CHLOE POV
"I'm eighteen, mom. Today might just be the day. I wish you were here to see it, but I know why you aren't, and I'm sorry," I whisper as I look myself over in my long mirror.
Today I took extra care to make myself feel and look beautiful, and since I am off, I don't have to worry about getting dirty.
Everyone gets the day off for their birthday omega or warrior; it doesn't matter. So I don't have to worry about chores today or helping with the party set-up, thank goodness.
I smile at myself happily. I definitely got my mother's looks. I got my father's height since I am 5'10", and my mother topped out at 5'4", but the rest of me is all her. I got her easily tanned skin and her light brown eyes. I also got her dirty blonde hair and small nose. And while I do wish I was thinner, what teenage girl doesn't, I got my mother's amazing curves.
All in all, I am about an eight on the attractiveness scale. But when I count in my personality, I give myself a ten.
Once when I told a friend-enemy that I was a ten in my book, she called me vain. But I just told her I was speaking honestly. My mother always told me to judge myself honestly and to stay sweet. Because a poor personality can sour even a pretty face. My mother also said to admit if you find yourself attractive. Because if you lie and say you find yourself ugly when you don't, you become a liar. And liars aren't pretty.
Needless to say, that girl stopped being my friend. She told our other friends to shun me also, so now I just hang out with the other omegas, which is cool because I love Melanie and Shannon. They keep me smiling. Not to mention Momma Marsh, Trevor, Chance, Lydia, and Chris, who are all older. They were friends with my parents and sweet as can be. But the girls my age, Melanie and Shannon, understand me.
They understand that I only want to be the best that I can be to make my mother's sacrifice mean something. I want to be the best omega I can be, and when I get my wolf and my mate, if my title changes, I want to be the best I can be then too.
My mom always said every wolf matters. Our roles in the pack have meaning, and if they didnt, then they wouldn't exist. Every pack needs an Alpha. Every pack needs a Beta. Every pack needs its warriors and workers. And every pack needs its omegas or caregivers, if you will.
Now, as a female wolf, my wolf will match her mate. So since I don't know who my mate is, I don't know my true level yet. For all I know, my mate might be a warrior, like my mother's parents were. Or my mate might be an omega like my father and his parents were. No female ever truly knows, and until the age of eighteen, we train and master the roles that our parents have, or in my case, had. It's a good system—a perfect one. How could it not be? Our Goddess created this world just for us.
And today when if I meet my mate, I will know. Then I will shift when the moon is at its highest, and I will be complete. I will know what role I will have for the rest of my life. If I don't meet my mate, I have to wait.
Twice a year, all mateless/wolfless wolves go on "the hunt." We gather at the center of the world, which is called Outcast. It is where all the wolves who are rejected or mateless live. At Outcast, there is no fighting. It is neutral ground available for those who need it. So enemy packs are forbidden from fighting there. Everyone is there with one goal in mind, to find our match made specifically for us.
If you are female and find your mate, you leave your pack forever and join the pack your mate is from. If you don't find your mate, you can remain at Outcast or return to your pack. But many stay at Outcast. It boosts the chances of finding your mate. Plus, you are wolfless until you find your mate, so you are a liability to your pack. If your mate has passed before meeting you, you are forever wolfless. The safest place for you is Outcast because it is neutral ground.
I feel the worst for those wolves. They never meet their other half or their wolf spirit, but many mate with the wolves who have been rejected. They live happily, but they probably always wonder.
Honestly, I hope my mate is in my home pack, but I wouldn't mind moving. I have no family in my home pack, so I wouldn't miss anyone. But if my mate is from my home pack and I find him today, I won't be an omega.
The only omegas who are my age and mateless right now are females. A couple of the omegas who were friends with my parents have young pups. But I'm never around them, and I am much too old to be their mate. So if I find my mate today, I will be mating into a different role, which is weird to think about.
I like being an omega. I like taking care of others. But I also find I have a fiery side, like my mom, who was born a warrior. She became an omega when she mated father, but she trained as a warrior for eighteen years. That's how she first became friends with Alpha Patrick and Luna Kandace. Luna's parents are warriors, just like my mothers were.
According to my mother and the other omegas her age, my mom was a savage when it came to fighting. She even made Alpha Patrick submit. But when she got her wolf...her wolf had the characteristics of an omega—a weak body with a kind nurturing spirit.
But my mother didn't complain. She loved her new role, and she said it balanced her friendship with the Luna. My mom said that before they found their mates, Kandace was very competitive with her. Luna liked Alpha, who crushed on my mom. But mom said she didn't return the feelings that Alpha had. She was relieved when her mate turned out not to be the Alpha.
The only thing hard for me to swallow is if my mom had gotten the stronger wolf spirit, she might still be here. She might not have had to fight teeth and claws in her stronger but also weaker human body. As wolves, our hide is thicker and can take more damage than our human body. But my mother's wolf spirit had zero fight, and my mother chose to defend that day in her human flesh.
I smile a bittersweet smile as I clean up my room. I think of my mother's last moments often, and while I can't be more proud of her and who she was, I wish she had just run. I wish she had given our enemy what they came for. But that just wouldn't be my mother. She would have never run...not like someone else I know.
I grind my teeth together at that last thought and slam my makeup box closed a little harder than necessary.
Stupid Luna! If only she had helped. If only she had shifted and used her Alpha wolf spirit. She could have fought side by side with my mother. They would have been able to handle the threat and keep them from doing what they came to do, but instead, my mother died, and only I know why. Only I know what transpired between my mother and our enemies that day. And while she won, she still died.
