Chapter 1 001 - The Beast

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is a work of fiction. Some terms and explanations might be different from the usual things we might encounter when it comes to the demon realm, so please keep an open mind and enjoy this world created by the author. Thank you for opening this book, and I hope you will enjoy the ride! For updates and chapter teasers, check my i s t g r m >>> author.cassa.m or my F_B readers' group >>> cassandra.m.world ALPHA ADAN STONE. "Get out!" I told the female who was kneeling in front of me in a cold voice. Her eyes widened with fear flitting across them. My face was void of any emotions as I stood up from the single couch I was lounging on and drew my trousers up, buttoning and buckling the belt in place before I walked to the other side of the room. The female, who was still on her knees, wiped the drool from the side of her mouth before she spoke, her voice trembling. "But, sir… let me try again if you didn’t like the…" "I said get out." My voice was low, but it was deadly that the female scampered on her feet and grabbed her heels before she opened the door to the private room and walked out without throwing another glance at me. I grabbed the whiskey decanter and refilled my empty glass before I tipped it over my lips, slowly sipping it as my gaze roamed around the bar below. I was on the second floor in the VIP section of this gentlemen’s club, looking over at the crowd below me. The big glass window was one way. I could see everyone, but no one could see me inside. Soon, the door of the VIP room opened, and even without looking, I knew it was my Beta that had stepped in. "What the fck is wrong with you? That’s the third female you kicked out tonight. Not counting the other females three days ago." I didn’t answer him and continued to stare at the scene below. This was getting old already. "We’re just wasting our time here. Why do we keep coming back when no female is good enough for you?" "Exactly my thoughts. Let’s go." I placed the glass back on the table with a loud thud before grabbing my coat from the chair as I made my way out of the private room. The loud music echoed around me the moment I opened the door. The bar smelled of humans, sweat, and sex, and yet, I was having a hard time getting into the vibes. It has been almost two months since I f*cked someone, and for the last two weeks, I have no longer had an appetite for even a blow job. There was nothing wrong with my manhood. I could easily get it hard when someone touched it, but the moment I associated arousal with the faces of females in front of me, I would start to get annoyed and eventually become uninterested enough that I didn’t have the urge to be mouth-f*cked by any of them anymore. It was basically the same reason why I don’t f*ck anyone at this point. No one was good enough to hold my arousal in place until I could have my release. Something was off. And even if I wasn’t showing it, I was slowly thinking I would go feral soon. My wolf, Beast, was already on his way there. There were days I could no longer control him, so I barely let him out, and if I did, I would usually do it around my Beta or Gamma, or around my strong warriors. Beast had been a pain in the ass for the last two years, and for the last 16 full moons, I had never run with the newly shifted pups in our packs to avoid another incident like the last time I let him out on a full moon run where he saw newly shifted pups licking and petting each other. And the next thing I knew, he had gone mad and was about to attack them, but thankfully, both my Beta and Gamma were fast enough to throw my wolf out of the way the moment I mindlinked with them. Beast wanted a mate. And the more the clock ticked, the more he was getting impatient. I was already 28 years old, but in a few months, I would be turning 29. I am not yet old in the human world, but for shifters like me, I should be mated already. An Alpha without a mate or having no heir to pass the Alpha genes could go haywire, or in a more direct description, they could go feral. And I had no fucking idea what to do with it anymore. No one knew the turmoil within me except my Beta and my Gamma. I didn’t let my father know about this, especially since he, together with my grandfather, kept pushing me to find a mate, either my fated or a chosen one. I had never rushed out looking for my mate for the fucking reason that I thought she would just fall down from the heavens and show herself to me. But it didn’t happen, and before I could realize that I was still mateless, my wolf was already losing his shit. Both my father and grandfather, and the men before them, the previous Alphas of the Mystic Pack, all found their mates between the ages of 18 and 23, so no one had experienced what I was experiencing right now. But I felt it wouldn’t take long before I would be doomed. I knew I had to make a decision soon. A mate or an heir. But with me not finding any pleasure in mating, what do I need a mate for? "Alpha Stone…" A voice snapped me out of my thoughts as an older male in a formal suit approached us. Despite the elegance and formality in his feature, I could sense fear and uncertainties in his aura. He was a shifter and the night manager of this club. I was pretty sure the female I kicked out went and complained to him directly. "I will still pay for the room and the females. My Beta will take care of it." I didn’t give him time to reply and was about to walk out when his hand held my forearm. A low growl reverberated from my chest as I snapped my head to look at him, eyes dilating as I gave him a silent warning for touching me. "My apologies, Alpha." He stepped back with his hands up in the air. "I just want to make sure I can tell you some details to make up for the females’ not being able to appease you." "Details? What do you mean?" I asked, my forehead creasing as I crossed my arms over my chest. I felt my Beta move and stand behind me. He was probably