Chapter One - Raina

I was in the middle of washing dishes from lunch when the high pitched squealing started. I rolled my eyes at the three daughters that belonged to the Alpha and Luna who were responsible for almost blowing my ear drums.

“Oh my Goddess, did you see him? He’s so handsome. I hope he’s my mate.” said Gretchen, the middle daughter who had just turned eighteen a few months ago and had been on the hunt for her mate the second she turned of age.

“If I wasn’t already happily mated, I would be trying to get him alone to have my way with him.” purred Olive, the eldest daughter whose mate would one day become Alpha of this pack since the current Alpha and Luna didn’t have any sons. While Olive was not nearly as obnoxious as Gretchen, her mate was a whole other story. Stephen had a wandering eye that unfortunately landed on me more times than I liked to admit.

The girls were giggling when the youngest daughter, Penelope, spoke up. “Or maybe Alpha Xander will turn out to be my mate when I turn eighteen in a couple years.”

I scoffed and tuned the girls out. They were too obsessed with boys and mates. I knew I was destined to meet mine one day but hoped it would happen later rather than sooner.

“We have to find him. You know he’s the key to us taking back the throne,” said my wolf, Weather. She’s known the name of our mate since we were born but it wasn’t until we turned eighteen that she started getting visions of his face and little tidbits of information about him. Of course, she withheld all she knew from me.

“I don’t understand why we need a mate in order to take what is rightfully ours,” I retorted while internally rolling my eyes at her.

“We need his pack.”

My eyes went wide. This is the first time she had ever given me the slightest hint into who our mate was.

“So… he’s an Alpha?”

Weather went silent after that, refusing to indulge me more. I wasn’t even surprised my mate was an Alpha considering I am to be Queen one day but the chances of ever meeting him while pretending to be an omega in the Silver Moon Pack were very slim. I guess I would just have to figure out everything on my own, which I was more than okay with.

Weather whimpered in my head at that thought and I couldn’t help but feel sad for her. I knew how much she wanted our mate but we needed to take care of ourselves first. I was afraid a mate would distract me from my goal.

Taking back the throne from Arrick.

Arrick was my fathers beta when he was King. My mother and father ruled the wolves for years and were damn good at it but everything changed once I was born. Unfortunately, I ended up being their demise.

“Oh Ray,” sang a feminine voice from behind me, breaking me from my depressive thoughts. I turned around to come face to face with Luna Christina. I bared my neck in submission, hating every second of it. “Once you are done with these dishes, please go to your room and freshen up to work the dinner service. We have a very important guest joining us for dinner this evening and I want everything to be perfect for him.”

“Yes Luna,” I spoke in my meek omega voice. Luna Christina was not a bad person and was quite beautiful with her honey blonde hair and light brown eyes but the way she raised her daughters to be complete brats irritated everyone who worked in the packhouse.

I dried my hands after placing the last dish in its spot before heading to the basement where us omegas lived. Thankfully, we all had our own rooms but shared a communal bathroom with each other. Looking in one of the mirrors above the sinks, I brushed my long black hair into a sleek ponytail. My ice blue eyes looked tired, surrounded by dark circles. It had been ten years since I had a decent night's sleep where I wasn’t plagued with nightmares.

Watching your parents get murdered right in front of you at the age of eight definitely took its toll.

After I was dressed in my simple black dress, I made my way upstairs to help the kitchen staff prepare dinner. They were cooking an assortment of dishes that would go on the finest china this pack had. I didn’t know who this Alpha Xander was but apparently he was important for them to go all out like this.

“Dinner should start soon Ray, can you take the champagne and start serving it to the guests before they sit down at the table?” asked Whitney, the head omega. She was a kind woman and has worked at the packhouse for over twenty years.

I nodded my head and took the silver platter from the kitchen counter and made my way to the dining room used for important dinner parties. Just as I was about to step through the door to enter, Weather started getting antsy. She was jumping around in my head, wagging her tail excitedly to the point I could start to feel pressure behind my eyes. I needed her to tone it down before anyone sensed she was within me or caused my head to explode.

Weather had been hiding herself for the last ten years so people assumed I was a wolf less omega. No one could know how strong we were so in order to keep Weather a secret, she suppressed herself. The only time she could come forward with me was when we were in the middle of the forest training and all alone.

“Weather, what is going on? You need to settle down before you accidentally let yourself show.”

“I know I’m sorry.”

That was all I got from her. Not even an explanation.

I was used to Weather being secretive with me because I knew eventually she would let me know what was going on when the time was right, so I just let it go and pushed through the door once she calmed herself down. I could still feel excitement from her but she was doing a good job of not letting herself get out of hand.

As soon as I entered the dining room, I held the tray with glasses up and smiled before making my way around the room. The Beta and Gamma families were all here with the Alpha family currently in a circle talking. I made my way to each of them offering a glass of champagne all while making sure I didn’t make too much eye contact.

The closer I got to Alpha David, the more antsy Weather became. I had no idea what was going on with her but I was two seconds from telling her to calm the fuck down before she blew our cover. Ten years we had managed to convince everyone we were a wolf less omega and I refused for today to be the day all our hard work was thrown out the window.

After handing Alpha David his glass, I turned to the man on his right, whom I assumed was the guest of honor tonight, and went to hand him a glass of champagne. Looking up, I was met with the most beautiful silver eyes rimmed with long thick lashes that most girls would kill for. I roamed the rest of his face and felt my heart skip a beat.

He was easily the most good looking man I had ever seen. He had light stubble but it did nothing to hide his sharp jawline. His full lips were turned down as he stared at me in confusion. I wasn’t sure what he was thinking or why he wasn’t taking the glass from me but at the moment, the glass in my outstretched hand was the last thing on my mind.

The longer I stared, the more I felt myself drowning, locked on his silver orbs as if my life depended on it. They were sucking me in and seemed to speak to my soul on the deepest of levels, calling to a part of me I didn’t know existed.

I was broken from my trance as I heard someone clear their throat behind me, reminding me of where I was and who I was being. I lowered my eyes and in my meek voice asked, “Sir, would you like a glass of champagne?”

The man didn’t reply but took the glass from my hands. His hand lightly grazed mine and I swear I felt light tingles start at my fingertips and flow up my arm and down my spine. Without another word I turned around and swiftly walked to the door leading back into the kitchen, all while trying to calm my rapidly beating heart.

I shut the door and leaned my back against it, taking deep breaths. I had just about calmed my erratic heart when my wolf dropped the biggest bomb on me.

“So, what did you think of our mate?”