Chapter- 1

Chloe’s POV

“I don’t think we are going to find our mate in that ball,” I say to my wolf Jina as she’s urging me to wear that one dress I don’t want to put on tonight.

“It’s the only decent dress you have, Chloe,” Jina yells.

I snarled and picked up that red gown my parents bought for me on my eighteenth birthday. Today is my nineteenth birthday but my parents aren’t with me. It’s too much for me to think about that.

Whenever I see this dress, I am always reminded of the bloodied corpse of my parents. I still couldn’t come out of the trauma or the fact I am an orphan now. This was their last gift and I avoided even looking at it, yet I don’t have the heart to throw it away. I am cherishing it with the other few things I took from my home before joining the Dark woods pack as a refugee.

I still remember the day my pack who lived in the north was attacked by Silver fangs pack a month before. They were basically rogues who hunted the weaker pack to take their supplies and prove their strength. Their Alpha wanted everyone to fear him so he did those horrible things to his race.

It happens a lot in the north, it is considered one of the coldest places on the earth, and the winter would last forever. There was always a scarcity of supplies and they often fight each other for that. Since my family was quite wealthy, I lived peacefully until the rogues attacked our home. They slaughtered my parents and took all of our valuables. My father locked me in the basement of our house and saved me on that day. I still can’t forgive myself for letting them die and I am being the sole survivor.

Jina would encourage me to move on but in the back of our heads, we knew that we had lost the important people of our life. I often think there’s no reason to live anymore but Jina said that we will soon find our mate and we have to wait for him. But I think he’s died in the hands of those rogues. There’s no way I am going to find my mate in this entirely new pack.

“You’re going to look beautiful in this dress,” she said while I kept staring at the long-sleeved, half-shoulder red dress.

“Listen to me and put this on,” Jina calmly advised. I always listen to my silver wolf. My father told me that we are the rare breed blessed by the moon goddess. We are destined to become Luna. I often avoid shifting because silver wolves weren’t welcomed in most of the packs.

Jina has always said the right things to me, even when I was sad and scared, she’s there to guide me. So tonight I don’t have a choice but to listen to her, hoping there’s a reason for her excitement.

I wore the dress, it looked good on my petite frame. When I am looking at myself in the mirror. Jina said, “Cheer up, it’s our birthday, Chloe. I haven’t seen you smile genuinely in a long time,”

“How can I smile? I never pass a day without thinking about my mom and dad,”

My sadness greatly affected Jina too, she turned silent after that.

When I was struggling to pull the zipper, my best friend Lily entered my room.

“You didn’t lock the door, what if someone else barges in?” she asks, seeing my state.

“I forgot. Can you please help me?”

“Of course, I came at the right time,” she smiled and pulled the zipper.

We both looked at our reflection in the mirror. I am petite, curvy with long black hair. Lily is tall, lean, and has reddish-brown hair. She’s so popular in our pack for her good looks but she always says I am the prettiest.

“You look beautiful,” she said.

“You too, I hope you will find your mate at the ball as you wished,”

“I don’t know, but my wolf is so eager,”

I smile. Lily and I were best friends for most of our lives, we both trained together. She grew up in my house and she was with me in the basement when my parents were killed.

Unlike me, her parents have died earlier in illness, since it happened years before, she somehow managed to come out of the grief and stay hopeful for her future but I couldn’t be like her.

Lily is the only person I have to call as a family, and friend and listen to all my problems. I am the only person she has to hold on to. I proudly say that we are best friends for life.

“What will you do if you meet your mate?”

I smiled at her question.

“I am still wondering whether I should go to the ball,” I say. Jina snarled.

“We have to, Chloe. Gamma said all the refugees must attend this ball. It’s our Alpha’s order. We have to show our gratitude by going there,”

“Yeah, yeah,” I nodded.

“It's a way to get to know these new people who generously took us in, don’t you think,”

“You’re right,”

The Dark Woods pack had a friendly alliance with our pack. After knowing that they were attacked by the rogues, they asked the remaining survivors to join their pack. Lily and I traveled hundreds of miles to come here. Compared to the north, this place is so much different. I could see sunshine and the moon in the clear blue sky.

Today is a full moon day so they have organized a ball for matchmaking.

“Chloe, I need to tell you something. We both were deeply affected by what happened to your parents. I want revenge as much as you want. The only way we got is to blend into this community and ask for their help. They all seem like good people and I think they will help us,” she advised and I considered that.

“She’s right,” Jina says to me. If she says, then it would be true.

I walked with Lily and with many others heading towards the hall, wearing the best outfits they had in their wardrobe.

I looked simple but the girls of my age all looked bright and happy there.

“Look at these beautiful decorations, we have never seen such an extravagance in the north, have we?” Lily asks.

“Yes,” I agreed. The hall is lit with candles and red ribbons. The grant chandelier at the top got everyone’s attention when they entered the place.

“God, I love this place,” Lily smiles and I felt different, some sort of relief after a long time.

“I think we are going to find our mate here,” Jina announces.

“What?” I shriek, “No way,”

“Have you forgotten, we are blessed by the Moon Goddess. She won’t give up on us. I strongly feel something is going to happen tonight,”

My eyes widened. If she says, then I had to be prepared for that.