CHAPTER 1

KRISTINA'S POV

 

Tormented. Humiliated. Anguished.

 

My heart, which beats every second, wasn’t enough to make me feel alive. For the 18 years of my existence, I have been continuously ridiculed—no one believed that I had a wolf within me. They said that those who grew up in Wysteria Hope Orphanage were failures because they weren’t favored by the Moon Goddess, Serina.

 

No one from the orphanage dared to fight for me. The only person who did was my childhood friend—my one and only crush—Laurence Alfaro, the son of the Crimson Snow Pack’s Alpha.

 

We’ve always been together, and because of his constant appearance whenever I’m in trouble, I believed that Laurence actually felt the same way towards me. I’m not yet brave enough to confess my love for him. Even my wolf, Tina, was pushing me to confess. No matter if I got rejected by him or not, it would all be alright, or so she said.

 

"What are you spacing out for?" Laurence spoke, which disrupted my thoughts.

 

I shook my head at the same time that a small smile formed on my lips. "Nothing much. Just the days when you used to save me from those orphans who bullied me day and night," I replied.

 

A chuckle that escaped from Laurence was soothing to my ears. "That was over a year ago already," he commented. "Ah, I just remembered something important that I had to do today…"

 

I turned around to my left side to face him, only to be fascinated by how he looked. He wasn’t that tall when compared to me; it’s his muscular build that never fails to make me blush. Even his simple-styled black hair was tempting me to keep playing with every strand. I would definitely recognize Laurence, even if he were standing alongside a crowd of over a thousand.

 

"What is it? Is the Alpha summoning you?" I asked in pure curiosity, seeing how worried his eyes were.

 

Alpha Alfaro used to be superior to everyone else, but not until his health started to deteriorate. The cause of his sudden sickness was still foreign to us; even his own son doesn't have any idea how to cure him.

 

And the best thing that he could do for his father was to be there for him whenever the Alpha asked for him.

 

Laurence nodded his head once. "Yes. Sorry, but I think I can't accompany you any further," he answered me, then left without waiting for my response.

 

A minute after I strolled my way back to our pack house, where Laurence took me in, a rummaging noise outside kept me alert. It was like a couple of troops were out there, lurking and waiting for the perfect timing to launch their attack on us.

 

In an attempt to perform a mind-link with Laurence, I was sent flying through midair after such a strong force kicked me from behind.

 

I kneeled to the ground as I forced myself to stand back up with both of my fists clenched. "What do you want now, Violet?" I spit blood, which I instantly wiped off.

 

Violet was one of the orphans. She obviously seemed stronger than I was, considering how thick her biceps were. Her name matched her hair color.

 

"I won't forgive you even if the entire Wysteria crumbles. I'll never forget how you got out of the orphanage and left with a smirk on your ugly face," Violet agitatedly said in between her deep breaths. "Why would a woman with a useless wolf live in this pack house? Don't you feel ashamed of yourself? That you're bringing the whole pack's image into ruins?" she consecutively asked.

 

I scoffed when I heard the reason she barged in here. "You risked your life to tell me that?" I laughed, then got in touch with Laurence with our mind-link.

 

Laurence's footsteps were getting near, so I took the chance to let Violet hurt me physically as much as she desired. I'm certain that he won't simply slap her to have revenge in my stead—he'd probably torture her for the rest of her life.

 

I could sense how swollen my face was at the moment. Violet's knuckles and palms kept smashing my cheeks, making them numb to their pain.

 

"Stop smiling, Kristina!" She smacked my stomach.

 

And just on cue, Laurence made his entrance after coming out of the elevator. His eyes were showing how much bloodlust he had stored for Violet.

 

"You… You never learn, don't you?" Laurence muttered as he slowly came to her spot.

 

I anticipated a lengthy conversation between them, but it turned out that Laurence had no time for some petty talk. He grabbed Violet's hair backwards with all his might, which led her to cry.

 

"Your voice is irritating; should I slit your throat?"

 

"Why are you trying so hard to protect Kristina when she's not even your mate?" Violet raised her voice, as she was still resisting his grip.

 

I noticed a slight change in Laurence's hand that almost released her. Though it wasn't that long, he threw her away from our sight, literally. He closed the doors before he went back to my side.

 

"Are you alright, Kristina?" He gently caressed my head, thinking that I might get hurt if he touched my face in this condition. "That damn woman…"

 

"Do you also think that we're not fated mates, Laurence?" A query that I didn't intentionally want to ask him just slipped through my mouth. "A-ah, you don't have to answer if you're uncomfo—"

 

"Of course," he coldly replied with a straight face, which made me feel like hot water had just splashed me from head to toe.

 

I've never seen Laurence get this serious.

 

"But we've been together for years! Even if we're not fated mates, can't you just have me as your chosen mate?"

 

Laurence heaved out a loud sigh. "I don't have any time for this, Kristina. I've already got enough on my plates; I can't bother searching for my mate or whoever."

 

The way Laurence responded made my heart sink, realizing how uninterested he was. Nevertheless, it would be best to divert his attention to another topic before he gets suspicious of my statements.

 

"Forget it. Is the Alpha doing well?"

 

Laurence switched back to his usual appearance with a vexed expression that was hungry for vengeance as he shrugged his shoulders. "He wanted me to replace him as the new Alpha." His voice trembled as he gulped in fear.