A shock

ALTHEA

“Noooo!”

I wake up gasping for air, my skin damp with sweat. The nightmare, the same dream, yet again, clings to my mind like a fog I can’t shake off. It’s become more frequent ever since I turned twenty one a month ago. I sit up, pushing my damp hair off my forehead. My heart pounds in my chest as I try to catch my breath.

The scene replays in my mind, vivid and strange. I’m standing between two wolves, one white, one black. They’re enormous, their eyes locked in a silent challenge. Then, just like always, they lunge at each other, a blur of fur and fangs. And just like every other time, I wake up before I can make sense of it.

“ALTHEA!” My stepmother’s voice cuts through the quiet, sharp and demanding.

Right on cue.

I groan, dragging myself out of bed. My legs feel heavy, like I’ve been running in my sleep. My room is small but cozy, though it does little to shield me from the chaos of my home.

“Coming!” I shout back, though I know it won’t stop her from yelling again.

When I finally stumble downstairs, I find my stepmother already waiting, her arms crossed and her expression pinched.

“You’re finally up,” she snaps. “The sun’s halfway through the sky, and you’re still lazying about. Do you think this house runs itself?”

I glance out the window. The sun is barely peeking over the horizon.

“Sorry,” I mumble, though I’m not sure what I’m apologizing for.

She thrusts a crumpled piece of paper into my hands. It’s a list—a long one. Laundry, cleaning, errands in the market. Same as always.

“I want everything done by evening,” she says. “No excuses, because I know how lazy you can be.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I reply, keeping my tone as neutral as possible. It’s easier this way.

Upstairs, my stepsister, Lila, is likely still curled up in her bed or fussing over her hair. She doesn’t have to worry about chores. She doesn’t have to worry about anything, really. She’s the family’s pride, the one everyone admires. Charismatic, ambitious, and beautiful. She’s basically everything I’m not. And she knows it.

By the time I finish the first few tasks, my arms ache, and my stomach growls. But there’s no time to rest. If I don’t finish the list, there’ll be hell to pay.

I’m used to this. Being the one who gets blamed, who’s expected to do everything. My father tries to be fair, but he’s always busy with work, and it’s easier for him to turn a blind eye. I don’t blame him, not really.

Still, it stings. After mum died, Father was like a walking corpse. I guess that’s what losing your mate does to you. So when he fell in love with Madeline, I was happy for him. She was good to me, she had a daughter my age, which meant I was finally getting the sister I’d always longed for. But everything changed after the wedding. She changed. She hated my guts. Lila bullied me for not being as pretty as her. I was all alone.

The day drags on, and I finally finish the last of my chores as the sun begins to set. The orange glow lights up the sky, and for a moment, I just stand there, letting the cool breeze brush against my skin.

I decide to leave the house before Madeline finds something else for me to do. I decide to go to the grove. Most times I only go there for our weekly revolutionary meetings on Thursdays. Today is Monday, and I feel a strong longing to go there. Maybe it’s the need for comfort, or maybe I just want to see Aaron.

Aaron my boyfriend.

He’s been my secret, my escape from this life. Even though he’s an omega, he’s strong and outspoken. He works as a guard at the palace, and also heads a secret group of revolutionaries along with his mother. Even though he gets decent pay, he’s not afraid to speak against the royals, to challenge the injustice of the way things are. Being with him feels like rebellion, like freedom.

I make my way to the grove, careful to stay out of sight. Aaron has always been careful about our meetings, but tonight, I want to surprise him.

No matter how many times I see Aaron, I always feel like this—nervous and excited all at once. He’s everything I’ve ever wanted, and I can hardly wait to see him again. As I walk down the road, it’s impossible to miss the posters plastered on every surface of the street. An announcement of the Mate Games happening soon. As I read the words on the posters,I can’t help but roll my eyes. The Mate Game is one of the most barbaric tradition we follow here. The very process is not only dangerous, but life threatening. The royal family here, rose to their status today because of their strength and resilience. By being stronger and smarter than everyone else. So they make sure that anyone who continues their line, earns that position. But I honestly think it’s pure bull. A female from a few selected families get to participate. The selection process is pretty random, but till date, my family has never gotten picked, and I don’t think we ever will.

