The King s Chosen

Chapter 1

Tessa’s POV

It was my eighteenth birthday, and I was at a party, but it wasn’t for me. In fact, I was pretty sure no one else knew today was my birthday, not even my father.

I stood at the corner of the venue, awkwardly wearing a blue halter top dress that flowed up to the middle of my shin, which complemented and matched the color of my eyes. Despite that, I still felt severely out of place as I attended the wedding anniversary feast ball for Alpha Eric and his Luna, Paige.

Alpha Eric was the de-facto leader of my pack now that my father had pretty much signed away his ruling rights to him in exchange for business favors and protection.

Usually, I would have been excluded from this sort of event as my father couldn’t tolerate the thought of people seeing his omega daughter. I spent most of my days confined to our small room while he actively attended pack events.

With today’s grand event, though, Luna Peige personally invited every one of Alpha’s family under their territory protection. Though my father was the alpha of our small pack, only by name, these days, he was still bound to obey.

As much as I didn’t want to come, what we received was not a mere request from the Luna but a demand that we couldn’t disobey. As a result, I couldn’t opt out of the occasion, no matter how nervous it made me feel.

So here I was, at a lavishly decorated ball that I usually wouldn’t be allowed to attend, wishing all the laughter and celebration around me were for me instead.

Looking at everyone’s smiles and hearing their wishes, a bolt of pain struck my heart with envy. I wish I hadn’t come for many reasons.

Aside from my bitter jealousy, I couldn’t believe how laid-back everybody here was. It was as if the threat of the Dark Lord wasn’t hanging over our collective heads.

The Dark Lord was the Lycan King. Supposedly, he should be protecting the entire werewolf kingdom, but he disappointed everyone.

He ruled the kingdom with an iron fist, ruthlessly attacking pack every pack and capturing Luna from defeated packs.

With the Dark Lord’s presence and my weak status as the omega, my father cowardly sought protection under Alpha Eric. His pack, the Red Oak Pack, was four times the size of ours, and he led his pack with courage and distinct wisdom. That was why I was surprised that he’d risk throwing an extravagant party and opening his doors at a critical time like this.

Surveying the venue filled with elegant and glamorous high-ranking wolves, I recognized many members from my pack despite not having interacted with them much.

They looked away quickly whenever I caught their gaze, unwilling to associate with the Alpha’s castaway Omega daughter as usual. Sighing, I ignored the looks of disgust and contempt and made my way through the crowd to reach the buffet. It was filled with numerous extravagant dishes from various cuisines and specialties.

I had to admit, I was envious of Luna Paige all over again and wished I was in her shoes instead. I picked a slice of velvet cake from the buffet and pretended it was my birthday cake.

Humming a quick happy birthday song under my breath, I sniffed the cake, swooning at the lovely scent of vanilla and red velvet before taking a bite.

The sound of metal hitting glass dragged my attention to the stage. Alpha Eric stood there, striking his fork across the glass in his hand and beaming with Paige next to him. His perfectly trimmed blonde hair was combed back, and he wore a teal suit on his stocky frame.

Meanwhile, Paige was dressed elegantly, with diamonds sparkling around her neck and ears. They looked beautiful together. I couldn't help but wonder if I would ever experience such love.

“Hello, everyone. Can I have a word?” Eric clicked his glass again, quieting the room as the music turned down a few notches.

“Alright, so Paige and I just want to thank everyone for joining us here today to celebrate another year of bliss, peace, and prosperity.” A small cheer and a round of applause filled the room, bringing huge smiles to the couple’s lips.

“Now, I know many of us might not have wanted to come out today due to the rumors we’ve been hearing. Of the Lycan King turning to a Dark Lord as he goes around from pack to pack, city to city, wreaking havoc amongst the werewolf communities. Two of our neighboring packs have already been attacked, but that was before we came together to form our current alliance.” His slate-gray eyes swept over the room.

My wolf flared up, peering at her head as if suddenly interested in what was going on. A tension I didn’t understand started at the base of my spine.