CHAPTER 1

MALLORY:

"Mallory..." I heard a deep voice whisper in my ear as I was fast asleep on the bed.

"Mmm," I tried to turn and push the figure away, but then the person looming above me yanked a handful of my hair.

"Ah!" My eyes snapped open, and I saw who was above me. "Ace Lennox, the Beta's son."

"Ace... what are you doing here?" I asked him as I gazed into his honey-brown eyes.

"Shush..." He hushed me by placing his thumb on my thin lips.

"I came to see how you're doing. It's your birthday tomorrow. Don't you think you deserve a birthday gift?" he asked as he stripped off his white shirt.

"What kind of birthday gift is that? Why don't you wait until tomorrow to present it to me?" I asked him, but he shook his head and replied, "No, you deserve to have the gift tonight. It's very special, and I've been keeping it for you."

"What's that?" I asked him, looking at his handsome brown face.

Ace was the pack's beta son. Even as an alpha's daughter, I had lost my respect because I hadn't shifted since I was born, and my younger sister, Sonia, had been able to shift since she was fourteen years old.

Everyone in our pack looked up to Sonia while they overlooked me, and the worst part was, Sonia seemed to bask in it and made it look like I was the bad egg.

I loved Ace and wanted to be his mate, but he didn't speak to me during the daytime. He mostly avoided me, and I wondered how he had sneaked into this room and my bedroom.

My room was on the top floor of the magnificent two-story building that was the alpha's mansion. So it amazed me that Ace had been able to get access in here.

"I want to give you a priceless gift, Mallory, but you must promise me that you won't shout and that you'll endure it," Ace said as he removed his trousers.

I gulped hard, seeing his full, broad chest—his strong, masculine abs—and I felt the urge to touch him. I knew that Ace was going to be my mate tomorrow, and I wondered what the birthday celebration would be for me, since my father didn't like me either.

"I want to fụck you, Mallory. Just don't shout, alright? I want you as much as you want me," Ace said, his brown eyes glowing in the night.

"Alright," I agreed. At this point, it warmed my heart to see that Ace wanted me. I knew everyone in the pack looked down on me, but seeing that I had someone who didn't made me happy.

"I know that we are going to be destined mates. I want you, Ace," I told him, caressing his chest as he brought his face closer to mine.

Ace kissed my lips hungrily. He was a 21-year-old guy, and many girls in our pack crushed on him. Even Sonia, my younger sister, hoped that by the time she turned 18, she would become Ace's mate.

Sonia and I were only a year apart because my father had married her mother after my mother died giving birth to me. We were half-sisters, and my father had taken another Luna to help protect our pack.

My mother was an omega who happened to be my father's true mate, and when I was born, the pack doctor told my father that I was an omega too—a weak link in the pack—which disappointed him. To make matters worse, I was unable to shift like the rest of our pack members.

I was short and not as tall as Sonia. She was tall, light-skinned, and very beautiful. I wasn't a dwarf, but I was of average height and not as tall as her.

It hurt that no one wanted me, but seeing that Ace wanted me and knowing he was my fated mate, I agreed to make love with him, hoping he would give me the best birthday gift. Besides, tomorrow was my 18th birthday party.

"Are you ready?" Ace asked as he was now fully nàked on my bed.

I swallowed hard, not believing that I was doing this with him.

He had taken off my nightdress and left me fully nàked on the bed with him.

"Yes," I moaned breathlessly as Ace prepared himself to thrust into me.

When he finally thrust into me, I moaned and cried, but he didn't stop.

Ace kept thrusting until I was about to faint.

"Damn it, Mallory! You're so tight!" Ace kept thrusting and brought his face to mine. "You're mine," he said, burying his face in my neck and sinking his fangs into me.

"Ah!" I groaned as Ace climaxed inside me. After a while, he pulled out of me and licked the spot he had marked on my neck.

"I have to go now, Mallory. Happy birthday," Ace said, kissing my lips before dressing quickly. Just then, I heard footsteps approaching my room door.

The door flew open, but Ace had already fled out the window. I wondered if he had broken his leg, and then my stepmother, Luna Lily barge in.

"What are you doing on the bed nàked at this time of night? Were you the one moaning?" She marched up to the bed, yanked the bedsheet away that I had used to cover my chest.

"Mallory, you bìtch! Who were you fụcking in your room?" she growled as she dragged me by my left arm, not minding that I was unclothed.