HOPE

CHAPTER ONE : HOPE

Evelyn’s POV

They say the Moon Goddess makes no mistakes, and that every wolf is shaped with purpose, crafted carefully for the mate destined to find them.

If that was true… then what was I?

I stared at my reflection in the old mirror nailed loosely to the wall. The glass was cracked along the edges, shaping parts of my face into something unfamiliar, but even without the weird look of the mirror, I knew what I looked like.

I looked soft, or rather too soft.

My cheeks were rounder than they should be, my arms thicker than the other girls in the pack. My waist didn’t curve the way theirs did. Nothing about me fit the image Shadowfang Pack admired.

In our world, beauty wasn’t just preference, it was the key to being admired by males, and I was at the bottom of it.

I pressed my lips together, forcing myself to hold my own gaze.

“Why do you even bother looking?” a sharp voice cut through the silence.

I didn’t turn, I didn’t even need to.

My Aunt Agnes stood by the doorway, arms folded tightly across her chest, her thin lips curled in amusement. Her eyes swept over me slowly and deliberately, as if she was reminding herself of everything she disliked.

“You stare at yourself like something is going to change,” she continued. “It won’t.”

I lowered my gaze.

“I know,” I murmured.

She clicked her tongue. “At least you’re not thinking you’ll get a male chasing after you with a figure like that.”

Before I could respond, the front door burst open.

“Evelyn!”

Nora’s voice rang through the small house. She was bright and full of life, so much different from the heavy air I was used to breathing.

She rushed in, her eyes glowing with excitement. Her dark hair bounced repeatedly as she moved, her entire presence radiating energy.

“You won’t believe what I just heard!”

Aunt Agnes sighed loudly. “If it’s another useless rumor Nora!”

“It’s not,” Nora cut in, barely stealing her a glance. “The Alpha is hosting a mating ball! Isn’t that great?”

The words landed like a stone in still water.

A mating ball?

For a moment, no one spoke, then aunt Agnes laughed.

It was not a soft chuckle, not even a mild amusement.

It was a full, harsh, mocking laugh that filled the room.

“A mating ball?” she repeated, wiping a fake tear from her eye. “Oh, this is indeed news.”

Nora frowned. “What’s so funny?”

Aunt Agnes gestured toward me. “You think she’s going?”

My chest tightened.

Nora stepped forward slightly. “Everyone unmated is invited.”

“Yes,” aunt Agnes said smoothly. “But invitations don’t change reality my dear.”

Her gaze locked onto me again, colder this time.

“The only reason Evelyn would ever step foot in the packhouse is to scrub floors or wash clothes like the omegas.”

Each word hit exactly where it was meant to.

I swallowed hard, forcing her words down.

I had heard worse, far worse than this. Still… something inside me shifted like a quiet ache.

A question I didn’t usually allow myself to ask.

What if… just this once…I find a mate?

“No,” Nora said firmly. “She’s going.”

Aunt Agnes raised a brow. “Is she? Did she tell you that?”

Silence fell between us.

Both of them turned to look at me, both expecting different answers. Aunt Agnes wanted me to give up, but Nora was expecting the opposite.

My heart began to pound.

I knew what I should say. I should refuse, avoid the humiliation, and protect what little dignity I had left.

But instead, I decided to go.

“I’ll go.” The words left my mouth before I could even stop them.

The room suddenly went still.

Nora’s eyes widened slightly, then softened into something warm.

Aunt Agnes, however, looked… delighted. I wasn’t sure if I should be happy or not.

“Oh, please do,” she said, her smile sharp as a blade. “I would prefer for the pack to see just how desperate you are.”

I flinched, but that didn’t take her words back.

I might look desperate, but for someone who had never attended a ball for once…I wanted to see it for myself.

Even if it broke me.

***************

The rest of the day passed in a blur.

Nora stayed with me, helping me pick out something….anything, I could wear. My options were limited. Most of my clothes were worn out from years of use. They were faded and stretched.

We finally settled for a simple dress.

It wasn’t elegant, Or even eye-catching, but it was clean.

And it fitted well.

“That’s all that matters,” Nora said gently when she noticed the hesitation in my eyes.

I nodded, even though I knew it wasn’t true. In Shadowfang Pack, almost everything mattered.

By the time evening came, my hands wouldn’t stop shaking.

