Chapter 1

IVY'S POV

“Pick up the damn cup, you servant!” Taika thundered at me. She intentionally spilled the mango juice I got for her. She had told me to bring a cup of mango juice for her and on bringing it, she spilled it on the floor and smashed the cup to pieces too.

“But I thought you wanted Mango juice?” I quizzed totally dumbfounded, with my brows contracted .

“I never told you to bring me mango juice, I told you to bring pineapple juice!” she snarled at me and gawked with so much irk. I was quite sure that I heard her right when she told me to bring a mango juice for her and then all of a sudden she switched to Pineapple juice. 

“But…” I tried stating my point,  and she interjected me.

“Just shut up and leave, Ugly Duckling” she cussed me with the one thing that I was insensitive  and insecure about. 

I flip my eyes open and sigh heavily as I wake up from my subconsciousness. I just reminisced on yesterday's incident with Taika, the Alpha’s daughter. She spat at me yesterday and made me look like some worthless piece of trash, yes I am a servant but rubbing it in my face wasn’t right. 

I suspire, but still look in the mirror. I have a large scar that covers the left side of my face. It is one thing I detest and  I’m abashed about, but then I have nothing to do about it. I've had it since birth.

I turn and look at my cake which I dropped on the table in my room. It is my eighteenth birthday and I am really psyched about it, but unfortunately I am the only one who even knows my birthday is today, despite the fact that I live with a couple of people. Not even my mom cares about me and it baffles me how she does it. 

Since I was a child, no one regarded me, and to couple it up, I have a scar. No one misses an opportunity to scorn and ridicule me with my insecurity which is my scar. Since when I was a child, the only person I have is myself and Sabrina, my wolf.

I huff and move close to my tiny cake and just simper at the sight of it. No one's here to celebrate with me so I will do it on my own. I am not going to allow my loneliness to ruin my happiness, despite its heart wrenching. 

“Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me. Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to me” I sing to myself with a grin which pulls from my ear to ear .

“ How old are you now, how old are you now, how old are you now, how old are you now?” I add and clap for myself as I have no one to do it for me.

“ I’m eighteen today, I’m eighteen today, I’m eighteen today ehh, I’m eighteen today” I chant to myself and tears roll out from my eyes. I tighten my fist and grit my teeth. I promised myself I wouldn’t cry but I am now. 

With the back of my hand, I dab off the stream of tears and plaster on my face, a broad smile.

“Hip hip hip, hurray!”

I cheer and blow off the light on the candle, and I accompany it with applause.

“ Happy birthday to us” Sabrina cheers inside. 

“ Happy birthday to us” I smirk and eat the whole tiny cake. I have no money to purchase a large cake as I am saving for something bigger.

I stride to the side of my bed and fall on my knees. I push my hand underneath my bed and pull out a box. I place it on the bed, with some particle of dust on it. I open it and stare at the paper money in it. Sabrina coos inside and I simper.

“In the end, I have enough money to leave here” I whisper under my breath. 

I have been planning since I was a child that when I turn eighteen, I will run away from this house and do the one thing I have passion for, which is cooking. I love cooking so much and it started when I was a child.

A recipe has no soul, and it relates directly to me because I have nothing at all. I am the one to give the recipe a soul and in turn it’s going to give me a soul because that’s the one thing I love.

Finally my money is complete for me to accomplish my dreams. 

“Thank you, moon goddess” I praise and raise my head up. 

It’s my birthday, and I am really enthusiastic about it, even though no one cares, and funny enough my mother doesn’t as well. I always wonder what kind of mother doesn’t even care about her child. Even when I try to get close to her, she always pushes me away. Not to even talk about my pack members. Everyone always mocks me because of my scar, calling me ugly duckling as though I created myself.

I stand up from the bed with a smile on my face, alas, I will be able to do one thing that makes me happy. I have waited and longed for this day and here it is.

“Ivy, you can as well bury yourself in your room” my mom thunders from the lounge. My countenance immediately changes.

Sabrina growls inside but I close my eyes and open them back. I quickly pick my piggy bank and hide it back under my bed, arrange my bed and then I pick up my mask which I hide in my dress.

I walk out of my room and lock the door tightly. 

“Good morning mom” I coo as I reach downstairs. My mom is in the kitchen now making breakfast with some others.

“You are just so lazy and worthless, sleeping your life out.” She cusses at me with veins popping out from her forehead. As usual, I now put my head down and accept my fate. I used to try my best to please her, but I realized that no matter how much I try, she doesn't like me.

“Bye mom, I volunteered to serve at the alpha duel today, I’m getting late already” I say and without shilly-shallying for her to impede, I quickly scram.

“Ugly duckling!” I hear my name as I am about passing through the lounge to go for the Apha duel. I close my eyes as the voice is already familiar and I know who it is.

“Come here now,”Taika, the daughter of the silver moon Pack, calls. She wears a dashing all white maxi apparel which is adorned with some jewelry, certainly prepared for the alpha duel. It is also scrappy and long.

“Pick this up” she instructs, pointing to a ring on the floor. My eyes surf around her face and my fingers tingle, but I have nothing to do than be the servant I am or risk not serving at the Alpha’s duel because Taika has all the powers to restrict me from going. 

I bend down reluctantly and pick up the ring which I hand to her with a smile. In my heart  I am pounding in rage. I am also trying to keep Sabrina in check because she is breaking the walls in my heart, growling to devour Taika like she always wanted.

Taika stares at the ring in my hand and then gawks at me. Intentionally, she uses her pinky finger to toss it back on the floor.

“Oopsy” she chuckles and points her finger at the ring on the floor. My teeth gnashes together.

To avoid any delay, I pick it up quickly and hand it over to her.

“Bye, ugly duckling” she smirks as I walk away. I close my eyes and breath slowly to smoke out the ire. Sabrina pounds in and it’s really hard to keep her in check. 

I finally get to the arena and there are a lot of people here. There is loud indistinct chatter in the space. On my way coming, I already wear my mask to avoid further humiliation from pack members. Though they always know that I am the one in the mask, but it's better that way.

The fight has already started and I am trying to squeeze my way to the front so I can be able to watch. This is the first time I am having to watch two alpha’s children fight for the position of the Alpha. 

“No, there is no way Asher will be able to defeat Warlock. Warlock is the true son of the Alpha, whereas Asher is just a bastard. I am sure Warlock is going to become our Alpha” I hear some men arguing loudly. I stand beside them to get more of the gist.

“Yeah, I think so too. After all his mother wasn’t the true mate of our Alpha, so I doubt if he has the true blood and m strength of an alpha in his veins.” The second man pitches in. 

Now I am eager to watch them fight. I slip away from the crowd and get myself in front.  As soon as I get to the front, my eyes wobble to amber and back again, followed by a strong scent that hits my nostrils, my mate. I look up and my eyes lock with one of the Alphas' sons fighting.

“mate..” I whisper under my breath in shock as we both gape at each other…