His Mate

Rejecting evangeline 1.......His mate

Happines POV

"Wake up you filthy mutt and make yourself useful for once! I want breakfast to be ready and served immediately. The whole pack is waiting for you. I cannot believe we did not get rid of you when we had the chance a long time ago, you are purely a waste of space in this pack and nothing else." A loud voice that I knew well growled out, jolting me awake, pulling me straight out of my dreamless and unrestful sleep.

I did not have to open my eyes to know who it was. I felt my body ache and protest as I stiffly got up from the worn-out mattress that I called my bed. I heard my shoulder bone cracked as it attempted to release the knot from sleeping in such a tight curled up position. Instantly, I winced at the small noise. With the lingering pain that pulsated throughout my body from last night's beatings, and the painful memory still fresh in my mind, my whole body instinctively froze and braced itself for a second beating.

"What are you doing just standing there? Not only you are useless but you are also illiterate. Hurry the hell up mutt." He snarled menacingly. I hobbled towards my sink located in the corner of my minuscule living space. I glanced down at the floor the whole time, purposely avoiding eye contact with my older brother, Alexander.

His rough hand suddenly jerked out and he grabbed my wrist. I whimpered at the tightness of his grip. Alec pulled me back violently before I could reach the sink. Another whimper involuntarily escaped my lips as I felt his grip tighten. "I did not hear a "yes sir" you disrespectful mutt. How dare you treat your Beta this way. Learn some respect or else." Shaking in fear and pain, I stuttered out a meek

"yes sir" and then braced myself for the impact as he abruptly raised his hand. Alec slapped me hard, making me lose balance and fall over. I laid helpless on the dirty floor, in shock, and in pain. The dizziness made my head pound.

"Speak up next time you incompetent idiot. Now, get up and get ready. If breakfast is not ready by eight, you are going to get the worse beating of your life. I will make sure that you are unable to walk for the next week. Am I understood?" he hollered, as he exited my small living space.

"Understood," I whispered before I carefully got up, my world still spinning. I reached up and touched my cheek tenderly. I winced at the contact, retracting quickly my hand. There is definitely going to be a bruise there tomorrow. Another one for the collection

."Happiness...it hurts to see you go through this. I am so sorry that I am not able to heal you...I'm just too weak..." My wolf, Winter whimper, her voice meek, filled with pain and faded as she struggled to speak. I can not remember when was the last time we had a proper meal. They fed me enough just so that I don't die, merely scraps and pieces of leftover food that they did not want or was too rotten for them to eat. The lack of nutrition made both my wolf and I extremely weak and undernourished. It affected especially Winter as she was the beasty side of me. Without food, she is powerless, unable to heal us, or fight. "I understand Winter...It's okay, I can take the pain. You need to rest as much as possible and regain energy. I'll try to get food into our system soon." I told her, trying desperately to sound confident.

I had planned to run away from this pack one day, even if that meant that I was going to become a rogue. I wanted to set out to find my mate and find my happily ever after. Therefore, I needed Winter to be in the best shape possible. I was willing to spare her from all the pain that comes from the abuse and beatings and give her all of my strength. It was a sacrifice I was full-on willing to make, it's our only chance and hope of escaping."Hopefully, that day will come soon Happiness. We will finally be able to live well and freely. Maybe share this life with a mate if we find him. Oh, Happiness, he will enter our life and be a beacon of light in our dark world." Winter expressed with a tint of unbridled and pure happiness in her tone. Mate, that one word alone made me feel giddy. When a werewolf turns sixteen, they will be able to find their mate by their scent. When I was little, before tucking me away for the night, my mom would always tell me the story of how she met my dad, her eyes always sparkled with happiness whenever she did. I hope I will find a mate that will love me and treat me right. An escape and a new beginning.

I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard an all too familiar voice yell out, "Omega, you better hurry up and get breakfast on this table immediately. My patience is running out." Alpha Xavier Maxwell Alister, is a powerful, ruthless, and merciless Alpha. Out of everyone in the pack, he abuses me the most. Not wanting another painful beating, I rushed and did my morning routine before heading downstairs. I made my way to the spacious pack kitchen and started to make a typical American style breakfast and soon, all the food was ready to be served. I brought out the plates to the awaiting pack members in the dining room. Once everyone was served individually, I left to clean up the kitchen and do the dishes.

"Happiness, we need to eat something soon. We can't continue to live like this. Please human, we need to eat if we want to survive a little longer." Winter whimpered.

"I know Winter...maybe they will be kind enough to leave some leftovers today...if not, then I will find scraps for us to eat," I responded, and as if on cue, my stomach grumbled loudly. Once the kitchen was spotless, I waited for the Alpha to call me to complete my duty of clearing the table once everyone was done eating.

"Omega, we are done eating. Come at once, make yourself useful and clean up this mess mutt!" Alpha Xavier hollered. I walked quickly into the dining room and hurriedly stacked the dirty plates and sorted the utensils, before taking them back to the kitchen. No one helped and not a single word of gratitude was spoken from the whole pack. I also noticed that they ate all of the food, leaving no leftovers for me. I sigh quietly and guess this meant that I would have to go all day without food again.