interested in hearing the information as well. "Next week, the Omega Feast will be held in this club." He said as he rolled his mustache between his thumb and forefinger. He was nervous. He should be. "And?" "And they said this year's Omegas are more beautiful than the last time they were held. And I thought I would let you know in the hope you will find a female that will interest you on the said feast." "Are you telling me this so I can find a female that interests me, or because it’s beneficial for you once I throw money on the bid?" "No! No! It’s just that we noticed lately that none of our females were living up to your expectations, so I thought if you joined this year’s Omega Feast…" I didn’t hear the rest of his babbling because I turned around and walked away from him. He and this place have nothing to offer me, and I was certainly not interested in attending the Omega Feast, as I had not been interested in it the previous years. "So what do you think?" Collin, my Beta and second in command, asked me as we entered the elevator that would lead us to the club’s VIP guests’ parking lot. "Think what?" "About the Omega Feast, are we attending?" "Didn’t you see me just walk out of there? I’m not interested. Go on your own if you want to." I snapped at him. "Why the fuck would I attend it on my own? I have a mate. You’re the one that needs one." "An Omega for a mate? For a Luna? You got to be kidding me?" "Who said about a mate?" He sneered. I tilted my head to look at him at the exact moment the elevator door pinged and opened. I shook my head, slipping my hands inside my pocket before I exited. "If you think I’m going to throw away money to buy an omega to be my sex slave, then you’re the one losing shit. I can just go and check…" "...check around?" He finished my words as we both stopped in front of the car before he pressed the key in his hands, unlocking the doors. "Like what we’ve been doing for the last couple of months?" My jaw tightened as I pulled the door open, slipping inside the passenger seat and slamming it closed. "We’ve been everywhere and no female was fuckable enough for you. What do we have to lose?" Collin started the engine and began driving toward the exit. "I propose that we go check it out, and if none of them can make you hard, then we’ll go. No harm done." I remained quiet, my elbows propped against the window, my head resting on my fingers as I blankly stared in front of me. "Alpha…" The shifter on the post who checked out our car greeted me, and I just acknowledged him with a wave of my hand. Soon, we were already on the highway, making our way back to our territory. I picked up the cigarette on the dashboard and lit it up before I rolled the window down and began puffing air to fill my lungs. The cold wind brushed against my skin, sending a chill down my spine. The temperature tonight was almost at a negative degree Celsius, but it never bothered me at all. The years had only made my skin thicker and more durable for the cold and harsh weather of the North. "Think about it, Adan," Collin said out of nowhere. "Are we not done with this topic yet?" "My son needs an Alpha. If you can't produce an heir, what will happen to our pack? And what do you think will happen to Beast?"

Chapter 2 002 - Half She-Wolf, Half She-Demon

LUCY. I was on my way to the main kitchen from the main floor of the house when I heard Manuel’s voice looking for Stella as he entered the kitchen from the exit door, making me stop in my tracks. I never liked Manuel. He was lazy as a pig but mated to a wonderful female. And I tried to avoid him as much as I could because we always clashed. And I was sure, if Stella was not around, I would have been kicked out of this orphanage a long time ago because of him. "Lucy is ready for the Omega Feast. Make sure she has the proper clothing to attend the ceremony." Manuel blurted out as his footsteps sounded on the kitchen floor. Stella was preparing dishes for the night’s dinner and I was supposed to come and help her. But instead, I hid in the walk-in cupboard so I could listen to more of their conversation. "What? What did you do?" Stella asked, and I could only imagine the frown on her face. "I listed her for the Omega Feast. They just checked her photo and she got accepted right away." My eyes widened as my hands flew to my chest, clutching my shirt as if it was enough to stop my heart, but it was beating rapidly. I leaned my back against the cold wall, as I steadied my breathing. The spices and the mixing of too many scents would be enough for them not to smell me, but they would probably hear my heartbeat if I couldn’t control it. The Omega Feast, where Omega females that had come of age, ranging from 18 to 19, were paraded to the public either for bidding or a duel, in case no one wanted to give up the bidding. And after that, the Omega will be owned by the winner and made a slave, mostly for pleasure. I didn’t understand at the beginning why the need for an Omega Feast when males could just purchase a female they wanted for the night with the growing population of night and strip clubs everywhere, both for humans and shifters. Only when I heard some of Stella’s friends stating that Alphas and other billionaire shifters used this event to boost their egos, wanting to be the most powerful man in the North, which of course the organizer of the feast was taking advantage of. "But she doesn’t have a wolf.""But she’s eighteen already, right?""Yes, she is. But don’t those Alphas want an Omega with a wolf?""Well, she’s not the first Omega who will be chosen without a wolf in the feast, so I’m sure it won’t be a problem. They just need to be informed. And if no one wants her, I will throw her back here and she’s free to go next month. But they said, she’s beautiful like no other Omega at this year’s feast, so I'm sure she’ll be chosen.""She’s a sweet girl..." Stella really liked me. I liked her too. She was the only adult in this place that treated me