The Alpha's Cursed Mate.

"Mummy, why can't I let everyone know I have a wolf now?" The little girl asked, her lashes twinkling with curiosity as she stared at her mother. Her mother smiled, reaching her hand out to ruffle the girl's short golden copper-brown hair. The girl ducked a little out of habit.

"Because the only way to keep you safe is to make sure no one ever knows you can shift. Now, what is the one rule you must never break, sunshine?"

"No matter what I do, regardless of what situation I find myself in, even if facing death, never let anyone know or see my wolf. I cannot shift, I have little strength, little speed and no wolf. Staying alive is my number one priority."

"Very good, darling, excellent. And remember..." she cupped her daughter's rosy cheeks with a teary smile, "Mummy will always be here to protect you."

______

She lied.

She left me, she left me to face the cruel world all on my own. And it pains me most to know that it was my fault. If only I took her regular wolf colour, if only I wasn't me, she would still be alive. She left to find any possible solution to my problem but never came back alive. She's dead, she's buried, and I'm alone.

"Sandy! Sandy!" I raised my head, lifting my gaze to the door. I knelt on the floor, trying to scrub a deliberate stain off. I don't know how they expect me to get permanent ink off the wooden floor. "San... oh, there you are!" I nodded, raising myself to sit on my legs properly. The female's face turned into a scowl, briefly eying my position and work. "You're still trying to clean this!" I nodded. "How do you expect to get permanent ink off? It's called permanent for a reason." I tilted my head, giving her a look. "Right, those sisters of mine. Stand up, forget about this. I'll handle them if they try to cause you trouble. Mother needs you in the kitchen, so hurry."

Nodding my head obediently, I slowly rose to my feet. "I'll get another omega to deal with this, you just hurry before you get in trouble." I bowed in appreciation and daintily walked around the slippery floor. I didn't speak, I didn't show any emotions. I'd never been one to speak, I was always more of a listener and observer, never a speaker. But over the years, especially after my mother died, I lost my voice.

I'd forgotten how my voice sounded, as I didn't speak to myself. I had no reason to and had no one to talk to. Even when I did speak, it only make my pain double. For almost six years, I'd spoken only in my mind that I forgot how to speak. I never actually attempted to speak, and I wasn't going to. The pack chalked it up to grief, but it was more than grief, more than the pain of losing the only person in the world who loved and cared for me. She was the only one who cared enough to know what I had to say, the only one who would listen, so why bother?

Ranked as an omega because to them, I had no wolf, I was treated like one but slightly worse. My inability to speak and show emotion irked most of them. Not only did I not have a wolf, but I was also disabled. And, as the females would put it, "a threat to their mates." Physical abuse was levelled to a average; just slaps, punches and kicks, and a few hair pulling and ultimate starvation, but nothing worse. They, however, made up for that with the excessive work we are given, especially me.

Everyone was the same, treat the omegas badly, emotionally and physically abuse them because they are under your feet. The only kindness we received was from the kind children, Luna, and the Alpha's first daughter. They weren't exactly the nicest, but they were nice enough to barely starve, overwork or hit us. It was good enough for me.

I made my way downstairs, to the kitchen, to assist the Luna. She hummed as she moved around the kitchen like she always did, her blonde hair packed into a ponytail and dancing behind her. A male omega knelt on the floor, trying to cut the large meat given to him for the preparation of the food. Looking around the kitchen, I could see how much of a mess the omega and the Luna were making. Luna was a fabulous cook, but she was extremely terrible with tidiness. I hate it.

Moving first to the omega, I tapped his shoulder and then placed my hands on my hips. He raised his head from the meat. His eyes brightened when he saw me. The poor guy must have been struggling for hours. "Thank God!" He exclaimed, causing the Luna to turn around. She smiled when she saw me.

