Chapter 1 WE HAVE FOUND LADY XIMENA

WE HAVE FOUND LADY XIMENA

MILDRED'S POV

The overhead bulb glared against the mirror, highlighting my Stepmother's gorgeousness. She leaned closer, carefully dusting on another layer of rouge as if her beauty depended on it.

Molly, my half-sister hummed excitedly as she wore her neck piece. She carefully adjusted it after wearing it, still beaming like she was the bride-to-be.

"Mildred!" she called out with a snap swirling to face me. "Come fix my dress quickly," She said, scanning me from head to toe, irritated.

I clenched my fingers around the brook handle, stifling with a sigh. Of course. Tonight was the Supreme Alpha's wedding. An event that the entire kingdom of Selenia had been buzzing about. For Molly, it wasn't just about the wedding celebration; it was her stage for showoff.

"Yes, Molly," I muttered, lowering the broom against the wall. I moved quickly, because in this house, reluctance meant trouble.

I lurched behind her and twitched at the stubborn material of her dress. The crimson silk clutched to her body like a snake, refusing to obey. She had chosen it deliberately, something too tight, too daring, because Molly always wanted heads to turn when she walked past. An ultimate attention seeker.

"Be careful," she hissed, tilting her chin higher. "If you ruin this, I'll..."

Riiiiip.

The outfit instantly ripped apart and my vision instantly went blurry! I froze in my tracks. Only the Goddess can save me from this.

Molly's shriek pierced my ears. "MOTHER!" she screamed at the top of her voice. "Mildred intentionally ripped my dress apart," she added, crying.

Navaeh's reflection turned sharply in the mirror. Her eyes turned cold, green, and venomous as they fell on me and my face turned instantly red.

I was in trouble. Molly had been preparing this outfit from the day this wedding ceremony was announced. She planned to make heads turn with this dress and I just ruined it, there was no escape, I was doomed.

"Oh, of course," she spat, rising to her feet. "Who else could destroy such a beautiful gown but you, Millie? Bad luck follows you like a shadow."

"Mother...I..I didn't mean to..." I stammered and before I could even finish, a deafening slap flew across my face. My eyes instantly darkened and stars sprinkled right before me, then slowly...I regained my sight.

"You never mean to. Just like you didn't mean to kill your mother when you were born?" Navaeh dropped and my heart skipped.

The familiar pang nestled itself in my chest. I had long ceased defending myself, but her words still found ways to reopen old injuries.

"Please mother..." I muttered but Molly cut in.

"Are you blind? Don't you ever fucken refer to her as your mother! Yours is dead and rotten! Learn the difference,'" Molly snapped, echoing the insult with a cruel frown.

Navaeh smirked " I can never be your mother, whom you didn't even offer a chance at life," she prowled forward and clasped a fistful of my hair, holding it firmly and yanking so hard that tears sprang to my eyes.

"You are cursed," she hissed, shoving me aside. "If it were up to me, you'd never step in this house again. But your father, your precious Alpha, pities you too much even to banish you."

A dry, mirthless chuckle racked my chest because my mother was mistaken. Father didn't pity me, he hated me more than all of them combined. To him, I was the reason his Luna, the only woman he had ever claimed to love, was buried in the cold earth and he never let me forget it.

"Mom, what about my dress?" Molly whined, pouting at her reflection as her face turned pepper red in anger. "We can't be late to the soon-to-be Supreme Alpha's wedding. Everyone will be watching."

"Don't cry, darling. You have dozens of gowns. But this one can still be saved." Navaeh's gaze slid back to me, sharp and merciless. "You. Fetch me a needle and thread. Now!"

My stomach dropped. "B..but it's late. All the shops will be closed..."

"Do you think I care?" Her voice was like ice. "Fix this dress, or your father will know you ruined it. Or do you want him to deal with you himself?"she asked, raising her brows.

Fear clawed its way down my chest as soon as those words dropped. Father's punishments were far worse than Navaeh's slaps or Molly's insults and I wasn't ready to go through that.

"N... no...no ma'am," I mumbled, hastily plodding towards the door.

"Get out! You dirty, smelly pig. And make sure you are back right away else... You know what." Molly yelled at me with squinted eyes as I scampered away.

It was so cold outside yet everywhere was filled with different activities.

