EPISODE 5 - Anna

Anna Noelle's POV

***

Inside the car, speeding away from the Silvermoon Claw pack house, my mind was still reeling from everything I had learned.

No. It can't be. Alpha Lucian is my mate? But how?! I'm just a weak omega. I'm not worthy of a powerful Alpha like him.

I swallowed the anxiety and fear rising in my chest.

But why? Why did I run away even after discovering who my mate was? Why did I leave? I had waited so long to find out who he was... and yet, there was this uncertainty gnawing at me — the belief that Alpha Lucian doesn't deserve someone like me.

*"He deserves you, Anna. You just don't want to accept what the Moon Goddess has given you,"* Aura suddenly spoke from within me.

*"But you can't blame me for thinking this way... he doesn't deserve a weak omega like me,"* I replied.

I didn't bother answering Aura again. I didn't want to hear the words she was trying to make me believe.

Even though the truth was — everything that had happened was beyond belief.

As I tried to calm myself, memories of last night suddenly flooded my mind. The heat we had shared. The way he had claimed me, again and again, without stopping.

Just thinking about it made my cheeks burn. I closed my eyes and gripped the hem of my skirt tightly. My heart was pounding so hard I had to press my hand against my chest.

I felt a flutter in my stomach — that rush of joy spreading through my heart as I slowly realized I had finally found my mate. The one man the Moon Goddess had destined for me.

But that joy vanished in an instant.

Because he was an Alpha. The Alpha of Silvermoon Claw. Strong. Powerful. And someone like him could never be loved by someone like me.

When I stepped out of the car near an open shop, I felt like I was floating as I walked toward the small house. Floating back into the reality that my time with Alpha Lucian was over.

It felt like I was being stabbed over and over, because I knew — no matter what I did — an omega like me would never fit beside an Alpha like Lucian.

I was almost at the small house when I spotted Josie standing in front of it. When she turned and saw me, panic and fear were written all over her face. She ran toward me and grabbed my arm.

"Anna! Thank goodness you're home!" She was frantic, and it made my stomach drop.

"What's going on, Josie? Why do you look so worried?" I asked, opening the kitchen door.

The moment we were inside, she shut it quickly behind us. "Anna! Helena has been looking for you!"

My eyes went wide. The anxiety came crashing back into my chest. I swallowed hard. "W-What did she say?"

"She came to me looking for you because she saw us together last night when I dropped you off at the Silvermoon Pack House! She said it was already morning and you still hadn't come back! I didn't know what excuse to give her! What happened to you? Why are you only getting home now?" Josie's worry was written all over her face.

But how could I tell her that I had found my mate — and that he was none other than the formidable Alpha of Silvermoon Claw, Alpha Lucian?

And how could I possibly tell her the reason I was only coming home now?

Because something happened between us. In the middle of the Mating Ball?!

I shook my head, choosing to ignore Josie’s questioning. I quickly turned my back on her to slip into my old apron dress—the faded, frayed garment I always wore whenever I was cooking or cleaning up the kitchen.

To be honest, I only did it because I couldn't bring myself to look her in the eye. My cheeks still burned with a fierce heat every single time the memory of what happened between Alpha Lucian and me flashed through my mind. No matter how hard I tried to suppress it, my heart kept hammering wildly against my ribs.

"Anna? Seriously, where on earth did you go? Why are you only getting back now? At first, I thought you were with Helena and the girls, but you weren't," Josie pressed, still hunting for answers.

She was desperate for an explanation, but I didn't have the time to excuse a convincing lie, let alone the emotional strength to tell her the agonizing truth.

"I-I... made some friends at the pack house," I lied, my hands fussing unnecessarily with the hem of my apron to keep them busy. "We got caught up talking for hours, which is why I'm only getting home now."

"Friends? Does that mean you didn't find your mate? Was he not at the Silvermoon Pack House last night?" she asked again, her brow furrowing.

