The Alpha's Mysterious Mate (The Fate Series Book 1)

Serena's POV:

"Hey, you, Serena! Get over here and clean this up!" one of the she-wolves shouted at me. She was having a picnic along with other she-wolves on the lawn. They carelessly threw all their trash-- wrappers, shells, whatever food residue they discarded-- on the grass around them.

The trash can was not even that far. It was a few steps away from them. They could have thrown it properly themselves. But no, of course, they wouldn't do that because there was a lowly servant girl here. Throwing the trash was suddenly something they didn't need to do.

I had just spent an entire hour cleaning up the chewing gum that was stuck on the steps of the meeting hall. My back and my waist were already very sore. With a deep sigh, I picked up a broom and went over to sweep their garbage. But when I saw that most of their trash was on the grass, I realized I couldn't sweep it out with a broom at all.

"Hey, can you at least stop spitting the shells onto the grass? It's so hard to sweep." I gritted my teeth, trying to hold back the anger inside of me.

"Don't sweep, then. Just pick them up with your hands one by one." The she-wolf crossed her legs nonchalantly and spat another pistachio shell on to the grass, right in front of my feet.

Another she-wolf refilled the plate with more pistachios and looked at me mockingly. "Oh, whatever. Don't listen to her complaints. She can't disobey our orders anyway."

"Well then, I quit." I dropped my broom and turned around to leave.

"How dare you speak to us like that? Who do you think you are?" One she-wolf got up and blocked my way, splashing her drink on my face. The liquid dripped down and absolutely soaked my clothes.

"Do your job and pick up the trash! Or else I'm going to report you to the Alpha and tell him you're slacking off!"

It took all my inner strength to stop myself from impaling them in the mouth with my broom. They had a point. Who did I think I was? I was just an orphan anyway, adopted into the Black Moon Pack. Other than slave, I held no other status in the pack. All other werewolves were above me in rank. Anyone could boss me, scold me, beat me, and no one would bat an eye.

~~~~~~

My father was a vampire and my mother was a werewolf. That made me a hybrid. Their union was an abomination to both the werewolves and vampires, making my very existence an object of disgrace in itself. Hybrids were powerful creatures, which made them a threat to werewolves and vampires. When they discovered any living hybrid, all werewolves and vampires were mandated to kill them on sight.

My parents knew they would have to conceal my identity to the world, so they asked a reliable friend of theirs, who was a wizard, to cast a spell that hid my hybrid bloodline. To the ordinary creature, I would only look like an Omega.

Looking back at my childhood, our family had always lived deep in the forest for as long as I could remember. But one horrible day, we were discovered, and all of our peace was shattered to pieces. A group of Alphas had surrounded our house along with other werewolves. While my father was trying to fight them off in the hall, my mother took me aside to send me out through a secret passageway. I cried and begged for my parents to run away with me, so my mother had to grip my shoulders tightly. Her eyes were full of worry and fear. Her grip on me was so strong that her fingernails almost dug themselves into my skin.

"Serena, I'm sorry. But you have to listen carefully and remember everything I say. Your father has foreseen your future. Your life is going to be very hard because of who you are, more than you can even imagine, but you must hold on. One day, you're going to become a very powerful hybrid, with the power to maybe change the world. You must be careful, though. You are going to meet a terrible enemy who only wants to covet your power. He is going to hunt you down no matter the cost. And then..."

My mother's voice trailed off when we heard footsteps approaching. She shook her head and couldn't say anything more. With tears in her eyes, she wrapped me in one last embrace, holding on for as long as she could. Finally, she pushed me into the secret exit.

"Honey, you need to go now. We'll try to catch up with you. Go! Run!"

I ran but not too far away. I had found a hiding place nearby where I could watch what was going on. Through the window, I watched as the Alphas successfully subdued my parents and shoved them to the center of the hall. The Alphas all wore masks. Some looked hesitantly at my parents, as if they were arguing about something. However, one of the Alphas walked over to my parents despite what the others said. His claws glinted with a cold, murderous light.

I stifled a scream and covered my mouth. My parents fell limply to the floor, their blood staining the carpet a vibrant red.

Then, several Alphas exited the house and looked around. They were looking for me, I knew it. I couldn't afford to make a sound, but I had to go now. With tears still streaming down my face, I slowly stepped back until I was far enough to run into the darkness without alerting them.

The grey skies cried with me and poured heavy rains. Drops of rain and tears met each other on my cheeks. The path under my feet was hard to see. Countless times, I tripped into the mud and gained multiple bruises. But every time I fell, I gritted my teeth and got back up right away. Despite the physical and emotional pain that tortured me, I had to keep running. I didn't know how much longer I kept running, but all I knew was that I was exhausted. I could no longer feel my legs and my pace was slowing down. It had gotten quite dark, making it even harder for my eyes to see as each hour passed.

Once more, I stumbled and fell to the ground. But this time, I lost my consciousness.

By the time I had woken up, I found myself in the Black Moon Pack.