"Sally, nice of you to join us! Please, save me!" I smiled a little. She, after all, was the only one that can draw a half smile from me, only when she was in chef mode. If I could speak, I would have reminded them all that my name is Sapphire, not Sally, Sandy, Sadie or any other Sa name. They didn't remember my name, just knew it started with an 'S' and an 'A'. Typical.

"Hey, Maurice, get lost." The guy stood up gladly. I took over, starting by picking up the board and taking it to the kitchen island. I went ahead to change the knife to a larger one, before proceeding to butcher the meat. After that, I helped her with cutting the vegetables, handling the pastries-since she was not so good with that-and then cleaning up the kitchen. She left me to set the tables, which I would end up resetting anyway, while I washed the dishes.

When done with the kitchen, I left another omega in charge to make sure the food didn't get burnt. I reset the table according to order like it had been literally slapped into my head by the alpha. While arranging it, alpha junior-a year younger than the first daughter-walked in. He was a bigger ass than most males in the pack.

In the past, I escaped countless rape attempts by him and his gang, until his sister found out and reported it to their father. Of course, the alpha made a declaration that if they wanted sex badly, they were only allowed to get it from the willing omega females, which was practically all of them. And being the only unwilling one protected by Luna, I was safe.

In fact, her protection was the nicest thing she has ever done for me.

"Sabbath," he called, throwing his leg on his father's chair, a cocky smirk on his face. "What are you doing?" I looked at him, then back at the cutleries in my hands. I pointed the cutleries to the table. He wasn't that dumb, but he would do anything to get a reason to punish or hit me. Avoiding him, avoiding all of them, was my number two priority.

"Hmm, what did Mother make for dinner?" I blinked, not replying to him was the best. He hated hand signals, and couldn't understand it to begin with. "Is there meat?" I nodded.

He kept throwing stupid questions my way, while I tried my very best to avoid anything that would warrant any form of punishment. After arranging the table, I walked past him, but he smacked my ass. Flinching a bit, I scurried off to the kitchen.

Deep breath.

'I really don't see why you put up with them,' my wolf, Zinnia, scoffed.

'How about keeping us alive?'

'Humph.' She went back to where she came from. I was fairly lucky. Even though I had a wolf, except if I decide to let her presence be known, I smell like a human. It was the one thing that kept me alive, apart from how good I was at hiding.

An hour later and the huge pack house was packed with self-righteous members. Like the rest of the omegas, I stood with hands clasped in front of me and head bowed, never to look into the eyes of anyone because I was 'below' them. I served them along with everyone else, ignoring when the males rubbed their palms on my behind or reached forward and groped my breasts. The clever thing to do was to step back after serving them, don't react, don't cause a scene.

"Urgh!" Alpha's second daughter screamed with annoyance, shifting backwards in her seat. She spilled her drink on herself. I didn't need to be screamed at before I set to work.

Grabbing a wet wipe, I walked over to her. I always carry one because they always stain themselves. They had all gotten so used to getting pampered and taken care of by the omegas, that they didn't know how to wash their own underwear.

I knelt down beside her and scrubbed lightly on the stain. It wasn't enough, even if I knew that from the start. At least, I tried. "Get away from me, you wolf-less scum," she snapped, giving my body a hard push. My head hit the thick edge of the table, causing a few seconds of dizziness before it stopped. "You're useless! You can't ever get anything right! All you know how to do is take up space in this house, eat our food and be useless. You don't have any markings, heck, you are not even a shifter!" I slowly rose from the floor and bowed apologetically. "Just get out of my sight, your worthless form is irritating me."

I don't know why they keep trying. A little to none of their words ever affect me, why do they keep trying? I didn't need to let it get to me. I had a wolf, I cook the food she eats and take care of the pack and alpha apartment. All she ever did was sit still and look pretty. Why should I be intimidated?

"Edna, leave the omega alone. You are fully aware that there is no way she can wipe that off, just like she can't wipe off permanent ink from the floor." Eloise, the first daughter, spoke with a small glare her younger sister's way.

