Chapter 1 One:

"I, Alpha Miller, hereby reject you, Isla Higgins, as my mate and Luna of the Pembroke pack," he said with a smirk as his beta pinned me against the wall. My heart shattered into a thousand pieces, and I felt a physical ache in my body as pain penetrated through me. “There is no competition here.” Mora piped up as she wrapped herself around me, fated mate. That hurt. A lot. It hurt me, even more, when he pulled Mora Evans into his chest and kissed her with such passion and lust. How could he do this to me? I was supposed to be his fated mate.

Not that nasty girl that everyone seemed to love and adore. I glared at her in frustration. I wanted to punch the life out of her fake image. This was the girl who had taken everything from me, and she had made my life hell from as far back as I could remember. “You do not deserve such good things in your pathetic life. Even your own sister despises you and your brother is not even here.” Alpha Miller added with a chuckle. “Come on, baby. Let's get out of here. It stinks so bad I might be sick.” Mora said, pretending to throw up. I hated her more than anything in this world. She knew what she was doing, and she knew that she had won. Smirking at me, she walked away hand in hand with the alpha who rejected me. His beta let me go, and I fell to the ground emotionless. I wouldn’t give them or anyone the satisfaction of seeing me cry. Oh no. I knew I had to be stronger than this. “The moon goddess must have been crazy to pair a fatty like you with our alpha.” The beta laughed as he walked off back to his alpha’s shadows. I scowled at them as they got further into the distance. “You regret everything you ever did to me,” I muttered. I promised myself that they would pay for this one day. A small figure rushed over to me and knelt in front. “Are you ok?” I looked to see it was Aly, one of the omegas. We had become good friends over the years. I wasn’t an omega, but I was treated worse than them by the people who were supposed to care about me. Today was my eighteenth birthday, and I had been so excited to find my mate. So, you can imagine how disappointed I was when I came to find that the delicious scent of caramel was the new alpha of our pack. Twenty-year-old Miller was gorgeous, tall with dark hair and a smile that sent anyone to their knees. He had the looks but carried a heart that cared about nothing but his selfish wants and needs. I had no idea how the moon goddess could pair me with such a partner. He hated me, and I would never be good enough for someone as powerful as him. I’m not ugly, but I’m also no Mora Evans. Unlike her skinny figure and beautiful brunette hair, I have a curvier figure with curly black shoulder-length hair. My eyes are a dark green colour that nobody in our pack has. I’m like an outcast for my looks. I was nothing like my mother or my father. People often joked that I was found under a tree. I knew that My mother loved me no matter what. She never treated me any differently from my siblings. Cora and Daniel had stuck up for me many times, but I guess even they had enough of protecting the little sister who would never go anywhere in life. Cora was one year older than me, and Daniel was three years older. Over the years, Cora had become increasingly distant from me. She would barely speak to me, let alone acknowledge me. If we weren’t from the same blood family, she would be much happier. She was a spoilt brat now. Daniel and I had always been close. He always had my back. I missed him so much. I noticed my sister, Cora, walked straight past me and pretended not to see me, whereas Daniel was away for a few weeks training on a course. I know that things would be different if he were here. Miller had been made alpha when our previous alpha fell seriously Unwell. He had been a good leader for our pack. Nobody picked on me around him, and I felt safe, but now that Miller was the alpha, it was apparent that he would take Mora as his chosen mate and Luna. I knew he would never accept me as his mate. I was nowhere near as perfect as Mora. Although I learned early to fight and train with my brother, he taught me everything that he knew, and that’s why I never got beaten, just teased constantly. Aly was convinced they feared me since my brother was one of our best fighters in the pack. My parents did not want to let me go off to train as a fighter, and they felt I was better off at home. Daniel told me they were just worried I would be better than him. Aly poked me to bring me back to reality. I shook my head and smiled to let her know I was fine. Even though inside, I was a burning mess of emotion and pain. Stupid arse. Why did he have to be my mate? For years, I had dreamt of finding my mate and being happy away from this sorry excuse of a pack. “Isla, are you ok?” She repeated for the millionth time. “Thanks, Aly, but I’m fine.” She helped me up, and I brushed myself off. “Well, if you’re sure. I must