Thoughts of the Mate games flee my head when I finally reach the clearing, i make my way to Aaron’s house, and on entering, I freeze in my tracks. something immediately feels wrong.

The first thing I notice is the lamp lying on its side, its shade crooked.

Then there’s the rug, bunched up like someone tripped over it. The decorative pillows from the couch scattered across the floor.

My heart skips a beat as I take it all in. This isn’t normal.

Aaron might not have much, but he’s meticulous, always keeping things tidy.

Did something happen?

“Aaron?” I call out, my voice shaky.

There’s no answer.

I step further inside, my eyes scanning the room.

That’s when I see them—his black pants, the same ones I’ve helped him mend numerous times, crumpled on the floor in front of his bedroom door.

Next to them is a purple, frilly dress.

My chest tightens, and I feel like I can’t breathe.

I try to tell myself it’s not what it looks like.

There has to be an explanation.

Maybe he spilled something on his clothes and changed.

Maybe the dress belongs to a friend.

But then I hear it.

Muffled noises coming from behind the closed bedroom door.

My stomach churns as I take a shaky step forward. My hands tremble as I reach for the doorknob.

I don’t want to open it.

I don’t want to see.

I twist the knob and push the door open.

Time seems to freeze.

There he is.

Aaron.

In bed.

With someone else. But it’s not just anyone.

As they pull apart and turn to look at me, I recognize her immediately.

The blonde hair, the sharp features, the smug expression that never quite leaves her face.

Lila.

My stepsister.

For a moment, I can’t move.

I can’t think.

All I can do is stare at them, my worst nightmare unfolding right in front of me.

Aaron’s eyes widen, and he scrambles to say something, but I don’t hear him. My ears are ringing, and my chest feels like it’s about to cave in.

Lila smirks, pulling the sheets up around her. “Oh, hi, Althea. Didn’t expect to see you here.”

Her voice is like a dagger, sharp and cruel.

“Althea, wait—” he starts, but I shake my head.

“No,” I whisper, my voice barely audible. Then, louder, “No.”

“Althea.” Lila suddenly says, her voice taking on a serious note.

I watch as Aaron glances at her, the plea on his tongue dying like it was never there.

When he looks back at me, his expression has morphed into something else.

Gone is the remorse.

Gone is the sad, caught in the act look in his eye.

All it’s replaced by is a coldness as he watches me break apart inside.

“I’m sorry you had to find out like this, Althea.”

Hearing my name coming from his lips feels like i’ve been batterred by his fists.

“But it is what it is.” He speaks again, “I’ve been thinking, and maybe you and I can’t work out.”

My chest splits in half.

Right down the middle.

Right through the bond we shared.

I whispered out words that sounded foreign to my own ears, “W-we’re mates…”

He sighs deeply. Then glances at Lila again.

It’s one look, but something about it makes me feel like my fate has been sealed.

I don’t know how I know, but when Aaron turns to look at me again, I hear the words before he’s even truly spoken them.

“You and I can’t be together anymore.” His says, his eyes turning hard with his resolve. “I can’t be your husband, because I’ve chosen someone else to be by my side.”

I shake my head slowly, brokenly. Taking a step back.

“I’ve chosen Lila.”

Crack.

“She’s the one i want.”

Crack.

“I’ll marry her, and she’ll become my wife one day.”

My heart splinters into nothing, till i’m wondering how i’m still able to stand.

“Aaron…” I breathe.

“And to make things clear, Althea.” He begins again, “So you don’t get the wrong idea. So you don’t think this is some mistake on my part. Because i’ve thought this through, and i realized shes the one i’ve always wanted, Althea. Not you. It was never you.”

Three years… and it was never me?

“It’s over between us.” He says, “And for extra effect… i’ll tell you this. I Aaron Blackwood, reject you Althea Gray daughter of Stark Gray.