Chapter 2 First Chapter

Ava

*** 9 Years Later***

"Mommy!" I shout as I snap awake from a dead sleep, my alarm clock blaring out music that is over taken by the sound of static.

I shut off my alarm as bring myself in an upright position. Swinging my legs over the edge I look around my room. While it's more like a prison cell it consists of a small rectangle window that way I couldn't escape in the middle of the night, a calendar, a desk and my bed which wasn't a bed at all. It was something I made from plywood, a mattress one of the packs Betas was throwing away and cinder bricks to keep it all off the ground. While its worn out and has probably has seen more sex than your average wolf, it beats sleeping on the ground. I look over at the calendar. Today is July 13th, nine years ago my captors snuck into Silver Lake territory and cleaned out my entire pack, I was the only one to survive thanks to my mother. From what I've heard what once beautiful busy pack grounds was all reclaimed by nature and the only thing left standing was the stone foundation my pack house once sat and maybe a few charred buildings firefighters managed save. When the Alpha of the pack of murderers found me, he spared my life, but he didn't do it because he felt remorse or sympathy for what he did. It was because there was because people were around, and he wanted a slave. My father was stabbed in the back by someone who was supposed to be his close friend. When I first arrived here they asked me a series of questions. Thankfully my parents always prepared for the day something was to happen to them. I told them my parents were murdered and I orphan taken in by the Silver Lake Beta, and they continue to believe the same story nine years later. Deep down I knew they would kill me if they found out I was the Alphas daughter or even worse force me to mate with their son. Therefore, there is simply no reason for them to know who I am. I check the time and hurried to my feet and quickly threw on yesterday's clothes. I open my door, quickly tossing my hair in a bun. Then I hear it the most horrible high-pitched screech that almost shatters my eardrums.

"Ava!" I hear being shouted as I round the corner and collide with the Luna of the murderers, she grabs ahold of my shoulders and begins shaking me.

"Do you think breakfast is going to cook itself?" She asks grabbing hold of the back of my hair and begins dragging me towards the kitchen. I fight back against her ripping my hair from her hands only to be met with a smack across the face. The pack members began snickering and having hushed conversations as Madison drags me pack them. Every day I pray to the Moon Goddess that she will send me a Mate who would accept me and rescue me from this hell hole. But with my luck I'll be mated to the knuckle head son of the Alpha.

"Get in there make us fucking breakfast!" Madison demanded as she shoved me through the swinging doors of the dining room.

"Excuse my ignorance. I'm apologize for over sleeping." I say as I bow my head making my way to the kitchen. I gather all the necessary ingredients to make pancakes, bacon and eggs. As I stand and turn around, to see Erica deliberately blocking my path.

"Great" I mutter under my breath. "Excuse me Erica I need to get by you."

Erica stands with her back to me as she completely ignores my request. I take in a deep breath and close my eyes, clearly she isn't going to move on her own accord. I look at the floor, contemplating my next move, a small smirk forms on my face as the perfect idea comes to mind. If she won't move voluntarily, I'm going to move her by force. The gap between the wall and her is the perfect size for me to fit through. I contemplate my next move for a brief second. I clear my throat and tap my foot giving her the opportunity to move.

"Alright Erica either move or be moved." I say as I walk up behind her. Despite my continued requests Erica failed to move out of my way. I shove my way between her and the wall and send her smashing against the over. The glass on the over door almost smashed and the frying pan that was sitting on the stove flew off. Guess there was more power behind my hit then I thought.

"I said excuse me, and if you want to eat I suggest you stop getting in my way." Out of everyone in this pack Erica was the only one I had absolutely Zero tolerance for. Erica is a selfish spoiled bitch with zero regard for any human life other then herself. I feel Erica grab hold of my hair as I walk past her and yanks me backwards, which causes me to drop the last of the milk and eggs. The Alpha of Crescent Moon is cheap and only spends money on groceries once a month, twice a month if there is guests or event happening.

"Guess you aren't to hungry this morning are you? That was the last of the milk and eggs you grade A genius." I say swinging around coming toe to toe with Erica.

"I know damn well you did not just do that to me." She snarled.

"Yea I did. Because you are either too lazy or too brain dead to move out of my fucking way. Now because of your stupidity you and the rest of your family will be having raisin bran for breakfast. Wait you guys can't because some asshole made me spill the last jug of it on the floor!" I snapped back at her. Erica tries to grab hold of me, but I quickly slap her hand away from me and push her backwards.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now!" She snaps pointing her long man like finger in my face.

"You know why Erica, the law. It little old Orphaned Ava really worth your life?" I say looking her dead in the eyes as I mock her.

"You'll be eighteen soon then it'll all be fair game and there will be nothing you or the Elder Council can do to stop me from ripping your head off." She snaps as she turns on her heals and start to walk away. I kneel down and begin cleaning the mess thinking the fight is over, but I am met with a hard kick to my ribs. I sit on the floor waiting for my breath to come back to me and the stars to go away when Luther walks in and sees me on the floor. His face is filled with anger as he stops in front of me. I look up to see him looking down at me with eyes filled anger. He reaches down and pulls me off the floor by my shirt.

"Clean this mess and get the fuck out of here." He gritted thru his teeth. Luther releases his grasp and land on the floor with a hard thump knocking my breath out of me. I sit there catching my breath once again. With pain shooting through my ribs, and fighting between breaths, I clean up the mess of milk and eggs, and returned to my room.

***JAMES***

Next Day

"Is this a joke to you Moon Goddess? The story of the Alpha and the Orphan?" As Ava's birthday grows closer, I can feel a mate bond forming with Ava. Soon she'll be eighteen, soon I will reject her and unbeknownst to my father I'll take the title of Alpha without a mate. Despite his many protests.