~~~~~~

One of my father's powers was being able to foresee the future. I still remembered those words and believed they would come true one day. However, it had been six years, and here I was still doing chores. How was I going to change the world from here?

I remembered those Alphas that came to attack my family, especially that Alpha who killed my parents. I hated them all. But because they were all wearing masks then, I couldn't recognize them. I didn't know how to avenge for my parents. Although, I had yet to come of age anyway. I was still weak and powerless, so much that I had no choice but to stay here just to live.

From that day when I woke up in the Black Moon Pack, my life had become a living hell. I realized later on that, the person who took me in was the actual murderer of my parents, and even worse, I had fallen in love with his son.

Alpha Tyler Trump was the one who let me live in his house, but in all honesty, he just wanted a free maid.

They made me live out in the yard of the Alpha's house. There was a tiny shed in the corner, small enough just for me to fit. All chores in the house were assigned to me. Each day, people would tell me that I should count myself lucky that Alpha took me in and that I should work diligently with gratitude.

It was undeniable that Alpha Tyler put a roof over my head these past years. But even then, I was afraid no amount of gratitude would convince anyone to happily live this miserable life of mine. Fortunately, my birthday was nearing. I was about to come of age.

The sun had begun to set when the she-wolves finished with their picnic. I waited for all of them to leave before picking up all the discarded shells on the grass. I stretched my back and my waist. They felt even worse than earlier.

Finally, I walked to the hall of the pack. There were still some meeting rooms for me to clean up. Not so far away, I spotted Alpha Tyler walking down the hall. He always walked with a prideful air about him, as if there was nothing worth his precious attention. I had placed my bucket of dirty water on the porch, and I watched as he kicked it over with his foot. The murky water poured out all across the floor, staining the surfaces it touched.

"Who put that damned bucket there?!"

Tyler cursed. He immediately hopped over to the dry floor and checked to see if his expensive trousers had been spared.

"I... I'm sorry."

I ran to the bucket and set it back upright.

Just now, I was cleaning the steps of the corridor, which was why I had to leave the bucket there. The bucket was big enough not to be missed, though. Tyler should have seen it from a mile away. But I knew he would never admit to making that mistake. He was the Alpha. Nothing should have been put in his way in the first place.

Tyler frowned in disgust. He didn't burst out into a fit of anger or beat me up. I was just an orphan, a slave. The mere act of beating me up was still beneath him.

"Just clean this place up now. We have guests coming soon,"

he said impatiently. He then turned around and left, without even looking at me, as if I was some piece of trash.

My body felt limp and numb as I stared at the porch floor, pooling with dirty water. I estimated that it would take over an hour for me to clean this up. That only meant that I wasn't going to have dinner tonight.

Oh well. At least, I knew that Brandon would secretly try to bring me some good food. Brandon was Tyler's son, the future Alpha of the Black Moon Pack. He was also the only person who treated me well.

When I was new to the pack as a child, other kids would constantly bully me, but Brandon was the only one who would stand up to protect me. Although being the son of the Alpha, he wasn't exactly allowed to spend much time with me, he was still my sole playmate back then. Growing up, he would talk to me and give me gifts. He would even bring me some pens, paper, and books so that I could learn to read and write.

When I turned sixteen, Brandon confessed his love for me and hoped that the Moon Goddess would pair us together as mates. But even if the Moon Goddess didn't assign us together, Brandon promised he would still choose me to be his mate when the time would come.

