Chapter 1
Valencia
“What will you do when Alec arrives today?” My mother asked, pacing through the room.
“Say hello, smile politely, and invite him in.” I chirped like an excited parrot. I was wearing a nice yellow dress with little butterflies on the collar, and my shoes matching the set of blocks mama had set out for me to play with.
“Good. And you know what you will not talk about, right?” Mother asked, her eyes narrowing.
I sighed. “Dinosaurs. Because nobody wants to talk about them.”
My mother smiled at me. “Correct. You can talk about werewolves, though. Of how you want to grow up and be the perfect luna. Like your aunt Cynthia, and like me.”
I tried not to frown.
I didn’t understand what being a Luna was. I didn’t know why talking about dinosaurs had made the last two boys walk out with a frown on their faces.
But with every such ‘playdate’, my mother kept adding more rules to follow. More dont’s than do’s because no matter how much I tried, somehow I always managed to mess things up.
“But why do I need to be a perfect Luna?” I asked in my little voice and looked up to see my elder brother Andrew leaning by the doorframe. Arms crossed. Eyes on me.
“Because that is what little princesses become after growing old. You see me and your papa, right? Don’t you want to be happy like us when you grow up?” Mom answered, tidying my hair for the hundredth time.
“Honey, is Valencia ready?” Dad’s voice reached us and mom immediately turned around to look at him. And both of them gave each other big, wide smiles.”
I loved my parents and knew that they loved me. Dad loved mom a lot, and she was always smiling when he was around.
“Just some last minute pep talk, love,” Mom answered, kissed my cheek and got up.
“All the best for today,” she said, though I had no idea why I needed luck. It felt like some kind of test which I always kept failing at.
Andrew let mom walk away before coming towards me and sat beside me. “You know you can tell me if he tries to pull your braid. I am the future beta after all. I will bite him.”
I giggled at that line. Andrew always knew how to make me laugh.
“You can’t bite people, Andy. Beta or not. It is rude.”
“I can hurt back those who hurt my little princess, beta or not.” He said, flicking my nose.
“Alpha Richard is looking to get Alec betrothed to a suitable girl soon. I hope his son and Valencia get along. Pack wars are rising in the north.”
I heard my father tell my mother worriedly in the adjacent room, his eyes staring out the window.
She patted his shoulder reassuringly. “Don’t worry. Valencia is learning fast. She will become best friends with Alec before he
walks out of this room.”
1/4
Dad shook his head. “You said that about the last five boys, too. Or was it ten? I’m starting to lose count. We need an alliance, Rose, and we need that soon.”
My face fell upon hearing that, though my parents had been talking in hushed whispers. I couldn’t understand what they meant. Not completely. I just knew that they were sad. Because of me.
“Hey, where are you lost?” Andrew snapped his fingers, making me look at him.
“What does betrothed mean?” I asked him and he shrugged.
“It is when two families promise to make their kids marry when they’ve grown up. In simple words, you need someone like papa to be a perfect luna for your future pack who would also protect you when you grow up.”
Why did everybody keep saying that? Why did I need to be protected? And from whom?
At ten, Andrew was five years older than me, but he talked like he was my father’s age. All mature and wise.
“You can protect me. You promise to bite people who hurt me. Or you can teach me to fight.” I frowned, my fingers looping in through the lace of the dress nervously.
“Dad won’t like it, princess. And you know I can’t go against his wishes. But you also know that you have nothing to fear. I will play with you after it’s over, like always.”
My brother cheered me up and I nodded.
A knock sounded on the door and I rushed to greet our guests, all graceful and poised with mom standing behind me.
A woman and a boy who looked my age were at the door. The boy was sipping on a juice box as I greeted him politely, giving a little curtsy.
“Hello, my name is Valencia and I welcome you to the Blackwood pack.”
The boy didn’t bother replying, but only pulled out a slightly crumpled box from his pockets and thrust it in my hands.
“That is the costliest of all. And fancy.” He said proudly, handing me the strawberry banana juice.
I hated it. But I still drank it.
For the entirety of the half an hour that Alec was around, he looked bored, and utterly displeased, no matter how hard I tried to befriend him.
He left with his mother shortly after and I knew I had failed again.
That was my life for as long as I could remember.
What I didn’t remember was their names or faces after a while. They all were the same anyway- bratty, snobbish and cold.
I used to love getting dressed up in the fancy dresses mom bought for me, the cute toys and accessories, but as I grew up they lost their charm.
Everything did.
I was not sure what I did wrong, but all the boys kept leaving. Again and again and again. Mom kept striking the names of the boys off her list, and the look of concern always made me feel hopeless.
Only one boy was ever sweet and nice to me. My brother.
2/4
But even he couldn’t safeguard me from the slow, quiet heartbreak I went through with every such playdate..
The constant rejection was beginning to eat me slowly. Mom would hastily try to enroll me in some new music or cooking class, buy pretty dresses, but nothing worked.
Every week I went through the same ordeal.
“He’s got alpha potential, don’t say anything mean.”
I tried to protest but my parents kept saying, “You are getting older, princess. We just want you and our home to be safe.”
Because princesses were supposed to be polite and sweet.
Because girls were supposed to be delicate.
Because acting rash or smug was unladylike.
Being a princess was not all that lovely, as one might think. And if anybody ever told me again how lucky I was to have a caring family or a roof over my head, I was going to scream. Or elope.
Three days after my seventeenth birthday was the day that happened.
“Three alpha heirs? In a single day?” I asked, staring at my mother in shock as the maids were busy styling my hair and painting my nails.
“Yes dear, time is running out,” Mom said pensively..
I only stared at the list and back at her in shock.
“One of the guys is fifteen. Fifteen, mom!” I repeated, unsure if she could not see how absurd this was.
“Consider it as a formal meeting, dear. We are only trying to see if they would also want to meet you in the future. We are just trying to reserve a spot for you.” She said in an encouraging voice.
It was a ridiculous idea of some elder who thought kids who got along in childhood would be more likely to turn out to be mates after growing up. That’s when all the playdates disguised as interviews began.
Of course, it largely favored the alpha heir, and the girls would clamor to be in their good books. However, I was growing tired of it.
I snorted, “Not the interview where they all judge me for wearing pink shoes or curling my hair?”
“A princess is not supposed to….” Mom began, and I filled in “…snort or laugh loudly. Or have a life in general. I get it.”
I said and then hated myself when I saw a hurt flash in her eyes. She was not at fault for this. I knew she was doing her best trying to find a guy who would be nice to me.
The world was fucked up and filled with power hungry alphas who killed for fun. And being their mate or perfect luna made my skin crawl.
And the urge only intensified when I found myself seated against the future alpha heir, the fifteen year old kid, acne concealed behind his fluffy hair.
I thought he was cute. Like a cat. Maybe I would just convince him to say yes and then go ahead and strike off my name from his list once he was of age.
3/4
“Look,” I began, but he cut me off and said, “You are a legend, you know?”
I blinked.
“I am?”
“My brothers told me all about you. And some of my friends. There’s a rumor going around that if you want to meet your mate on your 18th birthday, you have to reject Valencia.”
I stared at him blankly, letting that line sink in.
I didn’t react, didn’t say a word to anyone.
I might have failed my parents, but I still hadn’t failed myself.
So I left my home before that happened.
That night, I only packed my bags, left a note at my mom’s bedside table, and ran away from this miserable life to start over.
I was going to give myself another chance and write a new chapter of my life. All on my own.
