Alan's Birthday

Chapter One

Hazel’s POV

Today is Alan’s birthday.

The future Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack.

Every member of the pack had gathered inside the Alpha Mansion to celebrate him. The grand hall was brighter than I had ever seen it. Crystal chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, expensive flowers decorated every corner, and the sound of music mixed with laughter as people enjoyed the feast.

Everyone was here to celebrate, except me, I wasn’t one of the honored guests, I was one of the maids.

As an omega, serving the higher ranks was what we were expected to do. We prepared the food, poured the drinks, cleaned the tables, and stood quietly in the background while everyone else laughed and enjoyed themselves.

No one noticed us unless they wanted something.

I balanced a silver tray in my hands and walked carefully through the crowd, stopping whenever someone stretched out an empty glass.

“More wine.”

“Bring another bottle.”

“Clean this table.”

The orders never stopped. My feet were already aching, but I forced a smile and obeyed every command. Complaining was never an option for someone like me.

As I turned to refill another glass, my eyes landed on the stage.

Alan, standing beside him was Violet, my stepsister.

She smiled as she poured wine into Alan’s glass. He smiled back at her with so much warmth that my chest tightened. The two of them looked perfect together, at least that was what everyone believed.

That should have been me, not because I wanted to become the future Luna.

Because years ago, I was the one who saved Alan’s life.

Years ago, Alan was trapped inside a burning house. Without thinking about the danger, I ran into the flames and pulled him out. I was the one who was burned while trying to save him but my father never allowed anyone to know the truth.

My father, Richard, is the Gamma of the Silver Moon Pack. He is one of the Alpha’s most trusted warriors. When my mother died from illness, I was only three years old. A year later, he married another woman, and not long after, Violet was born.

From that day, everything changed.

The father who once loved me slowly became a stranger.

His new wife filled his ears with lies, and little by little, he stopped seeing me as his daughter. Violet became the child he was proud of, while I became the child who could never do anything right.

When my wolf awakened as a weak omega instead of the strong wolf everyone expected from the Gamma’s first daughter, my father’s disappointment only grew.

Then came the fire.

Instead of letting me receive the credit for saving Alan, my father forced me to remain silent. He made Violet take the credit and warned me that if I told anyone the truth, he would throw me out of the house.

II had nowhere else to go, so I stayed silent.

That one lie changed all our lives.

Alan believed Violet had saved him. He trusted her because he believed she had risked her life for him. As the years passed, that trust slowly turned into love, and almost a year ago, they became a couple.

I wanted to tell Alan the truth more times than I could count but every time I gathered the courage, I remembered my father’s warning.

After keeping the secret for so many years, I no longer knew how to tell the truth without sounding like a jealous woman trying to steal her own stepsister’s boyfriend.

Now it was too late.

Alan loved Violet. And to him…

I was only an omega servant carrying drinks through the crowd.

I balanced a silver tray in my hands and walked carefully through the crowd, stopping whenever someone stretched out an empty glass.

“More wine.”“Bring another bottle.” “Clean this table.”

The orders never stopped. My feet were already aching, but I forced a smile and obeyed every command. Complaining was never an option for someone like me.

As I turned around to refill another glass, my eyes landed on him, Alan.

My heart betrayed me, just as it always did.

He stood in the middle of the room wearing a black suit that made him look every bit like the future Alpha he was born to become. He smiled as elders blessed him, and every young wolf in the room admired him.

I had admired him for much longer than any of them, I had loved him since we were children.

Back then, I believed that one day he would notice me.

I was foolish, very foolish.

Standing beside him was my stepsister, Violet.

She looked beautiful in her expensive dress as she laughed at everything Alan said. She reached up and fixed his collar before he smiled at her with so much warmth that my chest tightened.

The next moment, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

The people around them clapped and cheered.

Some of the women even smiled as they talked about how perfect they looked together.

I lowered my head immediately and pretended to arrange the glasses on my tray.

No one noticed the pain on my face, no one noticed how hard I was trying not to cry.

Alan had been dating Violet for almost a year.

Everyone believed she was the girl who had saved his life when they were children.

Everyone praised her bravery, everyone admired her, only I knew the truth.

The memory still lived inside me like a wound that refused to heal.

It wasn’t Violet who had run into the burning house that day.

It was me. I was the one who dragged Alan out of the flames, I was the one who carried the scars.