Hearing him say those words almost made me feel like the happiest girl in the world. I believed with all my heart that I could be Brandon's mate. In fact, it was one of the biggest reasons why I stayed here. Despite the discrimination I faced from everyone else because I was a lowly orphan, Brandon vowed that he would solve these problems when he became Alpha. Once I came of age, we could be public with our relationship together.

My heart swelled with love as I missed Brandon. Thinking of him definitely took away some fatigue in my body and allowed me to keep working.

The sunset shone a red-orange glow into the hall, and in the corner I saw something glinting. Curious, I inched closer and saw a bracelet covered in dust. It seemed to have been left there for a long time.

I picked up the bracelet and dusted it off. Slowly, I recognized that this was the gift I gave Brandon for his birthday last year.

Because I didn't have much money, I had to make do with what I had since I still wanted to give him a nice present. It took me over a month to collect different colored cobblestones from the river. I worked to carefully grind, drill, and polish them until I could string them into an elegant bracelet. Although my hands sustained many blisters from making it, I was still very proud of this bracelet that I made. It was handmade especially for Brandon, and I thought he was going to love it.

Brandon was very happy when he received it. Although later on, I never caught him wearing it. It turned out that it was here all this time, collecting dust in the corner. He'd always been careless with his belongings. He probably lost the bracelet by accident and didn't tell me because I might get angry.

