A Blessing in Disguise
Author
Cosmic Chaos
Reads
50.3K
Chapters
12
Astraea has lived her life as one of the best kept secrets of her kind. It seemed that her life was meant to be nothing more, but then she meets Asher, her fated mate with the ability to set her free.
Chapter 1: Run
ASTRAEA
My name is Astraea Fiora, third child of Alpha Magnus Fiora and Luna Gloria Fiora. You may be thinking that being the only daughter to the alpha would come with certain privileges, and in other packs, you might be rightā¦but not hereā¦not with my parents. They worshipped my oldest brother, Ares.
My brother, Apollo, is the middle child, and while he receives less attention than our older brother did, heās still considered a prized possession simply for the fact that heās the right gender. Then thereās me, the useless daughter, a wolf with alpha blood that serves no purpose because a female can never become alpha.
Since they already have their sons, they have no need for me. I donāt know why they named us all after Greek gods and goddesses when they felt that only one of us was fit to be worthy of their unwavering love and affection.
Iāve spent my life being raised by the house staff at the pack house, and for the first twelve years of my life, it was actually not that bad. Everything changed the day of my thirteenth birthday.
My birth wasnāt something that my family or pack celebrated because, as my parents love to remind me, I wasnāt meant to exist. My parents consulted a seer when they found out my mother was pregnant with me, hoping to find answers as to how she came to be with child since they hadnāt mated since Apolloās birth.
They were told I was a blessing, a gift from the goddess, but the second she told them they were blessed with a daughter, they had the seer put to death, believing she mustāve been a witch and that she had used her ādarkā magic to somehow cause my mother to fall pregnant. They saw me as a curse, not a blessing.
Anyway, the change in my boring, yet not awful, life began, as I said, on my thirteenth birthday. Since my birth was never celebrated, I had gone to the meadow in the middle of the forest to let my wolf run.
I had run there many times before, and my wolf, Vira, loved it there. That afternoon, she ran for hours, but we lost track of time.
By the time I had shifted and gotten dressed, the sun was already beginning to set. It seems my presence actually had been missed because my parents sent Ares out to find me.
He barely made it to the center of the meadow where I was standing before dropping to his knees, a silver arrow sticking out of his chest and blood running from the corner of his mouth, slithering down to his chin. His last word to me, a word that haunts me to this day, was spoken on a soft, shaky breathā¦āRun.ā
I did exactly as Ares instructed. I ran and didnāt stop until I reached the pack house. I was screaming and crying, not stopping until my parents and Apollo came storming downstairs to see what the hell all the noise was.
I told them what happened, and they all took off for the meadow. I sat on the back patio for an hour before I saw them walking back, and my heart broke when I saw Ares cradled in my fatherās arms.
I knew he was gone because I felt his soul leave as I ran from the field, but seeing the pain and agony on my parentsā faces made my heart ache unbearably.
I wish I had known that it was only going to get so much worse from that moment on.
From that day forward, I became a metaphorical and literal punching bag for my parents and Apollo. I was blamed for Aresās death and was punished daily for it.
Apollo was forced into alpha training, yet another thing Iām blamed for. Why they blame me for the fact that they neglected to prepare their second son for the possibility of becoming alpha is beyond me, but thatās somehow my fault too.
Heās the lesser version in every way, and our parents never let either of us forget it. Apollo is definitely not as strong as Ares was, nor as skilled at combat.
Iām honestly amazed that Iāve survived all the beatings Iāve taken, but I know the only reason I have is because of Vira.
She always tells me we are stronger than anyone knows, that weāre meant for something more than this life. But it wasnāt until today that I learned that thereās a lot more to us than I ever realizedā¦like the fact that I shifted for the first time at the age of ten, but I didnāt know that wasnāt normal.
Iām sure my parents wouldāve made sure I was well aware of that fact if they had actually been around me enough to even know I got my wolf eight years early.
Today has been a day when Iāve learned many new thingsā¦like the fact that Iām not the only wolf who hates my parents.