"Even still-"

"Enough, girls, no arguing over meaningless people." Alpha spoke. I didn't suppress the sigh that left my lips. My mother used to call me the most special. From special to meaningless. Rock Bottom is a terrible place to be.

"You all know what is going on with Alpha Ajax, how he was angered to the point of wiping out Parempi susi and Must Kuu hing Pack, and how he recently enslaved most of Alpha Reece's pack. I'm afraid his anger might push him towards us next. So, I've decided to give him a call and make an offer to show that we don't want trouble. Alpha Kash and Alpha Larry did it and it worked for them, so I'm doing it too."

"What is it, Father?" Eloise asked worriedly, fear apparent in her eyes. I had a feeling she knew already. "Scratch that. Father, you know they gave up their warriors and high-ranking wolves to be simple commoners, including acting as sex slaves to his monstrous warriors. Are you really going to do that?"

"Something like that. My offer is this instead. His men can come into the pack to search for their mates, and if none is found, he can take four selected members of the pack as omegas."

"Alpha-"

"I'm not telling you all this to object, but so you can prepare yourselves. I'll be giving him a call tomorrow evening and hope he accepts the offer, or there might be serious trouble." I hope the alpha accepts and takes his children away, maybe then he would understand the true meaning of his statement. Anyway, it wasn't my business, I already had my miserable life to deal with.

I hated my life, I hated having to hide all the time when I shift to let her out for a few minutes, but I had no choice and I would never have a choice. My wolf is cursed, I am cursed, and the life of hiding is our destiny.

She kicked her legs in the water, staring at how it rippled and splashed, but not enough to scare the little ducklings away. Her mother took her to the pond to catch some fish. She sat on the bank of the pond, her new yellow dress bunched up on her thighs, her short hair dancing with the breeze. A particular thought ran through her mind, over and over again. She was curious, she was agitated.

"Mother?" She called softly, not lifting her gaze from the water. Her mother hummed in response. "Can I ask you a question?" She asked.

"Sure, honey, what is it?"

"What happens when I find my mate?" Her mother stiffened, a small gasp leaving her lips. Never had she thought of that. The only thing she ever thought of was how to keep her daughter alive, not remembering that important part of the little girl's life. Her tensed shoulders tightened along with the veins in her neck. Without missing a beat, she spoke:

"Reject him."

____

Sixty-two, sixty-three, sixty-four, sixty-five... twelve more to go. I stretched on the tip of my toes, letting out a stretched-out yawn. I was tired to the bones. My work for the day was to wash the cars and SUVs. The pack had so much, I wondered what they did with them. If each one of them had jobs that assist the pack, I'd understand they could afford the maintenance of the cars from their own pockets. However, all received monthly allowance from the alpha, yet they all squander and shake the budget with their obsession with the iron machinery. If there's one thing they all have in common, aside from being judgmental jerks, was their obsession with cars.

The alpha had the most cars, next to his son, the Beta, and then the Luna. Somehow, your rank is increased by the number of cars you have. Trust me, it's ridiculous, but they didn't see it that way. I vividly remember the number of times the alpha proudly showed off the pack garage to visiting packs. Even if you are a rogue who later joins the pack, eventually, you'll join the race for the best cars for the highest respect.

I didn't really care. It was not my money wasting. But at least, if they are going to buy so much junk, they should learn to care for it themselves. Every omega had their permanent duties, mine the most stressful because I had to handle the vehicles, the kitchen, and the garden, though shared with three other omegas.

Car washing days were always the hardest for me. Their vehicles were dirt magnets, extraordinarily dirty. 'I hate cleaning,' Zinnia complained.

'I hate being alive but I can't die, so you see? We can't always get what we want.'

'Baby, you are brutal.' I chuckled at her reply, sighing heavily at the end. If it wasn't for Zinnia, no doubt I would have been dead. Suicide is so easy to commit, you see.