"I am sorry Winter...we have to bear the hunger a little longer." I proceeded to do the dishes, making sure that each plate was spotless as one speck unwashed could earn me a beating. Once I was finished, I looked at the time and cursed under my breath. I was going to be late for school if I don't leave right away. We, werewolves go to a special werewolf only school, humans are forbidden to attend. Of course, me being an omega meant that I was bullied a lot in school, especially by Xavier and Alexander. It was mandatory to go to school until you reach the age of sixteen, and the consequences of not attending are harsh. A werewolf without an education gets kicked out of the pack and is forced to become a rogue, a full wolf, a rank lower even than an omega. Nobody wants that.

I slipped on my worn-out Uggs boots, grabbed my plain white backpack filled with completed homework and school books, and began the long walk to North Wood Academy. Suddenly, as I was walking, I felt raw eggs being thrown at me, one painfully hitting the nape of my neck and another landed on the side of my head. Xavier and Alec howled with peals of laughter as they watched egg yolk run down my face and clothes before driving off. I sighed and kept walking. When I finally reached the school, I heard the first bell ring and immediately I knew that I was going to be late. I didn't even bother going to my locker, and just went straight to the nurse's office to get a late note. Nurse Lucie is the only person that actually cares about me, she is always there for me when I need her, even if she can not do much because of her rank, she is the only person that listens and helps me in whatever ways she can. I am grateful to have a person like that still present in my life. Nurse Lucia wrote me a note, to excuse my lateness, without inquiring anything, though she did kindly say that I should go wash up before going to class. That's what I liked most about her, she never forces you to talk or explain. She slipped a cereal bar into my hand and patted my hand once before returning to her work. I thanked her, smiling gratefully and slipped out of the office, heading towards the bathroom to try to get as much of the egg yolk off my clothes, hair, and face.

While I was walking towards my first class, I munched on a cereal bar that Nurse Lucia gave me. She knew that I had little to nothing to eat back at the packhouse so, every morning, she would give me something to eat whether that be a cereal bar or banana. I heard Winter sigh with happiness, savoring the taste. We were both happy to have some food finally enter our system. When I walked into the classroom, the teacher dismissed me after she read the note. I ignored the glares of my peers and took my usual seat towards the back of the classroom, by the window, zoning out completely from reality as soon as my butt hit the seat.

The morning passed by in a flash and before I knew it, it was lunchtime. I don't have any money to pay for a hot school lunch so I usually spent lunchtime daydreaming, leaning against my favorite tree located in the furthest corner of the school courtyard. Today was no different, I was peacefully listening to my own thoughts when suddenly an apple core flew out of nowhere and hit me square on the head.

"Oww..." I mumbled as I rubbed the sore spot. I heard laughers and instantly knew that it was my usual tormentors: Xavier, Alexander, Jonathan, and Paris.

"Aww...did I hurt the pathetic little omega?" Xavier asked mockingly, looking down at me with a smirk on his face. I did not dare to look up.

"Answer your Alpha, omega." I kept my lips sealed. Xavier slapped me hard, I winced as the pain spread throughout my left cheek but, I did not dare to make a sound.

"What is wrong omega? Wolf's got your tongue? Geez, on top of that, you stink of rotten egg you dirty mutt! You are nothing but a waste of space, be gone already." Xavier continued to insult and hit me. Kick, slap, kick, slap and repeat. The other three guys laughed while they watched. It might have been my imagination, but I caught a glint of guilt and sadness in my brother's eyes before it vanished as fast as it appeared.

Finally, the bell rung, indicating that it was the end of the lunch break as well as the end of my beating. I was literally saved by the bell. Xavier stopped mid-kick, "This is not over omega, just wait until we get back to the packhouse." He sneered before they all left. The pain was agonizing. My wolf wanted to help and heal me but, I told her to save her energy. "I'll be okay Winter, I am used to it, you need to save up as much energy as possible," I told her.

"You don't have to be in this alone Happiness, I am your wolf. You are part of me as much as I am of you," she replied. I smiled at our close bond, "I know."

I did not feel like finishing my afternoon classes, as I only had two classes left and my grades for both of those classes were excellent. I decided to head back to the packhouse early, thus, I headed outside and started the excruciatingly long journey of walking home. Wincing at every step, I finally stopped to rest, trying hard to catch my breath which proved to be difficult as I think Xavier might have broken a few ribs.

"Happiness? Maybe if we get home before everyone else, we could sneak in some food so that I can have enough energy to spare to be able to heal you." Winter proposed, sounding worried about my current state. I thought about it for a minute before answering,

"Let's do it, Winter. To be honest with you, I can not take the pain much longer. We just have to make sure that no one is home so we don't get caught."

When I finally reached the packhouse, I quietly opened the door and looked around warily, making sure that no one was home yet. I let out a big sigh of relief when I realized that I was alone. I sneaked into the kitchen pantry and took out a loaf of bread, a jar of Nutella, and some chocolate chip cookies.

"This should be enough, it should give us enough energy for a while right?" I questioned my wolf.

"No Happiness, we need to take advantage of this situation. Cook something easy. I think you have enough time to before the pack members comes back." was Winter's response. I obeyed her, realizing that she was right. I quickly scanned the fridge and pantry and took out all the ingredients needed to make spaghetti with marinara sauce.

