One Mistake

chapter one

School is the same old boring routine. My alarms blares causing my sensitive ears to twitch. I brush my teeth and put on a hoodie and leggings on. I ran down the stairs, once I look at the time.

My adopted parents are eating breakfast. Mike, my adopted dad, is watching the news on the television, while Anne, my adopted mom, reads her book. Mike is a warrior in the pack and Anne is the pack doctor, but despite there positions, I'm an omega. Nobody knows where I came from, or who my parents were, so it only seemed right that I was an omega until they could find any information- well they haven't done any digging because they don't care.

It's not like the pack treats me badly; I'm just invisible. I welcomed the invisibility cloak the pack had gifted me in the beginning, but after a while, I just felt lonely. The loneliness consumed me. My own parents didn't even acknowledge me. I was just an afterthought.

"Morning," I say in a chirpy tone. I'm met with crickets. Not a single response. I grab an apple because mom never makes breakfast for me. "Bye, I'm going to school."

Silence again. I grab my backpack and walk out the door. Before leaving, I check the mailbox and find nothing. I walk down the lawn and then make my voyage to school. I plug my headphone into my phone and play music to avoid the silence.

The twenty-five minute walk is filled with cars passing by splashing me with puddle water. By the time I get to school, my clothes are damp. I shrug off my hood before entering the school. I immediately head to my locker and grab my spare sweater.

I don't linger in the hallway and go straight to class. Chemistry. I smell a faint linger of an intoxicating smell: cinnamon and vanilla. I reach the class before everyone, including the teacher, and make my way to my seat at the back of the class.

After thirty minutes, students start to file in. Benjamin, I wouldn't say my friend but acquaintance, sits down beside me. Ben is a human, meaning he doesn't understand the structure of packs and that I'm supposed to be invisible. We don't talk outside of Chemistry, but having someone to talk to once in a while is better than no one.

I offer Ben a small smile that he reciprocates.

"Do you know what today is?" He asks with a playful glint in his eyes.

I ponder, "No."

"Are you sure?" I shake my head. Ben reaches into his pocket and picks a tiny wrapped box out. "Open it."

I rip open the wrapping paper quickly. Ben laughs at my reaction. To be fair, I haven't received a gift for as long as I could remember. I open the box and see a dainty silver bracelet with a beaker charm on it.

I look up at Ben shocked. "What's this for?"

"It's your birthday today, Silly. Did you really forget? You're a legal adult now!"

Every day, whether it's my birthday or not, feels the same. Birthdays are meant to be special and as a child, I used to long for it, hoping my parents would notice me.

"I can't accept this, Ben. It's too much," I say.

"It's nothing. You are accepting it. End of discussion," Ben says, leaving no room for argument.

"Thank you, Ben," I whisper.

"It's really nothing, El."

The teacher walks into the class and begins the lesson. I look down at the bracelet. I can't believe I forgot about my birthday. I'm 18! I can finally find a mate and receive some love for someone. My soulmate picked perfectly for me by the Moon Goddess. I have looked forward to this moment my whole life. A way to get out of my house.