Bloom’s POV

“Honey, go. Now! Take Bloom and escape using the secret passage before anyone comes in here.” My father managed to say in a low voice. He was already losing so much blood from the stab wound on her abdomen.

My mother, who was carrying me in her arms, shook her head. “I won't leave you like this. Come with us, we'd find a doctor along the way.”

My father pressed his hand tighter on his abdomen and looked at my mother with a sad look. “I would only slow you down. Moreover, I'm the Alpha of our pack, and I owe it to our people to see this fight to the end.” It was the duty of the Alpha of the pack to protect their people and my father took that duty with all seriousness.

Outside I could hear fighting and growling with screams. A rival pack had launched a sneak attack on our pack in the dead of the night while we slept. So we weren’t prepared. Even six-year-old me knew that if my father went back out there to fight, he wouldn't survive it.

My father looked at me and pressed his palm against my cheeks. Tears dropped from my eyes. “Bloom, my beautiful girl, know that I'll always be with you.” He took off his heart-shaped necklace and put it around my neck. He gave me a soft kiss on my forehead.

He then turned to my mother, “She's your duty now. Keep her safe.” He gave her a soft kiss too. “Now, go before you're discovered.”

My mother pressed me to her chest, she hesitated a bit but eventually turned around. She went out through the secret door we had planted in the house. Just as she was about to close the secret door, I saw two wolves push open the main front door, they found my father, and before he could defend himself, they killed him.

My eyes widened, and I opened my mouth to scream at the sight.

“Dad!!” I shot up from the bed, my heart beating faster than normal, and then I realized it was just a dream.

Well, not really. More like a memory.

That was the last time I saw my Dad. Our pack was wiped out, but my mother had managed to escape with me using the secret passage. We managed to find shelter here in the Shadowmoon Pack, as their Alpha and Luna were kind enough to accept us.

I pressed my hand around the heart-shaped necklace I was wearing and muttered, “Dad, I miss you.”

Just then my room door swung open, my mom stood at the other end of the room, her eyes full of worry. “Bloom, I heard you shout. Are you okay?” She had an apron tied around her which meant breakfast was in works.

I gave her a faint smile. “I'm fine mom, I thought I saw a bug.” I didn't want to tell her about my dream so as not to worry her more.

She shook her head but now looked relieved. “Alright, go get ready for school and come down for breakfast. You don't want to be late on your first day.”

With that she left to go finish cooking downstairs.

I got up from the bed and headed into the bathroom. I took a quick shower and got ready for my first day at the university. I was a freshman, and I didn't want to start my university days by being known as a latecomer. I already had enough nicknames from middle school: Dork, Nerd, and Geek. I didn't need any new ones.

I grabbed my bag from the dressing table and took one quick look at myself in the mirror. I was wearing a plain hoodie paired with baggy pants that hid my shape. My long blonde hair was tied into a sleek ponytail, and I had no makeup done because I'm not the biggest fan of makeup, but somehow my skin still looked good.

I adjusted my round glasses to sit properly on the ridge of my nose and nodded in satisfaction at how I looked. I always dressed like this to avoid drawing attention to myself. Although I still got bullied for it.

“Bloom, your breakfast is getting cold!” My mother called again, and I quickly rushed downstairs.

I hugged her and sat down for the delicious pancakes, sausage, and apple juice she had prepared for me.

My mother had still not remarried after all these years. Her only focus was on taking care of me, just like she had promised my father, and so I made a vow to study hard and establish myself so I too can take care of her when I'm older.

I was halfway through the delicious pancakes when my mom spoke, “Bloom, you know you'll be turning eighteen in a few days, and that means you'll soon find your mate.”

I nodded. Every wolf can sense their mate when they come of age.

“As you're starting university, I don't want you to mess with anybody. Keep yourself for your mate. You know how we got into this pack; I don't want you to bring disgrace to our family. And you know I can't protect you because this pack is full of Alphas.”

I knew my mother just wanted to keep me safe. She was not an alpha, and I was only an omega, so she didn't want me getting into any trouble.

I took her hand in mine. “Don't worry, mom, I won't mess with anyone and will continue to avoid trouble.”

She smiled. “I trust you.”

I ate the last piece of pancake and ran down to the bus stop to catch a bus to school. Luckily, I found one in time and in about thirty minutes the bus arrived at the university.

