Dragon Wolf: Rise of the Five

Dear Readers; You ever hear the saying, “Some roads should never be taken”? Well, tonight I took one of them… and I’m not sure I’ll make it back. I haven't lived the best of life throughout my entire existence. I was always the outcast, the wolfless girl, the heir only by name yet masked under the shadow of my younger twin sister. Anyways, the past is the past, and tonight is going to be a new beginning for me. I can feel it. "Today, I will finally get married." My body was shaking in excitement. The more I thought about it, the more unreal it felt. Yet, it really was happening. I guess dreams do come true. Before I could stand up from the bed, my phone rang. “Hello, birthday girl. Or should I say our bride-to-be?” Stephanie said immediately as I picked the call. “Thanks, Stephanie. You can call me anything you choose to.” “Well, someone is excited.” “Yes, I am. But where are you? Aren’t you supposed to be helping me get dressed?” I spat out, and Stephanie went silent. Then, my door opened. “Surprise!” Stephanie jumped inside and laughed. I couldn’t help laughing too. That was just her — always up to something. “Ugly, sit down. Let me turn you into a beautiful goddess tonight.” “Sure, sure. Make yourself happy.” I sat down as she requested, watching as I got prettier by the magic hands of Stephanie. May, my twin sister, was supposed to help out, but she claimed she had to handle the wedding hall preparations. “I am done. Now, go get dressed,” Stephanie said, stepping back and looking at me with a smile. “Wow!” I whispered, staring at the reflection of how beautiful I looked. I stood up and slipped into my wedding dress, which was as white as snow. Stephanie came from behind me and placed a necklace on my neck. It had a wolf pendant resting on my chest, and it looked quite unique. Did my eyes just glow? Or did I imagine it? I blinked and it was gone. I guess it was just my imagination of something I really wanted. “This is my present for you.” “Awwn a wolf pendant for a wolfless girl” I jokingly said. ““April, stop calling yourself wolfless. You’re my best friend, not some cursed nobody.” “I believe your wolf is inside you…so say the word wolfless again and i’ll personally kick your ass” “Thanks Steph” Her words touched me deeply that tears were forming in my eyes. If I stayed still too long, I might have cried. But Stephanie quickly pulled my hand and dragged me outside. “You’re late. Your father told me to get you.” We ran downstairs. At the entrance, we split — she entered the hall while I paused at the door, taking a deep breath before pushing it open. The sweet scent of flowers and fragrance filled the air, and I smiled. It was perfect, just as I loved it. Maybe my twin sister had actually done something nice for me. Inside, the faces of almost everyone in the pack turned toward me. As expected, most of them weren’t smiling. Still, I walked forward, ignoring their stares — not until I started hearing their murmurs clearly. “I can’t believe the wolfless girl is going to be Luna.” “This is just wrong. What is the Alpha thinking? Someone needs to stop this.” A middle-aged man spoke with a frown on his face. “You want to challenge the Alpha? Well go ahead and get yourself killed,” his friend beside him warned, and he kept quiet. “She can’t even shift like her twin sister May.” “No doubt she’s cursed.” I squeezed the fabric of my gown, keeping my head straight. I forced a smile, even though it felt fake now. ‘No, I won’t let them ruin my happiest day,’ I told myself. After today, I would be Luna. The humiliation would finally end. My eyes found Luke, my fated mate, waiting for me at the altar. He wore a dark blue suit, his strong build and brown hair making him look every inch the Alpha he was known to be. He was powerful, respected, and somehow, I was lucky enough to be chosen as his mate. “Go, baby girl,” Stephanie whispered. I smiled to myself. That was just like her. At the altar, May stood as my maid of honor. She was my twin, yet so different. Strong, talented, beautiful — everything my father valued. And me? I was nothing but an embarrassment to him. The only reason I was heir was because I was the eldest daughter; by tradition, the title was mine. Still, I held on to hope. This was my moment. My eyes fell on her and my smile faded, seeing her and my fiancé staring openly at each other, passion in their eyes. And I was starting to think… what was going on? “Are you ready?” The marriage official’s voice brought me back from my thoughts. “Yes,” I said