PROLOGUE

It was nearly midnight, the night sky was picturesque, the pale crescent moon shining like a silvery claw in the night sky.

I stared at my parents with teary eyes. I didn't know what was going on. I was only twelve years old.

"You failed as the alpha of the Blue Moon Pack. You betrayed the pack, and you shall be executed," Oliver, my aunt's husband, said to my dad, and the werewolves in our pack howled in acceptance.

"Let the execution begin," the leader of our community said.

The mother of Janet, my friend, came to take me away, but she was stopped by my aunt Emily.

"This is none of your business. She is not related to you," I heard Emily say to her.

"She is just a child. How can you make her watch her parents get killed?" my friend's mother said to Emily.

Emily held my hands forcefully. "I am now the Luna of this pack, and you won't disobey my orders. She has to watch it so she will see how traitors are punished, so she won't try to become one," my aunt said, and my friend's mother backed off.

The executioner raised his silver sword to the moon and used it to cut off my dad's head, and his head rolled on the ground. My small body was fidgeting; I was shocked and scared. I could see the triumphant smile on Emily's face.

"I love you," were the last words I heard from my mother to me before her head came rolling to the ground where I was standing.

Everything was like a dream to me. My vision became blurry, and I collapsed due to extreme shock.

******

******

I woke up immediately, sweats covering my body. My hands reached for the jug, and I poured myself water in the cup and gulped it down immediately, inhaling and exhaling. This has been a dream haunting me in my sleep every night. Witnessing the death of my parents molded me into a weak person. I was scared of everything around me.

My aunt was not helping matters at all. She didn't fail to remind me that my parents were traitors and that I would be killed like them too if I became one, but deep within me, I knew my parents were innocent. I knew my parents well, and I looked up to them. Ever since my parents died, life has been hell for me in my aunt's house.

The only day I held on to for my freedom was the day I would turn eighteen, the day I would find my mate which was two days later.

******

******

The day has finally come. It was the mating ceremony, the time for the teenagers to find their respective mates. This day was a day of joy for every young girl. I was very happy that day, preparing for the occasion. I cleaned the house earlier, and I did all my house chores so my aunt would not find a reason to hold me back from attending the ceremony.

"Why are you so happy today?" Ivy, my aunt's daughter who is the same age as me, asked me. I ignored her. I didn't have time for her. She and my aunt were always looking for ways to taunt me.

"You think finding your mate today will finally save you from us. What if your mate is ugly, and he is not an Alpha?" she said, laughing. "I bet her mate will be an omega like her too, low blood," her mother added, coming down the stairs.

"I don't care about the identity or status of my mate. What matters is that I found him, and he loves me too," I replied to them.

"And what makes you so sure that you will be loved? Don't deceive yourself, girl. You can never be loved. You are cursed," Ivy remarked, and tears flowed down freely from my eyes.

"You can say whatever you want. I'm out of here," I said, leaving their presence.

Third person's POV:

Emiliana, her aunt, scoffed. "Look at her, acting all bold and mighty because she thinks she is leaving here today,I bet her mate would reject a mutt like her. Nobody in his right sense would want to be with the daughter of a traitor." Emiliana said to her daughter, who didn't reply. She looked at her daughter and realized that she was crying. "Hey, baby, what's wrong with you? Why are you crying?" she asked Ivy.

"I'm scared, Mummy. I'm scared," she replied, crying profusely. "Scared of what, baby? Today is supposed to be a happy occasion for you," Emily asked, drying her tears with her handkerchief.

"I don't want to lose Nicki. I love him. What if he's not my mate? Then he will be out of my life forever. I don't want to lose him. I'm scared," she said with tears in her eyes.

"Come on, baby. You won't lose him. If he loves you like he said, he would reject his mate for you. That's not a problem, so stop crying," Emily said, hugging her. "Thanks, Mummy," Ivy said, hugging her back.

"Good girl, that's my baby girl. Now, go and prepare for the occasion and make sure to look beautiful for your future Alpha, Niklaus," her mummy said, breaking free from the hug. Ivy blushed at her words. "Okay, Mummy, let me go and prepare," she said and ran upstairs to dress up.

Niklaus is the son of the most powerful Alpha. He was next in line to be the alpha. His pack was the most powerful pack. Many alphas wanted their child to be the lucky one to become Niklaus's mate. Ivy was Niklaus's girlfriend. Many girls envied her. She acted arrogant in the high school they attended because she knew nobody would mess with her since she was Niklaus's girlfriend and she was the daughter of an alpha too.

Many girls prayed earnestly to be Niklaus's mate at the mating ceremony.

AURORA'S POV:

"Oh, my baby girl, you are looking so beautiful," Janet, my best friend, told me.

"Like, seriously, are you sure?" I asked, unsure of myself because the clothes I had on were my old clothes. "Yeah, babe, you are always a natural beauty even if the clothes you wear are rags. I have told you countless times to put my dress on for this ceremony, but you keep on refusing," she said.

"I don't want to be a bother to you besides I want my mate to love me for who I am and not the dress I wear. I am content with the little I have," I said to her, and she nodded at me. "Whatever you say, baby girl," she said to me. "You are looking good too," I told her, and she blushed. "I wonder who my mate is. I wonder who our mates are," she said to me, and I smiled at her.

Janet is my childhood friend and best friend. We were like sisters. She had always been with me since my nightmare began. She is the daughter of my father's gamma. When my uncle became the alpha, he removed her father as the gamma because he was close to my dad.

My name is Aurora Wilson, but my friends call me Rora. When I say friends, I mean my bestie Janet and my special friend Dave, the son of a beta. They were the only friends I had. I am the only child of my late parents. I attend Polar High School, the only high school in our community where werewolves reside. In this community, it was divided into many packs. The most powerful pack was that of Niklaus King.

Our pack was also the second most powerful pack in our community.

My parents were the former Alpha and Luna of our pack. They were framed for betrayal of the pack, and they were killed in cold blood. This happened when I was 12 years old. After their death, the husband of my aunt became the alpha of our pack. I was degraded to the status of an omega. I lived with them as a maid, doing all the house chores, while Ivy, their daughter, did nothing other than eating, sleeping, and making life miserable for me.

I have always waited for the day the mating ceremony would come so my mate would set me free, and my dream has finally come true. After waiting for so many years, after enduring many hardships, the day has finally come for me to be set free.

I smiled, looking up to the sky. "My dream has finally come true. The day for me to be set free from the hands of my aunt," I said, and Janet hugged me. "Come on, baby girl, don't make me cry. Let's get going before we are late," she said to me. "I can't wait," I said to her, and we held hands and left for the mating ceremony.