Submission

My name Saraya Nightshade, Daughter of Alpha Felix and Luna Serenity; leaders of the Blood Moon pack. I'm 25 years old, the youngest of three children but I'm the strongest and according to my mother the most stubborn pup she's ever raised.

Yeah, I guess you could say I'm a bit of a fighter. I've got a temper, the mouth of a sailor, and a mean right hook and I'm not taking anybody's shit. Everybody knows my thoughts flow freely and my tongue is unrestrained. Maybe that's why I keep being rejected.

Most werewolves mate during their first mating season when they come of age at 21. For me, I've been rejected three times, three fucking times. I get different excuses each time, each one more pitiful than the last.

I'm too intimidating, I'm not submissive enough, I'm too much trouble.

Fuck them.

I don't see why the Goddess found any of them worthy of my interest or saw fit to humiliate me with their rejection but jokes on her. I refuse to participate in the mating ceremony again, Goddess be damned.

Far from ugly, I found myself to be quite attractive. Warm ivory skin, long auburn hair, and amber eyes that glowed with my shift. It wasn't unusual for a werewolf to be fit and muscular, but I had sultry curves too that made my bottle shaped frame more appetizing.

It wasn't my sex appeal that pushed those men away though, it was the Luna maturing inside me. I was open to the idea of mating, but my inner wolf refused to submit to the sub-par men I'd been rejected by, even last year when I desperately wanted to be paired off so I could stop listening to my mother complain and end my father's disappointment.

Don't get me wrong, my father loved me dearly but he's an Alpha who respects tradition, and tradition states I need to find my mate. He just hopes its a union to a high-standing male from our pack or a strong male from one of our allied packs potentially strengthening our ties.

There was a time when I anticipated mating season too and relished the idea of having a mate, a partner with whom I could share everything. Even after the first rejection, I remained hopeful and excited. After the second rejection something died inside me, but I justified it as the two men being weak males, unfit of my power.

The third, however, was the Alpha of the shadow wind pack. When he rejected me in front of everyone at the ceremony, the last piece of hope inside me fizzled out. I was broken, or unworthy of that mating bond and I refuse to endure that kind of humiliation again, so I'm moving on from the entire tradition entirely.

Normally, wolves wait until they mate to move out but since I'm three years in with no one, I decided this year I'm moving out on my own, despite my mother's continued pleading.

"Raya, the Spring Equinox Ball is next week, you should wait to move until after." My mother's incessant whining began as if on cue to start our day. I shoved a chunk of buttered bread into my mouth and rolled my eyes. I didn't even attempt to hide my groan.

"I'm just saying, if you mate with someone, you'll want to find a place together, why not save the coin just in case."

"Mother, I'm not participating this year. I already told you that." The words struck my mother like a slap to the face, and she recoiled from me in horror.

"This year could be your year!" she countered so quickly making me roll my eyes a second time.

"I'm not gambling on it; you don't know what being rejected is like," I grumbled as the memories of my previous rejections whirled in my mind like unwanted flashbacks, one right after the other. Being rejected is mostly mortifying but also it physically hurts. It feels like someone tied 3 bricks in a sack and beat you with it not to mention the aggressive flu-like symptoms that last almost a week.

"When I get rejected, I'll be bedridden and won't want to get up much less leave. I'm leaving before then and sparing myself the weeklong sickness. " It was my mother's turn to groan; she was usually a very persuasive woman, but that talent fell silent on me when I made up my mind good luck trying to change it.

"You have to attend the ceremony." My father's aura and voice entered the room before he did, a powerful crushing presence that swallowed me whole.

"Father." I began, but he raised his hand to silence me, and my words caught in my throat.

"Saraya, this is non-negotiable. You know I will be hosting this year's Spring Equinox ball and what will it say if my unmated daughter isn't in attendance." I opened my mouth to respond but he carried on as if I hadn’t tried to interject.

"It will say I'm offering them a ceremony that's unfit for my own family like I'm sparing expenses. No, I will not have that, not as Alpha." There it was a third eye roll. The thing about Alpha males is they all think they're the Goddess's gift to earth and when those inflated egos get together it's a never-ending, cock measuring competition. Each alpha trying to outdo the last to prove who should be the next Alpha King.

Especially now when the previous Alpha King passed away peacefully in his sleep about three months ago. I would be sadder about it if he wasn't 124 years old and bedridden for the last 14, honestly, the death seemed like a mercy more than a tragedy, nonetheless, with the position vacant the Alphas were more obnoxious than usual.

It wouldn't just be a mating ceremony. No, the Spring Equinox this year would determine who will be the next Alpha king. The chosen will be marked with the Goddess's blessing when the moon reaches its peak in the sky. At which point whoever she chooses will be bestowed gifts that make him powerful enough to lead everyone, including the Alphas.

An exciting time for everyone, I'm sure but for me, it's just another reason why I don't need to be there. The last thing I want is to have a fourth rejection tied to the same night of a historical event like that.

"Father, everyone knows I was rejected multiple times; they'll understand."

"Saraya, you want to move out on your own, fine but you will be in attendance. I want my entire family surrounding me, representing me. Especially when I'm selected as the next Alpha King." The hardness of his face shifted into a coy smile and my mother sighed playfully.

"Really Felix? I can't hear any more about it, you've been talking about being Alpha King all week."

"Because I can feel it on the tip of my fingers, it's mine. I could tear those other Alphas apart, maybe not the leader of Silver Fang, he's young and strong but he's inexperienced, being Alpha king requires a level of intelligence that can only be developed over time." Felix looked over to see that both me and mom were receiving his words with exaggerated faces of boredom.

