Chapter 1 The outsider
Ivy’s POV
“Here she is, the Stinky Omega Ivy.” Once again, Demi and her minions blocked my way after school.
I kept my head down to avoid looking at their annoying smirks and tried to get around them to reach my locker. Picking a fight with them wouldn’t make sense. Demi was not only the charming cheer-leading queen but also the daughter of the Beta. And me? I was just a nobody.
I was from a single-parent family. We had moved to the Twilight pack a few months ago due to my mom’s job transfer. Besides, my mom was human, but my father was a wolf, so she believed living in such a pack community would help me when I got my wolf. As a human working here as the pack doctor, she faced many challenges. I felt very guilty that I had failed to transition during my coming-of-age and had become a wolfless Omega at the bottom of the wolf pack hierarchy. To avoid causing trouble for my mother, I would endure this. Demi was indeed annoying, but I would graduate and get out of this hellhole soon.
“Hey, you bitch! Can’t you hear me talking to you?” I was shoved against the lockers, and tears burst out as my head hit the locker hard. Laughter erupted behind me.
Demi approached and grabbed my collar, “Learn to respect me, you wolfless Omega. Don’t think you’re special just because you’re a straight-A student. This is a wolf pack, and your origins doom you to be the lowest being.”
I grimaced as she increased the pressure on my neck. The contempt was clearly written in her eyes.
“I look forward to the graduation ball tomorrow. What kind of fun will you bring us, the first wolfless one without a dance partner? Wake up! No one in this school will welcome you!” Her eyes squeezed venomously, “But I guess you can ask your mom for help since her specialty is seducing men.”
She released me, slamming my back against the lockers again. My back hit a sharp corner, and it started bleeding. I wouldn’t mind being unpopular at school. Demi’s words couldn’t hurt me, but I knew my mother would care. Since my father died early, she had suffered a lot raising me alone. I couldn’t let her worry anymore; I needed to find a suitable dance partner today.
Taking a deep breath, I took out my bag and closed my locker. My back still hurt – being wolfless, I couldn’t heal quickly – but I didn’t have time to dally. Mom had asked me to return home early today as she had some big news to announce.
Arriving home, I had just tossed my backpack on the couch when Mom emerged. “Ivy, darling, you won’t believe it,” she said, eyes alight with excitement.
“What is it, mom?” I frowned, whenever she started like this, I knew it wouldn’t be trivial.
“Well, I met someone dashing at work, he’s handsome, charming, and...we fell in love. I got married!” She twirled around, laughing like a giddy schoolgirl.
“Wait...married?!” I jumped up, stunned. Oh God, please don’t let that man be Demi’s father. I knew he was the one who had invited Mom to work here, and he had been trying to woo her – another reason why Demi hated me so much.
“Oh yes, I did it! Crazy, right? He’s everything I’ve ever dreamed of, and guess what? He’s an Alpha!” She gripped my hands, eyes sparkling with joy.
I froze, mouth agape. Though I should feel lucky it wasn’t Demi’s father, an Alpha? Seriously? I didn’t mean to doubt my mom’s charm. In my eyes, she’s the most perfect woman who deserves all the best in the world. But an Alpha, would he accept me, the wolfless omega, as his stepdaughter? And I wasn’t ready to live with any man. I didn’t want to be a burden on Mom’s happiness.
“What’s wrong, darling? Is it too much for you?” Mom noticed my reaction and hugged me. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I know it’s too sudden, but sometimes love just happens in the moment. You know you’re always the first in my heart, and if you don’t-”
“No. It’s fine, Mom. I’m just too happy for you to react properly,” I smiled, trying to make my voice cheerful.
“Thank you, baby. I love you so much.” Mom looked at me with tearful eyes.
I could never resist her when she was like that. “I love you too.”
“So, how’s school? Are you all set for prom?” Mom asked as she walked toward the kitchen to prepare dinner. “I’ve prepared the most amazing dress for you, sweetheart. You’ll drive everyone wild.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. How could I tell her that nobody wanted to be my date? It was her big day, and I didn’t want to ruin it, so I forced a smile, “Everything’s going great, Mom. Don’t worry.”
She nodded excitedly as she stirred the salad, “Oh, my little girl is growing up now. Maybe you’ll find your fated mate at prom. It’s like magic, darling. When you look into his eyes, you will feel nothing else but him in your world.”
Here we go with Mom’s romantic fantasies about wolves. Though my mother was human, she seemed to love the werewolf world more than I did, especially the mate bond. To say that I hadn’t imagined my mate would be lying, but every time, I couldn’t see a good ending. I mean, I was just a wolfless omega. Who would want me? What if he wanted to reject me?
I wanted to ask for Mom’s opinion, but as soon as I saw her answer her phone with a blushing face, I knew it must be my new stepfather. I didn’t want to bother their sweet time, so I just ate my dinner and went upstairs.
I bandaged my wound before bed, relieved it hadn’t gotten infected. I tossed and turned until late at night but still couldn’t fall asleep, so I opened up the campus forums to see if there was any possibility of finding me a prom date. Mom had anticipated that day for a long time, and I didn’t want to disappoint her.
However, scrolling on my phone, I did not see any prospects. Instead, I came across a post where Demi gossiped about me. She even threatened that anyone who dared to be my date would be the enemy of all the werewolves in the school. My last glimmer of hope was dashed. Did Demi have to be so desperate? I couldn’t steal her thunder even if I went to the prom.
I threw my phone on the bed, and just then, a post suddenly popped out. [Caring Line: Fulfill your needs at any time.] A hotline number was included.
I looked at the post, and a bold idea came into my mind. Would this be a trap or a solution? Anyway, it would not harm me if I just called anonymously, right?
I picked up the phone and dialed the number. After three rings, there was a click indicating it was received, but followed by silence.
I almost changed my mind and hung up, but a second later, I heard a deep, masculine voice with slight irritation.
“Who is this?”
For some reason, just the sound of his voice made me feel hot.
