Chapter one
Renée
Theysaythewrongone will find you at peace and leave you in pieces. But the right one will find you in pieces and lead you to peace.
Well, I'm still waiting for the right one, whoever they may be. That’s if they exist. Not everyone gets to be so lucky. Well, unless you’re my little sister, Chloé.
She dazzles before me in a sparkling white gown, looking as if she just stepped out of the pages of a fairy tale book. Ever since the day she was born, people have adored her. My parents adored her. No, my entire family adored her. And now the whole world adores her...
It’s herdebut, and she’s going to outshine every other Omega at the Debutante Ball. She’s graduating from the esteemed Omega institution Blossoms Academy, and the whole family has come to see her on her big day. All my female relatives fuss around her as they help her prepare, and all I can do is stand and watch in the corner like a shadow.
Always the forgotten sister. The one who is constantly outshined by a younger sibling. It’s a dynamic no one ever speaks of. Even in movies and books, it’s always the older sibling who is the star of the family. She’s three years my junior, and she has already accomplished so much more than I have.
That’s because I never awakened. My Omega never manifested, and I have no choice but to sit back and watch as my sister gets the limelight.
She’s a perfect straight-A student. And don’t forget about her beautiful angel blonde locks and her sapphire eyes. Then there’s me, who’s lucky enough to even be considered dishwater blonde (or dishwater dull, to be more precise).
Also, my eyes aren’t quite so blue. They lean more toward the gray spectrum. Maybe gunmetal. I don’t know, and I don’t care. There’s no point putting a name to it because no one has ever cared enough to give me a second glance. Everyone’s eyes are on my sister. She will be the one to put our family on the map.
We don’t come from old money, so we need to make a name for ourselves amongst the upper class. My father got rich within my lifetime, and I’m old enough to remember the early days. The days when he struggled to put food on the table.
Now he’s one of the most famous tycoons in the world, with hotels spanning the globe. Everyone knows the name Vincent Laurent.
Chloé is too young to remember the days when our family still struggled. This is the only world she has ever known. And honestly? I’m glad for her. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Despite the fact that I’ve been super jealous of her for her entire life, I still love her.
I’m happy to be the older protective sister. She’s going to need all the help she can get once she leaves us for a pack. The idea of all those horny Alphas lusting over my baby sister makes my fists clench, and I’m a natural pacifist. I don’t believe in violence. But I would gladly punch any man in the nose who dares so much as hurt my sister.
Chloé squeals when Aunt Rose removes her hands from her eyes, letting her see her reflection in the mirror. She spins, and the diamonds of her dress light up the whole room. They reflect off the walls, and she truly is a vision.
Something I will never be.
Chloé bounds toward me, throwing her arms around my shoulders. She squeezes me too tightly, but I let her have her moment. It’s her debut, after all. That’s how much I love her.
“Oh my God, Ney Ney. Isn’t this amazing? I look just like a princess!”
Ney Ney is her pet name for me. The name on my birth certificate is actually Renée, but I don’t mind. It’s what she has called me her whole life. Even before she could talk, she called meNey Ney.
My name is the only thing I like about myself. It meansreborn.Maybe there is hope for me just yet.
Chloé, on the other hand, means to bloom. Our parents couldn’t have picked a more fitting name for her.
She may be a twenty-one-year-old woman now, but she still acts as if she’s six-years-old. Chloé is too sweet and innocent. The Alphas of this world will eat her alive.
That is why it is my duty to keep her safe.
“Yeah, you do. You’re going to wow them all, Chlo.”
She tightens her hug, squeezing the air from my lungs. I was never much of a hugger. Even as a kid, I wasn’t touchy feely. I am not a fan of open displays of affection.
Chloé lets go of my shoulders, holding me at arm’s length. Sadness flickers inside her beautiful blue eyes, and I hate it when she looks at me like that.
She hates that I don’t get to experience the same level of happiness as she does, all because my Omega never came to bear.
“I’m sure you will have your debut one day too, Ney Ney.”
Her words, though sincere, spear me like a lance. I’m lucky enough to call myself a beta. I’m twenty-four-years of age. Most Omegas manifest during their teen years.
I sense the eyes of all my aunts in the room. Several give me the same sympathetic look as Chloé, but others regard me with disdain. Namely Aunt Rose. She’s always preferred Chloé over me, and she practically ignored me my whole life.