The roads were jammed with different kinds of cars, and other people were trekking along, dressed in beautiful outfits, obviously headed to the wedding. The wedding of the century.

Some people held up placards, chanting and excitedly walking down the street with beautiful outfits. It was rumored that the Supreme Alpha wasn't good with women and hadn't had any relationship before, so yes, it was a big deal for the people of Selenia, not me, though. I had greater problems.

I hauled my shawl tighter around my shoulders, stepping quicker.

My thoughts soon began to swirl like smoke. Twenty years old and absolutely useless, no wolf, no mate. A daughter of an Alpha who isn't even recognized as a princess. Just a curse, a mistake.

The words my father had once spat at me burned in my memory.

"You should have died with your mother. Instead, you chose to stay back to cause me stress and eat up all the food meant for real wolves. If you don't find your wolf this year, I would be forced to banish you. Or better still, cut you into pieces and feed your meat to The Vermis "

It choked me. Tears gathered around my eyelids and I put my head up in an attempt to shove them back in.

The Vermis.

They weren't just worms, they were monsters. My father kept them caged in a dark, sealed chamber, a place no one dared to even whisper about. When he wanted someone wiped clean from existence, erased so completely that not even bones would remain, he fed them to the Vermis.

But it wasn't quick. It was never quick.

If he was in the mood for cruelty, he would leave his victim half-alive; bleeding, broken, but still conscious, before throwing them inside. That way, they could feel it. The tearing. The crawling. The endless gnawing as the Vermis chewed through skin, muscle, and marrow. Their screams never lasted long, only a few minutes before the sound broke into ragged gurgles. After that, silence. Nothing left. No trace.

That was my father's justice. His way of making sure the world forgot you ever existed.

And he promised that, by the end of this year, I would meet the same fate if I didn't find my mate and there was no passing day that I didn't pray to the moon goddess to bring my mate faster. Even if I wanted to die, not in that manner.

I was so lost in thought that I didn't realise a car was approaching until its blinding headlights slammed into my vision.

The screech of tires rang in my ears as a black vehicle halted just inches from me.

"What the heck!" I stumbled back frightened, shielding my eyes with both hands.

Three men jumped out, dressed in dark suits that clung to their powerful frames. They moved sharply towards me. It was as though they were calculating their steps, staring at me with a suspicious gaze like that of predators closing in on prey.

"Lady Ximena," one of them said with a deep voice.

Confusion tore through me. "W...who?"

"Seize her!" the other, who looked like their leader, commanded, and before I could say "jack!", two men grabbed my arms with their tight grips like iron bands.

"No! No! Let me go!" I screamed, thrashing with all the strength I had. But they were too strong and too practiced. My feet barely touched the ground as they lifted me off balance.

"You've mistaken me!" I cried desperately. "I'm not whoever you think I am...please let me go! My mother sent me to...!"

"Silence!" The leader scolded, with eyes narrowed. "The Alpha has been waiting. You will not disappoint him again."

The Alpha? My heart nearly stopped. Who were they talking about... him? The Supreme Alpha of Selenia?

Panic surged like fire in my veins. "Please, listen! I'm not Ximena or whoever you suspect that I am!"

But they didn't listen. They tied my hands tightly and shoved me into the back seat of the car, slamming the door shut.

"Are you guys blind? Can't you see? What sort of resemblance would make you mistake a full blown human for someone else? Huh??!" I kept yelling but they didn't say a word. They just sat quietly but on alert, not letting me move.

The engine roared and the city lights blurred as we sped down the road, deeper into darkness.

My body shook as I pressed against the seat, trapped between two of the guards. Their expressions were stone and unyielding. My breath came fast and shallow. I was already tired from all the shouting.

Navaeh's cruel face flashed in my mind. Did she do this? Did she send them after me? Is this her plan to finally erase me since my father wouldn't?

But no...this was bigger. This was something else entirely. She could just poison me and throw me into The Vermis. This is too much stress over someone as unwanted as me.

One of the men pulled out a sleek black phone and pressed it to his ear.

"Alpha," he said in a firm but respectful tone. "We have found Lady Ximena."

The world tilted beneath me.

"No," I whispered, my voice breaking as tears slipped down my cheeks. "I'm not her... I'm not...Ximena... please believe me... I don't know what you're talking about..."

I kept pleading, hoping they would have a change of heart. But my words were swallowed by the hum of the car.