1. Class Of 2023.

CHLOE.

Have you ever heard of the words ‘karma is a bitch? Oh boy, she really is, and believe me, you don’t want to be on the receiving end.

Ok, first things first, I believe an introduction is in order, right? Right. My name is Princess Chloe Tennyson, the most beautiful fair maiden in the pack. My father is the Alpha of Winter pack and even being wolfless at 18, I still get all the spoils a teenager could ever dream of. Until one day, everything changed.

Remember that karma I told you about? Well, it was about to visit me on the most unwanted day ever… Brace yourselves.

***

24 hours earlier…

“Congratulations, class of 2023, you are officially graduates,” our lecturer announced.

Everyone in my class cheered like wild animals, except me. Because again, everyone in my class had their wolves, except me.

“Yay!” They shouted merrily, throwing their caps in the air. The lecturer walked out of the noisy class and I took out my powder compact to check if my face was still as flawless as I had left home six hours ago.

“Hey, Chloe, can I come over to your party today?” Someone asked, spitting on my arm.

I put my powder compact back in my expensive purse and glared at the person who had spat on me. It was none other than Rebecca, the class geek. She was smiling so wide, her braces were on full display.

I sighed softly with a forced smile while wiping my arm off her white skirt. “Of course, you can’t. This party is for the elite, not geeks,” I replied haughtily.

I heard a snicker in the background. “What a snob… if she were an elite, wouldn't she have had her wolf by now,” a voice mocked from behind where I was sitting.

A group of girls laughed and I clenched my fists at their stupid mockery. Yes, I knew I didn’t have a wolf yet, but that didn’t give the mean girls the right to mock me.

I turned around and glared at them. “Shut up, Jess, or else you won’t be allowed in my party,” I spat coldly. Her friends stepped away from her.

“We’re sorry, Chloe, we didn’t say anything,” they defended themselves.

Jess forced a smile. “I’m sorry, Princess Chloe,” she said sarcastically.

"You better be,"

I smirked at my frenemy since childhood and got up from my seat. I gracefully walked out of the class because there was no way I was to sit there and exchange words with Jess, a low rank beta's daughter.

I strutted down the hallway of my school, feeling proud as usual as I turned heads. I was Princess Chloe Tennyson, the most popular, beautiful, and rich girl in the whole school. I didn't care what the others thought of me, even though I could sense their envy, fear, and resentment. They were just jealous of my status, my looks, and my boyfriend.

Speaking of my boyfriend, I spotted him leaning against his locker, looking as handsome as ever in his red and white Capitan football jersey.

This was none other than Jake Carter, the star quarterback and the hottest guy in school.

He had his wolf at 16 so he looked bigger and buffer than the late bloomers, like me. Well, not exactly like me but you get what I mean.

Shifting was the final step to confirm our mate bond, but I was still stuck in my human form even after turning 18 six months ago, the normal age for shifting. My wolf stayed silent and hidden.

My father, the Alpha, asked the Oracle and the pack doctors for answers, but they couldn’t explain why I hadn’t bloomed yet.

I didn’t let that bother me, though. I trusted my wolf, and I knew she would be the most powerful and beautiful one when she finally came out...

I walked over to Jake and tiptoed to give him a quick kiss on the lips making sure I didn't smudge my lipstick. I marked my territory.

I saw some girls drooling over him, and I glared at them. They quickly looked away, knowing better than to mess with me. Jake wrapped his heavy arm around me and kissed me back. He smiled, but I could tell it was forced. He seemed distracted and distant lately. I wondered what was wrong with him.

"Hey, babe, you look amazing today," he said, trying to sound cheerful.

"Thanks, you too," I said, batting my eyelashes. "I can't wait to tell my dad that I want to marry you now that we are done with school."

His smile faltered. "Uh, yeah, about that..."

"What?" I asked, sensing something was off.

He cleared his throat. "Maybe we should talk about this later, okay? It's not a good time right now."

I frowned. "What do you mean, it's not a good time? It's the perfect time. We have graduated, and we're meant to be together. Don't you love me?"

"Of course, I love you, Chloe. It's just... complicated."

I furrowed my brows wondering where he was going with all this. "What's so complicated about it? we're both from the same pack, and we're both rich and gorgeous. We're a perfect match."

He sighed looking at the onlookers in the busy corridors of our school. "Chloe, you don't understand. There are things you don't know, things I can't tell you right now."

I crossed my arms stepping back from him. "Like what?"

He looked around nervously. "Not here, Chloe. Please, let's just drop it for now. We'll talk later, I promise."

I huffed looking over my shoulder and noticing that everyone was staring at us. "Fine. But you better have a good explanation, Jake. Because I'm not going to let anything or anyone come between us. You're mine, and I'm yours. Forever."

He nodded with a tight-lipped smile. "Ya, forever."

He didn't sound very convincing, but I decided to let it go for now. I had more important things to worry about, like the graduation ball I was hosting at my mansion tonight. It was going to be the biggest and best party ever, and everyone who was anyone was invited. Well, almost everyone. I made sure to exclude some people who didn't deserve to be there, like that nerdy girl who always sat in the front row of class, that geeky boy who always helped the teachers with their computers, or that weird girl who always wore black and had a pet snake. They were losers, and they didn't belong in my world.

Jake and I got into his red sleek sports car and drove to my mansion a few meters from the school.

The drive was quiet and short, and when we arrived home, it was busy with servants decorating the place for the splendid evening to come.

"I will see you later," I gave Jake a quick kiss on the lips and waved goodbye to him.

He hummed softly in response.

I got out of his car and sprinted upstairs to my room, where I had a team of stylists waiting for me. They were going to make me look even more stunning than usual, with the perfect dress, shoes, jewelry, hair, and makeup. I was going to be the queen of the ball, and Jake was going to be my king. And then, I was going to tell my dad, the Alpha, that I wanted to marry Jake. And he was going to agree because he loved me and wanted me to be happy. And then, Jake and I were going to live happily ever after like in the fairytales.

That was the plan, anyway. I sighed softly, daydreaming about my perfect future as I got dolled up.