CHLOE POV I take a deep breath as I make my way into the ballroom housing Logan's celebration. I am so nervous my palms have begun to sweat. This is the first time all day I have been around other people. And while the chance of finding my mate amongst all the mateless females showing up for Logan is low, it is still possible. I mean, we have male workers from the pack hanging around trying to catch females' eyes too. And I know a few males are over eighteen in our pack. They are waiting to go to Outcast, so they are definitely around here in hopes of saving themselves a trip. Maybe just maybe, one of them is mine. I have had crushes throughout the years within our pack. I have even prayed to the Goddess a time or two on who I wanted to be my mate. As I try to boost my hopes I will find my mate,
CHLOE POVI let the tears fall as I pack what I can fit in my one tiny suitcase. The dull memory of my pain is still pulsing within my mind, but my tears have nothing to do with Logan or even Luna Kandace.I am honesty sad to leave the pack I was destined to lead. I truly believe I would have done a great job repairing some of the relationships Luna Kandace has destroyed. I could have made our people closer, but Luna Kandace, along with her weak-willed son, ruined that future.I slam shut the suitcase and sit on it to be able to close the latches as a knock sounds on my door."Come in," I grunt out between wiping my face and working with the latch.I don't look up as my door opens. I don't really want to. I know the goodbyes are coming from my closest friends and loved ones, but I am dreading them. I have had enough pain to last me a lifetime after my rejection, and I know
PLEASE LEAVE REVIEWS IT HELPS MY STORIES!!! I NEED TO KNOW WHERE I CAN IMPROVE OR WHAT I AM DOING RIGHT. THANK YOULOGAN POV"You should focus more while training and do less talking," Mom snaps as she tosses me a small towel to wipe my face with."Mom...I can train and bond with my Beta at the same time. He is my second. The guy I need to be able to trust completely," I explain, sounding just as annoyed as she did.She rolls her eyes and plops down in my office chair that she has unofficially claimed as her own, which gets to me sometimes considering how vital this small space is to me.When I came back from Alpha training, my dad had this office set up for me over the gym. He said it would be a great starting point for me and would help teach me how to organize an office. I had been in shock at how happy he seemed to give it to me. He rarely smiles and talks about me being the future Alpha. It's was also one of the few times he ever hugged me. Now my mom uses it to hold all our priva
LOGAN POV "Hi," I say quickly looking over Chloe's depressed state. She put her hair up and changed into her comfy day off clothes that hide away her beautiful curves. But the thing that sticks out the most is the blatant hate in her eyes. As if I am her enemy and not her mate."Bye," she snaps while trying to move around me."Please wait...The rejection had nothing to do with you, okay. You are gorgeous. My childhood fucking crush, to be perfectly honest...It's just your human body is groomed for being an Omega. Even though mom betrayed my trust, she had that part right. I value my mom's counsel. She has always been closer to me than my dad...I. Look, I get it. The truth hurts. Knowing my mom ran," I explain before she raises her hand. She stares at me like I am the biggest dumbass in the whole world and the re
CHLOE POV I sniffle as my tears fall down my face. I look up at the sky to try and pinpoint what time it is because my phone died hours ago, but clouds block my line of sight. I wish I could ride the train to Outcast, but I can't. Since I shift tonight for the first time, I can't be on the train with others. Only after I shift can I ride the train. Which means tomorrow I can hitch a ride. But by then, I will probably be in the next pack over. Which that's okay as long as I don't leave the train station. I wipe my cheeks for the thousandth time and sign. "This is as good a spot as any," I mutter as I decide to stop for the night. I move away from the train tracks I have been following for miles and sit down against a big tree. I take a deep breath and lean my head back. I need to relax before my s
CHLOE POVChloe- I think I got the hang of this.I proudly say as I run through the same stretch of trees I've been practicing in since falling on my face.Wolf- I think so too...it's getting late, Chloe. Find a pondChloe- And how should I just find a pond? You forget I'm new to all this.Wolf- getting cheeky, are weI smile in my mind at our easy banter. I think I like my wolf. She is funny but at the same time mature. She isn't childish with her humor, which is something I can definitely appreciate.Wolf- okay, well, close our eyes and try to close our ears. Focus your attention on our nose and breathe in. Learn the scents around us. Sniff the grass and the trees. Smell the soil. Log away the smells and keep moving until you smell water....then head in its direction. The water will smell like rain. You know what rain sm
CHLOE POV "The train to Outcast arrives at 9 AM," the wolf behind the glass says as she gives me a small, understanding smile. Her eyes sweep over my appearance discreetly, and I realize I must look like every other rejected wolf that passes through this station. I definitely smell like a depressed mess. "Thank you, is there a place I can clean up," I ask quietly, and she nods. "The bathrooms each have a shower. The door is locked for safety reasons, but let me get the key for you," she explains before slowly standing up. As she stands, her protruding stomach becomes visible, and I smile at the apparent pregnancy belly. "Congratulations," I say as she opens a draw a few feet behind her desk. "Thank you. This will be my third. I am almost done; six more wee
LOGAN POVLogan- Dad.I link out for the first time, and his eyes meet mine. Since he isn't in wolf form, he can't respond back, but he can hear me, and that's all I need.Logan- I'm sorry. I'm sorry for it all. I was trying to be extra cool and act stronger than what I am. Mom said strong Alphas act tough and don't show compassion for weak members...I can't believe I listened to her, dad. I don't know why I chose fake popularity over actually studying to be a great Alpha. I'm sorry if I ever disappointed you. I didn't like who I was...I enjoyed the attention from all the girls, but I felt stupid. I promise to do better. I will train and read every book you placed in my office. I will find the perfect balance between physical and mental strength...and I will never undervalue a single member of my pack again. Mr. Malone was right, and omegas are strong. You are one of the best Alphas in history, dad. I will