After I took in the first mouthful of spaghetti, I could not help but moan at the taste. It has been way too long since I have had a proper meal. Winter was savoring the taste as well, her howls filled with pleasure echoed in my head. I felt mine and Winter's gradually energy return as our stomach filled up. Winter also spared some of her energy to heal me, I watched as my bruises fade, the fresh cuts that littered throughout my body close up and disappear, and felt my ribs mending back together. All of my old scars healed as well thanks to Winter's werewolf healing powers.

"Thank you so much, Winter. I feel better." I told her, gratefully as my physical pain vanished completely."You are very welcome Happiness. It was the least I could do for you, my human." She answered with a smile in her voice. I finished my serving of the spaghetti with marinara sauce and put away the leftover into a container to store in my room for later. I felt too full to eat anymore probably because my stomach was not used to the amount of food I already ate today.

I looked at the clock, the arrows indicated that it was seven o'clock meaning that the pack members should arrive shortly home from work and school. I hastily got started on dinner, making Mac and Cheese, a pack's favorite and my personal favorite dish. I had just finished up stirring the cheese into the pasta when I heard the front door open and the sounds of loud laughter and chatters, as well as multiples sets of footsteps, entering. I quickly set the table and waited for everyone to settle in the dining room before beginning to serve them. After dinner, I did all of my chores which includes washing the dishes, cleaning the kitchen floor till I saw my reflection, vacuuming, and dusting the dining room, cinema room, and living room, activating all of the security alarms and locking all the doors of the packhouse. At last, I was done for the day. I made my way up to the attic and fell onto the creaking and rusted mattress on the floor, falling asleep for once in a long time with a full and satisfied stomach.

Happiness POV

I woke up early the next morning with a full and satisfied stomach. It was the first time in a long time that I woke up without hearing my stomach growl hungrily, I considered that a small win for me. I laid on my bed and glanced up at the ceiling, savoring this feeling.

"Good morning Happiness!" my wolf, Winter said in an extra chipper voice, I could almost see her prancing happily around my head.

"Morning Winter! Is there a reason why you are so happy this early in the morning?" I questioned her, puzzled by her current mood. There was a brief moment of silence before she answered.

"Uh hello? Winter? You there?" I asked her, awkwardly. It was unusual for my wolf not to answer me immediately.

"Are you being serious Happiness? You do not even remember that it is your sixteenth birthday? It is also the day that we will finally find our mate! What is wrong with you human?" She exclaimed, making me jump and hold the side of my head.

"Oh yeah...oops, I guess I forgot. Sorry Winter, you know that my brain is not functional in the mornings and that I rarely celebrate my birthday. This is the only birthday worth celebrating. I can't wait to find our mate. I just hope that he will treat us right." I answered back.

"I know that mate will love us, Happiness , we are a pretty loveable pair after all." Winter reassured me.

I decided to get up and get ready to get breakfast going. I did not want to get a beating for being late. I did not need any more scars and wounds on my body, not the day that I was going to finally get to meet my mate. I wanted to look my best today since it was my birthday as well as hopefully appeal and impress my mate. I wanted him to want me and accept me. I did not have many nice outfits, but I did have a floral dress that my mom bought for me a while ago. I hid it carefully under the sink, afraid that someone will take one of the only gifts I had left from my mother. It looked like it would still fit and that was unsurprising as I am underweight and had a smaller body frame compared to the norms. I slipped on the dress easily and slipped on my sandals before heading downstairs.

For breakfast, I choose to make bacon, sunny side eggs, pancakes, and fresh orange juice and since it was my birthday, I decided that a little treat for myself won't hurt. I placed one pancake and one strip of bacon for myself on a plate and set that aside, hiding it behind the toaster to eat later. Afterward, I set the table, laying out all of the food, and waited for the pack members to wake up.

"Happiness, eat your breakfast now so that no one will see. It is still early so I doubt that anyone would wake up anytime soon." Winter advised wisely. I agreed with her and picked up the hidden plate of food and ate quickly. As I ate my breakfast, I fantasized about my mate. What will he look like? Will I finally be free? When will I meet him? I wondered, all these questions running through my head.

When a werewolf turns sixteen, the werewolf will gain his or her's scent, a scent that only their mate can smell.

"Happiness, we are finally going to be able to smell mate too...I wonder what he is going to smell like?" wondered Winter with a smile in her voice.

"I don't know Winter, we will just have to wait and see but, I bet he will smell divine," I replied, I could not help also letting out a dreamy sigh.

After I finished eating, I quickly washed my plate and utensils, getting rid of any traces that I ate at all. I glanced at the clock on the wall and it read seven-thirty. The pack should be awake by now and heading down any second. I waited inside the dining room, ready to serve the member that entered first. It was just my luck that the first person that appeared just had to be my older brother, Alexander. He took a seat and then glanced at me,

"It's a special day today, am I right dear little Happiness?" he asked me, smirking mockingly. I nodded my head but said nothing, I just continued to serve him his orange juice.

