Chapter one
MORTICIA'S POV
When life gives you lemons, as they say, make lemonade. But what would you expect a low Omega like myself to do when I am faced with the choice of either getting married to the pack Beta or getting exiled?
A marriage with the beta sounds dreamy, right? Well, not for me.
My name is Morticia. I am the daughter of an elder in the Blood Moon pack. I am the eldest daughter who has an annoying little sister. And I am not joking when I say annoying.
Turning Eighteen had always been my dream, one where I would finally gain freedom, find a mate, and live happily ever after Disney princesses lived in the movies.
But fate, as always, had a different game to play. Especially when you have a power-obsessed man for a father, your wishes hardly come true. My father, you see, is one of my pack's most revered Elders, known for his cold and disciplinarian nature.
I've always dreamed of having a romantic partner. That one day, I'll find someone I love and someone who loves me. And we would get married. But I guess when you have a power-obsessed man for a father, your wishes hardly come true. My father, Elder Jerome, has always sought power and would do anything to make his wishes come true. That is, even married off his daughter for fame. When I say his daughter, I mean me.
I sat on my bed and stroked my hair as I stared at myself in the mirror. If today wasn't the day I despised the most, I would have envied myself. I barely knew this guy that I was getting married to. All I know is he is the Beta of the pack. I met him once at the ball organized by the Alpha. We hardly spoke, but I could see that he was trying to talk to me. I was anything but special that the Beta of the pack would want to talk to me, so I wasn't too keen on talking to him. But thinking back now, I would have engaged in a conversation with him to find out some things about him.
Well, now, here I was, preparing to move into his house to get to know him more while preparing for the wedding.
“Morticia, can I come in?” I heard a voice call out to me while knocking slightly at the door.
I sucked some air into my lungs while my heart hammered on my chest. “Come in.”
Brianna, my sister, slowly walked in and smiled softly at me. She stood in front of me. She had this sluggish smile on her face that made me want to puke. I gently smiled at her as I knew her concerns weren't genuine. I knew she had always wanted to take my place and I couldn't blame her for that. Everyone thinks I have the perfect life. My parents always had their whole attention on me and kind of ignored me most of the time. What she didn't know was that I envied her. I wanted, for once, my parents' eyes to go to her and let go of some of the pressure they had on me.
“How do you feel about almost marrying the Beta?” she asked, gently stroking my shoulders.
I sighed. “I don't know. I mean, I barely know this guy. Aside from the fact that he's the Beta, I know absolutely nothing about him.” I complained.
Brianna cackled and bent her head to face directly at me. “Many people would kill to be in your shoes. The Beta is a hot shot among the girls of this pack,” she rambled.
I felt a sickening sensation in the pit of my stomach. I knew Brianna was one of those many girls she just mentioned. I knew Beta was a hot shot in the pack.
Just as I was about to reply to her snarky remark, I heard my mother's voice echo through the hallway, down to my room.
“Your carriage is here, Morticia.”
I sucked in a hard breath and sat up straight, almost hitting Brianna's jaw. Although I would be more gladdened had I hit her. I gazed at myself in the mirror to be sure I looked presentable. The way I dress and present myself is the way they would see my family, and I couldn't afford to let them down.
I looked back at Brianna one more time. And with a sly smile, I walked out of the room.
Once, I was in the living room, I saw three men dressed in flashy suits with styled hair. I guessed they were from the palace who had come here to pick me up. I clutched my bag in my hand as I smiled politely. My father had a stern look on his face, while my mother smiled sweetly at me. I knew she was just faking the sweet smile on her face.
“Your carriage awaits.” one of the men said, and I nodded.
“Oh, my baby. Let me hug you for the last time to bid you farewell,” my mother said, and hugged me. “Do not mess this up for me. I heard Alpha is single. Make sure you find out everything about him so that your sister, Brianna, can have him for herself,” she whispered.
I half expected her to pull off something like that. As it was not in my mother's nature to hug me sweetly. I rolled my eyes and walked off before she could say anything else. I knew I wasn't going to do any of that. I was going to live my life to the fullest without her snarky remarks or mean comments about me anymore.
Once I was led into the carriage, I saw the satisfaction in my mother's eyes. Like she has done something and gotten another thing precious in exchange.
Once we arrived at the castle, I was mesmerized by the way it was. It was magnificent. I had been to the castle once or twice, but that was at night. But seeing it during the day was something I never imagined. I smiled from ear to ear when I realized this was where I was going to be living. I would explore the castle while I had the time, but for now, I should probably make a good impression of the Beta. As much as I don't like him, I don't want to be kicked out of the palace on the first day. That would be humiliating.
“This way, ma'am.” A maid bowed to them and started walking off.
I immediately started trailing after her like a stray dog who has just found its owner. As I walked towards her, I tried striking up a conversation, but she never replied. I just focused on the walls and how big the palace was. If the outside was a beauty, the inside was something I can't describe. It was so beautiful with the stone marble walls, mixed with emeralds. It was like a fantasy world. I must have been so lost in admiration that I didn't notice the maid stop and I almost bumped into her.
“Here's your chamber, your graciousness. Your suitcase will arrive when you give the order,” she robotically said, and turned around to walk off.
I stared at the door that was the boundary between my fantasy world and the real world. I turned the doorknob and walked in. It was a beauty to behold. It was decorated with flowers and my heart almost melted at the cute gesture. Before I could bask in its loveliness, I felt someone lay my hair off of my neck and plant a cold kiss on it.
“What took you so long?”
**