Chapter 1

Aria’s POV

  “I’m getting married, Seren. Not of a mate bond but some ridiculous reason…” I paused and took in a deep breath as she watched me carefully. 

In that moment I saw the hint of worry etched in her eyes. She grabbed my arms and rubbed against them softly. “Look, I know this must be hard for you, and I know just how much you like him—“

“The marriage was never the problem, Seren,” I blurted out, unable to hold back how my chest ached whenever I thought about it. 

“Another reason I accepted was because I thought Ronan would change, that maybe he would accept this union,” I explained, as Seren's gentle pat on my back calmed me down.

I smiled briefly, appreciating the fact that she’d let me speak while she listened carefully. That was one of the reasons I loved her.

“We spent time together, but it hurts that that same Ronan would make me the laughing stock of the entire school.” I lamented, picturing myself sending a hot slap across his cheeks. 

Seren placed her palm against my cheek and caressed it softly. “It’s alright to feel that way. Ronan has always been a jerk, and eventually I hope your parents see it too.”

I shook my head. “I don’t think they would, and what hurts even more is that I had hoped for something better.”

“Perhaps I should have spoken up when I had the chance. I thought we were in…“

“Oh! Aria, my friend, it’s not your fault. You love him and it’s his fault.“

I wiped the tears forming in my eyes and pulled back. “Thank you, Seren. You’re really a great friend,” I praised, and after a minute, still no reply. 

I traced her attention and smiled as it was intensely focused on Alpha Kael, the school golden boy. 

He stood near the opposite end of the school courtyard with a few of his friends, looking like he’d rather be anywhere but there. 

One of them whispered something in his ear, as I noticed his jaw tightened. Another laughed and shoved a girl lightly in his direction. The young lady smiled, but Kael’s expression remained cold. 

I almost laughed but composed myself, knowing he could hear me if I had. 

“Your future husband is around; no wonder you stopped listening to me,” I called out, watching her closely as she maintained focus, staring in his direction. 

Of course she was eavesdropping on their conversation. 

Seren gasped, smiling sheepishly. “Please don’t be like that, Aria.”

“You've been staring at him ever since he got transferred here.”

“I'm not,” she defended. 

I laughed. “You nearly walked into a wall the last time we saw him.”

Kael glanced in our direction before looking away. What’s the deal with him?

Seren immediately looked away; I heard her heart beat fast as she prayed silently. I rolled my eyes. "Pathetic."

“Shut up!”

The young man was really hard to miss because literally his looks were so out of this world. And he carried himself differently from everyone.

Kael Hale was an Alpha and not just any Alpha. His family and mine have been rivals for years. We never even married from ourselves. Almost as if our ancestors committed one grave sin against the other. 

“You do know he is Kael Hale, right? I reminded her since we were from the same pack. 

She blinked rapidly. “Of course I know that, and I don’t care.”I shook my head, letting her do whatever she wanted. 

Before I could open my mouth to speak, we overheard Kael’s friends mention the party happening today at the his friends family penthouse. 

Seren’s eyes lit up as she smiled at me. Already concluding that we would be going since it was certain his friends would force him to attend. 

"No!"

“Yes, and no whys.”

I stood up and helped her with our belongings. “I have other problems, and a party wouldn’t make them go away.”

She grabbed my arm, rubbing her shoulders against mine. “You’ve been sulking about Ronan. This is your chance to have fun and forget,” she advised, knowing this could be a bad idea. 

I wanted to refuse, but the offer was so tempting that I bit my lip thinking about it. I sighed. “Okay, fine.”

She leaped for joy and wrapped her arms around me. 

“But if anything should happen, it’s your fault.” She nodded and dragged me away towards our dorm.

 By the time we’d arrived at the party, I’d almost forgotten why I had been reluctant to come. Music shook the walls as students, juniors and seniors mixed, moving their sweaty bodies to the rhythm of the music. 

Some made out in a corner while others puked, feeling wasted from alcohol. Typical college parties could be way worse, I suppose. 

To think I could breathe in all this mess. Seren had disappeared to catch a clear view of Kael as usual.

The moment my eyes met Ronan’s, he looked away immediately. A girl sat on his lap, running her wet tongue in circles around his neck. I thought he said he wasn’t going to come? 

That prick! I balled my hand into a fist and stomped off searching for Seren. 

If he thinks I’d go and say hi, then he is a fool. My chest was bleeding, and I needed alcohol fast. Totally ignoring Serene's warning of avoiding alcohol, I downed more than five tequila shots. My body heating up, I made my way to where some seniors sat. The drunkenness just never last but it does enough damage I suppose. 

My eyes landed on Kael, who was busy with a can of beer his friends had handed to him. His eyes were sleepy, and I noticed his pupils were brighter. 

Seren shoved her ass down beside me then wrapped her arms around my shoulders. “Girl! Where were you?”

“I—“

“Having fun?"I lifted my eyes as the smile on my face vanished. It was Ronan. 

“Trying to, and you lied.”

“Can we not talk about this, Aria? You came too, so please don’t make a big deal of it.” And with that, he was gone.

I watched him sit in a corner close enough to see what was going on from my end. 

“Tonight isn’t about him, babe, relax,” Seren reassured me as I forced a smile at her. 

For the next minute, I’d struggled to forget all this nightmare until someone suggested we played a truth or dare game. 

Of course everyone was in. The bottle spun. People answered private questions, kissed people they barely knew, and some touched private areas of themselves. 

Just before we were about to round up. Someone dared Kael to kiss a girl.  He bluntly refused, and his friends booed. Saying he was no fun. And another dare came, with the same response from him. A blunt no. 

Seren rejoiced, happy no other girl would have a taste of his lips here. I chuckled, hoping she doesn’t get her heart broken. Another girl stood up and looked at me. The entire room went silent as everyone’s gaze landed on me. 

My heart beat skyrocketed as I glanced across the room. A slow grin spread across her face. 

“Kael has to kiss Aria.”The room got hot for no reason as the music sounded like a hum in my ears. 

I stared at him; surely this was a joke, and there was no way he would. My fiancee looked over, the expression on his face entirely different. 

A rival alpha kissing the daughter of another pack? He wouldn’t. 

Seren grabbed my arm as I noticed Kael standing in front of me. His breath was heavy as he bent lower. 

He looked mildly irritated, but somehow I knew he wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. 

“You wouldn’t dare.” 

Ronan gave me a you wouldn’t dare look. As Kael’s finger brushed against my chin, a bolt of lightning shot through me. 

His scent was strange, nothing new, but I could catch a hint of alcohol in his breath. It was sweet, and somehow I didn’t push him off. 

My eyes met Seren’s who’s eyes were opened wide in shock, and before I could push him off, he crashed his lips on mine. 

He didn’t stop, and for a moment I felt his tongue circle against mine, and he pulled me in as the others watched. 

I forcefully pushed him off, but he wouldn’t budge, so I bit his tongue hard before he pulled back. 

Blood was evident on the side of his lips as he stared at me. “This was just a dare.”

My cheeks burned with embarrassment as I stood up, my body heating up. And before I could utter another word, something exploded in my chest as my hand found its way to my neck. 

I cried in pain as Seren rushed to my aid. I heard my wolf howl when it’s not even a full moon. 

Not from fear but recognition that a pact was made. 

Kael must have felt it too because he wasn’t so calm anymore. His hands grabbed mine. 

“Did they just form a blood bond?” Someone screamed from the crowd. The sound of whispering filled the room as some struggled to stay still. 

For the first time I saw fear in Kael's eyes. And then he said, “Mate!” Every word dragged like he didn’t have a choice.