Chapter 3: New Pack, Same Problems

Aurora’s POV

I lay awake in bed staring at the ceiling. The room I had claimed for my bedroom was spacious, the walls were white and bare of any indication that anyone had lived here before us. There stood a tall bookshelf in the corner, and a stereo placed neatly in the center, but that was all. A white dresser sat adjacent to queen sized bed and a flat screen tv rested on the wall above it.

The annoying ring of my phone’s alarm went off and I groaned. I was never much of a morning person especially when it required me to do any form of activity. Faith had convinced me that showing up to training on time was in my best interest. She even offered to stop by the house so that we could walk there together. I had to admit, as much as it sucked that our entire life had been uprooted, it felt good that I at least had my best friend with me.

“Aurora, I heard the alarm so I’m sure you did too.”

I rolled my eyes at my mother’s comment and tossed the covers off my body. The Alpha was certainly prepared for our arrival. The houses that we moved into were fully furnished and ready for immediate living. The refrigerator even had at least a week or two worth of groceries inside.

I stood from the bed and connected my phone to the stereo in the corner of the room. Instantly, ‘Mr. Brightside’ by the Killers filtered through the speaker and flooded the room. I nodded my head as I danced around, grabbing clothes from my bags. I didn’t have it in me to unpack yesterday. Everything just felt so surreal.

I walked to the dresser, looking at my reflection in the vanity mirror that was attached. My green eyes were bright, and my auburn hair was a tangled mess going past my shoulders by a couple of inches. All in all, I looked like a flushed mess.

I took my hair tie off my wrist and ran my fingers through my hair attempting to get it as flat as I could before pulling it back into a high ponytail. I quickly slipped off the shirt that I wore to bed, putting on a pair of tights and a sports bra. Being an Omega in Alpha Robin’s pack meant I didn’t have to train. My only form of exercise was gymnastic practice and the occasional run I took in my human form when I just wanted to clear my head.

The bedroom door swung open, and Faith leaned against the frame, her arms folded over her chest. She wore tights similar to mine, but instead of a sports bra, she wore a fitted tank top. She had a book bag hanging off her shoulder leisurely as she stared at me. She huffed and shook her head, tossing her hands in the air in defeat.

“Will you hurry up? My brother said that Alpha Liam though generous is a hard a*s and hates people who are late.”

Faith came from a family of pack warriors and her twin brother, Dillion, had followed the family legacy. Faith wanted to as well, but Alpha Robin had declined her request to train alongside her brother. He told her that she had to wait to find her mate and have him decide if she could train or not.

“Fine. I just have to brush my teeth and we can leave.”

I hadn’t realized how much time I spent dancing to the music. It was past 7:30 a.m. and I still hadn’t eaten anything. My stomach would howl at the moon if I didn’t eat something before going to training. I brushed my teeth and washed my face, trying to add some type of color to my skin.

“Dawn!” Faith screamed. If she wasn’t my best friend, I would have told her to kiss my a*s and go without me.

I rushed out of the bathroom and put on a pair of running shoes before going downstairs to the kitchen. “I love you Faith, but I’ve got to eat.”

She rolled her eyes and tossed me an apple from her bag. My stomach grumbled wanting more than a measly apple for breakfast, but between the looks she and my mother were giving me, I decided against arguing.

Alpha Liam’s compound was beautiful, the grass was green, the people seemed friendly enough and we all walked in unison to the pack house. Unsure of where to go, the three of us followed the crowd that was going to the back of the pack house.

I watched in shock as various ages sprinted past us to the vast forestland behind the pack house. I had never seen anything so organized and beautiful. There were mates posted around the grounds and people stood in a large circle around them, my mother and Faith being the first to stop walking. I followed suit and felt arms drape over my neck.

My back went stiff until I recognized the familiar scent, Dillion. In the past, Dillion and I dated, but we decided to stay friends. I refused to continue a relationship with someone who wasn’t my mate. My mother learned that lesson for both of us.

In just one more year we would be able to find our mates, and something told me that as great of a guy as Dillion was, he wasn’t my mine. He had the same striking blue eyes as Faith and silky blonde hair, but I couldn’t help but feel like I would end up like my mom.

After giving her all to my father and being heartbroken, she never looked for her mate, and there were two reasons I had assumed why. My father had broken her heart beyond repair, or she was too embarrassed to confess to her mate that she had a child with someone else.

“Hey, you,” Dillion whispered in my ear.

I couldn’t help but smile. Regardless of the reasons that we broke up, Dillion was one of the nicest guys I had ever known. He was a complete gentleman, and any girl would be lucky to be his mate. Hell, I was lucky to have been his girlfriend.

The back doors of the pack house opened, and Alpha Liam and his Beta came outside and stood on the back porch. His familiar gray eyes found me, and a low growl rippled through his chest. His eyes had darkened, but they remained mesmerizing. Dillion’s hand moved from my shoulder, and he gave me a small smile before making his way to the porch.

