Moon's Crescent (Book One)

One: All Alone

***Moon's P. O. V.***.

I feel disgusted seeing all of my friends happy and starting families with their mates. That sounds terrible, doesn't it? I'm the alpha, I should be ecstatic that the people in my pack are happy. . . But I'm not. I'm just jealous. I'm twenty-five and I still haven't found my mate! What, you think twenty-five is still young? Not when everyone else met their soul mates as far back as ten years ago!

My situation has made me bitter. My pack, that is, the Red Forest Clan, see me as cold and distant. But why would I want to be close to someone who does nothing but make out with their mate and talk about how well life is going for them? I spend most of my time wasting away, doing paperwork and handling the financial business for the pack.

My father was killed by an enemy pack. He was passing through their land on some secret mission I still do not have any information about, and they caught him and accused him of being there to spy on them. It happened when I was sixteen, so I was appointed alpha early.

My mother died two years later. She accidentally transformed into her wolf form out in public, so she was taken into custody and experimented on. She refused to tell them where she came from, and if there were others like her. She kept the rest of us safe even though it ended with her dying.

I admire both of my parents so much, and I miss them terribly. I want to be just as good an alpha as my dad, and live a perfect life protecting my pack.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Alpha? Um, Alpha?" I snap out of my daydream to hear my secretary's voice outside my office door.

"Oh, uh, yes?"

"May I come in?" she asks quietly.

"Yes," I quickly straighten my papers and try to make it look like I've been productive today.

"Can we talk about something, Alpha?"

"Sure. What is it?" I ask, trying not to sound nervous.

"Well, you told me a long time ago how people see you as being cold, and I know those closest to you don't think so but. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ."

"Just spit it out!"

"Oh, uh, well, I think it would do you good to show them you're not cold and mean."

"And how do you presume I might do that, Miss Sinclair?" I lean back in my chair.

"Well, you could do charity work!"

I groan, "Like I'm not busy enough as it is? What kind of charity work exactly?"

"Um, you know Mrs. Cleinfield runs an orphanage of sorts in the unused building by housing section C. You could go there."

"I'm not really good with kids. . ."

"Then fake it," she says quickly, and I see fear flash across her face. She's worried she was disrespectful.

"Do you have any other suggestions, or are you just wasting my time?"

"No, that's all I wanted to say," she begins to exit the room. "You know, maybe if you had a mate you wouldn't be so-"

"How many times have I told you not to discuss mates with me?" I growl, feeling my wolf surface. "Mention it again and I'll slice your throat!!!"

I sigh and run my hand through my hair when she leaves. She's helpful, but she's a pain in the ass sometimes.

Charity work, huh? That would help but. . . I just don't think I'd be good at going to the orphanage and playing with kids. Whatever, I'll think about it.

~~~~~~~~~~

I open the door quietly. I worked later than usual today to try to get my mind off things.

I live with my uncles. I would be completely fine living on my own, but they insist that I'd be lonely. They don't want me to move in to the Alpha suite until I find my mate. Living with them isn't too bad, so I don't mind staying here.

"Hey, what took you so long getting home?" Uncle Gregory asks, casually sitting at the breakfast bar drinking a glass of wine.

"Nothing. I stayed late."

"Why?"

"Just because," I snap.

"Geez, you don't have to be so mean about it. I'm only asking because I care."

"Well, then stop caring. You think that because you're a whopping three years older than me that you're my dad or something."

"Wow. You know what? Have a good night. I'll be upstairs enjoying my wine away from you."

"Why don't you just fuck your mate while you're at it?"

"I just might!"

I growl and blow the hair out of my eyes. I know I shouldn't be so hostile towards my family, but they're so damn annoying. They act like I'm still a pup.

Uncle Gregory is a blood relative of mine. My grandmother gave birth to him when she was thirty-seven. She gave birth to my mother when she was eighteen. In turn, my mom had me when she was sixteen. So Gregory was three when I was born. Uncle Clarke is Gregory's mate. He is totally unrelated to me. It's all very confusing, I know. You might as well give up on trying to figure it out.

I open the fridge and pull out a carton of orange juice. After pouring it into a glass, I sit at the breakfast bar where Gregory just was. I rub circles into my temples, feeling the throb of an oncoming headache. I'm so done with everything. I wish I could pass the alpha title on to someone else and kill myself, but I couldn't bare to face my parents in the afterlife if I did so.

I gulp down my orange juice and trudge upstairs to bed. I can hear Gregory and Clarke talking in hushed voices. Probably about me. Oh, well. I forgot to care.

I don't bother washing my face, brushing my teeth, or changing into pajamas before flopping down on my unmade bed. I roll so I'm wrapped up in all the blankets, and I quickly fall asleep.

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Hi! This was kind of a sample chapter, just to see what kind of response I get! Please comment/vote if you liked it! Thanks!

-D_C