and nodded, facing Luke, who was staring at me with a blank expression. "Do you, Luke Blackheart, take April Quinn as your bride and Luna?" the marriage officiant said loudly so everyone in the hall heard him. “No, I don’t.” Luke said calmly, staring at me like he had planned everything. I felt something inside me shatter. His words caught me off guard. I thought I had misheard him, until I heard the pack members behind me gasp. “Luke, what do you mean? You’re my mate!” I moved forward and spoke. Luke scoffed, moving back like he was disgusted by my sight. “Mate? I can’t accept a wolfless mate as my Luna. I reject you.” His voice echoed all over the hall, causing lots of murmurs. “No, no, no. This can’t be happening.” Luke’s eyes were still locked on me, as if he was waiting to see me break — and I did. I suddenly felt dizzy. My vision blurred, my knees shook. “No… you can’t do this,” I said loudly, but only a whisper came out. Luke smiled and stretched his hand out — but it wasn’t for me. It was for May, my twin sister. And the worst part was, she didn’t hesitate. She immediately slipped her hand into his and smiled at me. “He’s mine now, April. He deserves a real Luna.” May finally spoke and I couldn’t believe her. "May how could you!" “I won’t accept a mate that cannot lead.” Luke turned, facing the whole pack, and continued his speech. “She doesn’t have a wolf. She’s an abomination to the pack. But May, she’s different. So I choose her as my Luna. So Howard, make her the heir.” Luke said this tightly, looking at my father, not bothering to spare me a glance. Tears were slowly forming in my eyes. “Luke…” I said in a weak voice, but he didn’t reply. “May, please don’t…” I turned to my sister and cried out, with tears falling down my cheek. “Enough, April,” Howard, my father, said as he took my hand and pulled me behind. I could see his eyes, but he wasn’t even looking at me. His eyes showed how ashamed and embarrassed he was of me. “From today onwards, I renounce the heir title from April. May will take her place. May, you are the heir. And you will also be Luna.” “Father, no!” I screamed. The next second, the whole pack stood up and cheered, clapped, and jubilated at the new announcement. And that was when my whole world collapsed. I felt like dying on the spot. Was I a clown to everyone? 'Moon Goddess… why me?' I stumbled backwards on shaking legs as Stephanie caught me. “April,” she said, looking at me with a worried expression and helping me back to my feet. I turned back to look at Luke, and I saw him and May hugging passionately. They had been pronounced husband and wife, Alpha and Luna — and I couldn’t do anything about it. The tears I was holding poured non-stop, and I ran out, releasing myself from Stephanie’s grasp. “April!” she called out, but no one cared to look at me — the foolish clown who was wolfless. Ah, I tripped, stepping on my gown, and fell. But ignoring the pain, I rushed out and pushed the door open. The girls standing there were laughing at me. I wasn’t the heir anymore, so they didn’t bother hiding it. My heart raced rapidly. Air was running out of my breath. My lungs, my legs ached in pain. I struggled back to my room and collapsed on the bed. I tried to rip the gown off me, but I couldn’t. I was so pissed that the more I cried, the more tired I became, until I fell back and cried in silence. I saw the bright full moon and felt emotional again. I didn’t know if I should get angry at the moon goddess for giving me hope and crushing it back, but I had so many questions to ask. Why was I worthless? Why was I given a mate that rejected me? Why did you make my birthday the worst day of my life? I stood up to leave my room. I needed some air outside. But before I could open the door, I heard footsteps — then my sister’s laughter entered my ears. “And finally yours, Luke,” May said. “Yes, you are. No more secret meetings. If you didn’t tell me she was worthless, I never would have known before the marriage.” I looked at May and she smiled. “She doesn’t deserve you. I do,” May said, and then she threw her arms around him. Their bodies locked, kissing passionately as they touched each other, entering into our room. I clenched my fist in anger. Her eyes widened in shock when I opened the door and rushed out, looking for my father. Well, I guess I was right after all. Tonight became a new beginning for me. A really sad one, to be precise. And if you think that was bad, wait until you see what’s waiting in the dark. Trust me, you’re not ready. But then again… neither was I.