#Chapter 1: A Fated Night

The day of our one-year anniversary, I’d finally decided to give my virginity to my boyfriend Caleb.

As an Alpha, Caleb had been surprisingly patient with my request to wait and was nothing but loving and protective during the year we had been together. 

I made this decision not only because Caleb was my fated mate, but because I had already decided, deep down, that he was worth it.

I left my study group early and hurried back to the dorm to get ready—only to find Caleb lying naked on my bed, moaning. Not alone, but with a blonde girl striding him.

I stood frozen in the doorway, half-convinced this was some kind of nightmare. But reality was more terrifying.

The girl who’d had her back to me shifted with the movement, turning just enough that I could see her face. The second I recognized her, my blood turned to ice.

That girl was none other than my roommate and best friend, Olivia.

Betrayed by the two people I’d trusted most, tears flooded my eyes before I could stop them.

But the two of them in my room were so lost in each other they didn’t even notice I was there, still caught up in their flirting.

Olivia let out a low laugh in a voice I’d never heard before and teased Caleb, “Why not over here? You could have me now, then her later in the same spot.”

My stomach tightened into a knot. I'd been too busy with schoolwork to make many friends, and Olivia was the only person I'd confided in about my little plan.

And now she was using the secret I'd shared with her as a joke to seduce my boyfriend right on my bed!?

I couldn’t take another second of the sickening scene in front of me. “What the fuck are you two doing?”

Caleb’s alpha-heightened senses seemed finally to kick in. His eyes locked with mine, and something flickered in his gaze—too fast to name—before his expression smoothed back into calm.

He just glanced away, reaching for the blanket on my bed and pulling it over his lap.

Olivia let out a small yelp and scrunched her legs up to her chest before she composed herself.

“Well, as my mate and my best friend, is there something the two of you forgot to say to me?” My voice was shaking.

Tears still stung my eyes, and the heartbreaking truth was staring me right in the face. But somewhere deep down, a pathetic part of me still hoped for an explanation, or at least an apology.

Caleb's brows drew together slightly. "Lana, you couldn’t actually believe this would last. I'm a future Alpha, and you... you're just an omega. There was never going to be an us."

My heart sank. Of course I knew about the glaring gap between Caleb and me. He wasn't just any Alpha but the future leader of the Eastern Packs.

And even though everyone nowadays liked to preach equality, discrimination against omegas was everywhere. Most people didn’t even think we needed an education—just someone to keep things tidy.

“How can you say that?” I forced myself to swallow the lump in my throat. “You pursued me. What about all those promises? And all that kindness? Your offer to take care of me, the gentle kisses in the night as you waited like I had asked?”

Caleb’s frown deepened, but he never said a word.

The silence was broken by Olivia. "Oh, Lan-Lan," she chimed in, her voice dripping with false sympathy. "It's really not fair of you. You can't expect an Alpha like Caleb to just wait forever. He has... needs."

My temper, already frayed, finally snapped. "You don't get to say that! You knew—"

But before I could finish, Caleb cut me off, his voice sharp with displeasure. "What's done is done. We're over. But speaking to Olivia like that..." He shook his head, his gaze cold. "That's no way to address a beta. Especially not one who just gave me her virginity."

A wave of absurdity washed over me. Most wolves shift around the age of sixteen, as I had, and when they do the call of the heat is irresistible. Fighting, fucking, you name it, it pulls at you. If you can stay a virgin until you find your mate, the power you gain is said to me immense.

I had held onto my virginity beyond the age of nineteen. By my own will, unheard of for an Omega, I fought the call and held onto my virginity. My future mate was more important than any carnal desire.

That was the secret surprise I was going to share with Caleb tonight, in our special moment. And now that moment, that truth, had been stolen from me by my so-called best friend, and my mate had believed her.

“You really are stupid if you believe she’s a virgin. You’re like the fifth guy this week alone.” There was a tremor running through me.

“Virgin or not, you know she’s the better choice here. Anyone would agree.” The pure lack of emotion in his voice cut deeper than the words.

 My resolve broke as the tears began to stream down my face.

“It’s not as if I was lying, Lana but some things are just as they are. You can’t change our world, even if we are fated to be together I have to think what is best for the pack. You have to understand that.” Caleb sounded set and resolved. Uncaring.

His words sent another fount of tears flowing. To think he could have ever been mine even if it was to be.

"Caleb, we're done. I will never forgive you. I, Lana..." I was about to speak the words that would reject him as my mate when he cut me off.

Caleb's face darkened. "As an Alpha, I won't allow an omega to reject me," he stated, his voice low and final. "Besides, the campus ranking matches are in one month. I won't allow anything—or anyone—to jeopardize my taking first place."

Olivia immediately snuggled closer to him, soothing him as if I were the intruder in my own room.

I couldn't stand another second in that space. The bed was tainted anyway—I'd be dragging it to the dumpster later. I turned and left, slamming the door shut behind me with a force that shook the frame.

-

 The hotel concierge glances up from underneath fake lashes, and she gives my thrifted outfit a disapproving look. “I need a credit card to book the room,” she says in a flat tone.

I thought spending a night at the hotel across the street would give me a chance to cool off before class tomorrow. Instead, I feel just as uncomfortable as I did at the dorms. The hotel isn’t the Ritz, but it’s nice enough for me to look out of place.

 I fumble for my wallet.

 The concierge taps her red nails across the front counter. “Could you hurry? I have other guests to assist.”

 Finally, I locate the card, and the woman types the last of my information into a computer before handing me a keycard. “Here. Room 12. First floor.”

 I study the keycard’s text. “Wouldn’t 4-12 be on the fourth floor?”

 The woman ignores my question and gestures to the guest behind me. “How may I help you, sir?”

Cutting my losses, I decide to trust the concierge’s instructions and shuffle towards the first-floor hallway. Unfortunately, the hotel has a confusing layout, and I find myself almost dizzy from the hexagon patterns on the carpeting.

 Finally, I find door 12, but my relief is short-lived as I realize the room door is left ajar. My eyebrows knit together as I cautiously test the entrance, taking a curious step inside.  

 Oh. My. Gosh.

The bathroom door opened revealing a man surrounded by a billow of steam. My bag fell to the floor as I let out a gasp and stepped back.

My thoughts—and my tongue—tangled at the sight of the man’s sculpted muscle lines. For a long moment, my gaze stayed glued to the broad slope of his shoulders and the perfect cut of his abs.

The man actually chuckled, stepping closer. He spread his arms slightly, a bold, inviting gesture. “Like what you see?” he murmured, and before I could react, his arm slid around my waist, pulling me against him. “Didn’t expect you so early.”

His closeness—the heat of him, the scent—sent a shivering thrill through me that left my mind blank.

Then, like rusty gears finally turning, it hit me: I was in the wrong room, and he had mistaken me for someone else. I tilted my head up to explain, but in the dim light of the room, his features came into focus.

It was Kade. Caleb’s biggest rival. Olivia's dream boy.

And Kade was about to kiss me.