"How would you feel if I gave you the perfect present? A special birthday beating later on. Doesn't that sound nice Happiness?" He sneered. I gulped, feeling absolutely petrified but I knew I had no say in the matter. I saw it coming though, Alexander always gave me the worse beatings on my birthday as it was also the day we became orphans. I think this is why I did not celebrate my birthday all of these years. It became a date that I both wanted to remember but also forget.

After breakfast, I was cleaning the dishes in the kitchen when suddenly, in a flash, I felt someone roughly grab me by the shoulders and shove me against the wall, pinning my hands to the side of my head. In the process, I dropped the cup that I was washing, causing a huge mess of broken glass on the recently cleaned floor. I winced at the impact as the pain spread throughout my back and squeezed my eyes shut. As my sense of sight disappeared my sense of smell picked up a delicious and irresistible smell. I concentrated on the smell, it was a strange mix but weirdly, it works. The person in front of me smelt of green apple and chocolate. It was intoxicating.

"Is this what mate smells like? Have we finally found our mate? Happinesses open your eyes so we can finally meet our mate." Winter said, howling with joy, rejoicing that we had finally found our mate. I could barely contain my excitement as I opened my eyes.

However, the small smile that was slowly spreading uncontrollably on my face disappeared in an instant as I was astonished to meet the captivating blue eyes of Alpha Xavier. His eyes were like an overcast sky. It seemed that when I looked into those eyes, time stood still. I could not believe that Alpha Xavier was my mate. Everything stopped moving around me and the only thing I could focus on was my accelerating heartbeat and him. I whispered the word "mate". A part of me hoping that he will accept me as his mate and love me, but then another part of me knew very well that he would reject me.

He harshly glared at me with his piercing sky blue eyes and my hope of any forms of acceptance gradually faded as he spoke,

"I can not believe that you are my mate. What did I ever do to the Moon Goddess for her to give me such an ugly, worthless, and weak mate? I don't want a mate who killed her own parents. Mark my words, you will never ever be Luna of this pack nor my mate. You are nothing but the pack's slave. I hate you omega." I felt my heart clench as tears filled my eyes. Each word was like a blow to my stomach. It felt like my heart is shattering into a million pieces. This could not be happening. My mate was supposed to love me no matter what. He was supposed to save me.

"You're supposed to love me and save me. Please don't do this. I am your mate. I didn't kill my parents, I'm innocent. Please believe me. It was rogues that killed them! Please believe me." I tried to plead with him, desperation filled my voice.

Xavier sneered and slapped me hard, "You are so pathetic to even think for a second that I would ever consider accepting you as my mate. Stop lying about your parents, you filthy mutt. You are nothing but a monster that does not deserve to live a good life. I have zero tolerance or pity for murderers." Tears streamed down my face ,

"Mandel! What am I going to do? No one will ever love us now, not even our own mate loves us. I don't think I can handle the pain of our mate rejecting us." My voice shook as I spoke frantically to my wolf.

"Mate...why?" Mandel whispered brokenly, her voice filled with hurt.

"Stop talking to your pathetic wolf, omega, I want you to pay close attention to what I'm going to say next," said Xavier as he tightened his grip on my hands. I looked at him straight in the eyes, tears streaming down my face, already knowing and fearing what he was going to say next.

"I, Xavier Martin Usher, Alpha of the Moonlight Pack, reject you, Happiness Merry Westlife, Omega of the Moonlight Pack, as my mate and future Luna."

My wolf cried out in agony but, I kept my teary gaze on him, and for once in a very long time I spoke strongly, I needed to stay strong.

"I, Happiness Merry Westlife, Omega of the Moonlight Pack... " But, I just could not do it...I could not accept his rejection. What was wrong with me? I should hate him, despite him, reject him without any hesitation but a part of me stopped me. He is my mate. That has finally sunk in. Alpha Xavier Martin Usher was my mate. Xavier, he did not say anything else, nor did he react. Not waiting for my response, he let go of my pinned hands, and coldly glared at me one last time, daring me to follow him, before walking away in angry strides. I stood there in shock for a moment before wiping away my tears and running all the way to my room.

"Happiness..." Mandel whimpered, her voice filled with inexplicable pain.

"I was not strong enough to accept his rejection Mandel...I just could not. We can not live like this anymore. This is not our home anymore and it is no longer our pack. Let's leave today." My wolf answered weakly, taking a deep breath to calm herself before speaking,

"I agree with you Happiness. It has really come to this. Let's hurry up and pack, we need to be on our way soon human." I packed only the essentials: my clothes, the food I stole last night, and my box of memories. I hurriedly shoved everything into my school backpack.

Out of nowhere, I felt a newfound spark of courage in me, and this sudden burning determination to get a fresh start in life. I did not deserve this life, I did not deserve all of this pain. The anger of being rejected by my own mate burned deep in my soul. He did not deserve me. They did not deserve me. I left behind a note condemning them and accusing them of all of the things they have done to me all these years. It is time for them to take responsibility and realize their mistake. No werewolf or human should ever be treated this way. Change is coming and my life would be flipped again but this time for the better.

