Chapter 1 - Exiled from the pack.

Helena

“WE CAN JUST COVER IT WITH SOME MAKE-UP.” The young female slaps her mother’s hand away after her mother had been faffing all morning to cover the bruise on her cheek. Under normal circumstances, we healed pretty fast, but not when the Alpha slapped you clear across the face!

I pulled on the girl’s bedding to make sure it was straight and quickly moved out of her room. I still had to clean Alpha Liam’s room before I could leave for school, and I was sure that I would find it in an utter mess! From the looks of the girl I had just left, I knew he would be in a fowl mood this morning. I had to try and avoid him as long as possible.

“There you are! You little bitch! Why hasn’t my room been cleaned yet?!” I closed my eyes and lowered my head. I couldn’t very well tell him that I was trying to avoid him! I knew that nothing I said would help. He would just take it as some kind of insult. I waited until he finished his rant and scurried away as soon as he walked off.

I heard him laughing with his friends just a short distance away, but their bullying no longer affected me. I just kept on reminding myself that in a couple of days I would turn eighteen, and then I would be saved by my mate. I cleaned his room quickly. From the amount of broken glass, it was clear that the girl hadn’t understood what he meant when he invited her to his room. She probably fought back. Poor girl. She wasn’t one of Liam’s regulars.

I rushed to get everything done and all throughout the day tried my best to just get through the day. I had been living with the crescent moon pack all my life. I used to be like all the other girls in school and around the pack. Dreaming of the day I would meet my destined mate. I heard them talking as I packed away their clothes and cleaned up after them. Nobody ever noticed the omega. I think I might have dreamed about the day it happened even more than they did. Especially on the days when their bullying and teasing was harsher than normal.

I have always been an omega. From the day I was born. I didn’t have parents to protect me from my pack’s cruelty. I had no family at all. No bloodline that I could trace. No heritage to speak of. I was just an omega, and this was the only life I knew. The only thing the orphanage told me was that I was found in the forest as a baby.

They reminded me that the alpha’s mother saved me. She could have left me out there in the forest to die. Blah, blah, blah! Some days I wish she had done. Especially when I was younger and got bullied. As I grew older, however, I heard about a destined mate that would protect and love you no matter what. I used the anger I felt towards everyone as my driving force to get up every day. Working in the shadows, I watched as they all lived their happy lives while I dreamed of the day that I would meet my mate and finally be taken away from this place.

SADLY, WHEN MY BIRTHDAY FINALLY ARRIVED, it didn’t start out as planned. The pack had to honour the tradition of celebrating my birthday even if they didn’t want to. I had to have a proper birthday party declaring that I was an adult member of the pack.

“You little bitch!” A shrill voice echoed in the early hours of the morning. It was surprising because one of the little brats was up early, but as soon as I saw her, I knew why. The young woman’s shirt was torn, and her bruises were slowly healing.

The slap rang clear across the room the moment she finally reached me. I lost my balance because my hands were full of clean laundry and the kick to my stomach knocked the wind right out of me the moment I hit the ground. I was furious, but I knew fighting back would draw the attention of other members and make the beating so much worse.

My eighteenth birthday was supposed to be the happiest day of my life. I was supposed to find my mate and live happy ever after. I was supposed to. Instead, I found out that my worst nightmare had come true. After trying my best to hide the bruise on my cheek, and putting on the only dress I owned, I walked into the dining room. I spent all afternoon cleaning it. There weren’t any decorations up, and I didn’t expect much to be done to celebrate me. The food was out and some of our pack were already digging in.

It felt as though I had been waiting forever for this day to come! I was a little torn, as I wrung my hands tightly together and locked eyes with every single male that walked into the room. If I found my mate tonight, it meant I would be stuck here for the rest of my life. If I didn’t find him … Well, I would cross that bridge when I got to it.

I was busy counting the single males to see if all of them were there when I smelled him. My heart skipped a beat. I recognized that scent! Anybody would have! It couldn’t be! I am drawn to it now, but earlier today it made me gag! As I slowly turned, I considered closing my eyes for just a second. My heart skipped a beat as our eyes met.

“Mate.” He growled.

“Mate,” I whispered. I was mated to our alpha. How was this even possible? I wasn’t ranked high enough! It just couldn’t be him! He was the cruellest of them all! I didn’t have to see how he treated the woman he used. I always saw the evidence of their struggle the morning after when I had to clean his room. I saw it just this morning! I knew that if I accepted him as my mate my life would truly be over. I glared at him for a moment before storming up to him.

“I, Helena, omega of the crescent moon pack, reject you, Liam, alpha of the crescent moon pack, as my mate! I don’t want you! I don’t need you!” I screamed at him. I didn’t care that I was standing in the centre of the so-called celebrations. The slap rang throughout the room as my head whipped to one side. My cheek burned, but I didn’t care as I slowly turned back to glare at him. Why did they always have to go for the damn face! Bwah! Right on the cheek! Each and every damn time!

“You can’t reject me! You are nothing!” I could see the battle raging inside him as he spat the words at me. At that moment, hatred won. But the words had been spoken. I had rejected him. He could either accept them or he could try to chase after me! His Beta took a step closer and whispered something in Liam’s ear before he nodded.

“I, Liam, Alpha of the crescent moon pack, accept your rejection and exile you from the pack! You will be stripped of what little rank you might have had. The warriors will make sure that you take nothing of value, and they will escort you out of our territory!” His eyes flashed with hatred, and it pained me to hear them.