The air is chilly outside, but I feel warm thanks to my wolf. The moon is big and bright up in the sky as I continue to stare at it. It almost feels like it's trying to comfort me as it looks down to me.
Nights of full moons are one of the best for shifting into a werewolf. We are stronger then, and our senses are more heightened. We feel more connected to our inner wolves during this time as our first shifts are mostly during a full moon.
I had mine during one too. It was painful, my bones cracked into different positions, and I remember crying a lot that night. But after shifting a lot of times, I'm used to the pain, and it hurts less.
After the inauguration ceremony is done and over with, most werewolves will take off into the forest to shift into their wolf form. We do not miss the opportunity of a full moon since it happens only once in a month. Brad would lead us as the new Alpha through the woods, and together, we all would howl at the moon all night.
I will not be joining them tonight, though. Anything that deals with Brad irks me. I hope my wolf quickly heals so I can find an unmated wolf from another pack and get out of this one.
I love my pack. I grew up here, and my parents live here. It will be hard to say goodbye, but if I wanna completely move on, then I need to distance myself from that prick.
"There you are. I've been looking for you everywhere!" I hear someone sigh in relief behind me, startling me out of my thoughts. I turn to see Lana by the doorway of the balcony, looking disoriented while puffing out breaths. Something doesn't feel right.
The balcony is now empty as everyone had gone inside to watch Brad take the title of Alpha except me. But the packhouse is eerily silent, which is the opposite of what it's supposed to be. By now, Brad should have been named Alpha, and there should be howls and whistles of merriment.
I scrunch my eyebrows in suspicion as Lana exhales in relief but still looks...scared?
"What's wrong?" I slowly ask, making my way towards her. She pauses, looking unsure with a puzzled look on her face.
"I'm not sure either, but...you're being called inside." She announces. I stiffen in response as dread washes over me.
Was that why it's silent inside? Because of me? But why? The only reason I could think of for the ceremony to halt for me is if...if they knew about me being Brad's real mate.
My eyes widen in horror as I stare at Lana. She seems puzzled also, not knowing why I'm being summoned.
This is bad. This is really bad. If alpha Benson knows about Brad and me, he will force Brad to break his bond with Stacy and then mate me. I don't wanna be a mate to a jerk like him. I still am a bit attracted to him, but I don't want him anywhere near me. It's a hot and cold situation.
But how did they find out? Had Brad revealed this to them? But that doesn't make any sense. Why would he? He had made it clear that he wanted Stacy by his side and not me.
"Are you alright?" Lana asks, probably noticing the pale look on my face. I quickly shake out of my thoughts and put on a fake smile.
"I'm fine. Just a bit surprised." I lie. She nods in return before grabbing my hand and leading me inside.
"We have to hurry."
I feel the tension in the air immediately as I walked in. The whole place is so silent, you would think the room empty and not filled with hundreds of werewolves. Our packhouse is large enough to hold thousands of people, and some werewolves reside here. But they're mainly people with higher authority, like the Alpha, his beta, and the rest. Some omegas live here too as servants.
Everyone's heads snap to me as I walk in, and they make a passage for me to walk through. Lana has already left my side, and I suddenly feel very nervous with everyone's curious gaze on me.
Apart from that, I can feel a powerful aura coming from the front, and my guess is that the Prince is here.
Not even our former Alpha has such a strong aura.
Swallowing down my nervousness, I brush my sweaty palms down my gown before walking forward. More people clear the path for me to pass by. But I notice the farther I go, the more everyone's head is bowed down with their neck open in a sign of submission. Even I feel the urge to bare my neck open like that, but it's somehow different. Like I can ignore it if I want to.
I let my eyes stray down to the floor, though, as I move forward, and the aura gets stronger. There's a thick earthy masculine scent in the air mixed with an expensive cologne. And it smells so heavenly, I can't help myself but breathe in more. It gets stronger too as I walk forward, and my hands grip the side of my dress in anticipation.
I do not look up till I reach the end of the line, but something pushes me too.
There, in the middle of the raised platform, sitting in a lazy and bored posture is the most handsome, no, beautiful man I've ever seen. His hair is a golden color like the sun, and he has high cheekbones on a sharp jawline.
He may look bored, but his eyes are blazing as he stares right back at me. I can feel the intensity in them as he raises his hand, stroking a floral scarf in them. Wait! That's my scarf.
My eyes move to his side, where Gina stands with a serving tray in hand. Her neck is bare in submission like everyone else, but her eyes move up to meet mine at that moment, and I could see the angry glare directed to me. I furrow my eyebrows in question, but she looks away back to the floor.