fairly. "Sweet? She’s reckless and causing too much chaos here. It’s better if she goes somewhere where she’ll be useful and where we can earn from her. Besides, I’m sure one day she’s going to grow horns and boss around every other wolf here, so better throw her to someone who can tame her down." I snickered quietly. Be careful what you wish for, asshole. "I don’t know why you don’t like her. She protects the pups here, and if she throws a nasty attitude, it’s because she was protecting herself and them." Check. Check. "And I don’t know what she did to you that you liked her too much. I told you, never get attached to them. Did you forget that these young pups were just handed to us to be taken care of until they’ve come of age? Once they turn eighteen, then off they go on their own.""But then, why don’t we just let her go like the others? Why do you need to list her to the Feast?" Check again. "Because we need money! Are you stupid? This feast happens once every two years! We’re lucky that we have an eighteen-year-old this year. We didn’t have any on for the last two feasts. ""She knows she’ll be leaving this place next month." Stella sounded distressed while I kept hearing the knife clashing with the chopping board. "Change of plans then, she’ll be leaving in a week." Why did I forget that I was eighteen already according to the age I gave them when I arrived here two years ago? I guess I had too much fun, and now I was bound for doom. With my back still resting on the walls, I let my hands ball into tight fists and closed my eyes, trying to stop my emotions from overpowering me. I was already on the brink of snatching my necklace off my neck, but I was able to restrain myself. My name is Lucija (Lucia). Or Lucy, the orphan omega to the shifters of this orphanage and the people around us. But I had a secret that I was meant to keep as long as I could. I was only half a werewolf, and the other half of me… was a demon. So the horns Manuel mentioned might grow on me, might actually pop out anytime soon if I can’t control myself. Two years ago, on the very same day, I turned eighteen, I escaped from the underworld using the invisible cloak that I was able to obtain from a lovely witch that was residing in the netherworld and the necklace that I have never taken off from my neck since I stepped back into the human world. The invisible cloak suppressed any demons from sensing my presence when I passed them, making it easier for me to reach the portals without anyone noticing me, especially the demon guards my father ordered to watch over me. But I could only use it in the underworld - the cloak loses its magic once it crosses other realms. So I left it somewhere near the portal that I used to transport to this realm. While the necklace on my neck suppressed the power within me. With my power suppressed, I would not be able to harm any living soul that belonged to the netherworld. And without my power, my father, the Prince of Darkness, would not be able to track me down in the human realm. The Demon Royals might be the Gods of the Underworld, but we did follow the pacts and rules of other realms. We couldn’t just take living humans or anyone we wanted and takes them to our world unless they sold their souls to the demons or volunteered to visit the underworld. And once they are there, they will be ours, body and soul. Yes, my name is Lucija, Demon Princess of Chaos. My father had spawned hundreds of demons, spanning over centuries, but they were all males. I was his first and only daughter. And it didn’t matter to him that I had werewolf blood running into my veins, which was the very reason I ran away the moment I turned eighteen and would be able to use the portal alone. My father wanted to cleanse my blood and remove any trace of werewolf blood in me through rituals, offerings, and natural insemination of demons’ seminal fluids — in short, sexual orgies. Although rituals and sexual orgies are a common sight in the underworld, I was not in for it. I didn’t want the blood that was my only link to my deceased mother gone. Besides, my body is mine. I would do as I pleased, and my father couldn’t tell me what to do with it. And neither would these shifters. That was why I needed to get going and get out of this place before I could be thrown into a deeper hole. I quietly exited the room and hurriedly made my way to my assigned bedroom. As soon as I was inside, I went into action and tossed my few belongings, including my life savings, in the backpack that I was able to get from hand-me-downs. The bag wasn’t big enough, but it would be enough for my necessities for a few days. The cold weather had done nothing to me. My body temperature was built for all weather, so if I had nowhere to go, I could just find any cave where I could camp for the rest of the night before I could continue with my journey tomorrow. But I had no idea where to go after that. I had chosen the North for the very reason that this place had no rules, no people governing the shifters running around. As an Omega, at least that’s what I pretended to be - I didn’t need a pack to adopt me. It was enough that I lived in an orphanage that sheltered minors until they came of age. It was the reason I told them I was only sixteen when I came here two years ago. And without a wolf and no record of me everywhere, no one doubted my age. I was supposed to graduate from the orphanage next month. And I was already thinking of living as a human. But maybe a month earlier wouldn’t be that bad. I just had to make sure I could get away from here as far as I could, at least until the feast, so no one would come looking for me anymore. The door to my small bedroom opened, and my body jolted as I tried to cover my backpack under my blanket. But it was still not enough. My small dresser was open, and my clothes were scattered from the floor to my bed, like all the other things in my room, like someone had ransacked it and was searching for something. "What are you doing?"

