Mute And Marked: The Feared Alphas' Mate

2: The Acceptance Letter

~Rina~

I woke up with a dull ache in my chest, the memory of last night replaying like a cruel movie on loop. The sting of Owen’s rejection clung to me and every breath felt heavy. Syl, my wolf, was still curled up deep inside me, too hurt to even whimper. The bond we once clung to was gone, leaving behind only emptiness.

But the world didn’t stop for my broken heart. My stepmother’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. “Rina! Are you deaf now, too? Get down here and start cleaning, or you’ll regret it!”

I forced myself out of bed, wincing as the rejection pain twisted in my chest. After quickly washing up, I dragged myself to the kitchen, where the endless list of chores awaited me. The floor needed scrubbing, dishes were piled high in the sink, and laundry baskets were overflowing. My body moved on autopilot, scrubbing and wiping as my mind remained trapped in a fog of sorrow.

I was halfway through sweeping the living room when I heard a notification ping from my laptop in my room. For a moment, I considered ignoring it, but something inside me urged me to check. Maybe it was a distraction I desperately needed.

Setting down the broom, I quietly slipped upstairs to my tiny room in the attic, hoping no one would notice my absence. I opened my laptop, and there it was—a message that made my breath hitch in my throat. My hands trembled as I moved the cursor to click on the email.

"Congratulations! You have been accepted into Silverclaw University!"

I blinked, once, twice, then rubbed my eyes, thinking maybe I was seeing things. But it was real. The Silverclaw crest stared back at me, bold and proud. My heart raced as the words sank in. I… I got in? The most prestigious werewolf university in the country? Somewhere only the strongest, most elite werewolves were accepted? My mind spun with disbelief.

Syl perked up, her soft voice barely audible in my thoughts, 'Is this real, Rina? Did we actually get in?'

I nodded slowly, still in shock. I had applied to several universities, fully expecting to be rejected from Silverclaw. It was a long shot, a dream that felt too far out of reach. I was just a mute omega, invisible to everyone. Yet here I was, staring at an acceptance letter from the one place I never thought I’d belong.

Just as I started to let the joy sink in, the door to my room burst open, and my stepsisters barged in, their usual sneers plastered on their faces. “What are you doing up here, slacking off again?” sneered Clara, the older of the two.

Before I could even react, Bethany, the younger one, peered over my shoulder at the screen. Her eyes widened, and she gasped loudly, causing Clara to lean in closer. They both stared at the screen in stunned silence.

“No way,” Clara whispered, disbelief dripping from her voice. “This… this has to be some kind of mistake.”

Bethany’s face twisted with jealousy. “You got into Silverclaw? How?! You’re just a pathetic mute nobody! There’s no way they’d accept someone like you!”

My fingers itched to sign something, anything, but I was still too stunned to move. Their shocked faces mirrored my own disbelief. They had tried to get into Silverclaw multiple times, bragging about how they’d dominate the entrance exams, but they were rejected every time. And yet here I was, someone they bullied endlessly, staring an acceptance letter from the one place they desperately wanted to be.

Clara’s eyes narrowed as she hissed, “You must’ve cheated somehow. How could a loser like you get in when we couldn’t?”

'We really got in,' Syl whispered in awe. Her voice was still soft, but there was a flicker of hope in it. 'We did it, Rina. We’re going to Silverclaw.'

Bethany grabbed my arm roughly, yanking me out of my daze. “Don’t think this changes anything! Just because you somehow got in doesn’t mean you’re special. You’re still the worthless, mute omega you’ve always been.”

I yanked my arm free, biting down the urge to flinch. They couldn’t take this from me, no matter how much they wanted to. For once, something good had happened, something that wasn’t just a cruel trick or another reason for them to mock me. This was real, and it was mine.

But as I stood there, still reeling from the shock, I couldn’t ignore the lingering fear. Silverclaw was a world of its own—a world where only the strongest thrived. And I was stepping into it alone, still nursing the fresh wounds of rejection. But despite the fear gnawing at me, there was also a spark of determination.

For the first time in a long time, I felt like maybe, just maybe, there was a future where I could rise above everything that held me down. A future where I wouldn’t just be the mute girl everyone overlooked.

Syl’s voice hummed in agreement, her strength slowly returning. 'We’ll show them, Rina. We’ll show everyone that we’re not as weak as they think.'

I swallowed hard and nodded. I had to be strong, for myself, for Syl, for whatever awaited us at Silverclaw. This was our chance to finally break free from the chains that had held us captive for so long.

Clara’s snide voice cut through my thoughts, bringing me back to the present. “Don’t think this is over, Rina. We’ll make sure you regret ever thinking you could outshine us.”

They stormed out, slamming the door behind them. I stared at the closed door, my heart still racing, but it wasn’t fear that pounded in my chest now. It was determination, a fire igniting within me that I hadn’t felt in years.

I glanced back at the acceptance letter on the screen, a small smile tugging at my lips. Silverclaw was my chance to start over, to prove that I was more than the broken girl they thought I was. It wouldn’t be easy, but for the first time in my life, I felt like I had a shot at something more.