But before anyone could learn the truth, my father forced me to remain silent and handed all the praise to his precious stepdaughter, if I didn’t obey, he would sent me out of his house.

Since then, Alan had looked at Violet with gratitude.

And at me… He barely knew I existed.

“Hazel!”

The sharp voice snapped me back to reality. I quickly looked up.

The head maid frowned at me with folded arms. “What are you standing there for? The guests need more drinks.”

“I’m sorry,” I said softly before hurrying away.

I spent the next few hours moving from one table to another without stopping. By the time the celebration was beginning to quiet down, every part of my body felt exhausted.

When the last tray was returned to the kitchen, I quietly slipped away before anyone could give me another task.

I climbed the stairs to one of the empty guest rooms and gently closed the door behind me.

The silence inside the room was a welcome relief. I leaned against the door, closed my eyes, and finally allowed the tears I had been holding back to fall.

“No matter how much I try,” I whispered to myself, “I still can’t stop loving you.”

I quickly wiped my face. There was no point crying over someone who would never look at me the way he looked at Violet.

Just as I was trying to calm myself, someone knocked on the door.

I frowned. Who could it be at this hour?

Before I could answer, the doorknob slowly turned.

The door slowly opened before I could reach it.

I straightened immediately, quickly wiping the remaining tears from my face. “Master Alan?”

The words slipped out before I could stop them.

He stood at the entrance with one hand resting against the doorframe. His tie had been loosened, the top buttons of his shirt were undone, and his hair, which was always perfectly neat, had become messy. The strong smell of alcohol filled the room the moment he stepped inside.

His eyes looked unfocused, he wasn’t looking at me, he was looking through me.

He took another unsteady step into the room before stumbling slightly.

My heart skipped a beat. “Master Alan,” I said again, keeping my voice calm. “This is the wrong room.”

He slowly turned his head toward me. For a few seconds, he simply stared without saying anything, as though he was trying very hard to recognize my face.

“The… wrong room?” he repeated, his words slurred.

“Yes,” I answered gently. “Your room is downstairs. Let me call someone to take you there.”

I started walking toward the door, but before I could reach it, he leaned against the wall and let out a quiet laugh.

“They’re all so… loud.”

I stopped and looked back at him. The cheerful Alpha heir everyone had been celebrating a few minutes ago was gone.

Standing before me was a tired young man who looked like he wanted nothing more than a moment of peace.

“You should rest,” I said softly.

“I know”

His answer came almost as a whisper.

“But if I go back…” He rubbed his forehead. “They’ll keep talking… keep pouring drinks… keep asking questions.”

I didn’t know what to say. This was the closest I had ever been to him. For years, I had dreamed of having a simple conversation with him, yet now that we were alone, my mind was completely blank.

He took another step, his balance failed him.

Without thinking, I rushed forward and caught his arm before he could fall.

His body was warm beneath my fingers. For a brief moment, neither of us moved, he slowly lifted his head.

His brows drew together. “…That scent.”

My heart almost stopped.

He inhaled slowly, as if trying to remember something that had been buried deep inside his mind.

That couldn’t be possible, he had never been close enough to notice my scent.

He closed his eyes and frowned, struggling to remember.

A few seconds later, he shook his head in frustration.

“I can’t…”

His body suddenly became heavy against mine.

I tightened my grip to keep him from falling.

“Master Alan,” I called softly. “Can you hear me?”

He didn’t answer, his breathing had become slow and even, and it seemed the alcohol had finally caught up with him.

I looked toward the door, wondering whether I should call for help, just then,Alan suddenly cupped my face with both hands before I could understand what was happening, his lips crashed against mine.

His lips pressed against mine without warning.

My eyes widened in shock. For a moment, I froze, unable to think or move. My heart pounded wildly against my chest as I stared at him.

No… this shouldn’t be happening.

He wasn’t himself. The alcohol had clouded his mind, and he probably didn’t even know who he was kissing.

I should push him away, I should stop this before it went any further.

Yet my body refused to listen. This was the man I had loved in silence for years, the man who had never truly seen me.

Even if this moment meant nothing to him, it felt like everything to me.

Before I could gather the courage to pull away, Alan slowly lifted me into his arms.

A soft gasp escaped my lips as he carried me toward the bed with surprising gentleness. His eyes remained half-closed, clouded by the alcohol, yet his hold on me never wavered.

That night changed everything.

By the time dawn broke, nothing between us would ever be the same again.