NEVER WOULD I HAVE THOUGHT

CHAPTER 002

Claudia’s POV:

On regular days in the pack, I was required to participate in all the chores, not like I had a choice, to begin with; if I didn't get it done, I would have to answer to either General Tucker or the kitchen’s headmistress as well, and that never ended well.

I was walking through the hallways to get to the kitchen when two figures appeared at the end of it. Taking one look at them and the smirks on their faces, I turned around as fast as I could, gripping the bucket in my hands rather tightly.

“Woah, woah, and where do you think you're going?” One of the girls questioned and grabbed me by the hair, causing a yelp to burst out of me in pain as my scalp felt like it was about to be ripped.

“You didn't see us coming just now?” The girl, Dora, forced me to my knees while I faced the other girl, the leader amongst the botherers, Janet Skyler, the Beta’s daughter and also the meanest girl I had ever met in my eighteen years of living.

Janet had a smirk on her face as usual as she gazed down at me, her eyes filled with mirth. “Oh no, Dora, she did; she just doesn't respect us anymore.” Those words echoed in my ears, and fear trickled down my spine, knowing what was coming next. My pleadings fell on deaf ears, however.

“Awww, look, she's crying already,” they cooed as seconds later, Janet’s expression twisted to one of disgust. “This is the reason why you do not belong in this pack; you are weak, and your weakness is repulsive. I can't even stand the sight of you right now. I wish you died in the sunstone pack,” she muttered the last part under her breath before walking away.

Dora plunged my head to the plywood floor, and the sounds of their receding footsteps could be heard, and my frail heart calmed down. But not the tears that rolled down, because Janet wasn't wrong, though.

Why do I never fight back, some would say? That’s because I have lost the little rebellion in me. There’s only pain, fear, and loss left inside of me. But there was only one way this could end—if my mate saved me from this hell.

I know I shouldn’t be thinking of ever earning a mate. The moon goddess wouldn’t see a weakling like me worthy of a mate. But sometimes—every time, I pray to the moon to at least have mercy on me and grant me just one wish. I knew if I had a mate, even though it was an omega like me; this pain, this loneliness would forever be gone.

But do I really deserve a mate?

Every wolf was meant to shift at the age of 16, but when my time arrived, nothing happened, although the treatment from my peers had started before then; it only became much more intense after my failure. I cried myself always to sleep knowing I wasn't good enough, knowing I brought zero value to the pack. I was no wolf, I was only but a waste of tissues and organs, General Tucker had said.

I hated myself just as much as the others hated me. It has been two years now, and there is still no change, so I understood Janet's hatred for me. I was weak; I'm surprised I had survived this long with how frail I was.

I would fall sick at the slightest touch of the rain, running fevers and bleeding at the slightest bruise, a feature that wasn't seen in other wolves, even the omegas, as they had a faster healing ability.

Picking myself up from the floor and carried on with my chores as night time was fast approaching and I still had a lot of things that needed to be completed. I was made to make the packhouse extra clean, as we might be having guests over.

It must have been an important and popular guest, as the atmosphere in the pack was filled with excitement and buzzing with activities. I didn't care, however, but I only hoped the moon goddess would aid my escape during the event without anyone noticing.

The Pack house would probably get even rowdier by the second, so staying in the basement wouldn't be of any help.

While I made my way outside of the pack house, I overheard a few girls talking, and apparently, the reason for the buzz was that the Alpha’s son was coming home that evening. Alpha Raegan. I hadn't spotted him ever a few days before I had been commanded to infiltrate the Sunstone pack.

I made my way out of the pack, avoiding a few people like Janet, as she seemed to be the happiest. Alpha Reagan and Janet had been dating for a while, and they were chosen mates, as the Alpha hadn't found his soulmate yet.

The woods were the safest place I could hide; the pack borders were guarded, and there were no encounters with rogues. The pack was having a celebratory return, so there was no encounter with either one of them as well.

But I would have to remain here for a while, as this celebration would drag into the nighttime with no telling when it would end. I needed to get some sleep, knowing I would have to clean the next morning, and that's what I did, lying down on the grass and staring up at the crescent moon in the dark sky.

This was my last image before I drifted to a light slumber.

When I woke, my nose picked up the most amazing and peculiar scent that ever existed. I sniffled even harder, trying to absorb as much as possible. It was so heavenly I could cry; it was intoxicating, and I needed more of it. Like a drug that one could never get enough of, springing up to my feet and following the scent without knowing the direction it was taking me, I was being led by my sense of smell, and for the first time, I didn't mind.

At least not until I saw the pack come into view. My footsteps slowed down for a bit, and I wondered what could have smelt so good coming from the pack house. There were a lot of risks stepping into the house, but my gut feelings were overridden by the hypnotizing aroma, and I threw caution to the wind.

The pack was filled by members of the town. How was I meant to find the source of the scent in such a large crowd?

Certain looks of disgust were cast towards me as I pushed through the crowd to get to the front doors, but none of them mattered. What mattered was I needed to find the scent. There seemed to be hope brewing in the deepest, darkest corner of my heart, which was confusing and weird to feel.

Wherever this scent was coming from, it was definitely inside the pack house. As I finally reached the front steps, I took a deep breath and let the scent fill my nostrils, calming me at the same time as increasing the level of adrenaline in my system as I pushed the door open.

The chatter in the house blared loudly. I could barely hear myself think; my eyes scanned the crowd, but my nostrils did the real searching. Mixed with the wonderful aroma was the stench of sweat and alcohol, which was a signature of every party.

Slowly, the music began to die down as all I could hear was the sound of my heartbeat, racing faster than a speeding car, following the scent until I found myself at the bottom of the large staircase.

My chest heaved breathlessly as my eyes gazed up at the person by the stairs. There were a few people, but only one person caught my eye. Standing with Janet by his side was none other than the Alpha’s son, Raegan Sean.

His eyes shifted from Janet slowly and locked on mine. It felt as though everything was lost and yet fine. Everything was right in that instant, and I had found my one true soulmate as I muttered the one word I had never pondered on.

“Mate,”