She was meant for us, James. The Moon Goddess works in mysterious ways. But she would never match together two people who were unfit for each other. Don't toss this chance of love away. You can love her; you and your family owe her everything, your father took everything from her. Ever since I gained my wolf and found out Ava was my mate Thane has tried to talk me out of rejecting her.

She's a low Orphan, my family took nothing from her. Besides I can never be with someone like her! My fathers' told me before he'd never accept nothing less than an Alphas daughter as my mate.

She's not just an Orphan she's our mate, she could be so much more powerful than you. Reject her you hurt us both and this pack, you'll never be strong!

Just shut it mutt! I snap at Thane before blocking him out. I hate that I must share my mind and body with him. Ava is repulsive and disgusting but, she's my mate Thane wants to accept her because our mate makes us stronger. How could a weak Omega make us stronger? Even if I gave into Thane and accepted Ava as my mate. My father would never hand down the title of Alpha to me with a mate like her. I'll be damned if I lose my chance of being Alpha for the likes of Ava.

You reject her I will make your life a living hell!

I thought I thought I told you to shut it. Besides, everyone gets a second chance.

Second Chances are rare, even rarer if you rejected your mate out of greed so don't stand here lying to me.

I sit on the edge of my bed, lost in deep thought when I hear a light knock on the door. I get up and open the door to my room and a long fiery red-haired goddess stands before me. She is beautiful but she's weak and my father forbid me from even being remotely nice to any Omega regardless of their little ranking. To him, Omega's were disposable pack members. He'd use them as his pawns like it's a chess game. But Ava isn't an Omega nor is she even a pack member, she's just what my father calls her a rogue, but shockingly she doesn't give off the foul odor a rogue does. Which leaves me wonder if my father is even telling the truth about Ava.

If my grandfather was still alive I am pretty sure he would kill my father for what he's done to the pack he worked hard to build. Tobias Quinn used to run this place with a kind heart and full of compassion, he never turned his back on friends and allies, Crescent Moon use to be prosperous and now I am just lucky there's a pack for me to still take over. But regardless of my grandfather's accomplishments, my father has run this pack so far down because he is so fuels by hate I need to be ruthless.

"Hello are you in there? I said I'm here to clean your room," she said as she looked up at me with her beautiful emerald, green eyes. What I wouldn't do to see her eyes roll into the back of her head as she screams my name. Okay I have to admit I am entirely attracted to Ava in every single way, what I wouldn't do just to be mates with her. But I won't give up the Alpha title.

"You have an hour." I mutter as I shove past her.

***Ava***

I glare at James as he shoves his way past me knocking me against the door. I turn around and look around in disgust at James's darkroom it smells like nasty body odor and always wrecks of sex no matter how much cleaner I use. I pull open the heavy curtains and the sunlight revels hand prints on the windows and walls. I took a deep breath, the smell curled the small hairs in my nose and I almost puke. I grab a pair of gloves got set to work. After finishing the main room in record time I turn my attention to the bathroom.

The bathroom wasn't half as dirty as the main room and I was able to clean it in under ten minutes. I am imagining myself using James's toothbrush to clean the toilet as I finish cleaning the bathroom. I laugh to myself at the mental picture as I take off my gloves and toss them in the trash. I grab hold of the trash bag about to tie it up when something caught my attention. I reach in and pull out a piece of paper. I felt sick to my stomach when I see that it has my name wrote on it repeatedly with little hearts.

"What is this teenage bullshit" I mutter crumbling the piece into a ball tossing it back in the trash and tie it off. After an hour I've completely cleaned James's bedroom top to bottom and all my chores are pretty much done for the day. I hear the door open and turn around to see James walking in with his arm wrapped around the waist of a she-wolf. This room isn't going to remain clean awfully long, I let out a small sigh as I grab everything and walk past them. The she-wolf stuck her foot into my path, causing my too trip and go crashing to the ground. I turn my head and look up to see the she-wolf that was with James's snickering and he's just standing there looking down at me with sad puppy dog eyes.

"Pathetic." she says as she pushes James into his room and slams the door shut almost jamming me in it.

James turned eighteen two weeks ago and was soon going to be taking over as Alpha of the Crescent Moon pack. He's supposed to go through his first shift and find his mate. I hope whoever she is she sees him and this pack for what they truly are and put the mate bond aside and think about them self.

"Ava, there you are come here for a moment." I hear a voice shout from behind me. I take a deep breath close my eyes and slowly turn around. When I open my eyes, I see Luther approaching me with a thick stack of papers extended to me.

"Ava as you know I am to transfer the title of Alpha to James in just a couple short weeks. I need you to see to everything on this list. Most of the important stuff is already being tended to by other people. Everything that has your name by it needs to be ready for next Saturday no if's ands or but's. I don't have time to deal with this party nonsense, just make sure it's perfect."

Before I even had a chance to respond to Luther, he was gone. Of course, Luther would have this all happen next Saturday. When I should be celebrating my birthday and coming of age, I will be forced to celebrate James and him gaining his Alpha title and pretty much living my dream.

Thankfully once I turn eighteen I am able to make the adult decision and leave Crescent Moon. In the last nine years I have come across money in various locations while I go through my daily motions, and I figure I have enough saved to get a cheap hotel room. I walk into the kitchen toss the stack of papers on the counter and walk to the fridge. I make a quick lunch for the few house members and skim over some of the plans and tasks Luther has laid out for me to do.

"Wow" I say aloud as Luther walked in followed by the rest of the clan. I quickly gather the papers I had spread out on the table and exit the kitchen before anyone has a chance to say a word to me.