Twisted Mates

The entire Blue Moon Packhouse was on fire. Bodies littered like the messy deeds of a child. This was unfair. A total massacre by the Blood Moon Pack. The attack led by the leader of the Blood Moon Pack, Alpha Hero Ian, was unreasonable and a show-off of his power.

"Kill whatever that has life in it! Spread the fear!" The 6ft string man had roared to his followers, charging them more to carry on with their madness.

Cries of the innocent and vulnerable were heard. It sounded like animals in pain. Of course, they were in pain. Children, men, and women were all killed. Houses were set on fire and every other thing brought to the ground.

Alpha Hero stood firm, still maintaining his human form, with his son Dante by his side. Both watched the entire place burn to ashes.

Alpha Hero's pack was much stronger. Half of his army was made up of Alphas and Betas. Why won't they win, since they were battling the omegas? The bitches and everyone's enemy.

The little boy, Dante, watched with unease, his golden hair curly atop and his blue eyes glistening with moisture. He was uncomfortable watching the chaos.

His father noticed that he was closing his eyes, a way to block out all the chaos and unease. Hero bent to Dante's level so that he was on eye level with him.

"Son, one day my reign will come to an end, and you are the rightful person to sit on the throne. A weak King can never survive. This is a way of molding you into a strong man. Forge you with fire and, from the ashes of the Blue Moon Pack, born you anew." Gripping his left shoulder, "I want you to watch. Open your eyes!" He commanded, and the poor, shivering boy jerked his eyes open. "Dante, you must watch until the end. Witness the supremacy of a great king like me," he said proudly.

Satisfied that Dante was watching the sight even if it wanted to make the seven-year-old boy, puke. Hero stood once more and rose his blade.

By now, they had wiped out the entire packhouse, leaving only metals, ashes, and smoke. The wailing and crying had died down and everywhere was like the early hours of a big city when everyone was still asleep.

"You hear that, son? That is the sound of victory." Hero proclaimed.

His men began to circle him, chanting victory in unison. Blood dripping from their swords, the corners of their mouth, their protruding fangs and claws. Some of them were still in their wolf form, while others had turned into humans.

"Today," Alpha Hero began. His voice rumbled like thunder. His stand was firm, and his hazel eyes were sharp and alert. "Today, you have marked a new era in my reign."

The soldiers cheered happily before keeping quiet.

"You showed the rest of the packs that there is no room for the weak and vulnerable. Only the strong have a place in the wolf kingdom. . ." Alpha Hero continued his victory speech while his bored and uninterested son slipped out.

Dante had no idea where he was headed or why he left the safety of his people, but a tiny voice kept calling him.

Among the rubble and lifeless bodies, the boy scrunched his nose and kept following that small, faint voice in pain until he arrived at a heap load of bodies. A sight too ugly to behold, he could no longer hold back the contents in his stomach. He hurled everything out to the floor, almost puking his life out. When he was sure that nothing else except his heart remained in his system, he turned to leave. Why was he drawn here? Who owned that voice?

"Help me," the small voice shrieked again. You could tell that whosoever that owned it, was using her last strength to speak. "H-help-me," it stammered, the voice becoming more real and audible.

"Who is there? Show yourself!" Scared, Dante shouted as he took unsteady steps back, away from the pile of bodies before him.

A shaking, small hand stretched from the pile of bodies. From the looks of it, it belonged to a child. Bruised, weak and almost pale.

Shooting to his feet, Dante scrambled to the hideous scene and began moving the bodies to the best of his ability. He was not just moving the bodies, he was crying, wailing and hyperventilating. If his father could see this, it would not go unpunished. He desperately wanted to rescue whosoever that was trapped there.

After tirelessly trying his best to keep it together, he succeeded in pulling the hand until the entire body of a small girl came.

The little girl was barely alive. Covered in spatters of blood and stains of ashes, making it difficult to differentiate between her original skin color and that which all the dirt has left on her.

"Are you alright?" Dante asked, his voice betraying his confidence.

Shit! That was a stupid question to ask, but, Dante had no idea what else to ask. Of course, the girl wasn't alright. She looked limp and the blood drained. It was difficult to tell if she was injured.

"Hey, boy! What are you doing there?" A harsh voice asked from behind, Dante had his back to the man questioning him and at the same time, he was thinking so fast about what to answer. He couldn't make it look like he had just rescued the child of an enemy or else, he might be severed the same punishment as a traitor.

"There is someone here. I think one of the weakening survived," he said sharply, desperate to protect himself and, somehow, protect the girl.

