A HOPELESS LONGING

Chapter 1

 

Laura's POV

I had stolen a lingerie just to please my fated mate and I was just about to get caught.

The black lace burned against my palm, soft and expensive and stretchy. Something Sasha had abandoned because it was way too high for her.

My heart hammered so hard I could barely hear anything else as I shoved it deep into my apron pocket and slipped out of Sasha's room, my hand still clutching the stolen fabric through the thin material. But my legs almost failed me when I turned to the person behind me.

The head of the slaves stood in the hallway, her eyes fixed on me. "What's in your pocket, Laura?"

I opened my mouth to speak, to form some excuse, some lie that would make her look away and forget she'd seen anything at all.

What was I going to say? I would get caught and made fun of and then get kicked into the dungeon.

This wasn't how I imagined today to go.

 

A day Earlier…

 

I hadn't wanted to do this. Not again. But yet I had no choice. I moved into the dining room with a tray of food in my hand, ready to serve the pack member’s dinner.

Sasha sat at the head of the table with her friends, a cluster of girls who had tormented me since I was old enough to walk. Sasha was the Beta's daughter, which meant she could do whatever she wanted. And what she wanted was to make my life miserable.

I approached their table dropping the tray of food and immediately grabbed a pitcher of water, my hands shaking the way they always shook when I had to serve people like Sasha. She had a way of looking at me like I was something she'd scraped off her shoe.

As I moved closer, the girls at the table were chattering excitedly, their voices carrying across the dining hall.

"Tomorrow is the grand ball," Marcy said. "Ryan is going to choose his mate."

"Finally," Sasha said. "I've been waiting for this since I was a pup."

"Who do you think he'll pick?" another girl asked.

Sasha laughed. "Obviously me. Who else? I'm the Beta's daughter. I'm the strongest wolf in the pack. Ryan would be a fool to pick anyone else."

"He's so handsome," Marcy sighed. "And powerful. Can you imagine being his Luna?"

“But Did you hear? Alpha Ryder Volkov arrived this afternoon.” another one of the girls said.

“The Butcher of Moon River?” Marcy replied.

“Lower your voice! If he hears you calling him that, you’ll lose your tongue.” Sasha cautioned, gesturing her hands towards her mouth.

“Why would he come all the way to Silvercrest?”

“Tomorrow’s Grand Ball. Alpha Lionel invited all the neighboring Alphas.”Sasha said, digging her fork into her food.

I kept my head down as I listened and poured water into their cup, my heart aching with a familiar, hopeless longing. Alpha Ryder. Ryan's step uncle. The Alpha of Moon River Pack. The most fearless and ruthless alpha in the region. He was older, more powerful, and more dangerous than anyone else in the room, and yet even he felt untouchable, a figure from stories rather than someone I could ever imagine standing beside.

But then, I had a crush on Ryan too, though I knew it was stupid and impossible. Ryan was the Alpha in training, destined to lead Silvercrest one day. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with dark hair and a strong jaw.

He was just as cruel as the others, but he never treated me with the same contempt as Sasha and the girls. He treated me like a normal slave.

He had never called me fat once. It was impossible in reality, but it wasn't impossible to dream about it, about being in his arms as we danced to soft music under the moon light.

I knew the truth. I was a fat slave. No alpha would ever choose me. Ryan would pick someone like Sasha, someone powerful and beautiful and worthy of standing beside him. He would never look twice at someone like me.

But the thoughts just kept coming, those blue eyes and his string arms kept flooding my brain.

"Laura!" Sasha's voice cut through my daydream. "Look at what you've done! You clumsy bitch! My dress is ruined!"

I blinked, my face heating as I realized what had happened. My eyes dropped to the table, to the water spreading across the cloth and dripping onto the expensive carpet below.

I had been daydreaming, pouring water this entire time without even realizing it.

Sasha shrieked, jumping to her feet. "Clean it up! Now!"

I dropped to my knees and grabbed a rag from my apron, scrubbing at the stain on the carpet. My hands were shaking and my heart was pounding, but I kept scrubbing, hoping that if I worked fast enough, she might let this go.

"You didn't even answer me. Stand up!" Sasha ordered.

I froze. Slowly, I rose to my feet, my head bent low.

Sasha stepped closer, her eyes narrowed. "I asked you a question earlier. Who do you think Ryan is going to choose tomorrow?"

I swallowed hard. "I don't know, Miss."

"Guess," she snapped. "You must have an opinion. You were staring off into space like you were dreaming about him. I've seen the way you look at him, you know. A fat thing like you, you probably think you have a chance."

My heart dropped into my stomach. "Of course I don't—"

"Don't lie to me," she cut me off. "If you don't answer, I'll have you locked in the dungeon. You remember the dungeon, don't you?"

I shuddered because I remembered it well. It was cold and dark and filled with rats. They'd locked me in there for three days once when I was younger. I thought I was going to die.

"But if I answer," I said weakly, "then what?"

Sasha's smile grew. "Then I'll make sure whoever you don't pick will punish you for not saying their name. Simple, really. You choose your fate."

It was a trap. No matter what I said, she would hurt me. That was who Sasha was. Who she'd always been.

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. I was trapped, frozen and unable to think, my mind spinning with fear and desperation.

"You're being pathetic," Sasha said. "Answer me. Who will Ryan choose?"

"I really don't know…" I started, but before I could finish, Sasha lunged forward and grabbed a fistful of my hair, yanking my head back so hard I cried out in pain.

"You think you can ruin my dress and get away with it?" she snarled. "And then I ask you a question but you don't reply? You useless, slave. You can't even pour water without making a mess. You can't even answer a simple question."

Tears welled in my eyes as she pulled harder, my scalp burning. "Please, Miss. I'm sorry. Please let me go."

Sasha's grip tightened. "Maybe I'll cut this ugly hair off. Then no one will have to look at you."

"Let her go."

The voice came from behind me, deep and commanding. Sasha's grip loosened instantly, her whole demeanor shifting as she turned toward the newcomer.

"Ryan," she said, her voice suddenly sweet and simpering. "I didn't see you there. I was just dealing with the help. You know how clumsy they can be."

Ryan stepped forward, his eyes moving from Sasha to me, still on my knees with tears streaming down my face. "You should let her go."

Sasha's face tightened, but she released my hair and stepped back, her jaw clenched. "She spilled water all over me. My dress is ruined. She deserves to be punished."

"Don't throw such a tantrum," Ryan said, his voice cool, a small smile on his face. "You're the Beta's daughter. You're supposed to be composed. It's not a good look for you to be seen shrieking like a child over a bit of water."

Sasha's cheeks flushed with humiliation, but she didn't argue. She simply nodded, her eyes shooting daggers at me as she settled back into her seat.

Ryan turned to me then, his eyes meeting mine, and something strange happened. His hair seemed to glisten in the night light. Those hazel eyes of his seemed to look more piercing than usual.

My wolf, weak and broken as she was, raised her head and paced inside me, like she'd finally come alive. My heart pounded so hard I could barely breathe.

"That scent," he murmured, his voice coming out rough and low, his pupils dilating as he stared down at me. His wolf was watching me through his eyes.

I stood frozen, unable to move or speak, the words coming out of my mouth in a small whisper before I could stop myself.

"MATE.”