Chapter 1

Tessa’s POV

It was my eighteenth birthday, and I was at a party, but it wasn’t for me. In fact, I was pretty sure no one else knew today was my birthday, not even my father.

I stood at the corner of the venue, awkwardly wearing a blue halter top dress that flowed up to the middle of my shin, which complemented and matched the color of my eyes. Despite that, I still felt severely out of place as I attended the wedding anniversary feast ball for Alpha Eric and his Luna, Paige.

Alpha Eric was the de-facto leader of my pack now that my father had pretty much signed away his ruling rights to him in exchange for business favors and protection.

Usually, I would have been excluded from this sort of event as my father couldn’t tolerate the thought of people seeing his omega daughter. I spent most of my days confined to our small room while he actively attended pack events.

With today’s grand event, though, Luna Peige personally invited every one of Alpha’s family under their territory protection. Though my father was the alpha of our small pack, only by name, these days, he was still bound to obey.

As much as I didn’t want to come, what we received was not a mere request from the Luna but a demand that we couldn’t disobey. As a result, I couldn’t opt out of the occasion, no matter how nervous it made me feel.

So here I was, at a lavishly decorated ball that I usually wouldn’t be allowed to attend, wishing all the laughter and celebration around me were for me instead.

Looking at everyone’s smiles and hearing their wishes, a bolt of pain struck my heart with envy. I wish I hadn’t come for many reasons.

Aside from my bitter jealousy, I couldn’t believe how laid-back everybody here was. It was as if the threat of the Dark Lord wasn’t hanging over our collective heads.

The Dark Lord was the Lycan King. Supposedly, he should be protecting the entire werewolf kingdom, but he disappointed everyone.

He ruled the kingdom with an iron fist, ruthlessly attacking pack every pack and capturing Luna from defeated packs.

With the Dark Lord’s presence and my weak status as the omega, my father cowardly sought protection under Alpha Eric. His pack, the Red Oak Pack, was four times the size of ours, and he led his pack with courage and distinct wisdom. That was why I was surprised that he’d risk throwing an extravagant party and opening his doors at a critical time like this.

Surveying the venue filled with elegant and glamorous high-ranking wolves, I recognized many members from my pack despite not having interacted with them much.

They looked away quickly whenever I caught their gaze, unwilling to associate with the Alpha’s castaway Omega daughter as usual. Sighing, I ignored the looks of disgust and contempt and made my way through the crowd to reach the buffet. It was filled with numerous extravagant dishes from various cuisines and specialties.

I had to admit, I was envious of Luna Paige all over again and wished I was in her shoes instead. I picked a slice of velvet cake from the buffet and pretended it was my birthday cake.

Humming a quick happy birthday song under my breath, I sniffed the cake, swooning at the lovely scent of vanilla and red velvet before taking a bite.

The sound of metal hitting glass dragged my attention to the stage. Alpha Eric stood there, striking his fork across the glass in his hand and beaming with Paige next to him. His perfectly trimmed blonde hair was combed back, and he wore a teal suit on his stocky frame.

Meanwhile, Paige was dressed elegantly, with diamonds sparkling around her neck and ears. They looked beautiful together. I couldn't help but wonder if I would ever experience such love.

“Hello, everyone. Can I have a word?” Eric clicked his glass again, quieting the room as the music turned down a few notches.

“Alright, so Paige and I just want to thank everyone for joining us here today to celebrate another year of bliss, peace, and prosperity.” A small cheer and a round of applause filled the room, bringing huge smiles to the couple’s lips.

“Now, I know many of us might not have wanted to come out today due to the rumors we’ve been hearing. Of the Lycan King turning to a Dark Lord as he goes around from pack to pack, city to city, wreaking havoc amongst the werewolf communities. Two of our neighboring packs have already been attacked, but that was before we came together to form our current alliance.” His slate-gray eyes swept over the room.

My wolf flared up, peering at her head as if suddenly interested in what was going on. A tension I didn’t understand started at the base of my spine.

“I assure you that Luna and I are taking utmost precautions to protect us all from that vicious tyrant. Our pack is proud and old, and we will not yield to anyone who means us harm.” Eric’s eyes flashed so fiercely that I couldn’t look away from his determined stance.

My mind, body, and soul were zeroed in on him standing on the stage, and his enigmatic voice washing over me. My heart thudded so hard I could hear it over the cheers and murmurs of the crowd.

The scent of vanilla and red velvet strongly permeated the air, but this time, it was not the cake. A trail of that intoxicating scent seemed to be coming from the captivating man on the stage. My entire body itch with a strange desire to follow its source.

“I promise you, my wolves, that I, Alpha Eric, will continue to do everything I can to─” Alpha Eric’s words paused in mid-sentence, and his body froze as his eyes suddenly snapped in my direction.

As I gasped loudly, my fingers started to feel numb, and the plate I was holding slipped from my grip, crashing to the ground with a loud noise that echoed throughout the suddenly quiet crowd.

He lost his grasp of the mic, and it fell to the ground, causing a deafening sound. Right then, I knew… He’s my mate—my fated mate.

The ballroom was quiet, and I could hear the sound of my ragged breathing. My chest felt tight as if an invisible cord was knotted around it, pulling me fiercely towards the stage. I did my best to resist.

My resistance lasted for only a few seconds before that delightful fragrance overpowered my senses, all but driving me towards him. I walked like a mind-controlled zombie, unable to stop my legs from fulfilling the intense craving deep in my chest.

My wolf wanted me at his side, and she wanted me there now!

Paige took a step closer to him, eyes flashing red with a glare as she growled at me from where she stood.

My wolf roared, red with rage at the sight of her so close to my mate.

Eric held her tightly with one hand, despite his gaze staying on me. I could feel him resisting our bond, and my wolf didn’t like it one bit.

I froze, trying to wrest control of my body back from my wolf. I didn’t need a scandal like this. As an omega born to a long line of Alphas, I was already looked down on enough within my pack. Now that everyone knew I was Eric’s mate, my reputation would suffer even worse, and I might even be ostracized.

I couldn’t face being the biggest villain of the pack -the one who ruined the Alpha and Luna’s marriage by being his mistress. The pack loved Paige almost as much as they loved Eric. Plus, her wolf was much stronger than mine and would tear me to pieces.

As I turned to leave, Eric strode purposefully through the crowd towards me, tearing off the stage as if he could not resist me any longer, challenging my place as Luna.

My wolf growled in triumph as my eyes widened at his approach. I heard Paige scream his name a moment before he grabbed me by the shoulders and crushed his lips to mine. I moaned. The pull of the mate bond was too strong to ignore, despite how big of a chaos had started around us.

Gasps and discussions filled the crowd.

Just the least I wanted to happen.

I couldn’t stop my arms from wrapping around Eric’s neck or my mouth from opening to receive his kiss, shivering at every stroke of his tongue.

His scent enveloped me, a heady fragrance that pulled me further underneath the spell, writhing and clutching at his shoulders without giving a damn about the people exclaiming in shock around me.

“Eric! Eric!” Paige’s shrill voice penetrated through the fog of need in my mind.

Eric seemed to have regained control faster. Coming to his senses, he pushed me roughly away from him.

“Get away from me, you whore!” he spat. Rage and shock at what we had done were clear in his eyes.

I was still caught in the haze of my desire, and my wolf was confused as to why the sudden source of her pleasure had been taken away from her when Eric swung hard at me, a slap resounding across my face.