Chapter 1

Aurora

"Make sure you wear your glasses and freckles properly, okay, Aura?" Stella warns me for the second time while applying a sparkling lip gloss to her lips.

She smacks them together and takes one last look at herself in the mirror. Her cowl-neck red bodycon mini dress ends on her mid-thigh. She looks pretty, and compared to her beautiful party dress, my asymmetrical, oversized, dull beige colored dress looks drab.

It wasn't picked by me, but by her. I am aware of what she wants to happen. At Moonveil Academy's welcoming party, I am going to look like the only odd one out, dressed like a sack with thick glasses on my eyes and freckles on my cheeks.

But I am not complaining because the only reason I am allowed to attend this prestigious university is because of my older sister cum Alpha's daughter, Stella Rose, so I must obey her every order, even if it means slipping her heels on for her.

"I am so excited for the party! Aren't you too?" She asks, sliding another foot forward.

I get up and smile. "Yes, I am."

She suddenly sneers in my face and opens my bun. "At least let your hair down. You will be with me the whole time, so try to look decent." She swings around and runs a hand through her own hair, flaunting her loose curls. "I know you love the dress I bought you, but your bun was making you look horrible." She smiles at me through the mirror and grabs her purse.

"Now, let us leave, or we will be late."

Her heels clack against the floor as she leaves the room. I smile dryly and hold back the curses on my tongue. She does this all the time. First, she tries to diminish my presence as much as possible and then behaves as if it's me who wanted it all along.

Pathetic.

My red hair looks much better now that they are down. I know Stella hates them because of how vibrant and rare they are. It catches people's eyes, and she hates it.

But I will not complain because soon I will be freeing myself from my duty as both her watchdog and toy that she loves to bully. Blowing a hair strand out of my face, I turn around and leave the room.

I knew that sitting beside the driver and tolerating Stella's different whims was just the start of this hellish night because the real hell starts in this welcome party for the new Moonveilers.

"Hey, S! You look so freaking pretty", Stella's girlfriends squeal, pulling her in a hug, and kissing the air beside her cheeks.

All three of them are wicked to the bone.

"Thanks, Riley. You look amazing as well." Stella replies, and they all get busy exchanging pleasantries.

I have already started to get bored, so I try looking around, which is a mistake.

"Why did you bring this ugly duckling with you to the party, Stella? It hurts my eyes to watch her." Sadie comments, wrinkling her nose at me.

I stiffen and try not to show how much her words affected me. Despite being bullied by them every time, their mean comments still sting.

Stella smiles and pretends to shield me from her friends. "Don't be harsh on her, S. She is my sister, and she is supposed to enjoy the welcome party too." She says coyly, sneakily holding my hand.

She turns her body slightly and looks at me kindly. "We are all moonveilers, so stop being mean to her, okay?" She says while still looking at me. Her eyes and face gleam with an evil amusement.

"Geez, S, you are too kind for your own good." Willow comments, feeling truly bad for her innocent, golden, and naive friend.

Stella leaves my hand and turns around, completely covering me this time. "You praise me too much, W. It's normal for sisters to look out for each other." She says with that fake, kind laugh.

"But I don't think that your dearest sister is feeling even a little bit grateful about this." Riley comments, glaring at me.

Before I can open my mouth to say something, Sadie snaps. "Why are you standing like a dumb statue there? Go bring us our drinks." She barks out an order that I am expected to follow at any cost.

I walk away, grateful to be away from all four of them. I stop at the bar and ignore the snickers and whispers around me. I know what they are all talking about, but I can care less because I am focused on my goal.

I am going to graduate and become independent by enrolling on the wolf patrol. The squad that oversees the conflicts among wolves, carry out missions, and now they are even getting recruited to fight in the Werewolf and Lycan war that's been looming over all of us like an unveiled threat.

Tonight is my eighteenth birthday, so I am waiting for this party to end so I can shift and see my wolf for the first time.

I put four glasses of beer on a tray and start carrying them to the girls. Some girls blatantly laugh at me and call me a waiter as I pass by them. I ignore them and duck away from two boys who have already gotten drunk before the principal's speech, but as soon as I straighten up, a glass from my tray disappears.

"Thank you for the drink." A deep, throaty sound startles me, causing me to flinch.

I turn my neck in the direction of the voice and come across the deepest black eyes, like an abyss, cool just like his voice, but that's just not it.

My eyes widen when I realise who he is.

Dylan Cole, the heir of HowlRidge pack. He has similar striking black hair and a ripped, muscular body. The warm party lights are shining upon him perfectly, making him stand out.

"There are more." Another voice pops up from my other side, and another glass disappears.

His soft, baritone voice snatches my attention away, glueing my eyes on his face. He is another person I know. Issac Laurent, the Alpha son of MoonStar pack. His soft caramel hair and light blue eyes capture me instantly, making it hard to look away.

He smiles upon noticing my gaze on him, a slow, flirtatious smile before he takes a sip and moves his gaze to his left. I follow him, and my eyes land on another hot specimen.

He is Mateo Cruz, the heir of BlackClaw pack. Together, these three are the hottest, the most famous and the strongest predators of MoonVeil Academy, infamously called the predatory trio.

In short, every girl's subject of wet dreams.

"I thought there were no waiters around," Mateo says, breaking my illusion.

Waiter?

I force my brain to stop admiring his vibrant green eyes, reminding me of a forest, and start objecting to their rude behaviour.

"Excuse me. I am not a waiter, and these drinks weren't for you." I complain, trying not to sound snappy, but I can't help it.

The way they are looking down on me makes me angry.

Mateo cocks one of his eyebrows. "Stop giving me the attitude, little wolf. Anyone would think you are one because of your current appearance." He says mercilessly, fuelling my anger.

"You shouldn't judge someone based on their appearance." I bite back, and only the goddess knows where I am getting the strength from to talk back to the man who is the highest in the hierarchy.

"Calm down, sweetness. Mateo didn't mean any harm. Your dress is a little unique after all." Issac steps in, looking apologetic. "Still, our bad. It's hard to understand fashion." He offers, working his charms on me, surprising me with how much my anger has melted because of how genuine he sounds.

But a new comment from Dylan shatters everything. "She looks like she doesn't belong here. Why are you carrying a tray?" He questions coldly, treating me suspiciously while still holding the beer glass he picked up rudely from the very tray he is admonishing.

I am about to give him a piece of my brain when Stella appears with her girlfriends, making my heart drop.