My eyes move around to see everyone in this same position, including Brad and alpha Benson. I do the same as them, not understanding what was going on.
I feel a chair scrape on the floor before hearing soft footfalls, and they are striding over to me. My eyes are looking at my silver heels in interest as my heart's beat accelerates. I'm sure all the werewolves in the room could hear it beat faster.
My body is frozen to the spot as I see a shiny pair of Oxford shoes come into sight. My neck aches from staring down, and my muscles feel tense. I can see the owner of the shoe slowly walk around me before stopping behind me. Then I suddenly feel his hand brush away my hair from my neck, leaving it bare. His palm grazes my skin, and I shiver at his touch.
That's odd.
Usually, my wolf and I would recoil at another male's touch. Maybe it's because she can sense the power radiating from him, so she doesn't want to seem disrespectful.
I feel his breath suddenly fanning the area he left open before I hear him inhale a deep breath. My hands clutch my dress tighter as his nose skims that area of my neck before he stops and moves back. I'm already beginning to regret wearing an off-shoulder.
He walks back to my front before using his thumb and forefinger to raise my head up, and I'm met with the most beautiful pair of glowing golden-brown eyes.
"Mine." A growl rumbles through his chest with his eyes fixed intently on me.
Wait! What?!
I've seen that possessive look before. I've seen it in the look Brad gives me sometimes, but this one is different. More intimate. Like he's already claimed me and couldn't wait to pounce on me.
I gasp, taking a step back in surprise, and his eyes darken as he watches my movement. He stretches his arm out to wrap around my waist and slams me into his chest. I could feel sparks of electricity in the air between us and down my body.
My hands come up to his chest in the intent of pushing him away, but I'm left dazed by his magnificent face structure. He leans his face down, and I feel his lips by the shell of my ear as he whispers,
"Mate."
"No!" Another voice roars behind him, and I feel him stiffen under my hands.
I'm rigid to my spot, not sure what is going on yet. Did he just call me his mate?! That's not possible, Brad is my mate...or rather, was.
The man in front of me let's go of me and spins to face who dares challenge him. He pushes me behind him as if to shield me, and I hear him let out a loud snarl. I notice he isn't too bulky, but neither is he too thin, just lean, muscular...and perfect. His skin seems to glow, and he's really tall. I can't even see over his shoulder with my heels.
I tilt my head to the side to get a better view of what's happening, and I roll my eyes at the sight of Brad having on a jealous look. His fists are clenched by his sides, and his whole body is shaking, trying to reign in his wolf.
Is he crazy trying to challenge a Lycan?! And not just any Lycan, a prince!
Everyone else is thinking the same thing as they watch the scene, shell shocked. Stacy is holding on to her mate's shaking arm, trying to get him to back down and not do something stupid. But he bares his fangs at her in warning, and she jumps back in fright. One of her friends catches her while her eyes pool with tears.
"What is wrong with you, son? Back down now!" Alpha Benson yells at his son, and I can feel him exerting his alpha dominance over him. But what he doesn't know is Brad can't control himself. His wolf is pissed at another man laying claim on his mate.
"No." He barks back at his father, leaving everyone stunned, including alpha Benson.
"She's mine, not his." This makes the whole packhouse erupt in gasps and murmurs.
Oh, no.
He's going to get us exposed, and there will be consequences! I do not want to mate him.
A frown appears on Alpha Benson's face, furrowing his eyebrows. He looks between Brad and me in confusion before asking,
"What do you mean?"
All this while, Mr. Prince here still keeps me behind him. I can feel his body is taut and rigid, but he seems calm and collected, watching the scene in curiosity. I can't see his face, but I can imagine his eyes gauging Brad, trying to find out what he meant.
The murmurings of werewolf begin to quieten down as alpha Benson glares at everyone with his body radiating authority. His sharp eyes move across the room, and soon, the whole packhouse is silent once more.
Brad doesn't say anything in return but lowers his head down in shame. I hide behind the Prince to avoid the curious gazes we are given. My eyes scan the crowd, and I see my parents not to far away. Worry lines are etched on their forehead as they regard the situation.
"Your Majesty." Luna Ciara, alpha Benson's mate, comes forward, looking regal and composed as she addresses the Prince.
"Can we please take this to my mate's office...that is if it's okay with you."
She is performing her duties as a Luna as her mate is too disoriented to act right now. I can see the wheels turning in his head as he begins to understand what is going on.
It takes a long time filled with dread before the Prince nods once. I can see Luna Ciara exhale in relief before leading us to the Alpha's office. My wrist, however, is grabbed by His Majesty, making me walk by his side. Brad's gaze follows this with a scowl, but he doesn't say anything as he continues to watch us.