Swallowing the storm of emotions raging inside me, I slowly turned around to face her. I opened my mouth to speak, but before a single word could escape, the kitchen door swung open. Two beta she-wolves walked in to collect the breakfast platters for Helena, Cindy, and Wendy.

My breath hitched when I saw who was walking in right behind them.

It was Helena.

She stepped into the cramped kitchen, her razor-sharp gaze locking onto me instantly. She swept her eyes over the messy countertops before training her critical, judging stare right back at my face.

"You haven't even started cooking for my daughters yet?" she asked, her eyebrow arching high.

Panic flared in my chest, making my heart race all over again. "I-I'm just getting everything ready, Helena—"

"That wasn't my question," she cut me off, her voice dropping to a freezing register. "A simple yes or no is all I asked for, and yet you're struggling to give it? Or are you just getting lazy with your maid duties? Why? Because you got to step foot inside the Silvermoon Pack House last night? Are you suddenly too proud to do your job?"

I gasped softly at the sheer malice in her accusation. "I’m not being proud, Helena—"

"Not being proud? Ha!" She let out a dry, mocking laugh, taking a slow step toward me. "Don't treat me like an idiot, Anna. You wouldn't have even smelled the air inside that pack house if it weren't for me. You should be down on your knees thanking me that a weak, pathetic omega like you was even allowed to cross their threshold. Just look at yourself..."

She dragged her eyes down my body, from head to toe, with absolute disgust. 

"You're filthy. You don't belong in decent places. I am certain that no respectable, strong wolf would ever accept a creature like you."

I lowered my head, unable to speak, unable to defend myself. That familiar, crushing ache bloomed in my chest once more, tearing through me like a physical blade. I bit my lower lip hard, fighting back the hot tears that threatened to spill over.

I would never understand why Helena took so much pleasure in cutting me down with such cruel words, when all I had ever wanted—all I had ever begged the heavens for—was to be loved by her as a daughter.

But maybe she was right. Maybe no one would ever want me.

Not even my own mate.

She turned on her heel and walked out, leaving me alone with the sting of her cruel words echoing in the small kitchen.

"Prepare the food for my daughters. And if their meals aren't delivered to the mansion on time, you're not going to like what I do to you," she threatened coldly before disappearing through the doorway, leaving the four of us in tense silence.

For a few agonizing seconds, no one spoke. Helena's venomous words still rang in my ears, refusing to fade. I could handle the sneers and petty insults from Cindy and Wendy — I had endured those for years. But hearing such venom come from Helena, the woman who was supposed to be my mother, carved a far deeper wound.

I quickly wiped away the tear that had escaped down my cheek before anyone could notice. I refused to look at the three beta she-wolves still standing in the kitchen, Josie included. They all knew how Helena treated me in this house. There was no need to explain or justify anything.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Josie stepping forward, her face etched with concern. She opened her mouth, ready to offer me some form of comfort, but I immediately broke eye contact. I couldn't accept her pity — not now, not in front of the others.

I turned to the sink and turned on the faucet, scrubbing my hands under the cold water to give myself something to focus on.

"C-Could you wait here while I prepare the food for them?" I asked without turning around, keeping my voice as steady as possible.

When I finally faced them, they all nodded in silence. I offered a small, hollow smile and immediately set to work. Within minutes, the trays were ready, and the three betas carried the plates out toward the mansion.

The moment the kitchen door swung shut and I was finally alone, my legs gave out. I gripped the edge of the wooden table to keep myself upright as a sudden, unfamiliar ache throbbed between my thighs.

I had almost forgotten.

Alpha Lucian had taken my virginity last night.

I squeezed my eyes shut as the soreness reminded me of every detail — his hands, his mouth, the way he had claimed me over and over beneath the moonlight. I hadn't expected it to hurt this much afterward.

But despite the ache, a faint, involuntary smile crept across my lips at the memory of his voice — low, ragged, and breathless — whispering my name over and over again like a prayer.

I buried my face in both hands, my cheeks burning furiously.

Oh my god, Anna. Stop thinking about it.