Dear whoever bothered to read this,

Thank you for making these past years of my life an absolute living hell. I decided to do something that I should have done a long time ago: run away and leave this pack for good. I would rather live as a rogue for the rest of my life than to ever live with the Moonlight Pack again. There is no excuse for the abuse and pain you, as a pack, have put me through. All of the adults in this pack, you are just as responsible for letting all of this happen. Turning a blind eye is almost as worst than committing the crime itself. I said it a million times and this is the last time I say it, I did not kill my parents, that accident did. How could you all lay the blame on a young pup? I will never forgive any of you and so do not even bother trying to find me, I will be too far away by the time you finish reading this letter. Thank you for not believing me.

Xavier - A clear rejection is better than a fake promise. Mates are supposed to be together for life, a mate is a gift from the Moon Goddess. You choose to reject me before even getting to know me. It was pathetic on my part to even think for a second that you would accept me as a mate. Despite everything you did to me Xavier, I still had hope that being mates would mean something to you but you proved to me yet again that you are nothing but a cold and empty shell of a werewolf. You did not give me a chance and now, I hope you enjoy the rest of your life being mateless. Furthermore, you abused me for years on end, each day the beatings getting worse. It pains me to know that my own mate would hurt me. I hate being mated to you as much as you do, trust me. Let us never meet again.

"You hurt me more than I deserve because I loved you more than what you deserve."

Alexander - What is a big brother? A big brother is a superhero, a protector, and most importantly, a friend. You are and will never be any of those things for me. Our parents would be so ashamed of you, you are all I have left, and yet you treated me worst than a slave. I lost my parents too Alexander and I was so much younger than you when it happened. I miss them too Alexander, every single day. You have no idea how much tears I shed for them. They were mine too Alexander, we should have shared that pain and sorrow together as siblings but yet, I mourned alone. No one comforted me, no one told me that everything will be okay. No one told me that it was not my fault. I shouldered all of the blame and accusations all of these years and never once did you defend me. Ever since that accident took the life of mom and dad, you have bullied and abused me to the point where I felt broken inside, to the point where I was unfixable. But you know what?

"Broken crayons still color" All these years of pain just made me stronger. I never want to see you again and I will never forgive you, Alexander.

- Happiness Merry Westlife......

I placed the letter on my bed and slung my backpack over my shoulders. I took a deep breath and made my way downstairs, looking left and right to see if the coast was clear of any pack members. I let out a breath of relief when I realized that everyone must already be at school or at work. I quickly left the house, quietly closing the door and headed towards the lush forest behind the packhouse.

"Ready Happiness?" Mandel asked me, I could hear the excitement in her voice. This is what pure freedom feels like.

"Ready Madel." My wolf pushed forward in my mind and took complete control of my body. I felt my bones snap and move into place as my paws, tail, and snout started to morph. My thick fur grew in completing the transformation, from human to werewolf. I have not shifted into my wolf in such a long time, it was liberating to finally adorn my beast side again. We blinked as the steely grey color of my human eyes changed into a brilliant cobalt blue, piercing, and twinkling. The transformation was complete, we shook out our pure snow-white coat which was glowing blindingly beneath the bright sunlight and stretched out our limbs, getting ready for the long journey ahead of us.

"Goodbye Moonlight Pack." Our mixed voices of the beast and human sides spoke in harmony. We bolted into the forest, our paws pounding on the crispy leaves, never once looking back to our old life.

This is the beginning of our new life.

Happiness POV

I woke up from a dreamless sleep, my eyelids fluttering open. As I sat up, I let out a yawn and stretched my arms above my head. That was one of the best and most peaceful sleep I have had gotten in a long time. I glanced at the digital clock on the bedside table and realized that it was still early. I flopped back down on the bed, snuggling back into the still warm duvet and closed my eyes, savoring the warmth and security it brought me. Just as I dozed off again, someone knocked on my door. I sleepily mumbled, "come in." The person entered and sat on the edge of the bed. I opened one eye, curious to see who would visit me this early in the morning. Seeing that it was Louis, I playfully pretended to have fallen asleep. I quickly closed my eyes and buried my head further into the duvet, stifling a giggle. I am sure that Louis knew that I was awake because my breathing was not slowed down or evened out but he played along anyway. I felt him put a hand on my shoulder and shake me slightly. Psssh! As if that would be enough to wake me up I thought.

"Wake up little one. You have a long day today ahead," he whispered in my ear, causing the hair on the back of my neck to stand straight up. I wiggled and disappeared under the blanket, trying to escape his hot breath on my neck. Blake chuckled and lifted up the blanket, peering in,

"Come on sleepy-head! I know that you are awake! You can't stay in bed all day now can you?" I rolled on my stomach and peered at him,

"Yes I can", before disappearing into the duvet again, away from his sight. My heart was beating fast against my chest. It had been so long since I could play around and joke freely with someone like this. I heard Louis sigh and felt him get up. I smirked, thinking that I won this game but sadly I was terribly mistaken.

Just as I was about to pop out ice-cold water splashed me. I shrieked so loudly that I think all of the werewolves pack in this country heard me. I immediately threw the freezing and damped duvet off me and glared at Louis, who was almost on his knees from laughing his walrus ass off.

"Oh my goodness little one, I am so sorry, that was the funniest thing! Your face was priceless," wheezed out Louis. I pouted and crossed my arms.

