She's Mine To Claim

"You deserve to die bitch!"

Aurora sucked in a deep breath seconds before her tormentor plunged her head into the river. The freezing water knocked the breath out of her lungs and she struggled with the hand that held her, trying to pull her head up.

Her tormentor, Estella, held her firmly under the flowing river. The three other she-wolves behind her laughed at Aurora's feeble attempt to escape, but did nothing to try and save her.

After a while, Estella pulled Aurora out of the river and smacked her across the face. Aurora fell back, her chest heaving as she tried to draw in deep breaths. Her face and hair were wet and she shivered from the cold.

Estella moved closer to her and gripped her hair in a tight fist, making Aurora cry out. "This is just the beginning Rose. If you don't reject Alpha Bishop, I will do more than drown you. I'll kill you, and no one would ever find out."

Aurora said nothing in response. She merely gritted her teeth against the pain of Estella's grip on her hair.

"Who would care to find out?" Renee, one of the other she-wolves asked mockingly. "No one cares about a worthless wolfless omega."

"I know, right?" Kristine added, flipping her short hair over one shoulder. "The moon goddess must have meant it as a joke to pair an omega with the Alpha."

"Can't we just kill her now?" Destiny, the third she-wolf asked eagerly.

Her eyes burned with envy as she glared at Aurora. She had always dreamed of being Alpha Bishop's mate. But all her dreams were dashed when the news went round that Aurora was mated to him. A common worthless omega.

"I'll give her one last chance to reject the Alpha." Estella said finally, shoving Aurora away from her.

Aurora coughed softly and pushed the wet hair away from her eyes. Her emerald eyes glared up at Estella defiantly.

"The only way I'll reject the Alpha would be in your dreams." She whispered.

A split second after the words left her mouth, Estella backhanded her again, splitting her lip.

"Then you'll die Rose." Estella whispered back viciously. "You will die a miserable death, just like your parents did years ago."

That was a sore spot and tears brimmed in Aurora's eyes. She bit her lips to stop the tears, but they spilled down despite her effort.

Witnessing the damage she caused, Estella smiled smugly and stepped away.

"Let's go girls." She said to the girls behind her. "She's not worth our time."

The four girls laughed heartlessly before walking away, leaving Aurora alone in the forest.

Hours went by and Aurora lay curled up against a tree, sobbing softly until she fell asleep. By the time she opened her eyes, it was dark. The sun had set long ago and there was a crescent moon in the sky, leaving eerie shadows in the forest.

She groaned as she got up, her entire body aching badly. She had to get home as quickly as possible. Her step-aunt Lydia would be livid.

She had left the cottage at dawn to do the laundry at the river. But then, Estella and her friends had found her and things had gone out of hand.

She sighed tiredly as she stepped into the river and washed her face. What was the worst that could happen? Lydia would probably give her a beating and starve her that night.

She couldn't wait to move into the Alpha's home.

Grunting softly, she hefted the three linen baskets filled with beddings and towels, and balanced it on her head.

As she returned home, her thoughts strayed over to Alpha Bishop, her mate. She still couldn't believe her pure luck when she found out she was mated to him.

Growing up as an orphan had been terrible for her. Her step-aunt used every opportunity to abuse her, blaming her for the death of her parents.

Aurora had felt so fed up with everything that she once considered taking her life. Fortunately, her best friend Penelope had stopped her in time, encouraging her to endure until she turned eighteen and found her mate.

And she was glad she followed Penelope's advice. She still remembered the pull she felt at midnight, the moment she turned eighteen. The pull of the mate bond had been so strong and hard to resist.

And when she had followed that pull into the forest, she found Bishop waiting for her.

She remembered how her body had felt when he pulled her close and whispered one word.

"Mate."

It had been so magical.

But then, he suddenly turned and walked away from her without another word. Early the next day, one of the warriors came with a message from Alpha Bishop.

He wanted her to move into his home.

Another sigh escaped her and when she broke out of her reverie, she realized she was no longer in the forest. She was on the path that led to her home, the tiny cottage she would leave soon. Forever.

She was still lost in thoughts when the bushes at the side of the road ruffled suspiciously.

Aurora froze, her fingers gripping the baskets tight. Her emerald eyes glimmered in the dark, darting around wildly. She saw nothing, but the feeling of being watched settled on her and her heartbeat accelerated.

The bushes ruffled again and she screamed when a dark ferocious wolf suddenly lunged out and slammed into her.

She crashed to the ground, the baskets flying out of her hands and spilling the clothes on the dusty ground.

Her head struck a tree stump and for a moment, she thought she would pass out from the pain.

Struggling to open her eyes, she watched the dark wolf tower over her, eyes glowing eerie gold in the dark. It was larger than any wolf she had ever seen, and she knew instantly that this wasn't an ordinary werewolf.

It was a lycan.

And there were no lycans in Silver Dawn Pack. Where did this creature come from?

Aurora shut her eyes as the large wolf moved closer to her, its growls sounding like thunder. She could do nothing. She couldn't use the mind link yet. She had never shifted in her entire life, hence she knew she wouldn't be able to shift to protect herself.

Suddenly the wolf backed away, growling deep in its throat.

And Aurora watched in astonishment as it crouched and shifted.

The sound of bones snapping and reshaping filled the silent air and she drew in a deep breath when she saw him standing before her.

He was still clothed. Thick dark locks of curly hair framed his face, grazing the top of his brows. She couldn't see his face in the dark, but his eyes, those glowing golden eyes, stared at her intensely.

When he spoke, his voice flowed out like honey.

"Go home, little wolf. I don't like getting disturbed while hunting."

Before Aurora could think of something to say, he was gone. Like he had never been there.

...

It took a while for Aurora to get home, as she kept looking behind her to make sure she wasn't being followed.

Her mind wasn't at rest, and she just wanted to get home and forget about how terrified she had been a few minutes ago.

But there was something she couldn't just forget. The stranger's eyes, those eyes that seemed to stare into her soul.

The moment she got home, her step-aunt, Lydia pounced on her, demanding to know where she had been.

As the woman raised a whip to punish Aurora, a hard voice stopped her.

"Take your hands off her."

Both Aurora and Lydia were taken aback by the order.

And when Aurora turned around, she sucked in a sharp breath.

It was Alpha Bishop standing at the door of the cottage, his handsome face glaring at Lydia.

"Hello Rose. I'm taking you home with me. Now!"