Page 1 of The Alpha King’s Hidden Mute Mate

Chapter One

Mia

"Let go! You think you deserve this dress?"

The person across from me screamed.

I gripped the hem of that deep blue dress, my nails nearly digging into the fabric. The redhead across from me—Katelyn Black—yanked back just as hard, a sneer twisting her lips.

"You're just some mute working at an orphanage!" Katelyn raised her voice deliberately, drawing stares from nearby stalls. "You think you can afford this dress? It's the most expensive one in the thrift shop—five silver coins. How much do you make a month? Three?"

My face burned. She was right. The dress cost half a month's wages, but I'd saved for two whole months, eating one meal a day, just so I could look decent at tonight's Howling Ceremony.

I couldn't speak. I could only pull the dress toward my chest with everything I had.

"Give it up, Mia." Katelyn leaned in, lowering her voice. "A mute at the Howling Ceremony? You can't even howl. Why would the Moon Goddess give you a fated mate?"

The crowd started whispering. Someone recognized me.

"Oh, isn't that the girl working at St. Mary Orphanage?"

"I heard she doesn't even know who her parents are."

"Poor thing. Pretty face, but she's mute."

I bit my lip, not loosening my grip one bit. This dress meant more than just clothing—it was the first beautiful thing I'd ever owned, my armor for tonight. I was going to stand under the moon wearing it, lift my face to the sky like everyone else, and open my mouth.

"Enough!" A familiar voice cut through. Leah Taylor pushed through the crowd and grabbed Katelyn's hand. "She had it first. First come, first served. That's the rule."

Katelyn stared at Leah for a moment, then laughed and let go. "Fine. She can have it." She dusted off her hands like shaking off something filthy. "It won't change the fact that she's mute anyway. Oh—" She raised her voice, turning to the gawking crowd. "Everyone know what's happening? Our little mute is going to the Howling Ceremony tonight! Wonder how she'll howl? Slap her ass for sound effects?"

The crowd burst out laughing.

"Oh my god, a mute at the Howling Ceremony? Funniest thing I've heard all year!"

"Maybe her fated mate's mute too? Then they can have a sign language romance—"

"Does she even understand how sacred the Howling Ceremony is?"

They were right. The Howling Ceremony wasn't just a tradition. It was our pack's lifeline.

A werewolf's howl wasn't an ordinary sound. It was ancient magic, the bond connecting us to the moon, the earth, and each other.

It guided young wolves to their fated mates.

The howl carried the Moon Goddess's blessing—a beacon letting them sense their other half in a sea of strangers. Without a howl to guide them, young wolves were ships sailing without lighthouses in the night, forever adrift, never reaching shore.

The laughter grew louder. My face felt like it was on fire, my eyes stinging. I wanted to punch every single one of them, but I held back. Not because I was civilized—because last time I got in a fight, I spent three days in lockup and missed Christmas dinner at the orphanage.

I clutched the dress to my chest, head down, and pushed through the crowd.

Leah caught up, concern on her face. "Mia, you okay? Don't listen to them."

I shook my head and forced a smile. I knew Leah meant well. She always stood up for me when things got ugly.

I pulled a glass bottle from my pocket. Clear liquid glowed faintly blue in the afternoon sun, like a captured piece of sky.

Leah froze. "What's that?"