"Loius! I am now cold, wet, and grumpy! Stop laughing at me, you big oaf." I threw a pillow at him in retaliation. I doubt that Louis even heard me though because he just laughed louder whilst he easily dodged the pillow. I must comment that he was laughing possibly even louder than an army of giggling hyenas.

Louis finally stopped laughing after what seems like ages, however, he was still clutching his stomach and the corner of his mouth was curled up in a permanent smile.

"You are a funny little wolf you know that? Anyways, the reason why I came up here was to tell you that the girls wanted to go shopping with you today, also something about how they desperately needed a girls day. So get ready for the day little one! Come down for breakfast whenever you are ready." He said before leaving the room, with a grin on his face and a wave. I shook my head smiling at his antics, he was such a childlike and carefree Alpha. I have never met an Alpha like Louis, someone that freely jokes around, treats his pack members like true friends and family and is so courteous and kind to everyone, including a perfect stranger like me. I made my way to the bathroom and took a quick shower, using my strawberry and apple-scented products. I slipped on the same dress I wore on my sixteen birthday and made my way downstairs for breakfast.

As I stepped down the last step, I was startled to see all of the pack members of the Crescent Moon Pack that lived in the packhouse seated at the dining table, all staring at me. All of them had huge smiles on their faces and kind eyes as they looked at me. To be honest...it was kinda giving me the hibbie jibbies. I did not know them well enough to figure out what they were plotting based on their expressions.

"Uh...Good morning?" I greeted uncertainly. I was not used to all this attention on me. I was used to being ignored or spat at if I dared talk to anyone when I was not addressed first. Everyone answered with various greetings and smiles. I felt a warmth spread through me as this was the first time in years that anyone other than Winter has wished me a good morning. It is really the little things that can make a person's whole day that much brighter.

A smile spread across my face and I made my way over to the empty seat they left for me.

"Good morning Happiness!" Mandel exclaimed. I could practically see her tail wagging in happiness and excitement.

"Good morning Mandel!" I greeted back. As I was greeting my wolf, I did not notice that Claudia had placed a plate of fluffy and light pancakes was placed in front of me. I glanced down at the sizable serving,

"Is this all for me?" I asked in surprise. Claudia, who sat beside me patted my hand and smiled,

"Of course Happiness, now come on, eat up. I made them myself and I hope you will like them! You will need all the energy you can get as we have a lot of shopping to do today!" I grinned and eagerly took a bite,

"Wow! Claudia this is delicious! Thank you so much." Claudia blushed a bit at the compliment,

"You are welcome Happiness, I am glad you like them. I can make them again for you anytime!"

Matthew stood up from his seat and came over to wrap his arms around Claudia.

"My mate is amazing at cooking, how did I get so lucky?" Claudia smile and snuggled against his chest in bliss,

"I am the lucky one here babe." Everyone awed and smiled at the sweet interaction between the mates. Breakfast was full of chatters and laughter in this pack. It has been a long time since I have been this relaxed.

"So Happiness , are you excited to go shopping with us and have a girls' day out?" asked Taylor. I nodded,

"I have been looking forward to it since Louis told me about the plans yesterday! The last time I went shopping was when I was twelve years old and I have never actually had a girls' day out so I am really excited about today!" The girls all turned to my direction, disbelief on their faces as they stared at me.

"What you have never had a girls' day?!" all three exclaimed at the same time. I shook my head,

"I did not have any friends to do that with back at my old pack." Claudia smiled sadly and once again patted my hand, "We are going to make this the best first girls' day out for your first Happiness." Juliet, who I learned was always one to brighten up the mood in a room, yelled out,

"Well Happiness ? What are you waiting for? Hurry up and gulp down that breakfast, we need to leave as soon as possible if we want to do everything a girls' day consists of. This is a code red, I repeat a code red. Let's go ladies!" I giggled at her dramatic antics as Juliet jumped up from her seat and practically inhaled her food before gesturing at all the other girls to do the same. The other girls and I quickly cleared our plates and got a nod and thumbs up of approval from Juliet.

When I was done eating, I started to clean up the dining table, piling up everyone's plates to go wash them and put them away.

"Oh no Happiness, you don't have to do that alone! In this pack, we share all of the chores," Louis said as he hurried to take the dished in my hands. I smiled and looked around and indeed everyone was helping clear the table. I helped with picking up everyone's mugs and as I was putting the mugs into the dishwasher, I felt someone put a hand on my back. I flinched involuntarily and stepped away from the person.

"Woah, Happiness, it's just me, Louis. I am sorry I scared you. I just wanted to give you this credit card for your shopping spree and girls' day out." Louis informed me. I let out a breath a relief, and tried to calm down my accelerated heart,

"I am sorry, I get startled easily. And oh Louis, I cannot accept this card. You have already given me too much." I said as I looked into his gentle eyes. Louis came closer and placed the card into my hand,

"Happiness, please accept this card and do not hesitate to use it if you see something you want or like. Today is your day and I want you to have as much fun as possible." I smiled at his kind words,

"Thank you, Louis. You have done so much for me. I do not know how I could possibly pay you back." Louis patted my head,

"You do not ever have to pay me back little one, just having you in my life is enough."

