Can't Save The Older Luna

"Kill her," the man ordered casually. He smiled brightly, exposing his impeccably aligned teeth.

Aphrodite was familiar with the heartwarming smile. However, the words spread into Aphrodite's system faster than venom. Her insides started scorching. But the tears had dried.

Aphrodite stared blankly at the man's gorgeous face. The pair of hazel-green eyes that Aphrodite once found attractive was icier than a dead fish. Aphrodite discerned that the man's stunning appearance and kind words were merely a facade to mask his hideous nature.

"Why is it that my life is always the one that gets complicated? Why is something simple for others inconceivable to me?" Aphrodite's eyes welled up as she pondered.

Regardless, the man was not liable for Aphrodite's emotional breakdowns. And Aphrodite was well aware of it. Aphrodite was an omega female in Scarlet-navy, one of the mightiest packs in the East zone.

The pack had prohibited mating outside to preserve the bloodline and its ruthless nature. Aphrodite's pack was at its peak in crudity and bigotry towards the omegas.

The omegas would get brutally killed if they failed to find their mates within their coming of age. Not to mention, there were always exceptions when it came to betas.

The Alphas were privileged to choose their mates, apart from the fated ones. Hence, it was a non-issue for everyone except the omegas.

Axill was the man who was always kind to Aphrodite. He was the same age as Aphrodite and well-known among the wolves in her pack. His act of empathy towards Aphrodite earned him her admiration.

Axill had returned from his training not long ago. Axill was sent away from the pack right after birth, so the wolves knew little about him.

Additionally, because of him living alone even after his return. Axill's past remained untouched, even by the alpha guards who obeyed him without the knowledge of his class. Axill took a break from years of training by temporarily joining the alpha kitchen after rejoining the pack.

Aphrodite admired him. But she never revealed that to him. Also, her uncertainty about Axill's partner and her own lack of a mate caused her stress. Axill treated everyone with kindness, regardless of their status, unlike other alphas and betas. Thus, the entire pack cherished him.

Aphrodite was going to turn eighteen in a few days. However, she had not found her mate yet. Wolves would discover their mates once they turned sixteen. The pack would permit the mateless wolves to search for their mates till their coming of age.

Without exception, any omega who failed to acquire a mate by the age of eighteen would get ruthlessly killed. And then, when Aphrodite thought it was all over, she met her mate for the first time. Nonetheless, the partner that Aphrodite found was beyond anything she had anticipated.

******

Ethelred was a fledgling alpha and the son of the reigning alpha of Scarlet-Navy. The oracles brought the prophecy of the ancient spirits, blessing the alpha's son as the next alpha to the throne when Ethelred turned fourteen. To make things worse, Aphrodite found the fourteen-year-old alpha to be her mate.

Aphrodite would soon turn into an adult. She was aware that the pack would never accept her as the Luna. Such a disastrous fate also baffled Aphrodite's parents.

Aphrodite's parents were both betas. However, with their innumerable efforts to maintain a lucrative connection with the higher officials, her family succeeded in entering the elite society. But her birth as an omega always unsettled Aphrodite's parents.

Aphrodite joined the alpha kitchen, intending not to rely on her parents forever. However, the idea failed to please her mother at all. Every time

Aphrodite appeared before her mother, contemptuous phrases pierced her heart. For the remaining few days before formally serving in the alpha kitchen, Aphrodite secluded herself within her bedchamber.

"Are you certain about that child being your mate?" Following Aphrodite's disclosure that she had discovered her mate on the first day in the pack house, her mother questioned.

Annoyance was apparent in her tone as she puckered her brows in disbelief. It was not long since Aphrodite had her first encounter with her long-awaited mate.

Indeed, Aphrodite's mother was not wrong about Aphrodite's mate being a child. It was Aphrodite's first day in the pack house after getting employed in the alpha kitchen. Aphrodite had never entered the pack house before, making her unfamiliar with everything related to the alpha and his family.

Since Aphrodite was an omega, her parents wouldn't take her to elite social gatherings. Consequently, Aphrodite rarely knew anyone from the higher officials.

"I hope you're not creating tales to cover your tracks," Aphrodite's mother scowled upon hearing about Aphrodite's mate.

Refusing to meet her mother's gaze, Aphrodite squeezed the sides of her dress. Aphrodite wondered if her mother really believed she would make up stories to prolong her wretched existence.

Since the instant Aphrodite entered the alpha kitchen, the mellow fragrance permeated the space. However, the maids were clueless when Aphrodite asked them about the source of such an exotic fruity fragrance.

Shortly, Aphrodite became engrossed in her tasks while Axill greeted her with a beaming smile. The experience felt surreal as Axill showered her with the kindness she had yearned for a long time.

However, she had no idea that the kindness she had been shown would result in such a negative outcome. Later in the day, as Aphrodite was getting ready to depart, the sweet scent from earlier overwhelmed her, making it difficult for her to breathe.

Aphrodite searched for the source of the fragrance that had been affecting her ability to function properly all day. Her wolf was becoming restless.

Aphrodite was experiencing a surge of unfamiliar emotions that she had never felt before. When Aphrodite glanced around, she observed a young boy in the training area who was having difficulty grasping and managing the metal sword, which seemed too heavy for his small frame. However, Aphrodite's world crumbled as her wolf howled, "Mate."

Ethelred was in his routine afternoon lessons with his master. Aphrodite felt her feet getting rooted to the ground as she watched the tiny body attempting to shift tirelessly. The royal emblem glistening on the boy's tunic bore evidence of his noble birth. The child was lean, considering the boys of his age. Despite his position as the future alpha lord, he seemed as fragile as a porcelain doll.

Nevertheless, he was a beautiful young boy. The last rays of the afternoon illuminated his soft, caramel-blond hair. The tangerine beams of the setting sun had covered a portion of his face above his peachy-pumped lips, causing his pale purple eyes to glow.

Aphrodite's wolf growled inside, declaring its mate. Aphrodite got embedded in her place, forgetting how to move. However, Ethelred was oblivious to anything his mate went through at that moment, as his wolf was too young to detect its mate. Aphrodite continued making circles on the floor with her toe, recalling