I sat in front of the mirror again, the same one from earlier, but this time it felt worse because now, there was something to compare myself to.

I had seen the other girls preparing.

They had passed with their their beautiful dresses, and confidence written on their faces.

I envied the way they laughed without fear of being judged, or scolded.

I lifted my hand, brushing my fingers lightly over my cheek.

“Why couldn’t I just be… normal?” I whispered to myself.

My reflection didn’t answer.

A tear slipped down my cheeks before I could stop it. Before I knew it, more tears streamed down my face, making me shudder as I tried to hold back.

“I know,” I said softly to myself, my voice breaking. “I know I’m not enough. I’ll never be.”

The words hurt more when I said them out loud.

But they were true weren’t they?

Still… I wiped my face quickly because even if I wasn’t enough, I wanted to try.

Just once.

**********

When we arrived at the packhouse, it was already glowing with life.

Lights illuminated the massive building, with music spilling out into the night. Wolves gathered at the entrance, laughing, chatting, pure excitement buzzing in the air.

I hesitated.

“Evelyn,” Nora said gently, taking my hand. “You’re okay?”

I nodded, even though my chest felt tight.

We stepped inside, and just like that, everything changed.

The warmth I had seen outside disappeared, and was replaced by stares, whispers, and clouds of judgment.

I could feel it immediately. It was like I was stepping into cold water.

“Is that…?” A blonde girl chuckled.

“She actually came?” Said another.

“Does she not have any shame?” The first said.

My ears burned, my body felt too heavy, too visible, and too wrong.

I kept my eyes down, focusing on each step I took. I was not used to walking elegantly, because it felt terrible whenever my thighs rubbed together.

I wanted to try, so I kept one foot in front of the other, trying not to react, cry, or let them see my vulnerability.

Nora guided me toward a quieter corner, her grip steady on my skin.

“Ignore them,” she murmured.

I nodded again, but ignoring them didn’t make the voices stop.

Across the room, I watched as wolves began to pair off. Some had met their mates before we arrived, and some gasped in surprise as they found their mates that moment. I sighed as they rushed toward the center, eager to dance, and to celebrate.

It looked so… easy, and so natural. It was almost like breathing.

And I?

I just stood there watching and waiting for something I already knew wouldn’t come.

Still, a tiny part of me hoped. Even if it was foolish and pointless to think I’d have a mate.

I believed that maybe….Just maybe, someone might look at me differently tonight.

That hope shattered the moment I heard laughter broke out behind me.

I froze.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

I turned slightly, and a group of girls stood nearby, their dresses flowing, their figures showing everything I wasn’t.

They weren’t even trying to whisper.

“She really thought she had a chance?” One scoffed.

“Look at her.” Another laughed.

“I’d be embarrassed just standing here.”

My throat tightened.

Nora stepped forward, her voice sharp. “That’s enough.”

They rolled their eyes.

“Relax,” one of them said. “We’re just being honest.”

I looked away again because reacting would only make it worse, and I had already given them enough to jeer at me.

Then, there was sudden silence. It spread through the room like a ripple.

Conversations stopped, music softened, and every head turned toward the grand staircase.

I followed their gaze, and saw him.

Alpha Raphael.

He stood at the top, tall and commanding, his presence filling the entire space without effort.

He didn’t smile, and didn’t wave back.

He simply stood there, and everyone noticed.

Alpha Raphael was… breathtaking In a way that didn’t feel safe.

There was something dark about him, something sharp, unpredictable, and dangerous.

I quickly looked away, my heart racing.

Someone like him would never look at me twice.

But then, a strange feeling crept up my spine like I was being watched.

Slowly and hesitantly…I lifted my eyes again and met his locked on me.

Everything inside me stopped functioning properly!

His gaze was locked onto mine, not passing over, not scanning the room, but directly locked onto mine.

My breath caught.

No. That wasn’t possible. Why was he looking at me? Had he noticed the fat, ugly girl in the crowd?

Panic surged through me, and I immediately looked away, my face burning.

“Don’t look, don’t draw attention.” I whispered to myself.

But it was too late, because the next sound wasn’t whispers, It was gasps.

The crowd sounded shocked and confused.

I barely had time to react before something landed in front of me, hard and fast.

I flinched, stumbling back slightly and when I looked up, he was there.

Alpha Raphael was standing in front of me.