I pocketed the bracelet and told myself I'd return it the next time I saw Brandon.

~~~~~~

Once I finished cleaning up the porch, I finally headed to a meeting room. Guests started to stream in one after another by this time.

The hall was brightly lit. Tyler and Zoe stood on the stage, facing the guests. They looked like they were going to announce something important. Tyler puffed up his chest and raised his voice.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you all for coming. Today, our family has great news that we would like to share with you. The Moon Goddess has finally arranged my son Brandon Trump and Shirley Hunter, daughter of Alpha Thomas Hunter, to be each other's mates. Soon, we will hold their Mate Ceremony. I am also pleased to announce that after that, Brandon will be taking over as the Alpha of the Black Moon Pack."

Serena's POV:

Tyler's words felt like a bolt from the blue, jolting my mind blank. I wasn't able to catch everything else that they said. All I could think of was Tyler's words. "The Moon Goddess has finally arranged my son Brandon Trump and Shirley Hunter, daughter of Alpha Thomas Hunter, to be each other's mates. Soon, we will hold their Mate Ceremony." Those words kept repeating in my mind.

That was impossible. Brandon promised that he would choose me to be his mate. When I came of age, he could finally announce our relationship.

I turned and rushed out of the hall. I wanted to look for Brandon and confront him about all of this. Perhaps it was a political, strategic move to unite the two packs by marriage. Perhaps Brandon didn't consent to this. He could be fighting for our love, for all I knew.

After searching the whole inside of the house, I still couldn't find him and decided to come to the rooftop. As I got closer, I heard a man's grunting and a woman's moans coming from there.

The man's voice sounded familiar... like it was Brandon's voice. I pushed it away, thinking that I probably didn't hear it quite right. Why would Brandon be making those noises on the rooftop with another woman?

But then soon, it became increasingly clear that it was indeed Brandon's voice I was hearing.

"Oh, baby, you're so tight."

"Yes, that feels so good! Oh, Brandon! Faster! Harder!"

I cracked the door slightly open. A disgusting scene filled my eyes. It was Brandon. He was having sex with another she-wolf on a deck chair. Brandon, who was naked, pressed his body onto the she-wolf and thrust his dick in and out of her ass like a power drill. The she-wolf squealed with delight while holding her butt up. The blood all over my body instantly rushed up to my head, making my brain blank. The whole world spun before me, and I began to feel very dizzy.

Just two days ago, Brandon and I were being intimate each other as he held closely to my waist.

Flashback:

"Baby, come on..." Brandon's low and sexy voice rang in my ears, sending shivers down my spine. He was aroused.

"I'm sorry, Brandon. Could you maybe wait for a little longer until I turn eighteen?" I turned sideways, trying to mask my unease.

He buried his face into my neck. I anxiously waited for his answer. After a while, he smiled at me and comforted me as he shifted positions, "Okay, baby, I'm sorry. I just love you so much that I almost couldn't control myself right now."

My eyes sparkled when I looked at him. At that moment, I thought I had finally found my mate. Because Brandon loved me, he was willing to wait for me, and he would rather endure the torturous waiting than to force me into something I wasn't ready for.

End of flashback.

Now, seeing this reality embarrassed me. I was played.

He was having an affair. He was having sex with another she-wolf, breaking his promise to me. I knew that woman was his future Luna, too, so I didn't even have the right to question him about this.

It even seemed like I was the other woman in their relationship! I couldn't stay here anymore. There was no need for me to stay here.

Crash!

In a hurry, I had accidentally bumped into the trash can and made it topple onto the floor.

"Hey! Who's there?" Brandon heard the noise and immediately perked his head up. The displeasure in his voice was obvious.

"Serena...?" Brandon saw me and stood up in panic. "Why... How..."

A mixture of shock, guilt, and anger flicked through his eyes. His face turned quickly from a flustered red to a pale white. If this were a movie, he could have won an Oscar for all the emotions he had just shown now.

I saw Brandon's hard penis turn limp like a wet maggot. My blood now turned cold. In my eyes, Brandon was as disgusting as his limp penis, if not more.

How foolish of me to think that Brandon might have hated this engagement! I thought he would be loyal to me. Apparently, it was all just my wishful thinking, and he had betrayed me. I caught him red-handed.

Brandon's POV:

I first saw Shirley a few months ago, and I already knew she was my mate. When I mentioned this, both our families immediately gave their blessing to our relationship. I still couldn't figure out how to tell Serena about it, though. I kept stalling this matter until today.

I hadn't expected Serena to find me here in this situation. This was possibly the worst way for her to find out.

Serena's face paled and her lips trembled. "Brandon... Are you really going to choose your destined mate?"

Serena asked. I opened my mouth, but no reply came to my mind.

I was honestly grieved when I confirmed that Shirley was my mate. Serena had won a special place in my heart ever since the day my father took her in. I was just 15 that time, but she had already stolen my heart. It was her toughness, perseverance, and carefulness that stirred up the desire in me to protect her with my life. When she grew up into a woman, I was even more infatuated with her beauty. But it was Serena's lowly status that made our relationship tricky. Even if the Moon Goddess did arrange for us to be mates, we would still be met by disappointments from many people. It was almost impossible for her to be accepted as the Luna of the pack. Thinking of our future together exhausted me at times. Shirley, on the other hand, was the daughter of an Alpha. The union that our marriage would bring between our packs was beneficial for both sides. Taking over as the Alpha would not be difficult at all with her as my Luna.