Chapter 3 003 - Wolves or Demons?

LUCY. "What are you doing?" Manuel’s eyes squinted as his gaze fell everywhere in my small, messy room while Stella was holding his arms to stop him from stepping inside. "I’m looking for some of my money. But I found it already. I just misplaced it." I answered nonchalantly as I began picking up my clothes from the floor and began folding them. "Stop with your lies. Were you in the kitchen earlier?""What kind of question is that? Of course. I’ve been everywhere in this house. What’s going on?" I turned around and placed my hands on my hips as I tapped my foot on the wooden floor, my eyes shifting back and forth between them as if I was impatient to hear their replies. "Nothing, dear. I need help with dinner. Can you come down and give this old lady a hand before the pups come and attack me from hunger?" Stella spoke sweetly, but I saw worry and concern in her eyes. Something was about to happen. "Sure. I’ll just pick all these up and throw them on my bed, then I’ll go down. Just five minutes.""Okay." She smiled widely as she tugged her mate away from my room, but Manuel was still looking at me. And I knew that the look he was giving me - he didn’t believe a word I said. He knew I was up to something. To hell with him. The moment the door closed, I grabbed the backpack from under the blanket and locked my door before I pulled my window up and scouted the grounds below. The locked door would buy me some time if they decided to come back and check on me. My bedroom faced the back of the orphanage, but two floors down was one of the receiving rooms, the one often used for guests. If there was no one in there, no one would see me jumping down from baluster to baluster. This was not the first time I jumped and crawled out of my bedroom window, so I didn’t have to be terrified about falling. I just needed not to be seen. I swung the backpack over my shoulders and climbed out of the window. My hands clutched my window sill as I swung my foot down until I reached the upper doorframe of the room below mine. I used it as leverage and pushed my body up to jump, landing perfectly on the balcony of the old library that no one visited except for me. I dusted off my hands and checked if there were lights in the receiving room down below, and my heart dropped in disappointment when I saw lights illuminating the window. I bit my bottom lip, chewing it as I thought of my next move when a voice from the top snapped me out of my thoughts. "She’s running away!" Manuel’s voice erupted in the thin air, making me snap my head back and I saw him pointing at me from my window. Shit! I didn’t have time to think as I jumped off the balcony from the second floor and landed on the dusty ground with a loud thud. My gaze went to the receiving room window and my eyes locked with a tall man with a long beard. His forehead creased, but I didn’t have time to analyze him as I dashed forward to the forest line where I knew the exit that could eventually lead me out of the orphanage perimeter My feet sprang forward, running at a pace that was too fast for my usual run. It reminded me of the speed I used when I was running away from the demon world. I might have been running fast, but it was nothing compared to the wolves running after me. Loud paws were thudding against the earth, and the sound kept getting louder as I kept sprinting forward. My hand went up to the opal stone hanging on my neck. I just needed to take it off and I could summon my power to save me. But do I need to be saved? Wolves or demons? Make your choice, Lucy! My hand fell to my side as the wolves behind me overtook my run and ended up rounding me with one wolf blocking my way. My small frame slammed against the wolf, and I was thrown back in an instant. My ass hit the ground with a loud thud before my back followed after, making pain course through my whole body from the impact. I think I broke my spine. I remained laying down on the dirt with my eyes closed and my chest heaving. I wondered if my small backpack was enough to protect me. I heard shuffling and I knew they must be shifting back to their human forms. "She’s fucking too fast for an omega." A deep voice made me snap my eyes open to see a bulky naked man looking down at me with his dick straight up to where I could see it perfectly. "But we’re faster…" Another dick answered, and I just remained still, wondering if I would be able to function normally after this. "What’s your name?" I was looking at them, looking down at me, but had no intention of replying. My back was still hurting. "Were you not listening earlier? Lucy. Her name is Lucy." The