You see, one of my many punishments is my servant duties. Iām responsible for ensuring the alpha suite and my fatherās office are cleaned daily.
Usually, there are no documents on his desk or anywhere within sight, so Iām able to easily dust and vacuum then leave. Not today.
Today it seems he left his office in a hurry, and he failed to put away the stack of letters on his deskā¦more accurately, a stack of formal complaints that have been filed with the high council. Now I find myself more grateful than ever that Ares taught me to read and write.
It seems Alpha Asher is coming for a visit to investigate the claims on behalf of the council. Yes, I read the letters, and yes, Iāve read all about Alpha Asher and his violent, brutal nature.
Everything Iāve read about him states that heās a great alpha, one of the greatest, but I suppose itās more his personality and the brutal way he resolves conflict that have left him with such a distasteful reputation. The letters say heāll be arriving today, and I know Iāll be instructed to remain out of sight, but my curiosity is a cruel beast.
My fatherās hasty exit from his office now makes sense. I bet Asherās already here. Looks like itās time to do some investigating of my own!
I rush through the last of my chores then change into clean clothes, you know, the typical black leggings and a black shirt so I can hide in the shadowsā¦or try to, anyway. With my black hair pulled into a messy bun, I pull on my black, extremely worn-out slip-on shoes and head out the back door.
Finding the unfamiliar scent is easy, but for some reason itās so much stronger than I wouldāve expected. Are all alphasā scents this strong?
I follow the scent toward the main part of our little town and easily catch up with them as theyāre walking between two of the shops.
āAs you can see, my pack members are very happy here and are treated very well.ā
I roll my eyes at my fatherās blatant lie, but itās not like Asher or my dad can see it.
āIf it had been a single complaint, I wouldnāt be here, Alpha Magnus. We received dozens, not one, but many. That being said, as much as it inconveniences you, youāre stuck withā¦whatā¦this isnāt possibleā¦ā
Wait, whatās my dad stuck with, and what isnāt possible?
āIs something wrong, Alpha Asher?ā I hear heavy footsteps on the gravel between the buildings and try to quickly move around the back of the building, praying to the goddess that I donāt get caught.
āYouā¦come here.ā
Andā¦shit. I keep my head lowered, only giving myself a view of his perfectly polished shoes and the black slacks covering his long, thick legs.
I know thereās no point in running now, but goddess, how I want to!
āWhatās your name?ā He moves closer, but now thereās another set of feet standing not far behind him.
āAstraea! You were told to stay in the house and tend to your chores! Need I remind you what happens when you disobey me?!ā
I know better than to point out that he didnāt actually tell me to stay in the house this time because I know what the result would be.
āNo, Alpha. Iāll return to the house right away.ā I swear, Asherās scent is intoxicating, and itās making my mind foggy, but answering my father is an automatic reaction after all these years. Hell, I could probably provide the expected response in my sleep.
āNo, sheās going to stay right here. Look at me, little one.ā Asherās large hand raises up and gently grips my chin, sending electrical surges through me as he forces my head to rise until I meet his deep blue eyes with my pale green ones.
Itās not possible. My mind tells me thereās no way it could be, but then thereās my wolf whoās throwing a damn party in my head and shouting out her one-word chant on constant repeat, the single word playing like a broken recordā¦mate.
āI think Iāve seen enough for today. It looks like we have another matter to discuss, Alpha Magnus. Perhaps we should go to your office?ā I can feel my fatherās fury, and I have no doubt that the minute he can get me alone, Iāll be feeling it full forceā¦for several days.
I keep my head lowered as we all walk back toward the pack house, but my mind, rather than focusing on the punishment Iāll surely be facing once my father can get me alone, is running through all the information Iāve ever read about Alpha Asher and the warmth I can feel radiating from him as he walks beside me.
Vira, you know the stories about him, how he executed his mate for treason, so how the hell can he be our mate? The goddess doesnāt offer second-chance mates to wolves who harm or reject their mates!
Perhaps thereās more to his story than what weāve read. All I know is that heās definitely our mate and that means we can get away from this awful place!
If his first mate was so terrible, why would he even want us?
