Chapter 1 One

Astrid's POV. “I, ALPHA HALFDAN, REJECT YOU, ASTRID, AS MY MATE AND LUNA. I CAN'T HAVE A WEAK-LOOKING OMEGA AS MY MATE WHEN I CAN HAVE CAMILLA BY MY SIDE ALWAYS!” What? Camilla, my cousin? What was Alpha Halfdan, whom I have loved all these years, been humiliated for, saying? Was he rejecting me because of my own cousin? I questioned inwardly, my heart racing rapidly as my eyes bulged out in shock and disbelief. Alpha Halfdan's declaration instantly made me feel like knives with sharp edges were piercing through my skin. Tears clouded my eyes, and I couldn’t help but clutch my chest in pain and regret. “What?” I finally struggled to emit, my lips trembling in fear and shock at the sight before me. “You heard me loud and clear, Astrid! How can I have a Luna like you when I can have my dear Camilla by my side?” A mischievous sneer curled on his lips as I saw his arms wrapped around Camilla’s waist, pulling her closer to him. He turned to look at her and then kissed her right on the lips, disregarding the fact that I was standing right before them, ignoring the bond we once shared as mates. If there was anything I had expected on my 24th birthday, it definitely wasn’t the sight of my own mate, whom I had sacrificed so much for, cheating on me or rejecting me because of my cousin. At the thought of my sacrifices, my heart grew heavy, and it felt as though the world had collapsed on me. The first time I set my eyes on Alpha Halfdan was during the gathering of Alphas from other packs. I attended the meeting, and all I wished for was to be his mate. I was so glad when it was finally known that we were bound to be together. I loved him wholeheartedly, but my father always felt displeased. He didn't like Alpha Halfdan and asked me to end things with him, my mate, but I refused. This provoked my father, Alpha Safiya, so much that he couldn't help but disown me. I would have begged him, but guess what? I left without hesitation, all because I loved Halfdan. I didn't regret it because I was doing it for Halfdan. Being disowned as an Alpha's daughter was a big taboo but I didn't mind. I endured all the humiliation it brought all for love. I was and will always be the reason Halfdan's pack was ranked number one among the eastern packs. But what was I getting now? Rejection from the man I laid my life down for, even giving up my position as an Alpha's daughter. I found myself sprawling to the ground, still in tears, my hand clutching my chest in pain and regret. “I can’t believe you wanted to spend the rest of your life with this weak bitch!” Camilla snarled as she disengaged from kissing Alpha Halfdan. “Spend my life with her? Why would I do that?” Halfdan sneered, rolling his eyes at me. “After everything I’ve done for you, Halfdan! After sacrificing so much just to—” I was going to say, but then Camilla walked over to where I was kneeling and slapped me right on my face, my hair sticking to the tears. “Shut that trap of yours, bitch! If you don’t know what to say, then leave! You can’t just walk in here and expect my mate to have you as his Luna, can you?” she spat, making me snap my gaze to Halfdan, who just wouldn’t stop smiling viciously. “What? Are you shocked to hear she’s my mate?” Alpha Halfdan walked closer to where I was kneeling, and with a grin on his lips, he crouched down to my level, making my heart race at what I had just heard. “Listen up, Astrid… All I ever wanted was the pack, but guess what? You were disowned by your father, and I couldn’t keep kissing those disgusting lips of yours when I knew the pack wouldn’t be mine! I’m sorry, Astrid, but you were just so foolish to have thought I’d love you!” he declared, his words piercing my heart even more before he stood up. He turned around and was about to meet Camilla, but then my words made him halt right in his tracks. “But… but the mate bond! I felt the bond! You are my mate!” I cried as I tried to understand the situation. It was so heartbreaking to see what was happening before me. “The mate bond?” He turned back to look at me. “There was no mate bond, Astrid… You were just enchanted by the witches' powers and your silly love for me!” he asserted, and immediately, Camilla handed him a file, which he received with a frown on his face. “Let’s end this once and for all, Astrid…” He took out a paper from the file and, after staring at it briefly, tossed it onto the ground in front of me. “Sign the paper now!” I looked down at the papers before me, and to my disbelief, the