Aurelia POV
My hands shook as I stared at the letter,the words seemed to burn themselves into my mind.
I had no clue who sent it.
A cold chill crawled down my spine.
"No," I whispered to myself.
It couldn't be connected to me.
Could it?
I looked around my tiny room.
The silence felt heavier than usual,the folded paper trembled slightly between my fingers.
A knock sounded suddenly and I jumped.
The letter slipped from my hand.
"Aurelia?" Selina called from outside. "Are you awake?"
I rushed to the door,the moment I opened it, Selina frowned.
"You look like you've seen a ghost."
I hesitated before handing her the letter.
Her expression changed as she read.
"What is this?"
"I don't know."
"Who gave it to you?"
"I found it on my bed."
Selina looked up sharply. "You mean someone entered your room?"
"I guess so."
Her face paled. Neither of us spoke for several seconds.
Selina folded the paper carefully.
"I don't like this." She said,
"Neither do I."
"Aurelia..." She lowered her voice.
"Maybe you should tell someone." "Who?"I asked
Selina opened her mouth, we both knew the answer.
Nobody would care,not about some mysterious letter.
"Keep it hidden," Selina said finally.
"What if it's true?" I asked.
She sighed.
"Then we find out during the Mating Ceremony."
The Mating Ceremony,just hearing those words made my stomach twist.
Every unmated wolf in Silver Crest had been talking about it for weeks.
And now we were one night away.
One night until destiny chose our mates,until everything changed.
"What if I don't have a mate?" I asked.
Selina immediately frowned. "You do."
"You don't know that." I said, "Everyone has one." Selina said
I forced a smile.
"Not everyone gets a happy ending."
Selina reached out and squeezed my hand.
"You deserve one."
The sadness in her eyes nearly broke me.
The next morning began exactly the way most mornings did,with humiliation.
"Aurelia!" The shrill voice echoed through the kitchen.
I closed my eyes and sighed.
Serena,of course.
I hurried toward the pantry.
Serena stood waiting with two of her friends.
The moment she saw me, her lips curled.
"There you are."
"What do you need?" I asked carefully.
She tossed a clipboard at me.
It struck my shoulder before falling to the floor.
"You forgot yesterday's inventory."
I bent down and picked it up.
"I finished it." I said
"No." She said
Her smile widened. "You didn't."
I stared at the papers. Someone deliberately removed several pages. The pages I completed.
"You did this," I said before I could stop myself.
"You accusing me, Omega?" She questioned
I immediately regretted speaking.
"No."
"That's what I thought."
One of her friends snickered and Serena stepped closer.
"Since you failed your duties, you'll be cleaning the banquet hall today."
The banquet hall,the largest building in the territory.
The location of tomorrow's Mating Ceremony.
My shoulders slumped.
"Yes,of course" I said
"Good." She smiled.
"Try not to embarrass yourself." She said before leaving.
The banquet hall looked beautiful,huge chandeliers hung from the ceiling.
Silver decorations covered the walls,workers rushed everywhere preparing for tomorrow's celebration.
I spent hours cleaning,sweeping,and moving decorations,and polishing tables.
Ignoring the ache in my muscles. Most wolves couldn't wait for tomorrow.
I wasn't sure how I felt,hope was dangerous.
Hope usually ended in disappointment.
"Aurelia."
The familiar voice made me turn.
Luna Helena stood near one of the decorated tables.
A soft smile touched her lips.
"Good afternoon, Luna."
"You've been working all day." She said
I nodded.
"You should rest."
Rest? I repeated
Omega servants didn't rest,not if they wanted to keep their jobs.
"I'll be fine." I said.
Before she could reply, her expression changed.
One hand flew to her temple,the color drained from her face.
My heart jumped. "Luna?"
Helena swayed,the table beside her rattled.
"Luna!" I shouted.
I lunged forward just before she hit the floor, I caught her.
Gasps erupted throughout the hall,several wolves rushed toward us.
"Get the healer!"
"Call the Beta!"
"Move!"
Helena blinked slowly.
she winced,the pain on her face looked unbearable,without thinking, I grabbed her hand.
The moment our skin touched, something strange happened.
Warmth surged through me.
A strange energy,Helena's breathing steadied.
The tension in her face eased, the pain seemed to fade.
Then the sensation vanished just as quickly as it had appeared.
Helena looked at me as if seeing me for the first time.
"Aurelia..." she whispered.
Before either of us could speak again, footsteps thundered across the hall.
The crowd stepped aside.
Alpha Ragnar entered,and Kieran followed behind him.
Ragnar's grey eyes locked onto his mother instantly.
"What happened?" Ragnar demanded.
One healer stepped forward.
"She collapsed, Alpha."
Ragnar's jaw tightened. He crouched beside Helena.
"Mother."
"I'm alright," Helena said softly.
"You don't look alright."
Kieran scanned the room,his gaze landed on me.
"What happened before she collapsed?" he asked.
Every eye turned toward me.
"I don't know."
Ragnar finally looked at me.
The attention made me uncomfortable.
After a moment, he stood.
"Take Luna Helena home," Ragnar ordered.
The healers obeyed.
Helena looked over her shoulder as they escorted her away.
Her eyes found mine. A strange expression crossed her face.
Then she disappeared,the hall slowly returned to normal but the knot in my stomach remained,something was wrong and somehow, I felt connected to it.
That evening, Silver Crest buzzed with excitement,and decorations lined the streets.
Music echoed from every corner of the territory,Everyone talked about one thing.
The Mating Ceremony. I sat alone outside the servants' quarters.
The moon hung above the trees,Tomorrow destiny would choose.
Maybe I would finally belong somewhere,maybe I would finally stop being alone.
A howl suddenly echoed across the territory.
Pack wolves began moving toward the central square.
This wasn't part of the ceremony.
I spotted Selina hurrying toward me.
"Aurelia." She called.
"What happened?" I asked.
Selina grabbed my arm.
"The Alpha just made an announcement."
Fear crawled through me.
"What announcement?"
She swallowed and looked directly into my eyes.
"The Mating Ceremony has been moved forward."
"What?"
"It starts tonight."