Of course, I still loved Serena. Shirley was my mate, but my heart belonged to Serena. Alas, fate was known to play cruel tricks on lovers. With couples like us, we would have no choice but to give up love because of our circumstances.

"Serena, I'm so sorry... I'm really sorry... I didn't..." I stumbled on my words, but I did my best to apologize repeatedly.

Serena was cold. Her eyes were lifeless. "I see."

Without another word, she turned around to leave. Suddenly, Shirley spoke up.

"Not so fast. Who told you that you could leave?"

Shirley's clothes were back on her body. She walked up to Serena and stared her down with judgment.

"Who are you? How dare you ask Brandon that question?"

"Ask him." Serena simply pointed at me.

What the hell was I going to say? I hemmed and hawed, racking my brains to find an answer that wouldn't offend either of them.

"Uh, Shirley, Serena and I... Well... We had a relationship before. Although, we've never slept together yet..."

Before I could even finish my sentence, Shirley went ahead and slapped Serena across her face.

"You slut! So you're the one who seduced my mate! Who the hell do you think you are? Why do you think Brandon needs your permission to choose me as his mate? Just look at yourself, you poor girl. Even if you offered to wipe my shoes, I would be disgusted with your dirty hands! You don't even hold a candle to me!"

Serena turned her face to the side because of Shirley's slap. Immediately, a red mark had appeared on her face. Serena decided not to swallow the insult. She raised her hand and was about to slap Shirley, but I grabbed her wrist just in time.

"Serena, no!"

Shirley was the daughter of an Alpha. Having been raised to get everything she wanted, she was arrogant and ill-tempered. She had her whole pack to serve her. Serena was at a disadvantage. She was an orphan. If Serena hit Shirley now, Shirley would make a big deal out of it and would surely get Serena into big trouble. Not even I could protect her.

Seeing that I stopped Serena, Shirley took this opportunity to slap her another time.

"How dare you fight back, bitch? Go on! Slap me if you dare! Don't think I can't smash your puny face into pieces!"

Now, both sides of Serena's face were swollen. I grabbed Shirley's hand to stop her from any more attempts.

"That's enough!" I scolded Shirley.

This tiger woman's eyes looked crazy. Why would the Moon Goddess appoint such a she-wolf as my mate? If it weren't for her noble status as an Alpha's daughter, I was pretty sure no werewolf would ever think of wanting her as their mate. In terms of character and beauty, she was not even close to Serena. Sadly, family background played a much bigger role in the werewolf culture.

When I broke the two women apart, I suddenly felt Shirley's energy shift towards me. Shirley was furious and shouted hysterically at the top of her lungs, "Are you seriously protecting her? Brandon, why the hell would you do that? I am your mate. You're supposed to be on my side! You can't do that to me, just wait and see!"

Shirley yanked her hand away from my grip and stomped off the rooftop like a spoiled brat.

Serena stared at me but didn't say anything. Her eyes were a little red and welled with tears, but she didn't dare let one tear fall.

"Serena, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to let her slap you like that..." I hung my head in guilt, not having the guts to look at Serena any more. She probably hated me now.

Still, Serena didn't utter a word. Instead, she removed her hand from mine and left without even looking back at me.

I was having a headache now. I paced back and forth, thinking of what to do next before deciding to chase after Shirley first. That she-wolf was evil. I didn't want to know what she was capable of doing at this time.

Serena's POV:

I walked right out of the Trumps' mansion without looking back and straight to my shed.

Leaving the Black Moon Pack was my only choice. I just couldn't stay here any longer. Although leaving now as a minor would still be quite dangerous, I figured my chances at a better life were still better if I snuck out than stayed in here. Living on the street had to be safer for me than this wretched place.

While Alpha Tyler took me in, they made sure that I wasn't at all a freeloader. All these years, I could compare my workload to that of several maids. That should have been enough to repay their kindness for putting a roof over my head.

I sighed. What an idiot I was. Too naive. For many years, I forced myself to swallow down insults and humiliation all because I held on to Brandon's promise to me. Thinking about it now, he never truly contributed much to our relationship. Apparently, he would immediately abandon me at the first sight of a better choice. When that bitch hit me, he simply watched. He even grabbed my hand to stop me from slapping her back, but when she hit me for the second time, he let her.

I should have seen this coming, honestly. Brandon was not just any ordinary werewolf. He was the future Alpha. If he really wanted to protect me all this time, he wouldn't have let me stay in such an inferior position in the Black Moon Pack for so long. Every time he would come to me, it would always be in secret for fear that he might be discovered. When some werewolves would bully me, he was almost never there for me. On the few times that he would be, all he did was try to clumsily tell them to leave.

It was ridiculous how I found various excuses to defend him. I used to tell myself that because he was the future Alpha, he had a lot on his plate and he needed to be careful with how he was seen by others. He couldn't be tough with my bullies, because they'd get suspicious why he would defend such a lowly servant girl.

Well, at least, now I knew the truth. Brandon was nothing but a fucking coward.

While I was packing my belongings, two werewolves suddenly approached me in my shed.