documents he asked me to sign were none other than divorce papers. The tears that rolled down my eyes soaked part of the papers. I wasn’t just being rejected; I was about to sign the divorce papers with the one Alpha I always had a crush on, with the one Alpha I thought was my mate, with the one Alpha I sacrificed everything for. “No! No! I can’t sign this! Something must be wrong!” I lifted my eyes to meet Alpha Halfdan’s, and with urgency, I rushed to grab his legs. “Please don’t do this to me… please! I can’t… I can’t let go of—” I was going to keep begging him to take me back and reverse his rejection, but then Camilla stepped in and kicked me right in the stomach, making me tumble backward. A piercing wince escaped my lips as I clutched my stomach, and just then, blood dripped from my nose and landed on the paper before me. “Look what you’ve made me do, dear cousin… Now sign the paper and leave! You have no right to be here!” Camilla snarled as she urged me. I turned to look at Alpha Halfdan, and seeing his unforgiving stare, I felt nothing but pain in my heart. I never wanted to do it, but they both forced me to. I grabbed the paper in my hand and, staggering, stood to my feet, my gaze now fixed on both of them. “You want me to sign these papers… I will, but I want to hear you say it, Alpha Halfdan! I want to hear you say you don’t want me and have never loved me,” I uttered, silently praying that he wouldn’t say it, that he’d realize his mistakes and come back to love me. I was definitely going to forgive him and make him see that he was wrong to have slept with my cousin on my birthday, rejected me, and given me divorce papers to sign. “You want affirmation?” He scoffed as he walked closer to me. His hand reached for my hair, and just then, he tucked a few strands that clung to my face behind my ear. “You’ll get it, my pretty love…” Just when I thought he was going to ask for mercy, to ask me to forgive him, the worst happened. Alpha Halfdan suddenly grabbed my neck and, with force, pushed me backward, making my back collide with the hard wall behind me. “Half—” I fought to say as I struggled to get out of his grip on my neck. I couldn’t breathe. “You brought this upon yourself, Astrid. You wanted to know if I meant every word I said to you? Well, here it is!” He licked his lower lip like a lunatic as he turned his gaze to Camilla, who immediately understood what he meant. “Let go…” I cried, trying to pull away, but it was difficult. Just then, Camilla came closer, took hold of my hand, and, using a pin, made it bleed. “Ahhh!” I cried out in pain. They were so cruel to me. She picked up the divorce paper and, with a half-smile curling on her lips, stamped the paper with the blood that spilled from my hand. The moment Alpha Halfdan saw that it was done, he let go of my neck, making me struggle to catch my breath. I was still trying to understand what had happened when Camilla grabbed my hand and dragged me toward the exit of the house. “Get out and never return, you bitch!” She pushed me out of the house, making me fall to the ground. She shut the door in my face, leaving me alone outside in the dark. Torrents of tears kept rolling down my eyes, and all I wished for was to get my revenge, to show them that they shouldn’t mess with the wrong Omega. I stood up, pain still etched in my heart, hailed a taxi, and went straight to the La'Vida Club. “I bet they wouldn’t expect this!” I forced a painful smile on my lips as I took a mask that was for sale and entered the masquerade party. The loud noise suddenly felt comforting. I grabbed a bottle of alcohol and took a large gulp. I was heartbroken, and when an Omega gets heartbroken, she tries to escape the pain. I walked over to a masked man sitting at the counter. His body looked attractive, but because I was drunk, I didn’t hesitate to kiss him right on the lips. I expected him to push me away, but he didn’t. He seemed to enjoy it, and that was definitely going to be my way to get my revenge. “Make me yours tonight,” I whispered into his ear seductively, and just then, he stood up, grabbed my hand, and pulled me toward a private room. The second we got inside, he shut the door behind him. I couldn’t see his face, and he couldn’t see mine. “As you wish, Princess, but don’t stop me no matter what!” He wrapped his arms around my slender waist and, in the charged atmosphere, kissed me possessively. It was just a one-night stand. After all, what could a one-night stand with a masked stranger result in?