A secret

My eyes widen and a gasp leave my lips when my father's words register in my mind.

I shake my head, unable to believe he could propose something so absurd.

" That's treason, father."

I can't do that! That's akin to leading myself to a slaughter house.

" You have to do it, Paige. That's the only way to save the pack and your sister.”

There he goes again. Save my sister my ass. I have been doing that for as long as I can remember but this is different.

“ Alpha Callum is engaged to Megan, not me. It's not going to be easy to pull this one out.”

I try to reason with him, try to show him that sending me to marry Alpha Callum might be worse than cancelling the whole marriage deal.

Besides, I have a secret. One that I intend to take to my grave and with me marrying Alpha Callum, that might not remain a secret anymore.

" That's why you’ll do your f*****g best not to blow your cover!” My father roars.

“You don't have a choice, Paige. Unless you want to bear the weight of this pack's destruction on your shoulders. " He hisses, annoyed that I am arguing with him.

As the Alpha of the Midnight pack, my father hated it when anyone defies him, even his own children.

He is a control freak. Always getting pissed if things didn't go his way.

" Your sister left for her studies. She has dreams to pursue.The marriage alliance between the two packs has been set in motion. You don't have a choice." He declares with finality, leaving no room for argument.

I scoff. She has dreams and I don't?

" Left the country or eloped with another man! I wouldn't be surprised if that's what happened!” I snort.

A slap resounds in the office as his hand makes a contact with my face.

" Never talk about your sister that way. "

My hands fly to my cheeks, trying to rub off the sting.

My eyes start to water, but I hold the tears at bay.

I look at my father who is fuming and I stop myself from laughing hysterically.

Yes. This has always been my life; living in the shadows of my sister and having zero right to comment about her behaviour.

I have always known that Megan was the loved one while I am that unimportant and easily discarded child whose value comes when someone needs to take a fall for something.

" You should appreciate that you are marrying Alpha Callum. With your abilities, do you think you could ever come close to someone as powerful as him? " My mother, who had been quiet all this while, spoke.

Her voice, her gaze...full of disgust and hatred.

The same emotions she always directs towards me.

I wonder why she hates me so much.

" Mother..."

" No. You need to stop acting like you are someone special. " She snarls, her face contorting in anger.

" We raised you and it's your responsibility to protect this pack so if you are being told to marry Alpha Callum, you do that, without questioning. "

She continues, her voice getting louder and louder as she speaks.

I look at her with shock in my eyes.

Marrying Alpha Callum isn't an honour or a privilege.

If it was, they wouldn’t be forcing me to marry him against my wish. Not when their darling Megan could enjoy the ‘ privilege.’

“ What if I found my mate?” I give my last shot. Maybe this can make them change their mind.

“ Find your mate?” My mother scoffs.

“ I can lick my a*s and swear you haven't found him. It will be a tragedy to have you as a mate! A curse!” She spats.

Her words stab my chest and I feel my heart constrict painfully. What hits home is the fact that she is right. I never found him, my mate.

It's been a year since I hit eighteen when a she-wolf finds their fated ones. Not only haven't I found him, I didn't shift either.

If my life was bad back before I turned eighteen, it turned even worse. My parents would look at me with nothing but sheer hatred and disappointment.

Of course,Megan is the opposite of me. Although she never found her mate, she has a strong wolf. That's something my parents don't fail to remind me as the wolfless mutt.

" Yes, Alpha. " With my head bowed, I answer before I turn around and walk out of the room, tears already falling down my cheeks.

***

A week. That's all my parents gave me to prepare to set off to the Silver Fangs pack. As I stand outside the Packhouse facing the entourage sent by Alpha Callum to escort me to the pack, I can't help but look back to the only people who cared for me here.

My brother, Lucas and my maid, Rosalia.

She has tears in her eyes. My eyes wander to my parents. My father's face is stoic, devoid of any emotions while my mother has a smirk on her face.

“It's about time.We should leave.” A blue eyed man who introduced himself as Alpha Callum's chief warrior announces.

With one last glance at the place I called home for almost two decades, I slid inside the car.

The tears I so much tried to hold back finally fall and I sob helplessly, lamenting my pathetic fate.

Someone would think that after living a life of isolation and being loathed all my life, I should have gotten used to it.

That might be true but never did I stop wishing that things could change and my parents would treat me like they treated Megan.

But after seeing how they looked at me, sealing my fate, I figured out that it's time to move past that dream.

They will never love and care for me.

I don't know how long we have been driving. I must have cried myself to sleep when someone taps me on the shoulder.

Opening my eyes to the sight of a big castle-like structure.

Stepping out of my car, two maids approach. One of them takes my bag while the other takes my hand.

“ Ash will show you around and prepare you to meet the Alpha tonight.” The man announces before walking away.