001~ FATE MY ASS!

Vaelra

Fuck the moon goddess.

Fuck her for deciding it was a brilliant idea to chain two strangers together from the moment they were born and call it fate.

What was so romantic about having your future stolen? About being told who you'll love, who you'll spend the rest of your life with before you even have the chance to choose for yourself?

They say it was necessary, that the moon goodess never makes mistakes.

One look at mama proves otherwise.

Every evening without fail, she sits on the wooden bench outside our cottage, staring at the Alpha's house with eyes that haven't held a spark of life in fifteen years.

And the man she's waiting for? My sperm donor a.k.a the Alpha the moon goddess trapped her with.

He marked her, and then when the priest declared their pup cursed, he cast her aside and chose another shewolf as his Luna.

So tell me again... how the fuck doesn't the moon goddess make mistakes?

My chest tightens as I watch her.

Back when I was little, I'd sit beside her, convinced he would come walking down the hill, scooping me into his arms and tell us he'd made a mistake.

He never did and somewhere along the way, I gave up waiting. But mama never could because he made sure of it.

Forcing a smile, I yell as I approach her, "Mama!"

She blinks as though waking up from a dream and then turns towards my voice, the sadness in her eyes melting into warmth the instant she sees me.

"My little star."

She rises to her feet, smoothing the wrinkles from her faded skirt.

"I caught dinner." I hold up the rabbit proudly.

Her smile falters, worry replacing it. "You went hunting again?"

I sighed dramatically. "I didn't go anywhere near the wildwood."

Relief softens her shoulders, though it doesn't ease the frown from her face.

"Vae, how many times have I told you—"

I slip my arm through hers before she can begin her lectures.

"I'm starving," I whine, resting my head against her shoulder and inhaling a sweet scent. "And exhausted, mama. Are you really going to keep nagging your poor, hardworking daughter?"

She laughs, the sound light enough to chase away the heaviness that has settled over the cottage.

"Go wash up. I'll make something delicious."

"I love you, Mama."

"I love you too, my little star." She kisses my forehead.

Mama disappears into her room when I am almost done eating and returns a moment later, holding a dress.

It was a beautiful shade of midnight blue, tiny silver crystals sewn into the fabric that simmered like stars whenever the light caught them.

"Is that what you have been working on all week?

She beams with pride.

"It is," she says as she spreads it open for me.

"Do you like it?"

"It's beautiful, Mama."

"It'll look even more beautiful on you."

I know where this is going, and honestly, I'm not ready for this discussion.

"You should wear it for the moon festival."

There it is.

I roll my eyes. "I'm not going," I tell her as I stand to gather the plates on the table.

The floorboard creaks behind me before a gentle hand wraps around my wrist, turning me to face her.

"You must."

"Mama..."

"Your mate could be there."

I almost laugh.

"I'd rather be mauled by a rogue than meet him."

Her face falls.

"Moon goddess forbid."

"Well, she can go fuck herself."

Her eyes widens.

"Vaelra!" She gasps. "Don't ever say such things."

"Why?" I pull my wrist free. "Is she going to make my life any more miserable than it already i?"

"Your life isn't miserable, Vae."

Yeah, right.

"I don't need anything from her. Especially not a mate."

Her expression softens.

"A mate is the greatest gift the Moon Goddess gives us," she says quietly. "The one soul created to walk beside yours. A wolf without a mate is like a wolf with only half a soul."

"Then I'd rather spend the rest of my life with half a soul," I say, walking past her. "I don't need a fucking mate!"

"You do."

I turn back to her and snap, "Look where yours got you!"

The words echo through the cottage and I catch the moment Mama's face drains of colour.

The hurt in her eyes steals the anger right out of me and my stomach twists. I open my mouth to take it back but nothing comes out.

Neither of us says a thing as the silence stretches until I can't bear it anymore.

Unable to meet her eyes, I turn, shove the cottage door open and step into the cool evening air.

The wind whips my hair behind me as my bare feet pound against the familiar dirt path leading away from the cottage.

I keep running until the cottages disappear behind me, swallowed by towering pines and silver moonlight.

Branches lash against my arms, twigs snap beneath my feet and gnarled roots threaten to trip me, but I don't slow down.

All I can hear is the frantic pounding of my heart, my ragged breaths, leaves rustling gently, crickets chirping, and an owl hooting somewhere in the distance.

Running has always been my escape, the only thing that quiets the noise in my head, even if it's just for a little while.

For a moment, it's just me... then two wolves burst from the trees, streaking past me and barely sparing me a glance before disappearing deeper into the forest. Their joyus howls split the night as they raced.

I watch them go, forcing my aching legs to keep moving until they can't.

I finally stop, planting my hands on my knees as my lungs fight to catch up. Every breath burns, and my heart hammers against my ribs.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I draw in the cool night air until the ache in my chest eases.

When I look up again, the ancient stone markers stand in a crooked line beneath the trees, their weathered surfaces carved with the crescent moon that marks the boundary between our territory and the next pack's.

One step.

That was all it would take, and I'd never have to hear another whisper about a cursed omega.

I'd never have to watch mothers pull their children away whenever I walked past. And I'd never have to pretend their words didn't hurt.

My fingers curl into fists.

Maybe I should just damn the consequences and do it.

Mama's face flashes through my mind and the tightness in my chest becomes almost unbearable.

She would never leave. And I could never leave her.

Besides... the moment I crossed that border, I'd be branded a rogue, and every patrol from here to the next pack would hunt me down before sunrise.

I sink onto a moss covered boulder, wrapping my arms around my knees.

Above me, the moon hangs high in the sky, watching and mocking me like it always has.

"You and I both know," I whisper, burying my face in my knees. "No one wants a wolfless omega for a mate, Mama."