get back to work now.” She said sadly before hurrying to load more dishes into the vast dining hall. Miller was throwing a big party in celebration of the beta's birthday. We shared a birthday, but mine was never as important as his. I was not bothered anyway; dressing up and the fancy parties bored me. We were one of the largest packs in America, and our neighbouring packs were also coming along, so it would be very packed. My sister was so excited to dress up and had no time for me, so I didn’t bother her. I headed to my bedroom and locked the door. Sitting on my bed, I thought about how much better life would be without me in this pack. What good was I for it when I’d been rejected and would soon be an even bigger laughingstock? The word would quickly get around: the godly alpha miller rejected that fatty Isla. I hated that he was so good-looking and couldn’t help but feel a little sad. I took a bath and stared at myself in the mirror. I wished that I was as pretty as the other wolf. I was just destined to be an unmated she-wolf with nothing to offer. “Isla, our mate is an idiot.” My wolf, Cleo popped up in my mind. I smiled to myself and agreed. I got my wolf at sixteen, and we usually can meet and find our mate from the age of eighteen upwards, although some don’t find them until a bit later. Unfortunately for me, my mate was a complete arse. Even Miller Wolf was as selfish as he was. The knock on the door made me jump; my sister Cora was on the other side. “Isla, let me in now.” She sounded annoyed, so I opened it and let her in. She was dressed up in a blue tight-fitting dress. Her long hair was curled and tied to the side of her head. She looked beautiful, but the frown on her pretty face made my heart sink slightly. “What’s this that alpha Miller is your mate?” She confronted me, causing me to roll my eyes and slam the door shut behind us. Word seemed to get around fast. “Well?” She impatiently tapped her door on my wooden floor. “No, he’s not. He rejected me. That’s all there is to it.” I told her. Her face softened a little. “Why didn’t you come to me and tell me? We are sisters, aren’t we?” I was surprised by her words because usually, she wouldn’t care much about me and what was happening in my life. Cora did not have the issues I had growing up. She was famous, skinny, and beautiful. I was not famous, skinny, or beautiful. “Cora, it’s not a big deal.” I told her.” Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.” “Well, I think it’s best that you don’t come down to the party tonight. I mean, I know it’s your birthday and that, but I don’t want to sound mean, but everyone’s talking about you and well. “ “I wasn’t planning on going anyway.” I interrupted her, suddenly wondering why she was so bothered about me. She didn’t want any attention taken away from her. Of course, my loving sister would never have been concerned about me. She smiled and turned to walk out the door. I sighed and wished my life was not so rubbishy. I was better off out of this pack. I thought for a moment and decided to go and speak to my mother. My father would be far too busy elsewhere to talk to me. I found her in the lounge, and she was busy knitting away and humming to herself. “Mother, I was thinking of staying at Uncle Ed’s for a while. It will do me good since I’m done with school now.” I told her. She just nodded and didn’t even glance my way. That confirmed my decision. I would not be missed anyway. I went back to my bedroom and packed my bags. I picked up my money card and decided I wouldn’t need my phone anymore. I took one last look around my bedroom and closed the door before starting my journey out of here. The best birthday I could give myself was to be out of here for good. I threw my stuff into my little beat-up fiesta that my brother had given me. He had always loved mechanics and made this car up for me. When I passed my driving test last year, it meant the world to me. Others were happy to drive around in their jeeps and expensive cars, but I was happy in my little car. I didn’t care what they said about it, either. I got into my driver’s seat and looked around. Nobody batted an eyelid at me as if I was invisible. I started the car up and headed out of the pack. There was no way I was coming back here. “Isla. Wait. Don’t leave.” Aly waved her arms in front of my car, causing me to slam on the brakes. “Aly!” I exclaimed, unwinding the window. She came up to me. “What are you doing? You can’t leave me.” She gasped, eyeing my luggage in the backseat. “I have to. I’m sorry, Aly. I can’t stay here and watch him be all over her. There’s nothing for me here anymore.” I told her sadly. I could see the hurt in her eyes, but I had to do what was best for me. “Come back soon, and good luck.” She said, walking away from me. I felt sick, and my tummy ached for no reason. I guessed it was just the nerves setting in or something. They were going to regret treating me like rubbish!