"You mock me now but when I take my rightful place on that throne and you reap the rewards, I expect a thank you!"

"This is going to be awkward if you don't get it, please don't do that presumptuously cringy thing where you stand up before your name is even called," I muttered earning a stifled laugh from both my parents.

"You just worry about finding a dress." He countered, his smirk turning back to a face of authority.

"Father, I can't. I won't come and be humiliated the same night the Alpha King is selected, just another embarrassing moment tied to a once-in-a-lifetime event."

"Use this next week to practice being, softer." He said the word hesitantly like even he wasn't sure I was capable.

"I'm not fucking soft, or submissive, you already know that."

"I should've never let you train with your brother; it's ruined your ability to be feminine." He didn't say the words with venom but just an exaggerated sigh like he was tired of having the same argument with me all the time.

"Femininity doesn't need to be soft and supple for men to grope, it can be hard with sharp edges too."

"Maybe for a mortal woman but you're a wolf, even the goddess understood the hierarchy." I dropped my chunk of bread as his sexist words destroyed my appetite.

"I'm not having this conversation, I've got a few more suitcases to haul to the carriage and then I'm leaving." Mother scowled at me in defeat but didn't stop me when I rose from my chair a maid scurried by to grab my used dishes, but I growled at her. I hate when they wait on me hand and foot like I'm incapable of bringing my dishes to the sink. She apologizes nervously and I recognize she's a new employee, making me feel slightly bad. She wasn't aware I was not the person to try and pick up behind and was simply eager to impress, Afterall working in the home of the Alpha was an honor.

I kissed my parents on the cheek before excusing myself to what would soon be my old room. There was nothing left besides the few bags I'd mentioned, still, I wanted one last look around. Twenty-five years I spent in this home, all the emotions that were spilled, all the holidays that were shared, my heart warmed with their memories. I stared at that space as if each year was replaying in my head, before scooping down and grabbing the last four suitcases, hauling them past one of the housekeepers who politely held the door open for me, the only task I let them help with.

My father had already made his way outside and was rechecking the carriage to make sure nothing was amiss. My mother joined us but didn't leave the bottom step, just watched as I hugged my father again before climbing up onto the carriage bench and grabbing the reigns.

"Mother stop crying, you're acting like I'm leaving the city. I'm still here, I'm still a part of the pack."

"I know but you've lived here your whole life, it's just so bittersweet. I love you, please visit often."

"You know I will, I love you too." Her parents stepped back as she ushered the horses forward.

"You better be in attendance, Saraya." My father used his Alpha Echo to engrain the words in my head. An ability that lets the Alpha speak calmly but the words are received loud and clear by everyone in the vicinity, making sure no one can ignore his commands.

I raised my hand over my head and waved without looking back. I love you, Father but I love me more, so I will not be in attendance.

I kicked open the door to my apartment, intentionally avoiding the word 'new' because there was nothing new in this building. It was nicer than the other dumps I'd seen, there were no roaches, and the plumbing worked but that was about as far as the amenities went. The paint was chipped and peeled, exposing the infrastructure through a web of decay and old age.

On the bright side, I had a corner apartment with extra windows. Stretched along the dilapidated walls were three large 3x4 steel casement frames, and on the not-so-bright side, the rectangle glass panels that filled each cutout were smudged and dirty, nothing but sheer brightness from the daylight outside passed through.

"I'll have to clean those," I say the words out loud while I add another bullet to my mental checklist, right under new carpet and paint. I'd already made this trip a few times and wasted no time adding my armful to the neatly stacked pile in what would soon be my living room.

The phone I had installed inside my apartment rings pulling me from my visions of how I wanted to organize this space, one thing about me, I'm not too fond of clutter. I don't like unorganized people, plans, or things. I wouldn't call myself a germophobe, but I am a neat freak. Meticulous to the point it can feel psychotic. What can I say we've all got our quirks and mine is my inability to focus when my surroundings are in a state of disarray and chaos.

"Raya," I said my name dryly as a greeting, signaling I was there and paying attention. Marty's deep voice hollered into my ear. His tangent was interrupted only by his sudden burst of smoker's coughs.

"Marty I just moved in how'd you get the number already?"

"Your mother, of course, called their house looking for you, she said you were moving out."

"The fuck do you need this early in the morning, don't taverns run at night?"

"We've also got a hotel upstairs." He countered quickly.

"If that's what you're calling that whorehouse, sure. Now out with it, I've got a lot of shit to do." I listen to him cough a few more times as he struggles to talk.

"That fucking Roger got himself thrown in the slammer again. Can you take his shift tonight? Copper said he should be out tomorrow after he talks to the Alpha in court." I sighed loudly, covering his shifts was becoming a far too often occurrence.

"C'mon Raya, I'll make it worth your time."

"This was supposed to be a part-time gig, you know I work with my father, the Alpha, you remember him, don't you?"

"Dammit Raya, of course, I know who the Alpha is. You know I wouldn't call you if I had anyone else. I gotta keep these doors open, the week before the Spring solstice is our busiest week of the year." I sigh again, this fucker knows I love him like a second father, and he knows I'll cover the damn shift.

"Where do you need me?"

"Working the door, I can't get Carl to do it, he let a bunch of tough guys from out of town and their men get in for free last night, I heard them talking about coming here again. I need someone with balls to greet them and get my money."

"Well, if it's balls you need why didn't you just say so," I smirk into the phone and I can sense him smiling as well.

"So, you'll be here?"

"You know I will."

"You're my favorite worker, I swear it."

"Tell your son that." We say our goodbyes and I hang the phone back onto its mount on the wall before diving into suitcases and boxes that need to be unpacked.

Fucking Marty, always ruining my day off.