We piled into Claudia's mini cooper and headed to the mall with the radio on full blast. A lot of the current popular pop songs sounded out of the radio and the girls had fun singing along. I did not know most of the songs but it did not stop me from dancing and humming along to them. We drove out of the town and a short distance away, another bustling town came to view.

"This town is in neutral territory and it is called Sunrise town," Juliet informed me. It was a quiet and charming town and fewer people walking around in the streets. We finally arrived at our destination. I gasped at easily the biggest mall I have ever seen. Claudia chuckled as she marched on towards the entrance, ahead of us.

"Your reaction is too cute Happiness! Now let's go sloths! We have lots of shopping to do!" The rest of us followed obediently, like ducklings following their mother duck faithfully.

We went to many different stores, a lot of them I did not recognize or know. The girls insisted I picked whatever I liked and tried them on to model for them. In a few hours of shopping, I have tried on countless of clothing items, shoes, and accessories. It was a lot of fun modeling for them and flattering to receive so many compliments from the girls. I felt good in my body and I felt beautiful and valued for the first time in a long time. As the day when on, I became more and more confident and less shy when it came to trying on clothes and new styles and designs.

After shopping, we decided to stop by McDonald's to grab a quick lunch. I have not been to one since I was a young pup. For old times' sake, I ordered a kid's meal, something that I ordered every time I came with my parents. It was bittersweet seeing the iconic and nostalgic red and yellow box with the little toy inside. When lunch was done, the girls insisted we head to the boba tea shop before going home after I admitted that I did not have a single clue as to what boba was. I picked the strawberry flavored boba and took my first sip. Juliet, Matthew, and Claudia all peered at me, curious to see what I thought about this drink. The squishiness of the tapioca balls took me by surprise at first but, this turned out to be was one of the best drinks I have ever had. I now understood why the girls insisted that I try boba so much. To say I love it, that would be an understatement.

"It's delicious, I think I am already addicted!" I told them with a smile.

At last, it was time to head home. I felt drained as I suck into the seat of the car, my limps drained of all energy. I never knew shopping could be this tiring. The car was cramped as we squeezed in together. It was filled to the roof with various shopping bags of different sizes. Juliet giggled as she glanced back from the driver's seat,

"You guys going to be okay for this ride?" Claudia grumbled from underneath two shopping bags,

"Just start the gas already Juliet. I do not think I can hold my breath any longer underneath this sea of bags." We finally pulled up into the driveway of the packhouse. The boys were already outside, ready to help us take the bags inside. When Terry opened the door, seven bags burst out of the car. He jumped back in fright and avoided the collision. As he held a hand to his heart, he wheezed out,

"Woah, oh my god that scared the life out of me! How much did you guys buy the whole mall? I can barely see your faces with all these bags piled in the car and that is tragic because I need to see my beautiful mate. Matthew? Matthew? Are you there? Raise a hand so I know that you are alive somewhere in that pile!" Matthew laughed at her mate's antics, swatting his playfully on his arm as she exited the car,

"You are such drama queen Terry! I am right here! Stop teasing us already and help us carry these bags in!" Jade came over to help carry some bags,

"It looks like you all really had fun, today ladies." Juliet nodded,

"We did! Happiness has a whole wardrobe now! We found a lot of cute stuff for her!" Louis smiled and picked up a few bags,

"There is really a lot of things. I am happy you had loads of fun, Happiness." I beamed and could not help myself, I gave Louis a quick hug,

"Thank you, Louis, thank you so much! I had so much fun with the girls!" He smiled back and hugged me back,

"You are welcome Happiness."

Everyone pitched in and helped out, each taking bags upstairs and placing them in the rooms. The boys left to attend a pack meeting and the girls stayed back to help me put everything away into my closet. "Happiness, it is your ceremony to welcome you as an official member of this pack tonight so we are going to glam you up for the event!" Claudia cheered.

"While the boys are preparing for the event, we are here to give you the full girls' day experience, you are the star today so prepare to be pampered!" Matthew exclaimed. I giggled and nodded,

"Thank you girls, this is going to be fun, I cannot wait! You guys made this day so special for me." Juliet smiled,

"Every girl deserves to be pampered like this at least once in their life. Now sit back and let us work our magic!" Matthew did my hair, curling it and styling it into a half up and half down updo, while Juliet did my makeup. Claudia was in charge of picking out an outfit for me, I could hear her mumble to herself as she looked through the new clothes I had gotten. Everyone was busy and focused on making me look my best for the ceremony, I have never felt more like a princess.

Finally picking an outfit, Claudia exclaimed as she held up a stunning baby blue mini dress and a pair of gold, sparkling high heels.

"You are going to look amazing in this." I smiled and nodded, "Thank you Claudia! That is the perfect dress for this occasion." I slipped on the dress and with Claudia's help, zipped it up. Matthew finally finished the last curl and my hair has never felt so soft and light. Juliet was putting on the final touches of my makeup and when she was done she held up a mirror. I gasped when I saw my reflection. The girl in front of me had steel grey eyes with dusty rose and gold eyeshadow, a thin line of eyeliner, long mascara-coated lashes, glowing skin with a dust of blush on each cheek, and baby pink colored lips. I looked beautiful and felt beautiful.