Oh, Astraea, weāre a gift from the goddess, just like that seer predicted! Heāll see that, surely he will.
But what if he doesnāt? What if he rejects us?
He wonāt, but if he were willing to disgrace the goddess by rejecting such a gift, weād run. Iām done letting you suffer at the hands of those monsters. I feel something coming, Astraea, and I just know weāre meant for so much more than this life. Have faith in the goddessās plan and have faith in us.
Iām trying, Vira. I wonāt lie, the fact that he executed his last mate, even if it was for treason, is a little nerve-racking. Of everything Iāve read and learned, very little was written about his first mate. Aside from stating that she had committed treason, there are no details explaining what her treasonous act actually was.
My thoughts stall out as we step into the pack house and make our way to my fatherās office. Once inside, the doors are shut behind us.
āAlpha Asher, might I ask what brings us back here before our tour was concluded?ā I can see it in his eyes: he knowsā¦and heās afraid. Surely, heās thinking that if Asher were to accept me, I might tell him about my fatherās abuse and mistreatment of not only myself but our other pack members as well.
Heās right to fear what I might revealā¦what I would happily reveal for the sake of this pack.
āWell, Alpha Magnus, this is a very unexpected situation we find ourselves in. It seems the goddess has been hard at work behind the scenes. It seems she deemed it necessary to give me a second-chance mateā¦your daughter.ā Okay, so he doesnāt exactly sound happy about it, but maybe heās just in shock?
āMy daughterā¦is your mate? I must admit, that certainly isā¦unexpected.ā By āunexpected,ā my father means infuriating, but his poorly veiled anger has Vira laughing, feeling highly amused by the whole mess.
āI must say, I wasnāt aware you even had a daughter.ā Iām not surprised, not in the slightest. I wasnāt wanted by my parents, so why would they go around telling others about me? They would probably see such a thing as them exposing their shame to the masses.
āYes, sheās a very shy and timid child.ā Oh, heās funny! Thereās not a shy or timid bone in my body, and he doesnāt even know how powerful and wild Vira can be.
āWell, as my mate, Iām sure you understand that sheāll be returning to my pack with me when I leave in two days. Until then, I would like to spend some time getting to know her in the evenings, and we can focus on the investigation in the earlier part of the day.ā The fact that heās openly declared that heās taking me with him must mean heās not planning to reject me. While part of me is happy, the other part is terrified of what that means for me.
āOf course, Alpha Asher. Shall we continue our tour? My luna needs to speak with our daughter. She wishes to congratulate her on finding her mate and help her to start packing her things.ā Asher gives a stiff nod, then turns toward me. His entire presence seems to demand attention, though Iām forcing myself to look down, to not meet his eyes.
āAstraea, would you do me the honor of joining me for dinner this evening?ā Iā¦wasnāt expecting this. He wants to have dinnerā¦with me? Just the two of us?
āYes, Alpha.ā He does that thing again; he gently grabs my chin and tilts my head up until my eyes meet his. He justā¦stares at me. Whyās he looking at me like that?
āPlease be ready to leave by six. Weāll be traveling to Auburn to have dinner.ā I donāt even have to look at my father to know heās not happy with this, not at all.
āI would feel much better if my daughter remained on our pack grounds, Alpha Asher. Itās not safe for her to be traveling without her guards.ā Guards? What guards? What the hell is he even talking about? Since when do I have guards?
āAre you questioning my ability to protect my mate and keep her safe, Magnus?ā I definitely donāt miss the way he fails to address my father by his titleā¦and my father doesnāt miss it either.
āNot at all, Alpha Asher. Astraea, your mother is waiting for you in her study.ā My eyes are still locked onto the deep blue eyes of my mate. Iām wondering what the hell heās seeing when he looks at me, even more so when I see his eyes narrow slightly before he lets go of my chin and takes a step back.
āBest not keep the luna waiting. Remember, six oāclock.ā I nod in acknowledgment before hurrying out of the room. Now to face my mother. I hope like hell the fact that I found my mate will be enough to keep her from punishing me today.