Even I can't say anything. I'm too confused about the whole situation.
He called me his.
Every werewolf only has one mate. There's no such thing as a second mate. It's impossible as it would create havoc. One person can only belong to another person, not two. So how come Mr. Prince here thinks me as his mate.
"Let us in. That's our daughter." I hear the sound of my mum's voice as she yells to the guard stopping them.
His majesty and one of his followers, alpha Benson, Luna Ciara, Brad, Stacy, and lastly, I am already in the office. And I can feel the awkwardness in the air. I'm still being held captive by His Majesty. Alpha Benson had offered everyone a seat on the large sofa, but the Prince refused. And it would have been awkward and disrespectful to sit when someone of a higher author is standing, so in the end, we're all left standing with some shifting uncomfortably on their spot.
I hear a little bit of mumbling from the door before the guard walks in.
"Alpha Benson, her parents want to..."
He wasn't even allowed to finish before my mum angrily storms past him in with my dad in tow. Nothing can stop that woman from having her way, that's for sure, especially when it concerns me. Alpha Benson raises his hand for the guard to let them be and leave before he closes the door gently behind him.
"My baby." My mum walks over to me with her arms outstretched, but she stops halfway when her eyes meet His Majesty's. Snatching my hand from his and leaving him surprised, I rushed into her arms and gave her a warm hug. I know I just went against a royal, but right now, I needed a hug.
My head is all over the place, and I'm perplexed. On top of that, I'm scared alpha Benson will force Brad to break his mating bond with Stacy and mate me instead. I don't want that to happen.
"Your Majesty. You believe Ellie here to be your mate?" Alpha Benson starts on a light note.
"Yes." He abruptly answers, and I can feel his gaze on me. I'm between my parents now with my dad's hand on my shoulder, giving me a light squeeze of assurance. They're like shields trying to protect me from any harm. But I doubt they'll be able to save me from the Prince.
"That's not possible!" Brad rudely pipes in, not showing one bit of respect to his majesty. The Lycan, who is with the Prince, growls threateningly at him in return. But the Prince doesn't do anything but continue to watch Brad curiously.
"And why is that, Brad." Alpha Benson impatiently asks.
"Because she's my mate!" He burst out. Oh, dear God. Please save me.
Gasp erupts on the room, and my father's hand on my shoulder tightens. Everyone is staring at Brad and me wide-eyed, making me shift uncomfortably in my spot.
You see, a mate isn't just someone that you can spend your life with and all of that. But bonding with your mate increases one's strength and will power. You found your better half, meaning you're whole and complete.
Alphas always try to find their real mate so that their packs can go stronger.
The strength of a pack rests in its Alpha and Luna. If you don't find your mate on time, you can decide to mate another werewolf. And if your mate is still out there somewhere, your bond with them is broken. Even if you come across them later, you won't feel the mate pull or anything of such.
But Brad had met me first before mating Stacy. So the bond is still there. And the more we're separated, the weaker both we and our wolves get. That's why I couldn't connect or shift to my wolf after he marked Stacy. Every time they're together intimately, I can feel it. And it feels so painful, clawing at my stomach and weakening my muscles.
So you see, Brad is just going to get weaker like me, and that would make this pack weak too. This is why I'm very sure we'll be forced to mate with each other.
"You said she is your mate." Luna Ciara's icy tone questions her son while pointing to Stacy. But I can feel the anger underneath her skin, waiting to cause havoc. Even Alpha Benson is letting out low growls as his nostrils flare in anger.
Luna Ciara doesn't get an answer from her son, so she walks over to Stacy and grips her arm before dragging her out. I can see her claws digging into Stacy's skin as she whimpers in pain. Tears are pooling in her eyes as she looks down, ashamed. Call me nuts for smiling at her pain, but I smile anyway. She has made me suffer too much the past year.
"I need an answer!" Her voice radiates authority.
Is he your destined mate?" Luna Ciara's tone is once more calm and collected but filled with so much ice. I feel a little sorry for dear Stacy.
She doesn't answer but continues to sob as tears fall down her cheeks.
Oh, no, not the poor girl act. What a fake. She hadn't regretted it when she was stealing my mate from me and making my life a living hell.
"Answer me!" Luna Ciara suddenly yells, losing her cool. Stacy jumps in fright as sobs continue to rack her body.
"No, she isn't." Brad quickly answers for her making his mum stiffen in shock. Oh look, he cares so much for her. I internally scoff before rolling my eyes at him.
"Ellie is." He adds, and this makes alpha Benson slam his fist on his desk.