It took me an hour more, but I completed the job. I was drying the last car, a black saloon when they just had to come in. They tittered as they walked in, probably talking about this hot high school boy to the other. Edna and Emma, the Alpha's daughters, were with them as the leaders, of course. I knew my bad day was about to get worse.

"I swear, Jordan is so cute. He winked at me." I was right, boys.

"You must be dreaming, he winked at me. I mean, why would he wink at you? Have you seen me?" Edna boasted pompously. "I am the second alpha female and the most beautiful girl in this pack. Why would he wink at you?"

"I don't know, maybe because he is my mate?" The girl, Pepper, offered with a sneer. Emma snorted derisively.

"Oh, puh-lease, Pepper, not that again. Last month, Herod was your mate, and three months ago, it was Bayan. Make up your mind, or wait, find your actual mate. Just because a guy is cute doesn't make him your mate. You don't see me claiming Guy, do you? Oh, and Edna, you might want to get your head out of the clouds. Everyone knows the most beautiful girl here is me. I mean..." she spun around abruptly, swinging her hips to the side, "have you seen these hips? I don't remember you having one."

Edna scoffed. "Just because you have large hips doesn't classify you as the most beautiful. Hips and beauty is a distant topic."

"Whatever, I'm still better than you." I rolled my eyes as all five girls began their argument on who was prettier, well, until they saw me. I sighed mentally, preparing myself for whatever nonsense they might have to say or do.

"Well, what do we have here? Is the slave still trying to work on these simple vehicles?" Said Edna. I gave them a polite bow in response. They all scoffed, running their eyes over the length of my body with distaste. Emma bit down on her lower lip, rolling her eyes back to my lowered face. I could feel each of their eyes on me, even without looking. The bitter scorn and envious glower, I could feel it even in my sleep.

"I hate you." Emma spat disdainfully.

'Well, bitch, the feeling is mutual.' Zinnia barked. I fought back the urge to smile, that'll get me in trouble. Well, trouble was definitely looking for me because their brother walked in with his gang of merry hooligans.

"Haven't you girls decided what car to use already?!" He shouted before pausing as he noticed me standing there. I stood still with my head bowed, ignoring their hot, hateful gazes. "Oh, Sabbath! You're here! That's lovely!"

'Gross.' Zinnia gagged. I was grateful for my wet and dirty body, that way, he won't get in my personal space. Alpha Junior strode towards us, his gang hollering like the thugs they were.

"You know, I was looking for you, Sabbath-"

"Why would you be looking for her?" One of the girls asked with instant jealousy. "I thought your father-"

"Chill, Ronnie-Anne, take a pill. Elijah just remembered that the thing is turning eighteen a couple of weeks or so from now, I'm not sure, can't remember the specific date. You wanna know what that means?" He asked like he was talking to children.

"This bitch is going to get a mate." That was Emma.

"That's good, she'd be claimed, except if he rejects her. I mean, who would want to be stuck with this..." Pepper pushed my head back with the tip of her nails, "for the rest of his life?"

"Who wouldn't?" One boy hollered. "The opportunity to be the only one who can finally fuck this scum is too good of an offer to look away. I pray she is my mate, so I can fuck and dump her."

"No, she'll be mine!"

"Nonsense, she's better for me."

"Are you guys kidding me? What about me?" Junior ass asked, "I've been trying to tap that mumu for years now. I deserve a reward for my patience." I so badly wanted to scratch his face, but then, I'll get killed. As much as I wished to die, I couldn't. I waited it out, listening to the guys argue about who would get me and the girls yell at them to wish for better mates, not a thing like me.

Apparently, my body was like a trophy to them. It was obvious that there was a little challenge between the teenage boys my age, a year or older than me. The challenge was for who would get me laid first. I'd seriously lost count of the number of attempted rape I'd escaped. How do I manage to escape? Let's just say it's the only part of my life that wasn't jinxed.