There was a huge signboard at the entrance that had the university name boldly written in green fonts—SHADOWMOON UNIVERSITY.

I made my way to my department. The university was so big, but I wasn't surprised. It was the best university in our pack and the most expensive. I was only able to be enrolled because I got a scholarship.

I noticed everyone was dressed in really expensive designers. It made my faded hoodie and baggy pants stand out. They were all giving me looks of disgust as I walked by.

I tried to just focus on reaching my department, but suddenly someone stuck out their leg in front of me, and before I could see it, I tripped and fell face first. All my books fell out from my bag and scattered on the floor.

“Low-life Nerd.” A girl cursed, and three other girls laughed behind her. I recognize their voices. It was Chloe and her minions. The most popular girls in school. Chloe has always hated me for reasons unknown to me since middle school.

Everyone watched us without helping me. I stood up, packed my books, and continued walking without exchanging any words with Chloe. That's what I always did as I always tried to avoid any more trouble.

I walked into my class, and my friend Stacey waved at me from the second row. I went to sit beside her, she had kept a free seat for me. I only had just three friends, and Stacey was the one I was closest to.

Soon, the professor entered the hall, and the class began. For the next hour and a half, I listened and took notes. It was psychology, one of my favorite subjects.

Just as the class ended, I got up to leave to quickly use the ladies' room because I was pressed, and that was when I got a text from my friend James.

“Who's texting you?” Stacey asked.

I read the message and looked at her. “It's James. He wants us to come to the football field.”

I grabbed my bag. “You go first. The apple juice I took this morning has come back to haunt me, I have to use the restroom.”

“Alright, don't be long.” Stacey smiled as I dashed out the hall.

I found the closest restroom and eased myself. I was about to come out to wash my hands when I heard Chloe and her gang walk in. I quickly ran back into my toilet cubicle and locked the door.

“OMG! Did you hear that James is throwing a party and the Untouchable Trios will be there?” Joan, one of Chloe's minions, gushed.

For some reason my heart skipped a bit. The Untouchable Trios, Steel, Stone, and Slate Blacken, were the Head Alpha’s triplet sons. They were known for their powerful strength being the hottest in school. They were every girl's dream man and every girl wanted them.

The Trio looked alike but each had their own personality. Steel was the ruthless and cold one, Stone was the sweet and flirty one while Slate was the smart and calculative one.

No girl has ever been able to capture the attention of the trios. Except for casual flings or hookups which don't last more than two days. But girls would fight tooth and nail to get even half a day of their attention.

“Perfect. I'm going to make at least one of them fall for me so I can become the Luna of the pack, which is my rightful position as the most beautiful girl in the pack.” Chloe bragged.

“Yes, no one else apart from you deserves that position.” Tessa supported.

“I can't wait to attend your mating ceremony. I can already picture it.” Olivia cheesed.

I heard the tap water rush and then go off. “Okay! I'm done retouching my makeup, let's go.” Their footsteps faded as they left the restroom.

I waited for two minutes before coming out. I then headed straight to the football field.

When I got to the field, there were many boys there. It looked like they just finished practice. I scanned the area for signs of James or Stacey, but I couldn't spot either.

One of the boys whistled as he saw me. “Oh wow, looks like the unattractive nerd came to check us out,” he teased, and the other boys laughed.

I quickly threw my face to the ground and turned to leave with plans on calling James and Stacey outside when I bumped headfirst into something hard. A chest.

My eyes first saw the strong thighs with brown shorts, and as my gaze moved up, I saw the black compression shirt that clung to huge biceps and smooth abs. Finally, my gaze landed on the guy's face. My breath caught in my throat. Thick brows, green eyes, and a sharp jawline. It was like seeing a real-life Greek god. And he smelled like cedarwood mixed with danger.

As if that wasn't enough, two other equally handsome guys stepped forward from behind him. They were all more than six feet tall. They also all looked alike apart from their eye color; one had blue eyes and the other had brown.

It suddenly dawned on me who these guys were: Steel, Stone, and Slate, the Untouchable Trio. And I had not only touched them, I had stupidly bumped into one of them’s chest.

They looked down at me, who was just five foot four inches, with their fierce eyes. I stepped back in fear.

“I…I'm sorry.”