Chapter 3

Diana's POV

My eyes moved from one direction to the other, watching as people began to change under the full moon. Ava had a bright smile on her face. Despite the cracking of her bones, she didn't even flinch or show any signs of pain.

"Is she even normal?" I muttered to myself.

I watched as she changed, now on all four legs. Her form was...

I don't even have the right words to describe it. It was massive, beautiful, with white fur and elegant—the best fit for an Alpha's daughter. She had the best and the biggest form among every other person who had turned.

My eyes drifted to where her father, the alpha, and her mother, the luna of the pack, stood. I could see satisfaction in their eyes.

Their beloved daughter turned into a beautiful and obviously strong beta wolf, a perfect match for an Alpha's mate.

Honestly, I was jealous. I envied her. Ava had always had everything at her beck and call. She never needed to struggle for anything, and now she had this beautiful form too.

Could the universe ever be so unfair?

"Aarrrggghhhh!" a loud groan laced with pain came from beside me.

Trisha!

She was changing too. Her grip became tighter.

Her bones cracked loudly, and then slowly her fur began to show. She had silver-colored fur.

Very beautiful.

My eyes were filled with tears. I was happy for her.

She transformed fully, and she was no doubt a beta wolf too. I could tell that her strength was close to Ava's, if not exactly the same.

They both had the best forms.

My eyes drifted to my mother and father. I could see them praying to the moon goddess to help me through it.

Almost everyone had turned, but nothing was happening to me.

Despite still being in her wolf form, her eyes were still encouraging me not to lose hope.

She moved closer to me, rubbing her fur against my body, attempting to calm me down.

It was hard to be calm. Everyone had now transformed—I was the only one left.

What is happening to me?

Why am I not changing?

I closed my eyes, attempting to force the transformation, but nothing was happening.

I looked up at the sky. The full moon was almost gone.

They'd soon be asked to shift back into human form…

And I still hadn't changed.

I was devastated, frustrated. I wanted the earth to open up and swallow me.

People of the Moonbound pack had already started whispering. Some were laughing. One behind me said, "What would you expect from a girl whose parents are the weakest omegas we've ever seen?"

My heart ached. It raced.

"Now that we have our new wol—"

"Aaarrrgggghhh!" I screamed out in pain.

Finally. I was transforming.

I could feel the shocked stares, but the pain I was feeling made it hard to concentrate on them.

After a few minutes, I was on all four legs. My eyesight had changed, and I wasn't standing tall.

I knew that it was done. I had transformed.

But then laughter echoed from every corner of the square.

Why?

I wasn't sure.

"Silence, everyone."

I noticed footsteps coming towards me, alongside mocking laughter.

What the hell was going on? I screamed in my head.

In the blink of an eye, Trisha was in front of me, still in her magnificent wolf form.

She roared.

I still couldn't understand what was going on until someone brought out a very large mirror and placed it beside me.

Then I saw my form.

I wasn't an alpha, wasn't a beta, wasn't even an omega.

My fur was a strange, shimmering black tinged with silver streaks—unlike anything I'd seen before. My limbs were too slender, my stance unsteady. I didn't look like a wolf. I looked… wrong.

What was I?

An abomination.

It's what you call something that no one knows about or understands.

I took a few steps backward. I couldn't believe my eyes.

Everyone mocked and laughed.

They called me useless, weakling, abomination. Some even went as far as throwing tiny pieces of rock at me. Though Trisha tried to protect me, they were skilled.

They made sure none of the rock pieces hit her because they knew who her father was.

But somehow they still found a way to hit me.

The full moon was finally over, and everyone turned back to their human form.

I felt so ashamed of myself.

My heart raced.

My stomach churned.

"Now, with time, you all will be able to control your shifting." The alpha paused. His gaze shifted from one person to another until it landed on mine.

All I could see was disgust.

He had spent time observing every other person, but he barely looked at me.

I bowed my head in shame.

"Now to the next phase of tonight. Please, all male wolves, could you step aside, leaving only the females at the center?"

Some of the males felt too shy to move because they were naked—we all were. Our clothes had been torn off while transforming.

They left the center of the square, leaving us females.

I didn't care about what was going on anymore. Tears rolled down my eyes. Trisha tried to calm me down, but I couldn't help it.

My worst fear had happened to me.

I had brought more shame upon my parents.

"Now, as we all know, I am getting older and as well becoming unfit to lead this pack with my strength. Very soon we will be crowning a new alpha, and right now that alpha is here tonight, and he will be choosing his mate—the one whom the moon goddess had chosen for him."

The girls began to whisper. Ava stood proud, flipping her hair backward like her beauty depended on it.

"And now the new Alpha is none other than the great Ryan Wesley, son of the late alpha Gabriel Wesley."

"Ryan," I muttered.

I had quick flashback memories of that steamy night.

"Could he be the same Ryan?" I muttered.

I shook my head. There's no way it's the same Ryan. Besides, Ryan is a common name, so it could be anybody.

But deep down, something told me that he was the same Ryan, but I didn't want to believe it.

There was a sudden change in the atmosphere.

Like a powerful presence.

It came from behind the crowd, up to the center, standing in front of the alpha and bowing his head.

"This power," I muttered.

I clutched my chest tightly. There was a pain and a pull towards this individual who was standing in front of us.

And just then he turned in our direction.

His presence was intoxicating.

As I raised my head to get a clearer look at him...

There it was.

The night that I couldn't forget was standing in front of me.

"Ryan," I muttered.

"Oh my gosh!" Trisha exclaimed.

She recognized him too.

At that moment, all I wanted was just to die.

Ryan is the next alpha?

He was here all along. He saw my disgusting form.

The pull came stronger, and now that I saw him, I could hear it clearly.

Mate!

The way he looked at me when he came closer, I could tell he was feeling it too, and he remembered me from that night—no doubts about that.

He walked up to me, stood in front of me for a while.

In my mind, I knew he was going to choose me. We both had a very beautiful night—that was the basis of my belief.

And I knew that if he chose me, my status would automatically change, irrespective of the kind of wolf I am.

But to my greatest surprise, he walked past me and went over to where Ava stood, taking her hands and raising them up.

"I, Ryan Wesley, take Ava Storm as my one and only mate. She is to be my luna when I eventually become the Alpha of this pack."

I felt a sudden sharp pain hit my chest. My heart skipped beats, and then I was on—