The argument was getting out of hand, so Emma and Edna ended it with a slap to both my cheeks and pushing me down to the ground. Then one of the girls emptied the bucket of dirty soap water on me. What pained me most was how Pepper and Junior Ass poured engine oil over five cars and demanded I wash them again. They took two cars and exited the garage, no doubt I'd have to wash those too.

Falling my head between my knees, I fought the urge to cry. Why couldn't they be nice to me? Having no wolf didn't warrant such mistreatment. I was getting tired of bearing it all, and at the same time, not. I laid back on the wet floor and sighed, clasping my palms and placing them on her stomach. They were right, my eighteenth birthday was approaching, the time I might find my mate.

I was confident I had a mate, it's inevitable, especially for me. However, I wasn't ready for a mate, I didn't want a mate. I hoped I didn't get one because that is when the true war begins. I couldn't, especially when the mate ends up being from the pack. Heaven knew I wouldn't be able to stand it. If any of them becomes my mate, he would waste no time in forcing himself on me. The alpha would never hold him to account because he is my mate. Even if I reject him, it ends in the same boat.

My pack had a law. An omega had no right to reject a higher-ranking mate. Once their bond is confirmed, he or she would has to deal with it regardless of how they feel. Except if the higher mate decides to do the rejecting. If I reject him, I would be severely punished. Plus, he would never let me or care, not until his sexual fantasy is satisfied with me. That day was one I was hoping would never come. But what can I do?

I sighed and sat up. I still have work to do, I'll worry later.

______

"Mummy, what if my mate doesn't let me reject him?"

"Then, baby, you run away."

"Son, tell me, what makes an alpha?" The man asked, crouched in front of his six-year-old son, the little boy's wrists in his grasp. The boy blinked a couple of times before shyly responding to his father's question.

"His strength and ability to step up when needed, his power and his ruthlessness. To be strong enough to mercilessly crush one's enemy, to show no fear."

"Very good, son. And what are you?"

"An alpha."

"And what would you do if any challenges you?"

"Slaughter."

_____

I swayed my chair from side to side, my leg crossed over the other and my mind was occupied with thoughts I couldn't pinpoint. I knew I was thinking, but what exactly I was pondering on is what I couldn't pinpoint, or even remember, though I was still thinking about it. It was a normal thing for me. It helped me think and at the same time, don't think. And spared my mind the agony of overthinking. With so much to do and barely enough time and energy to do it, not thinking and thinking was my best way to solve it.

The recent pack members gave me a new workload. The settlement of each new member: their new jobs, living arrangements, and the previous work I was yet to complete were too much to handle. If I had a mate, then she would have handled the new pack members, but I didn't, and never would. The pack issues were what I had to deal with all by myself. Working is stressful.

A gentle knock on my door had my brows furrowing with confusion and pausing my swaying. Since when did he knock? It meant he needed something from me. He pushed the door open, revealing his dishevelled medium ash blond hair and pouting face, definitely something.

"Alpha," I rolled my eyes, already knowing I would hate whatever he needed. "I...or... The Alpha of Shtylla e forcës sent an email, another peace loyalty nonsense,"

I chuckled, resuming my swaying. Just like Father said, fear is a powerful weapon to control kings. Over the years, I'd lived almost according to his lessons and rules, following similar procedures in the way he ran the pack and the neighbouring packs that had sworn their loyalty to him and then me. I never went looking for trouble like he did, that was something I considered ridiculous and a waste of energy. Instead, I went after those that challenged me and slaughtered those who angered me.

The two alphas went far with their arrogance, claiming the lives of five valuable pack members, one more valuable than the rest. In my anger, I did what I knew how to do best, I rained chaos on them and let their downfall act as a reminder to those who had forgotten how cruel I could be. The result of the fear was having alphas dump their responsibility on me, leaving their pack members for me to cater for or suffer, as long as they were promised safety from me. It was ridiculous, yet, I could never turn them down. Father repeatedly hammered it into my head that rejecting an alpha's token of defeat is a sign of weakness for me.

I am no weakling.

"How many pack members did this one offer this time?"

