Chapter 1

• The Shadow Green Pack
• Aurora Maxwell
• Being the daughter of an Alpha should be the most difficult and pressuring role in the entire werewolf community, right? Especially when your father’s personality leans more toward being a total jerk than a loving parent. His life’s mission seems to be making mine a living hell by setting impossible standards. So yes, being the Alpha’s daughter in my position is the hardest job imaginable, and I’d gladly accept being an Omega instead.
• Perfection has been all I’ve known. As the Alpha’s daughter, perfection, according to my father’s definition, means being the perfect Luna. It means listening to every command without questioning, following every rule, and not even thinking about breaking them. I couldn’t even begin to imagine how to break a rule.
• Since I was little, my wolf Kira and I have been trained to be the ideal mate and Luna, with no room for mistakes. It’s been easy enough so far. I haven’t made any mistakes, so my life has been as perfect as it could be. If life were a job, I’d be expecting a promotion.
• I’ve never been allowed to break any rules or do anything "wrong." I don’t even know where to begin if I wanted to. As the only child of the Alpha, and as a she-wolf, not a male, I was groomed to be a good mate for my future Alpha mate, whoever he would be. I wasn’t supposed to question him, just serve him—cook for him, meet his needs, whenever and wherever he wanted.
• But out of all the duties I’ve been given, what I enjoyed most was cooking. It’s something I can do without feeling like it’s forced upon me. The pack loves my cooking, and it’s one thing that brings me a sense of freedom. And with my cooking skills, I’ve earned a lot of respect from the pack members.
• “Thank you once again, Aurora. As always, your meals are delicious and beautiful, just like you. I’m sure your mate will be very lucky to have you, or any man would be lucky to have you as his mate,” Brandon said, grinning widely, his smile as bright as a Christmas turkey.
• I couldn’t say, Get lost and fuck off, though. I couldn’t curse or speak disrespectfully, not with the way I’d been trained. I had to act like a good girl, and I was good at it.
• “Thank you, Brandon. You’re too kind,” I said sweetly, a fake smile on my lips as I rolled my eyes internally. This was the perfect Luna smile I’d perfected over the years.
• “Maybe we could go out sometime?” he asked, taking my hands in his. His large hands wrapped around mine, holding them tightly.
• Brandon was one of the pack warriors. He was always after me, not because of who I was, but because he wanted the Alpha position. There wasn’t a day that went by that he didn’t flatter me—especially after the rest of the pack members had left the dining room.
• Brandon was obsessed with becoming Alpha, and he made his intentions very clear. But that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon unless my mate died or my true mate rejected the Alpha position.
• It was unheard of for anyone to reject the Alpha position—every male wolf craved it like vampires craved blood. Everyone wanted it, but it could only be inherited, won in battle, or secured by being the mate of the Alpha’s daughter—like in my case. My mate would rule after my father, and that was how it was supposed to be.
• I pulled my hands away from Brandon’s grip, feeling uncomfortable and irritated. He was getting too forward, and it was starting to get on my nerves.
• He knew how important a mate was to someone. We were both young—me, nineteen, and him, twenty-five. But he hadn’t found his mate yet, and I doubted he was even looking for her. If he was, he wouldn’t be bugging me all the time.
• “Thank you, Brandon, but if you’ll excuse me, I need to clear the table and wash the dishes,” I said politely, still forcing a smile, but he didn’t take the hint.
• “I could help you, beautiful. A lady like you shouldn’t be doing all the dirty work when a strong wolf like me is here,” he said, leaning forward and invading my personal space.
• He was getting so annoying. Couldn’t he take a hint?
• “Oh, Brandon, strong, strong Brandon. The Alpha needs your help outside to lift a giant tree. Since you’re so strong, I recommended you to him,” my best friend Nina said, walking up to us dramatically and standing by my side.
• Thankfully, Brandon stepped back, finally giving me some space.
• “But who will help Aurora clear the dishes?” he asked with a long sigh.
• “That’s not your business,” my wolf Kira snapped at him in annoyance. She wasn’t as patient as I was.
• “Don’t worry, I’m here to help her. I’m sure the Alpha’s waiting for you already,” Nina said, shooing him away with a wave of her hand.
• “Okay... I’ll see you later, Aurora,” he said, throwing me a look like a lost puppy before he left the dining hall.
• Finally.
• “That boy is definitely in love with you. Can’t you see the stars in his eyes?” Nina teased as she sat down at the table.
• “You know he isn’t my mate, and he’s not in love with me. He’s only in love with the Alpha position, so nothing can happen between us, and you know that,” I said with a pointed look.
• “Anyway, thank you for saving me. I owe you one,” I added, giving Nina a quick hug before heading over to clear the table.
• I gathered the plates and cups and set them in the sink. Breakfast had been my favorite: eggs with toast, butter, and jam, plus a large jug of orange juice for the two pack members who still lived in the pack house. We were a large pack—over a thousand wolves—but not everyone lived together, so many lived in separate houses across the pack lands.
• Being part of the largest pack wasn’t always peaceful. My father was constantly going back and forth, trying to keep everything together. That’s why he wanted me to find my mate, who would take control of the pack and hopefully unite us all. At least that’s the lie I told myself to keep from seeing my father as the complete asshole he really was.
• My father was a stingy man. He’d easily divide the pack and give different sections to different people to rule, but of course, he needed the money from the taxes each pack member paid.
• “Yes, you owe me one. That’s why you’re going to return the favor by going with me to a new club,” Nina said, biting into a red apple she’d pulled from the fruit basket.
• She sat down in one of the dining chairs, watching me clear the table without offering to help. I knew she didn’t want to get her freshly manicured nails dirty.
• “Are you insane? Do you want my father to kill me? He’ll be so disappointed if he finds out his only daughter, the future Luna, went clubbing. He’ll be furious, and don’t even get me started on my mother,” I whispered, almost shouting, as I glanced around, making sure no one could overhear.
• “He’s not going to find out, trust me. Don’t worry, we’ll sneak out well,” Nina replied confidently, her tone full of conviction.
• “Now I’m sure you’re insane. You know I’ve been trained my whole life to be a Luna, to be a good girl. I’m not as wild as you are,” I said, dismissing the idea of going to a club and turning back to the sink.
• “So, what do you mean, Aurora?” Nina started, and I had no choice but to turn around and face her. Why couldn’t she understand? She knew how heartless my father was.
• “I’m a spoiled brat, right? Because I talk about sex and going to clubs all the time, right? You’re the perfect little Luna, and I’m the bad friend?” she finished, slamming her apple down onto the table and stabbing it with a knife.
• I flinched, nearly dropping the dishes.
• “No, no! I love you just the way you are, Nina. What I meant was this: I’m not as free as you are. You know how we were both trained differently. I’m supposed to be Luna. I can’t be seen clubbing. What will people say about me? And what will my father do if he finds out?” I said, trying to calm her down.
• “So, because I’m not going to be a Luna, you insult me? Is that it?” she snapped, her eyes blazing red with anger.
• “No, no! You misunderstood me, Nina. You’re getting it all wrong, I’m sorry!” I quickly apologized.
• “If you want me to forgive you, then you need to go to the club with me. Don’t worry, the club is far from our pack, and no one will recognize you there,” she said, grinning confidently.
• “Fine, I’ll go. But if my father finds out, you’re in deep trouble with me,” I said, defeated.
• The things I do for friendship.
• “Don’t worry, he won’t find out. I have the perfect plan, and trust me, nothing can go wrong,” Nina assured me, her smile wide as she practically bounced in her seat.