As soon as the man saw Dante's face, he bowed. "I am sorry, your Majesty. I didn't realize it was you. What are you doing in the open? You could have endangered yourself," the man ranted fast, baring his fangs and changing his upper body into his wolf.

He stepped forward and made Dante stay behind him. He only relaxed when he saw that it was nothing more than a child. Abruptly, he changed back to his human form.

"The Alpha must see this. He is the one to pass the final judgment."

As the man led the little girl away, she said with her mind, "help me," which only Dante could somehow hear her even without her talking.

Her eyes were weak and almost closing, but pleading with Dante as tears streamed through her frail face. She was frightened and sobbing like an injured pup.

"I want my mommy," she finally protested, trying to get away from the man's firm hold.

The man ignored her pleas and wails, dragging her away like a piece of rag.

The Blood Moon packhouse was in total ruin. Dirt and countless chores to do. The previous night, the pack had held a party for the Alpha's beloved son, Dante. Every other wolf or human in the wolf pack was allowed to attend except the 'lucky girl,' who 'merciful' Alpha Hero spared her life years back.

"Hurry, you piece of trash!" The future Luna of the Blood Moon pack roared at Freya.

Ever since Freya was spared as a little child fourteen years ago, she has witnessed hell. In fact, hell, was even a kind word to use in describing her experience so far.

As Alpha Hero had given the order to kill her when she was discovered, she passed out. Already, she was weak and couldn't take it anymore. People who surrounded her thought that she was dead. Left behind to die while she was unconscious, they discovered that she was now awake. Alpha Hero got to discover that she could neither remember what had just transpired nor speak. Instead of wasting her like that, according to the 'smart suggestion' of Dante, she was taken back home with them and turned into their maid.

While she has remained in a terrible condition, subjected to the most degrading and humiliating responsibilities by the Blood Moon pack, Freya has had her mind focused on freedom. That hope alone has been her drive.

Although Freya had four pairs of clothes in whole, three mostly rags and fed so poorly like an animal, she was still the most beautiful girl in the entire pack. This drew envy from all the other girls because searching the entire kingdom, Freya was the most pretty, well-mannered, kind, compassionate, truthful and loving. Despite her good qualities, it still didn't earn her any favors or likeness from any of the other kids or their parents. Apart from being from the Omega lineage, she was out of this world beautiful, which even made most of the other wolves think that Freya was an existing abomination. Most of them asked, 'how can someone be so beautiful?'

With no hope of ever having what the other kids had; loving parents, experiencing fun, having good clothes, eating good food and just being cared for, she held on.

Her Amazonian figure sat well on her wafer-thin body. She had a decanter shaped waist and her complexion had an impeccable, ochrous hue. Her full honey-dark eyebrows eased down gently to her black, beetle's-leg eyelashes. A sculptor could not have fashioned her seraph's ears and pixie's nose any better.

When she broke into a smile, her beguiling, oyster-white teeth lit up the room. It could jolt you like an electric current when that megawatt smile gave you her full attention. Filed to perfection, her long and smooth fingernails ran through her nougat-brown hair. Spools of it plunged around her photogenic face and hid a swan's neck, elegant and smooth. Her nebulous, glistening-blue eyes were a sparkle of life and hope. They were like two blue diamond jewels melted onto the snow. Her calamine-pink lips looked like fresh rose petals. They were plump. Most people rumored that she was a goddess found in the body of a girl.

Freya ran at the fullest speed possible for any human and got to Ariel. She stood with her eyes fixed on the floor, panting. She wore a blue, worn-out and oversized gown. Wounds around her head and throat. Her feet were bare and numerous bruises that has turned into purple scars covered them.

"You pig!" Ariel smacked Freya across the face. "How could you allow me to wake up and met all this dirt? Now I am going to have a bad day," she whined.

Alpha Hero had his late Luna, the mother of Dante, handpicked by his father, Dante's late grandfather. At least that was the lie they told the pack. Hero followed suit. He did the same as his father by choosing Ariel, the young daughter and only child of the Pure Crescent pack. By birth, she was to take over the pack once her father died. That was the rule of her pack. But getting united in marriage meant that Dante would rule both packs.

Ariel was a cruel and disrespectful sixteen years old girl. Long-white-haired, green eyes and beautiful. She was one of the lucky kids that were privileged to have been selected by Alpha Hero as the future Luna of his pack, betrothed to Dante. The entire pack was just waiting for her eighteenth birthday so that the official bonding of souls ceremony could be carried out between Ariel and Dante. Due to this fact, she was treated like a queen and everything else she did, was overlooked.