"His is quite different actually, better if I must say," he spoke, running his eyes around my office.

"Oh?"

"He offered the free passage of our men to search for their mates in his pack. Now, you know that is an offer one won't easily turn down." Which was true. Every alpha would agree. An alpha is also stronger by the number of its pack, so any chance to get more members and produce offspring was a good offer. It was safer, as they wouldn't need to fight for entrance, resulting in casualties like death and severe injuries. However, in this case, the offer was for him.

I groaned, sinking into the chair. "Oh, come on! This might be my only opportunity to find my mate!"

"You say that every time, Cooper, no."

"Oh, please, Drixy, I need to find her. You know how much I've been hoping to find her," which was precisely the problem. Cooper had always been the most hopeful I've met when it came to mates. No matter how many times we visited other packs and still didn't find her, he still hoped, and his zeal was still as strong as the day he first learnt what a mate meant.

"Everett already found his, and he keeps rubbing it in our faces-"

"I don't care-"

"Of course, you care! A mate is everything!"

"And what if you don't find her? Cooper, I can't stand you returning with your face mopping the ground over again. I don't have that kind of heart to comfort you. Why can't you see that I'm only looking out for you?"

"And why can't you see that I need my mate? Like you once told me, I'll never know if I will find her unless I try."

"I never told you that." I deadpanned.

"Please, Drixy, I have hope that I will find her this time. I really will. I know I say this every time but what other choice do I have but to hope?" His hope would be the death of him. Every time, he would leave with such enthusiasm, but after not finding her, we'd have to deal with consoling him and dragging his motionless body back to the pack where he would grieve for weeks before returning to his hopeful safe and repeating the process all over again. How he was able to still carry such enthusiasm was something no one could figure out.

"Please, do this for me. Okay, I should get Everett and Brie to help me-" I whimpered, not them, anything but them. This is what my father subjected me to. He insisted I be friends with the Beta's son and the next chosen warrior captain, resulting in the punishment I call life. I love them, but tolerating them was a heavenly gift. Now add Cooper's older sister to my misery, life was beyond sunshine and songs.

"Please, don't bring Everett into this, I beg you," I pleaded.

"Then accept it. I'll give you my firstborn child, I promise. If you can't do this for me as your Beta, then do this for me as your best friend-"

"You and Everett locked me up in a coffin because I forgot to give you both Christmas presents," I said blatantly.

"We were kids! We didn't know any better!" I cocked a brow at him.

"You both locked me up in a basement filled with venomous and hungry vipers, that was yesterday."

"To err is human and to forgive is divine." He replied sharply. He poured every ounce of cuteness he could muster into his eyes. There was no need of refusing, I would eventually agree. Why? Everett would join to plead and both kids begging for something would lead to my funeral. Sighing out loud, I gave him a nod.

"Thank you, thank you! I'll email him right now. There's also an extra offer, but I'll tell you that later, bye!" And that's how useless he would be until we are back from the pack, his hope mopping the floor. He ran out of my office screaming, "I'm going to find my mate!" It's sad to watch, knowing how that smile will turn upside-down in a couple of days.

'I wish you had his enthusiasm,' my wolf chimed. I ignored him, like I'd always done when it came to matters of mates. It was easier to ignore him than try to talk him out of it. Eventually, he would realise that we are never getting one.

_____

An hour later, I had to stand up for the new soul warriors' welcoming. A 'must' occasion for every new soul warrior to commence their training. What I didn't like about the situation was that I would end up with Everett and that one is worse than Cooper. They are like two peas in a pod, one more frustrating than the other. As predicted, the meeting with him didn't end well.

"For the umpteenth time, I said no!!!" I roared, turning around abruptly to startle him into submission. He flinched, then blinked thrice before resuming. Nothing scares him that much because he never takes no for an answer. I could have used my alpha command on him, but my wolf would rather kill me than let me use that for such common matters. And I sort of loved them too much to do that.

