... a neat, trimmed beard with a sharp enough jaw to cut through glass...

He definitely wasn't from this pack.

“Oh my…” the man said, his deep, sexy voice reaching my ears. I felt my core clench at how smooth he sounded. “I came here to hunt the biggest prey, little did I know I would find something even better.”

My heart raced as my wolf pranced around in my mind.

‘Mate!’ I growled in my mind, and my eyes widened when it dawned on me.

This man was my fated mate! I could feel the undeniable magnetic pull between us… the way his voice alone was enough to make my knees weak… the way I wanted to bare my neck to him and let him mark me, claim me as his… he was definitely my mate.

I could feel butterflies in my stomach, but I suddenly lowered my eyes, my heart clenching in excruciating pain.

How could I get excited about meeting my mate when I know what would come next is a brutal rejection?

I sighed, not bothering to look at him. “Go on. Do your worst.”

“What are you–”

“Alpha! Alpha Rowan! Why did you run off? You found something?” Someone’s voice came as they approached.

The man I now knew as Alpha Rowan approached me. He crouched to my eye-level before grabbing my chin.

Immediately, I felt sparks and tingles coursing through me, making me shiver, and a gasp escaped my lips.

What was this feeling? It was new… but I didn’t hate it.

Alpha Rowan smirked, tilting my head up, his touch sending delicious shivers down my spine.

“Yeah...” He said, more to himself than to the person who was approaching.

His eyes glowed a deep red.

“I did find something… something big and round,” he murmured, his eyes raking up and down my body. “Just the way I love my prey… with some extra meat on its bones.”