Although Ariel was a year younger than Freya who was seventeen, she failed to acknowledge that Freya was a human being like her, since both of their wolves were to reveal themselves. For the females of the packs, you must turn eighteen and above before your wolf could reveal itself.

Ariel had woken up early to go hiking with her other privileged friends and decided to make poor Freya's day a bad one before she left.

The party that was held last night wasn't witnessed by Freya, nor did she eat any of the sumptuous meals they prepared. Yet, she had to clean the entire mess. Freya wasn't even allowed to eat from the same pot as the other kids. She was to wait until they were satisfied, and the leftovers tossed into the trashcan. She would then scavenge and whatever spoils she gathered, would be her food. However, Freya still ate happily out of the bins and tried to stay as invisible as possible until the Golden Rule of the Blood Moon pack which held her freedom once she turned eighteen happened.

Every day, she counted the date, minutes, and seconds in her head, removing it from how many more days she had left to earn her freedom.

Freya held her cheeks where Ariel had smacked and suppressed the tears threatening to escape her eyes. Most times, she desperately wanted to beat the crap out of the rude, spoiled, little girl in the person of Ariel, but couldn't. If the thought was even somehow discovered to be existing in her mind, that would be an excellent excuse to have her head chopped off. All the Aloha was waiting for was one mistake from her. One, tiny mistake. And Freya made it her life mission until she was freed not to make any mistakes. If her calculation was right, she had three more weeks, two days, five hours, twenty minutes and seven seconds before she turned her freedom age, eighteen.

"I am sorry, I was still cleaning the Alpha's mansion," she said.

"You must be stupid! You only chose to spend forever in the Alpha's mansion so that you can get a good look at my husband."

Ariel began to circle Freya like a predator would its prey. "Well, too bad, he has eyes for no one else but me. Now get to cleaning this place. I will finish up with you later."

"Yes-" Freya left the response hanging.

Glaring at her, "yes, what?"

"Yes, Luna."

"Better."

Ariel still had two more years before she could be coronated as the Luna, but, she liked parading herself as the Luna already. When you didn't address her as the Luna, she made sure that such people were severely punished.

Freya ran off to gather her cleaning supplies from the Alpha mansion back to the packhouse to carry out Ariel's order. Hopefully, the Alpha and his son wouldn't wake up until she was done cleaning the packhouse and resumed with the Alpha Mansion or else, today might just be her death day.

As if the day was even against Freya, immediately she started cleaning the packhouse, Dante woke up. Every morning before every other person even nurture the idea of opening their eyes, Freya would scramble off her bed, which was nothing more than pieces of rags and worn-out sheets thrown out by the others. She would often go around to gather whatever they weren't using, tossed into the bin, and select the ones she could make use of.

Before the others, Freya would rush to the packhouse to bathe. She dare not use the convenience made for the others, or she would get beaten and locked up. Freya was instructed to use the convenience made for the 'Tahilas.' Tahilas were people who committed one offense or the other and were awaiting their execution day. Those were who saw Freya as a person with flesh and blood like them. She befriended them and, before their execution, would spend so much time with them when she wasn't running around. Whenever she learned of their death, she would run deep into the woods and wail bitterly because she had lost a friend.

After Freya's quick shower, she would wear one of her rags and begin the day's chores. From cleaning to cooking to running all manner of errands, you name it, Freya would attend to all of them until her body could hardly keep up.

Dante Ian, the Alpha's only son and future Alpha of the Blood moon pack, had risen from his bed in all his glory. Dante wasn't an ugly boy for a boy his age. In fact, he had taken after all the beautiful physical features of his father. The previous night, his induction into the twenty-one years of age cycle was held. The big party left poor Freya cleaning everywhere. Since his wolf had revealed itself, some adjustments were made to his appearance. First, his hair was cut low. He also grew taller, now at 6'4ft. Trim build, not overly muscular. His golden curls which he often stretched to give it a sleek texture lashed over bright blue eyes. A straight nose and strong jaw. He was the lucky few whose wolf revealed itself immediately after he turned eighteen. A true son of his father like Alpha Hero would always brag.

Dante had the physical features that every girl lusted after in the pack. But his character was terrible. Dante wasn't always an egocentric, annoying, power tasty and merciless boy. To impress his father, who didn't want to see any sign of weakness in the future Alpha, Dante became this way. Unfortunately, the one victim that suffered his abuse of power the most was Freya. He made sure that her childhood was filled with ugly memories of being bullied. He got worse over time. Losing all traces of love or the possession of a heart.

Humming to the melodic tune that was the only thing she remembered from her childhood, Freya mopped the floor of the packhouse absentmindedly. Suddenly, she crashed her back into a hard figure which made her jolt forward, accidentally kicking the bucket she was using to clean.

