CHAPTER 1

Omega

Samantha

"Jason Wright - Alpha" The roars and cheers echo through the crowd, and I try with all my might to suppress this feeling of pride and keep my heartbeat steady. I guess this is how you feel when you get confirmation of who your future Alpha is.

Ignoring the fluttering in my belly, I scoff.

"Pff, no surprise here." I say to Jennifer, my best friend.

"Mhm... now concentrate. She'll be calling our name any minute." She responds, but seems mostly absent. I'm beginning to think she's more nervous than I am about hearing our rank.

Jennifer is the daughter of the herd doctor. She desperately wants to follow in her father's footsteps and hopes to obtain a rank that will help her follow that path.

"Goddess, Ming! Calm down, you're too nervous today." I scold my she-wolf because she keeps whining and giving me a headache.

We are about to start our senior year in high school, and before that, our principal gives us our ranks during this pompous ceremony.

"Wolves and their ceremonies...," Marie, my other best friend, whispers in my ear. "I know, right?" I whisper back.

Ours never miss an opportunity to organize an event. We always have dozens of ceremonies, dances and parties.

"Well, I guess Lunas needs something to focus on, now let's not ruin it guys." Jen scolded us.

Marie and I laugh out loud at Jen's words and someone behind me shushes us angrily. That causes me to roll my eyes before returning my gaze to the stage. Marie, on the other hand, decides to give her the middle finger.

Marie can get away with literally anything. She lost her parents when she was just a baby, and since her mother and our Luna were sisters, Alpha Jaxon and his partner adopted her and raised her as their own. His are Jason, but even though they basically grew up as twins, he and Marie barely tolerate each other.

On stage, Biggins continues to read the names and ranks. He is a rough-looking man in his sixties. At the moment, he is one of the elders respected by the entire herd. His rank is Kappa and, as a result, he became a schoolmaster. Kappas are very intelligent and usually become teachers, doctors, accountants, lawyers.

Ranks are decided by the council of elders after our first 3 years of high school and our performances in both human and wolf form are reviewed. We also had to complete a 50 page questionnaire over the course of summer vacation. So yes, our final test is actually before we start our senior year. The Council reviews everything and on the first day of our senior year, the director announces the ranks, so we know what to focus on and where to apply after that. I'm really not worried about knowing my rank. I can't understand why Ming is acting like this. She's more stressed than I've ever felt her, and she's starting to make me uncomfortable too. I have nothing to worry about, do I?

My name is Samantha Bailey and I am part of Crescent Moon Pack. We are a medium sized pack located in a remote area in the north of England. Mainly woods and small towns and villages dotted here and there, this is the Werewolf Refuge.

There are 2 other neighboring packs in this part of England, the Blood Moon pack, which is smaller in numbers and territory, and the Silver pack, which is about the same size as ours. My mom is from the Silver pack, but fortunately there are peace treaties between the 3 packs.

My parents are fighters, they are well respected in our pack, but I actually have Beta blood in my veins from both sides. My parents are Beta descendants, but since they both had older siblings who took Beta rank, they chose to join the warriors. Having Beta blood makes them superior to other fighters, so they are both commanders, which is really cool, and also comes with some advantages for little ol' me.

No one messes with the commander's daughter, and I always got my way by not being the typical wolf. You see, for starters, I have pastel pink hair. OK, I have half my hair pink and it's a pretty silly contrast to the chocolate brown that sprouts from the roots towards mid-length.

I am so proud of my parents, they always supported me in any crazy idea I had, and I can only hope they will be just as proud of me when I get my rank. My absolutely perfect scenario is to get the Beta ranking. Then I would learn the negotiation and business management skills that come with the rank, and when I meet my partner, who I hope is also Beta, I will join his pack.

I want a change of scenery, I want to know more of what's inside my pack. For this, I would follow my mate to his pack in a heartbeat.

Susan Mannen-Omega

Brian Richards-Beta

"Quelle surprise!" I roll my eyes again, bored.

"Can't we just move this faster?" Marie yells getting some disapproving looks from the seniors.

"Ssst, our names will be read next." Jen scolds us again.

Brian is my cousin on my father's side. Brian's father is the current Beta, so the rank was expected. Plus, he and Jason have been best friends since they were babies. Again, that fluttering in my stomach starts when Brian walks up on stage and gets a side hug from Jason. I must be hungry.

Owen Clark - Gamma

Rianna Sull - Delta

Timothy Rhonson-Delta

Claire Supersonic - Omega

Marie Gaston-Alpha

"Yeah bitches!!!" She yells as she runs to the stage.

Both Jen and I cheer her on loudly.

Matt Britton - Sigma

jennifer dixey-gamma

"Oh, thank you Goddess!" Jen exhales and starts walking towards the stage to join Marie and the others who already know their rank.

I am so proud of my friends. I can't wait to join them on stage and then celebrate our ranks.

That's all. There are only a few of us left.

Evie Preston-Sigma

Darla Stevens-Omega

Samantha Bailey-Omega

I smile brightly and start walking towards the stage as Mr. Biggins' words begin to register in my brain.

He didn't just say 'Omega,' did he?

I hear people gasp in shock, I hear whispers around me and Ming simply howls, outraged at the injustice. I start to feel unsteady on my feet, but I keep pushing towards the stage. Slowly I climb up and join my friends. I'm not going to make a bigger fool of myself. Neither of them say a word and I'm really grateful for that, otherwise, I'm sure I'll lose my composure and break into sobs in front of most of our pack.

I scan the crowd and see my mother's face. She looks so embarrassed and disappointed that my heart completely breaks.

I have let my family down, I am truly an embarrassment. Our eyes meet and instead of the loving support I expected and needed, I see hatred and disgust. My mother... she... she denies me.

I hold my head high for the rest of the ceremony. I don't need everyone to see how I feel. I am a proud she-wolf, and I always will be. I'm going to figure this out. Whatever my rank means, I will figure it out and excel at it.

"Unfortunately, you're not the best cook."

"Too soon Ming, too soon."

"Sorry. We'll figure it out. And we can meet our partner soon. He can save us. The Goddess always has a plan."

"Fuck the Goddess and fuck her plan."

At my angry outburst, Ming just groans and retreats to the back of my mind.

As soon as all the seniors have their rank and we exit the stage, I start running and running, never stopping until I'm deep in the woods where I switch to my wolf, allowing Ming full control. She needs this, she needs to let her pain out too, and I need to think about what just happened and what it means for me and the rest of my life.

Ming runs fast, jumping over dead trees and dodging fallen branches, making sure we are away from everyone.

I regain control when we reach a clearing and I hear the sound of gushing water. I decide I'm far enough away, so I shake off the leaves that have gotten stuck in my thick fur and quickly return to my human form. I use the clothes I was wearing in my mouth to get dressed again. Following the gentle sound of the water, I pass the clearing and head down the small hill towards a beautiful stream. I find a good enough place to sit and begin to watch the rushing water, alone in my thoughts.