MIA.
"Mia, you look beautiful." My father said, running his hand across the ends of my white flowing gown. A hard lump slipped down my throat as I stared into the mirror, tears threatening to fall down my cheeks.
Today was supposed to be my eighteenth birthday, the happiest day in the life of every teenage girl, the day one truly became free. But here I was, dressed in my mother's pale wedding gown, about to wed a man whom I feared more than I could ever love.
The thing is, I was never really your average teenage girl. No one from this part of Rosewood was but besides the fact that I was a werewolf, I was also just an Omega which from here, was way worse.
They always said an Omega was only good for two things, as a breeder for whatever Alpha was willing to settle down for her or to become a slave to your own Pack.
It's either one of two, never anything else.
Born an Omega, I was often considered the weakest and lowest of the Pack hierarchy. It didn't matter that my father was the Alpha of Blood Moon, Pack rules would always be Pack rules. And amongst those rules, was the eighteen-year-old one.
"Happy birthday" He whispered, my father's words piercing right through my ears as a shiver went down my spine. My eyes caught a glimpse of the cake in the corner of the room and the decorations all around.
I could understand how much my father wanted this to be easy.
But I'm afraid there was no easy way to put the fact that he was literally pimping me off to Alpha Ezra, a man whose ruthlessness the whole town knew of but who my father swore by for the sakes of politics and whatnot. I was to be exchanged for whatever it was that was on the line and my only crime was being the Omega daughter.
Girls my age already saw their wolf, it most certainly didn't help that I had yet to see mine. Eighteen years was too late, even when I stood beneath the moon the day before, there was still nothing. And sometimes, it felt as though I wasn't human but I also wasn't a wolf.
It was almost impossible to fit in growing up, being the outcast, I was often bullied and looked down on by everyone else. Making friends wasn't easy but finding love was the hardest. Especially when all I've ever wanted was a love like my father and mother's.
And although she was no longer with us, some days, it still felt like she was. Days like this when I wished she was here but she wasn't. It had been twelve years, even though it felt longer. Twelve years since she fell ill and never recovered.
Twelve years since I last saw her.
Everyone moved on, even my Dad, by law had to remarry Eileen soon after who became my stepmother. They bore two kids, Daniel and Ingrid. Like I said, everyone had moved on but me.
Wearing her dress now, it was hard to not feel overwhelmed by her presence. Her scent, her aura, her vivid smile engraved in the back of my mind. The tears did fall at that moment and my Dad noticed.
"Mia" He called softly but I cowered my head. "Hey hey" He whispered before reaching for my cheeks. "What's the problem? You look beautiful, and Ezra is going to love you." He said.
"You know Dad," My voice broke. "You know I don't want to marry a man that I don't love. A man I could never...love."
"Oh, Mia" He called.
"How do you think your Mom and I met?" He asked. I lifted my gaze to him. "Look, what I'm trying to say is," He paused. "It may not be now but one day, you're going to realize that everything I'd ever done was for your own good"
"I don't want to marry him, Dad. Please." I pleaded.
"Mia"
"When have I ever lied to you?" He asked. I sobbed.
"I don't...I don't love him." I whispered before feeling his fist clench up. He pulled away. "Well, love isn't real! Okay, Mia!" He yelled and the sound of his voice shredded my heart.
His words, however were a lot worse.
Through my blurry eyes, I stared at him in disbelief.
A breath hitched in my throat once he looked back at me. My father's arms fell beside him.
"You know what I mean," He said. "Because if it was, she'd still be here right now" And in that moment, the hurt was evident in the tone of his voice. He didn't need to say anything else for me to understand because I did.
"Just," He sucked in air through his lips. "You know the Pack rules. You're eighteen and without a wolf, trust me you're better off with someone who could take care of you. Someone I'm sure would be able to protect you if anything ever happened"
"Ezra is-"
"Ezra would, Mia" He stifled his lips. "Enough, please."
"Don't make this harder than it already is. If it was any other person, they would already be down that aisle." He straightened his back before walking towards the table. He picked up the bouquet of flowers resting on it and then he halted.
Slowly, he turned around to hand it over to me.
"One more thing," He buried his hands into his pocket before hesitantly bringing out a piece of paper. "This is uhm," He cleared his throat. "This was from your mother." My heart sank in my chest as I looked up at him.