What the hell was that about?

“I guess even Dillion realized he deserves better than an Omega.”

It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know what evil spawn said that. I rolled my eyes as the fake redhead, Jessica Royale’s face came into view. She wore a black pair of biker shorts and a sports bra that she knew couldn’t contain her breasts. I rolled my eyes at how tacky she dressed. She was more desperate than the other single-pack women, at least that concealed their desires.

From the moment Jessica and I met, we’ve hated each other. Her parents weren’t any better. Carmen and Abraham Royale were just as evil as their spawn, spreading lies about my mother and the true relationship that she had with my father.

“I was hoping you got mauled by wolves during the attack,” Faith retorted.

It was always nice to have a backup, but I hated putting Faith in situations like this. There had been a time that Faith and Jessica were nearly inseparable. Faith would never tell me what happened, just divert the question and state that Jessica was a full-time b*tch.

“I can’t believe I was ever friends with you.”

“Don’t you have a d*ck to choke on?”

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. Unlike me, Faith, and Dillion, Jessica was a year older. She was at the age to find her mate, but as far as I knew, she hadn’t found him yet. I wouldn’t be surprised if she had, and he rejected her.

“At least I get action,” Jessica spat back.

I bit my bottom lip to stop myself from laughing, but it didn’t help stop the chuckle from escaping my lips.

“Bite me, Jessie. After your third blowjob it’s no longer called action it’s more of a profession.”

She fake gasped and I rolled my eyes. It was no secret to anyone that Jessica had been the easiest girl to sleep with within Alpha Robin’s pack. If you had a high rank or a title within the pack, she was sure to give you whatever you wanted.

“Thank you, Beta Alexander. Today’s training will be for the younger ones, anyone from the ages of sixteen to twenty-nine will stay. If you are between those ages but have pups, you will be excused for today only. I want you all to take this time to get used to the pack grounds as well as find jobs that will better help you support your families. Tomorrow will be a new day. As for our original pack members, use this time wisely. If you slack off, I will find out during your training,” Alpha Liam said.

Sh*t, I had been so consumed with arguing with Jessica that I hadn’t paid attention to anything that the Beta had said.

The pack disappeared and numerous wolves left the grounds, my mother and Faith’s parents included. My hands instinctively locked with Faith as my eyes searched for a familiar face. I could feel those gray eyes burning holes into me, but I couldn’t look at him. One of a wolf’s greatest strengths was their hearing and I was more than positive that Alpha Liam had heard the entire exchange between me and Jessica.

Once everyone had left there were only a few of us left, all from Alpha Robin’s pack. As if this weren’t humiliating enough as an Omega without training, there was no way that I wouldn’t lose.

“Normally I would have you fight my pack members, but my Beta here suggested something different. He felt that it wouldn’t be proper training for my members to go against untrained people, and it wouldn’t be fair to embarrass you all like that,” the Alpha said. His gray eyes finally left me as he looked around at the other wolves. We were all inexperienced compared to his pack, but they were all more experienced than me.

“I can’t wait to finally kick your ass,” Jessica whispered to me.

My hands clenched into fists at my side as Faith grabbed hold of me. She was trying her best to contain her anger and based on her glazed-over look, she was mind-linking someone at the same time.

“Do you have something to share, Miss Royale?” the Alpha asked. His voice was cold and detached, his gray eyes stone as he stared at her. If looks could kill, there’d be no room for resurrection.

“I was just saying how excited I am to learn from the best. My parents told me that you have the biggest pack and the best warriors.”

I looked at Faith and fake gagged at Jessica’s attempt to suck up to him. I heard him chuckle and I hoped it wasn’t for her. I gave him more credit than easily falling into Jessica’s trap of fake flattery.

“I don’t take kindly to false flattery. I do appreciate your fake enthusiasm which is why you’ll start us off. Show me what you’ve got.”

“Who will I be training with? You perhaps?”

Jessica was shameless in her flirting, and I hoped he didn’t go easy on her. She stepped onto the mat and adjusted her bra to make her boobs sit higher. I found myself getting angrier by the minute, but I couldn’t put my finger on why. I never cared that Jessica threw herself at any man with a pulse, but her flirting with the Alpha didn’t sit right with me.

“Why not have the Omega do it? I’ve never seen an Omega fight before,” Alexander whispered to Alpha Liam.

Jessica looked over her shoulder at me and winked. I was about to step forward and accept the challenge when Faith took a step forward.

“Alpha, would you mind if I tried first? I come from a line of warriors and my previous Alpha wouldn’t let me train. I just want a chance to prove myself,” Faith said sweetly.

Dillion stood beside Beta Alexander and shook his head, a smile on his boyishly handsome face. He knew his twin better than anyone and from what I knew about Faith, this wouldn’t be a fair fight.