bulky man answered. The other dick was crouched on my side, just beside my head, so if I tilted my face in his direction, I was sure I would see the thing he wanted to show off. "Listen. We will take you and prepare you for the Omega Feast. Now be a good girl and no more running. And I promise you, no harm will come your way.""I don’t want to be part of the Feast." I blurted out as I closed my eyes. "This is beyond your power, little Omega. And if you try to run away, you will be punished accordingly.""Are you trying to scare me?""No. I’m trying to tell you what will happen to you." ⇜ ♡♡♡ ⇝ I didn’t even get to say goodbye to Stella or the pups at the orphanage. The men who caught me just threw me into the car that followed us in the middle of the forest. Only Manuel was with them, and he blatantly told them that I was stubborn and that they needed to watch out for me because I would surely try to run away again. I just rolled my eyes with my arms crossed against my chest as the man he talked with assured him that I was not the first case like this, and they knew what to do. I should be terrified, but I wasn’t. I have seen far worse with my young eyes while I was in the underworld than the things around here. Nothing could scare me. Except for a broken spine, which fortunately didn’t happen tonight. But even if I wasn’t scared, I needed to pretend that I was. Or they might find out that I was not an ordinary Omega. The car started moving and the three men inside the car with me were in full silence. So I took it as an invitation to rest my eyes and think about my life. I leaned my body and head back on the soft cushion and closed my eyes. Wolves or Demons? Wolves. It would always be wolves. I was eleven when my mother died of a broken heart. Months before that, my adoptive father was killed and my mother was not able to recover from that, which eventually led to her succumbing to death. My adoptive father and my mother were both shifters, and they were fated mates. They’d been together long before I was born. No. My mother didn’t cheat on him. Everything was my father’s doing. Lucien, my father, the Prince of Darkness, wandered the human realms from time to time. His libido was not only limited to the she-demons throwing themselves at him. He wanted to taste all the species of this world. And one day, he saw my mother and took a fancy to her. He tried to woo her into coupling with him. But my mother never bent. She had a mate, and she had chosen her mate over and over again. So, being a demon prince, my father couldn’t take the rejection. He went after her in his incubus form and took her forcefully, over and over again. He came back night after night until he got tired of her. It was only then that he left her and never bothered her again. But what he didn’t know was that an offspring was conceived from his horrible act. My mother’s mate, Diego, knew everything and he didn’t leave her. Instead, he helped her raise me and never once made me feel I was not his child. In fact, I didn’t know I was not his until I accidentally summoned my power and killed a rabbit with fire when I was six years old. With my power unleashed, the portal and my connection to the underworld opened. And in seconds, my father, the Demon Prince of Darkness, appeared before me and claimed me as his child. His only daughter. My real father didn’t take me that day, but my life was never the same after that. I knew one day he would come for me. My mother had been preparing me for that day - I tried to take in as much as I could, but with a young mind, I couldn’t comprehend everything. The necklace I had around my neck was from my mother — she buried it in the cemetery near our home together with some money that she and my father saved up. She hid them there after my stepfather, her fated mate, died. She knew she didn’t have any time left and she wanted to make sure I had options if the time came that I didn’t want to remain in the demon world. My mother, and her fated mate, my stepfather — they loved me. And the love between them was the only thread that was keeping the light in me, stopping me from falling into the depths of hell. Even with them gone, I had hope instilled in me that one day I would find the same love that they found with each other. A love that would cross all boundaries, a love that would save me from the darkness looming inside me. My saving grace. And that’s why I was still here, treading into the wilderness on my own, protecting the part of me that was giving me hope that I had a mate meant for me. But without a wolf, I had no idea if I would ever find him.  Or he would ever find me.