"So, I can take your car then?" I facepalmed so hard I saw stars. The impact of the smack made me stagger back a few feet back with a groan, blinking to get rid of the dizziness. But, he still continued. "Can I get the keys?"

"Everett, I'm not letting you take my car!"

"Okay, can I take your motorbike?"

"None, Everett. The last three times I let you, my cars never returned the same. You always drive into a pole or trees! And last year, you drove my car off a bridge!"

"Well, sorry, sir, I'm not the one who forbade me from driving vehicles. If it bothers you that much, then buy me a car or revoke my ban. Ooh! Can I drive your Maserati!"

"And get you killed? No. Heck, Everett, you found a way to make driving a bicycle more terrifying than a death race!" I screamed. Everett and any moving inanimate transportation is his own death certificate. I don't know why he can't just not try to kill himself. "Ever, I love you, but I am not giving you my car, not again," I said irrevocably. He scoffed.

"It's not my fault roads and I have mutual hate. Those things are evil, they always try to kill me. I mean, we hate each other, I get it. Why set out to end me..." I sped off while he was distracted, which I probably shouldn't have because a few minutes into running, I ran into the queen of violence. I turned to run the other way before she noticed me, but a rock collided with my head, sending my face flat on the ground.

This is what happens when you make a lunatic your older sister.

I moaned in pain, the rock rolling off my head. "And where do you think you are running to, you imp? Walk with me." She strolled past me, her hands on her waist to support her weight. For a pregnant woman, she had the strength of a thousand elephants.

I stood up hurriedly, rubbing the back of my head and following her. I would have helped by carrying her, but the last time I tried to assist her, she smashed my head with a hammer.

Brie led me to her flat. The living room was a mess of carbon boxes and irons. I looked at her questioningly. "Today is the day Nolan and I agreed to decorate the baby's room," her sadness took over her violent aura, forcing it on me.

Nolan was her mate, the important one killed by the other pack. After years, she finally found her mate, only to lose him shortly after conceiving. Brie was strong though, she didn't let his death break her but remained as strong as she always was, only more violent than usual. With her, violence is the answer.

"Do you want me to get Cooper?"

"No, he's in his mode again. I prefer not to see his happiness and later cry over his disappointment. You'll do just fine. Now, help me decorate your godson's room."

"Just me?"

"Do you expect me to work? I'm pregnant!" She snapped. Yet, she chased Cooper with a log the other day. Deciding to keep that statement to myself, I walked towards the box but then remembered I didn't know how to do anything concerning kids. I never let myself learn because I didn't have a reason to.

"Um, maybe we should get Cooper, I don't know how to set this. If he was here, he would know how to do it because he has been practising for his future pups. But again, he'll end up doing something stupid and then you'll throw your TV at his head, again, for the twelfth time. I've always told you, Brie, violence is not a virtue."

"Say it again, my fist is ready this time!" She screamed. I chuckled, keeping every other remark to myself. Eventually, she showed me how to set up the room, and with some smacks and kicks here, I finally finished with the decoration. I hurried to the door to escape before she came up with another reason to actually use her hammer on me, but I was too late. "Alpha, stop right there!"

'Alpha? This can't be good, run away!' My wolf, Alaric, panicked. However, when she got to me, instead of what I expected, she wrapped her hands around my torso and hugged me from the side. 'Huh?'

"I know you are pretending to be okay, acting as if the issue of a mate doesn't bother you, but I know it does. I don't care what you believe, I don't need to believe what others believe. I believe that soon, you will bring the Luna of Lúa infinita home." A hopeful waste of time.

______

"Daddy, why do the other kids say I would never get a mate like their parents?" His father looked at him over his shoulder and through his hair, tearing his gaze from the window where he stood. He looked down at the tearful boy, memories of how he reacted when he was first informed of the same thing replaying in his head. He turned his attention back to the window, staring into the horizon with lips pressed into a thin line.

"Because monsters like us don't deserve one."