Whirling around, she saw who it was, "Dante," she bowed. "I am sorry. I didn't know you were there. Forgive my carelessly." She said, squeezing her eyes shut and praying so hard that Dante wasn't in the mood to serve punishments.

Furious, Dante heaved a heavy sigh and rubbed his temple. "Get me breakfast," he ordered. Not looking twice at Freya, he stomped away.

If only Freya could have shouted out of joy, she would. What happened to Dante? Did he wake up from the right side of the bed? Or, did something uplifting happen? It was so unlike him to let her off the hook so easily. Whatever might have been the reason for his 'kind pardon,' Freya was grateful to it.

Now Freya was torn between three duties. Making breakfast, cleaning the packhouse and the Alpha mansion. Which was most important? If she didn't make the breakfast within the next minute, that might double the punishment for her, and she wouldn't be feeling so lucky anymore. Secondly, if she wasn't back to cleaning the Alpha house soon, Alpha Hero would shred her into pieces if his sight fell on any of the chores she hadn't completed there. Lastly, she needed to be in the packhouse before Ariel returned, or it would be an entirely different episode of taunting her and whining in Freya's ears all day long.

Making her decision, she decided to fix breakfast, finish up with the packhouse and go back to cleaning the Alpha's mansion, in that order. 'Few weeks left, Freya. Just a few weeks left' kept ringing in her head.

What even annoyed Freya the most was that when she initially arrived, the place used to have a delegation of responsibilities. Especially the Alpha's mansion. There were no maids. Everyone was equal. Until she came. The Alpha decided to make her the Alpha's house personal maid. Who was he kidding? She did not just become the Alpha's house personal maid, but the maid of anyone who cared to use her. Freya couldn't complain. Of course, who was she going to complain to?

Taking a few refreshing breaths, Freya walked to the Alpha's mansion, straight to the kitchen to make breakfast. On the menu were pancakes, cheese, and fresh fruit juice. Easy-peasy. She should be in and out of there without anyone noticing and back to her chores.

Tirelessly working in the kitchen, she was able to finish. Cleaning up immediately so that she would only have the dishes to wash. Although she made the breakfast, she was never allowed to eat it. Whatever she ate was the leftover of every other person's food. What they discarded after they might have had their fill.

Staring at the different plates for breakfast on the table that she had set up, Freya counted the plates all over again, making sure that no one was left out. Making sure it was complete, there were still two pancakes left in the frying pan. Freya was so tempted to smuggle it out and, when she had her privacy, eat them.

She was drooling over the two pieces. 'Don't do it, Freya,' her conscience pricked her. She knew that nurturing such thought was a bad idea. She would land in serious trouble.

Staring at the pancakes once more, she moved to the kitchen's window and surveyed. No one was watching. She equally checked the door and no one was there. Heaving a huge sigh of relief, she carefully took out two napkins and wrapped the two pieces, hiding them in the pocket of her oversized gown. No one would suspect that such a thing was even there. Good.

It was not even the missing pancakes that would have given her away, but her body language. She was trembling and looking pale like someone who just saw a ghost. She tried so much to caution herself and get her attitude under control. Before she could take her last successive breath, Dante strolled into the kitchen.

Sighting him, she bowed. "Breakfast is ready," she mumbled and hurried to leave.

"Where do you think you are going? Where is my coffee?"

"Coffee?" She asked surprised. Ever since she worked in the house, Dante was caffeine intolerant, so he didn't take things like coffee and energy drinks. But she wouldn't even dream about questioning the change in order.

Straight ahead, without wavering, she began fumbling with things to make the coffee, her hands shaking.

"Stop!" Dante commanded. "What did you do?"

She didn't respond. Instead, she stopped what she was doing and bowed her head.

"Don't forget that I have turned. My wolf senses are stronger than my human senses. And I can hear your heartbeat hammering like crazy in your chest. You are guilty of something. Tell me now and I might spare you."

Shit! She had forgotten about that. Dumb her. Dante could sense, hear, see and feel a hundred times better than any other wolf. He was the strongest. And it skipped her mind to put into consideration that there was no way she would have successfully gotten out of that place without being caught by Dante unless he wasn't around.

"Did you just become deaf and dumb? Don't make me repeat myself."

Freya's palms became sweaty, and an alone sweat trickled down by the side of her forehead. Should she tell him? Or, wait for him to discover it? Whichever way, her punishment wasn't going to be mild. The only thing she would plead so much for, was for Dante to take matters into his hands than to report to Alpha Hero, his father.