"Wow you guys, I don't know what to say...it that girl really me?" I asked, breathless as I continued t stare in awe at my reflection. Juliet beamed,

"Who else would it be silly? Happiness, you look absolutely stunning." Claudia and Matthew nodded their heads in agreement. I blushed and thanked them, "Thank you, Claudia, Matthew, and Juliet. You three are so amazing." I told them shyly.

"Aww, Happiness! It was our pleasures," answered Claudia as she came over to gently hug me.

"Agreed! Happiness, you are the brightest star tonight! Now let's go downstairs, the ceremony will be starting soon." Juliet informed us with a bright smile as she led the way downstairs.

As soon as the guys saw me walk down the staircase, their jaws fell to the floor. I blushed and looked down, feeling flattered and embarrassed by all of the attention that was suddenly on me. "Happiness! You look amazing!" exclaimed Jade. Terry and Taylor nodded in agreement.

"Wow...just wow! You look breathtaking Happiness!" Louis told me, as he offered me his hand to take as I walked down the last step. I shyly thanked them and took Louis's hand. He led me out to the backyard where everyone was waiting for the ceremony to start.

The whole backyard was decorated and lit up with glowing fairy lights, a stage stood in the center and everyone was gathered around it. After noticing that everyone from the Crescent Moon Pack was present, I suddenly felt very shy and a bit overwhelmed so the first instinct was to stay close to Louis and hide behind him as much as I could as we walked towards the stage. Louis softly squeezed the hand he was holding in reassurance, trying to calm my nerves. Once we arrived on the stage,

"Quiet down everyone please," ordered Louis, using his Alpha voice. Everyone immediately stopped talking, obeying their respected Alpha. More and more people gathered around, waiting patiently for their Alpha to start his speech.

"You can come out now Happiness, everyone is eager and excited to meet you," whispered Louis as he gently tugged on my hand, urging me to step forward. I came out from my hiding spot behind Louis and almost instantly everyone's attention was on me. Louis gave me a reassuring nod and we started the pack transfer process.

The whole backyard was decorated and lit up with glowing fairy lights, a stage stood in the center and everyone was gathered around it. After noticing that everyone from the Crescent Moon Pack was present, I suddenly felt very shy and a bit overwhelmed so the first instinct was to stay close to Louis and hide behind him as much as I could as we walked towards the stage. Louis softly squeezed the hand he was holding in reassurance, trying to calm my nerves. Once we arrived on the stage,

"Quiet down everyone please," ordered Louis, using his Alpha voice. Everyone immediately stopped talking, obeying their respected Alpha. More and more people gathered around, waiting patiently for their Alpha to start his speech.

"You can come out now Happiness, everyone is eager and excited to meet you," whispered Louis as he gently tugged on my hand, urging me to step forward. I came out from my hiding spot behind Louis and almost instantly everyone's attention was on me. Louis gave me a reassuring nod and we started the pack transfer process.

Louis made a small cut on each of our hands, one on his left hand and the other one on my right hand. The wounds started bleeding instantly. We exchanged blood by putting our hands together and watched as the dark red liquid swirled together.

"Do you, Happiness Merry Westlife swear to protect, love, and be loyal to the Crescent Moon Pack?" asked Louis.

"I swear to protect, love, and be loyal to the Crescent Moon Pack." I felt the bond of my old pack breaking as a new bond started to form. This is it. This is officially the start of a new life, of a new me.

"Every end is a new beginning."

The wounds on our hands slowly healed thanks to our werewolf healing powers and just like that I, Happiness Merry Westlife became a member of the Crescent Moon Pack. All the pack members erupted into cheers and claps as the ceremony ended. Louis and I walked off the stage and Matthew, Claudia, and Juliet all immediately rushed to wrap me in a huge group hug to which was soon joined in by Jade, Taylor, Terry, and Louis.

"Little one, welcome to the pack, I hope you will feel at home here. Before this night ends, we have one last thing to do. It is a tradition in our pack to let our wolves out and do a pack run in the forest after a new wolf joins so..." Louis trailed off as he shifted into his big and majestic pure black wolf, Shadow.

I gasped as I stared at his wolf form, his wolf was beautiful with fur as dark as night. Louis let out a long, loud, and powerful howl, and one by one, all of the members of the pack shifted into their wolves and howled along with their Alpha. I looked around at the different shades of usual brown and blonde fur and grinned.

"Let's do this Mandel!" I took a deep breath and let Mandel take over. We shifted into our pure white wolf form and let out a happy bark once the transformation was complete. Our bright cobalt blue eyes roamed around and we were surprised to see all the other wolves looking at us with a look of astonishment and awe, except for Louis, who had already seen me in wolf form. We just gave everyone a wolfish smile before turning around and taking off swiftly towards the lush forest behind the backyard. We heard everyone start to follow behind, their paws thundering against the ground. I pointed my snout up to the moon and let out a long howl filled with happiness. Soon, the once quiet night was filled with the melodic sound of wolves howling.

Louis quickly caught up with us and together we ran neck to neck, as the Alpha and the Newbie.