"Serena, Alpha wants to see you right now,"

one of them ordered. It was a command, not a request. Frowning, I followed them and didn't say a word.

They took me to a smaller hall. As soon as I walked through the door, my face was met with another slap.

I could still hear the ringing in my ears when I opened my eyes to see that it was Luna Zoe who hit me. Her slap was much stronger than Shirley's. It made me dizzy, and I thought I even tasted blood in my mouth. I stayed still, unable to hear for a while.

"You little bitch! How dare you seduce Brandon? What the hell do you think you are doing? We took you in and gave you food and clothes. This is how you repay us? You ungrateful lowlife! You bitch! Slut!" Zoe stomped her feet and cursed in exasperation.

Tyler sat at the opposite side of the room. He was also furious. Of all these years that we had lived under the same roof, this was probably the first time he had ever taken a good look at me. I noticed Shirley standing beside him with a devilish grin on her face.

That bitch. It was probably her who complained to Tyler and Zoe about what happened.

Brandon was here too, except he was standing in the corner of the hall. It seemed that the coward had just been taught a lesson by his parents. He hung his head in the corner, not daring to look at me for even one second. When I saw him, I was only reminded of his limp dick, and it was enough to fill me with hatred and disgust. I couldn't believe I ever fell in love with such a jerk! I must have been out of my mind.

"Serena, it seems we have to remind you of who you are. A girl like you isn't even close to deserving someone like Brandon at all. You simply can't be with him. The Moon Goddess has already appointed Shirley as Brandon's mate. It makes sense because their marriage is beneficial for our packs. I'm warning you right now, don't ever try to get in between their relationship. Otherwise, we'll have no choice but to kick you out of the Black Moon Pack,"

Tyler threatened me, but I couldn't help but let a chuckle escape from my lips.

"If that's what you're worried about, then I assure you, you don't have to tell me twice. After today, I can promise you all that I have no feelings for Brandon whatsoever. I will never approach Brandon, nor will I ever attempt to destroy his new relationship with Shirley. Honestly, I wish them happiness. It seems they deserve each other, anyway."

A coward and an annoying dragon lady. They were going to have a chaotic life ahead.

Tyler and Zoe then looked at me with suspicion. They were probably doubting the sincerity of my words.Perhaps they thought that getting a girl like me to stay away from their charming son would be much harder. Perhaps they expected resistance or begging from this heartbroken girl. Yet here I was, calm and indifferent towards their son.

I didn't see the need to explain anything more, so as a final show of disinterest, I decided to leave. Maybe Tyler and Zoe would finally believe me.

I saw Brandon raise his head when he heard what I said. He stared at me blankly. Shirley's arrogant expression was wiped clean off her face. She now glared at me. But I ignored them all. Before Tyler and Zoe could make things more difficult for me, I turned around and walked out of the hall.

Shirley's POV:

The fastest way to get Serena punished was if I reported what happened to Alpha and Luna. After getting scolded by his parents, Brandon didn't dare say a word and even apologized to me sincerely.

But I simply couldn't forget how that bitch Serena dared to fight back after I hit her. It was a good thing Brandon put her in her place by stopping her.

Still, I was not satisfied. If Serena left this early, Tyler and Zoe might think that their problem would be solved. But to me, this wasn't the best idea. I was expecting Serena to fight for Brandon, and this show of disrespect would leave Tyler and Zoe no choice but to punish her severely. But for some reason, Serena agreed to leave Brandon not even one minute after stepping into the hall. We had no reason to punish her anymore.

What about the grievance she caused me? Even though they never slept together, Serena still seduced my Brandon. She needed to be punished, or else my anger wouldn't be satisfied at all.

Judging from the way Brandon looked at Serena just now, I could tell that he even still had feelings for her. This was completely unacceptable and disrespectful to me. Serena leaving was not enough. What if she showed up one day in front of Brandon and convinced him to have an affair with her? No, she needed to disappear from the world forever. Having her alive somewhere was still too dangerous for me. I simply couldn't tolerate sleeping with one eye open all my life.

"Alpha Tyler, Luna Zoe, if you will allow me to suggest, I don't think we should let Serena off so easily. Although she said that she would never approach Brandon again, who's to say she will keep her word? She might be an orphan you took in out of nowhere, but look what she has done. She has managed to seduce the future Alpha of the pack. For all we know, she could be a scheming she-wolf. What if she continues to seduce Brandon in secret? What if she spreads rumors outside and damages our reputations forever?"

Tyler frowned when he heard my hypothetical situations.

"Dad, Mom. I know Serena. She's not the kind of girl who would..." Brandon's voice came from the corner.

"Shut up, Brandon! You are the future Alpha, yet you had an affair with a poor servant girl. That was a huge mistake on your part that hurt your mate. How dare you still defend that conniving bitch?" Zoe snapped at her son.

"You have a point, Shirley. If we let her off now, she could cause more potential trouble in the future..." Tyler mulled over my suggestion.

"I have a plan to solve this problem of ours, Alpha Tyler." A brilliant idea popped up in my head.

"Oh, really? Well, do tell me."

I whispered a few words in Tyler's ear, and after, he stood back and nodded in approval.

"Wow, that's quite the plan, Shirley. Seems like you do have the makings of our future Luna. We'll do as you say."