Chapter 4 004 - Selene

**FLASHBACK.* Underworld. Lucy - 13 years old. LUCY. My hands were too red and itchy now. I’d been doing target shooting using fire for the last hour and I was getting tired of it. I blew up the whole line of target range before I walked out of the pit where I was practicing. I reminded my mentor, Gargon, not to say a word to my father, or I would blow up his face next time. No. I was not scared of anyone. Despite my stubbornness, I was my father’s favorite. He doted on me and no one was allowed to touch me. But I didn’t say I didn’t get punished - I did. But only he was allowed to punish me. I jumped over the hurdles of fire before I was able to reach the fields that smelled like burned coals and grounds. Demons take pleasure in smelling anything that burns, especially flesh being burned, and although I didn’t fancy it, I was getting used to it by now. Another boring day. I wondered when my father would take me to see other creatures again. My father’s capacity to travel in between realms was the only thing that interested me in this place because when he took me with him, I got to meet interesting beings. I was already halfway to the hot spring where I planned to spend my free time when I noticed a light glowing from behind the dark, ruined building as if many bulbs had been installed there. This place has always been dark, so I got curious. "Who are you?" I asked. The female who had her back to me had glorious shiny black hair that ended below her bum. And despite not carrying anything, she was glowing, as if the lights were radiating from inside her skin. The female slowly turned around, and I found myself face-to-face with the most beautiful female I had ever laid my eyes on. I had seen the Goddess of Chaos. She was beautiful in her own way, but the one in front of me was beyond beautiful like she was ethereal. She definitely didn’t belong in the Underworld. "Hello, little wolf…" And her voice was like a soft lullaby. My eyes widened as I stepped back when the words she used to greet me sank in. Only a few knew of the wolf within me because my father made sure of that. "How did you know?" I asked, my brows slightly furrowing. "Because I know you…" "Who are you?" "They call me Selene…" "You have a beautiful name." "And you have a beautiful one too…" I smiled at her but I didn’t know what to say more. "Do you like it here?" She asked, and her eyes showed sincerity with her question. "Did my father ask you to ask me?" "No." "Will you tell him my answer?" "No. It’s a secret I will keep for the rest of my days…" I smiled at her. I didn’t know why, but I felt I could trust her. "No. I don’t want to be here." "I understand. Do you know who I am?" I shook my head before I spoke. "Are you a friend of my father?" She giggled softly, which made her hair sway, and everything around us just lit up. "Your father never liked me. But we’re not enemies... We just... don’t get along." "Oh… Are you one of the Goddesses of the Underworld?" "No. I am the Goddess of the Moon." My mouth dropped open as I openly stared at her. That was why her name sounded familiar. My mother used to talk about her. She was the Goddess of love and the moon. She was the one that mated my mother with my stepfather. "My mother and father, are their souls with you…" My body shook for a while before I wiped the tears from my eyes to keep them from trickling down my cheeks. "I tried to find their souls here… I couldn’t find them. I miss them." "Yes… They are with me." "Will you tell them I... love them." I had a hard time saying the word love. Demons knew about lust and desire, but love was a rare thing. She nodded her head and smiled warmly at me. "Are they together?" She nodded her head again and bent down to my level before her warm and soft fingers traced my cheeks, drying up my tears in an instant. "And they will be together until the moment they are reborn to find each other again." "Thank you…" I opened my arms and threw them around her. She was surprised by my action, but it didn’t take long before she wrapped her arms around me, her warmth enveloping my whole body, and it felt like it was mommy hugging me. "I will always look after my wolves, including their souls." "Are you looking after me too?" "I tried, and I will keep trying… As long as you give me a part of your soul." "I don’t understand." "Listen, little one. As long as there’s wolf blood running in your veins, I will do my best to look after you. But once, once your father takes all of it. I can’t do anything for you anymore." "I don’t understand…" "One day, everything will make sense. Just don’t forget that once you met Selene." She turned her back on me and was ready to walk away when I ran after her and blocked her way. "Do I have a mate?" "All my wolves have a mate fated for them." "I am a wolf too!" She just smiled at me and my eyes watered. Why couldn’t she say yes to me directly? "Are you not giving me a mate?" "It all depends on you." "I don’t understand." "Remember, all wolves have fated mates. But if you’re no longer one…" "Then my mate would be left alone without a mate…" My heart ached, not just for me but for the wolf who was meant to be my fated mate. "But how can I find my mate if I am stuck here?" "You will find your answers in time." Her pointed finger descended until it touched the tip of my nose. "Your fate depends on you." "But you can see the future…" "But I will never interfere with your free will. And the future can always change, especially when the heart changes." She smiled again before she continued. "I will go now. I just went here to visit a special person, and now my purpose here is done." I nodded my head and moved away from blocking her way. I watched as she walked away like she was just floating, and every path she walked on just glimmered as if she was spreading some sparkles on them. "Selene!" I called after her, making her stop in her tracks. "Do you think my mate… will like me? Because I’m a… demon." I said the last part in a very soft voice. My eyes watered because I remembered how my mother did her best to conceal my identity. Demons were not welcomed in the human or werewolf realms. What guarantee do I have that he will accept me? She turned her head slowly and looked at me. The love flitting in her eyes was overwhelming my young heart - it was giving me hope. "You have to find each other to know the answer…" *END OF FLASHBACK.*

Chapter 5 005 - Dark Blue Eyes

LUCY. "Wear that." A female gave me a paper bag and my eyes darted to it for a while before they went around the room. I was sharing a small room with nine other Omegas, and they were also handed paper bags. The others were excited as they chattered and compared the clothes they got — skimpy ones. I closed my eyes as I steadied my breathing. Why did I not run away in the last five days? Why did I think it would be easier to escape when a pack already owned me? Among the nine females I was sharing a room with, only one shared the same sentiment as me. We didn’t want to be part of this feast. The others were too excited. They said they had nothing to lose, so it was better to lose everything to an Alpha or a rich man. I wondered what they thought about mates because they never seemed to care about it. Whereas I would do everything just to be given a chance to find mine. "What are you two waiting for?" The older female named Cora, who gave the paper bag to me, shifted her glaring eyes between me and Olivia. "Do you want me to call Cesar to put on those clothes for you?" I rolled my eyes before I looked at Olivia, nodding my head at her, and she let out a deep sigh before we both rummaged through the inside of the bag. My mouth twitched into a frown as I slowly lifted up the gold, shiny bra that I was sure was a size or two smaller than my breasts. I knew the dance they made us practice for days was too seductive, but I never really dwelled on the clothes we would wear, if these were even called clothes. I tilted my head to look at Olivia, who was mirroring the exact expression on my face. "Move! Don’t act like a princess here. Or I will push you both on the stage without any clothes on!" My hands coiled into tight fists. I really wanted to punch this female in the face already. "Put it on, Lucy. And let’s just hope the person who will buy us just needs a house helper." My hand went to the hem of my shirt and pulled it off my body before I unclasped my bra and tossed them both inside the paper bag where the sexy outfit was before I took it all out. "If they only needed house helpers, they would never go here and spend money. I was pretty sure they came here to kill our pussies, like what I’ve been telling you for days. We should have run away." I told her the moment Cora, that awful-grumpy female who was scolding us, left the room. "You know, I can’t do that or my family will receive the wrath.""Your family sucks. How could they sell you?""When you have nothing to eat and four younger siblings just keep crying the whole day, then you will want to sell yourself.""If I had nothing to eat, I would never reproduce and make my kids suffer." Olivia remained quiet and just slipped on her sexy outfit. Unlike mine, hers was colored blue and had long beads that somehow covered her midriff. I only have a bra and thongs, but thank Goddess it had a wrap-around skirt, which I was pretty sure would be taken off soon. "Sorry if I was harsh..." I let out a sigh before wrapping the skirt around my waist. "You’re right. But then what can I do now?" She sat down and dropped her gaze to the floor. I let out another sigh and curled a finger under her chin, tilting her head up to look at me. "You will go out there and kill that dance. And by the Goddess’ grace, your mate is somewhere out there. And if not, I wish to the Goddess your buyer is a handsome man who will be worth looking at as he takes you every night…""Or every hour…" She added, and we both giggled, making the others in the room roll their eyes at us. "Ignore them," Olivia said, and I just turned my back on them. If I wasn’t suppressing my demon side, they’d be burning in hell now. But I shouldn’t let my rage take over me. These Omegas were the least of my problems. "Should we fix our hair?" I asked Olivia as I stood in front of the mirror. I gathered my hair all together and tried to raise it all up only to see the roots showing their true color - strawberry blonde hair that kept getting darker every year, that it was almost fiery red now. I only had one box of hair coloring left and I hoped whoever bought me would allow me to buy my personal stuff because I had no intention of showing my hair to the world. I had never encountered an Omega with red hair. But of course, my interactions with other shifters were limited, but it was better to be careful than to raise doubts. "Cora said earlier that someone would do our hair and makeup. But I don’t think you need any make-up, Lucy. You’re beautiful already.""You too. But I hope they put ugly makeup on us so no one buys us." Olivia was not able to answer when the door swung open, and Cesar, the burly man with an ugly, dirty beard, came in. "Line up here and let me see your clothes." All the females scampered on their feet and placed themselves on the line while Olivia took my hand and walked with me to the end of it. "Take that off!" Cesar bellowed, and my head snapped up to look at him. He was looking at me, making my brows furrow. "What?" I looked down at my clothes and checked if I wore the outfit wrong. "Your necklace.""No." My hand grabbed the opal stone hanging from my neck as I shook my head. He took one step forward in my direction and aimed to grab the necklace when I swatted his hand away. He was taken aback by my action, and the next thing I knew, his hand flew and hit my jaw, making my body fall down to the cold floor with a loud thud. I was not even able to get up when Cesar crouched down beside me and gripped my jaw tightly, which was painful. "Who the fuck told you to disobey and disrespect me?" Soon I heard footsteps rushing in, and Cora’s voice stopped me from answering him, but I kept trying to pry his fingers away from my jaw. "What’s happening here?" I saw Cora’s eyes widen as she rushed to where we were before he slapped Cesar’s back. "Take your hands off her!" Cesar growled before letting go of my face, and I slumped my body on the ground as I kept the pain at bay by holding my mouth open. "What have you done, you bastard? They will kill us if her face ends up with bruises! Let me look at that?" She looked concerned, but I knew she was just scared. "Oh, Goddess! Come here, Bruno. Take her to the makeup room and you," as she pointed to another man. "Get some ice!" ⇜ ♡♡♡ ⇝ Olivia was separated from me, and with almost fifty Omegas around, I had no idea where she had been taken. But since we rehearsed the dance together, I was hoping we would be on the stage at the same time. My eyes glanced at the wall clock overhead. It was already ten minutes when the host opened the event, and I could already hear his voice coming from the main floor where the stage was set up. He was stating all the rules. And no matter how much I wanted to pay attention, my eyes kept looking around. The building screamed elegance. I have never seen or touched fine furniture like the ones around here. It only meant one thing: the people here could really afford to spend their money on us. And I thought that was sickening. The door leading backstage opened and the noise became louder. Applause. What was happening? Only then did I realize that the females were being ushered into a line. Was it time already? But where was Olivia? "Lucy!" I turned my head around and saw Olivia approaching, a wide smile on her face. My eyes widened as I looked at her clothes. She was now wearing regular jeans and a shirt. "What happened?" I asked, baffled by her clothes. Her eyes watered as she threw her arms around me. "Your prayers for me… they came true.""What do you mean?""Mr. Zaxton, the organizer of this event, his son is here to check on the event." She swallowed, and I kept nodding, wanting her to hurry up because I was already on the line, and I was sure we’d be entering the backstage soon. "He’s my mate." My mouth dropped open as my heart warmed for her. At least she was getting out of this shithole. "Oh, Goddess! Isn’t that amazing?" I was really happy for her. She kept nodding her head. "I pray the same thing for you…""Go now…" Her words were cut by Cora, who was pushing me to follow the female in front of me, making me lose grip of Olivia’s hands. "...that your mate is here, and that he will save you…" She said those words before I was ushered backstage. My heart clenched in pain, knowing that I would never find him tonight. A wolfless female like me would never find her mate. But I was happy for Olivia. And I wasn’t losing hope for myself. I just needed to strengthen my wolf blood and my wolf. One day, she will come out when she’s ready. Until then, I just needed to hold on to my sanity. I held my necklace as I followed the line of females as we made our way across the backstage, heading for the main stage. It was worth getting slapped by Cesar. No one bothered to ask me to take off my necklace after that. The crowd started to get noisier - that kind of noise from chattering and slow applause, which the elites usually exhibit, not the rowdy and loud hoots you get from regular concerts and events. I knew it was time. My hands started to sweat, which was not a natural occurrence even when I was nervous, which I was feeling right now. And I felt my stomach churning. What was happening? Was this a bad omen? I could take anything as long as it was not about my father. The whole stage lit up, and I found myself in the center of the stage with the rest of the females all around me. And then the music began to play. I closed my eyes so as to not look at the crowd in front of us as my body began to sway to the rhythm of the music. Sway. Sway slowly. Down. Sway. The applause got louder, the curses flew around. Little by little, the ways of the elite were forgotten as they slowly turned into rowdy comments and loud hoots as the dance got sexier and more provocative. I opened my eyes at the exact moment I had to turn and move from my position, and the moment I did, my eyes locked with the darkest blue eyes I had ever seen in my whole life.