ASHLEY
Today was the day I turned eighteen.
It was supposed to be the most important day of my life. Instead, it marks the beginning of my worst nightmare.
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As the only daughter of Beta, my parents spoiled me in every way.
Longer than before I was born, the Seer had foretold a bond between the Beta’s daughter and the Alpha’s son, Jason, a destined mating written by the Moon Goddess herself.
From that moment, I was no longer just the Beta’s daughter. I was the future Luna, the one every pack member admired, and the one every she-wolves expected to be.
Every birthday, my father sent rare gems from the Northern territories. Each one more dazzling than the last.
My mother made sure I never wore the same dress twice. She had them custom-made by the best seamstresses in the pack.
Even for a casual hunt, I had a personal guard at my side. Everyone used to laugh and call me their “little princess.”
I used to believe all this was a blessing from the Moon Goddess. She would always be on my side. And nothing could change my parents’s love. But I was wrong.
“My name is Maria. I…I am Beta's daughter.”
A girl in tattered clothes appears at my birthday party suddenly. Her words silenced the room, as if time itself had paused.
My father’s brow furrowed. He walked over, studying her with narrowed eyes.
And I saw it too—those eyes. They looked just like his.
Lockwood eyes, he used to call them with a smile. My stomach flipped.
“No. You're not!” I shot back loudly, disbelief and anger rising in my voice as I stared at her.
I was born in the Black River pack house. I have known my parents to be my true parents since birth. There was no news of me being adopted, and no one had ever thought about that before, either.
“You heard that right,” the girl, Maria, stated. She turned to my father, a piteous look on her face. I’m sorry I have been away for eighteen years of my life. I didn’t know who I was until recently. But I remember things—things only your real daughter would know.”
“That’s absurd,” I replied. “The beta has only one child, and that’s me–”
“Let her finish!” My father ordered, his voice sharp. I flinched at his words. He never talked to me like that.
“My mother, Lorraine Blake, poor woman, you should know her–” Maria paused like she was giving me time to process the information.
I knew Lorraine. She was the former midwife of Blackriver's pack house. She was a kind woman, but I never knew she had a child as grown as this, and one who looked almost like me.
Maria continued. “She told me before her death that I am the true heir to the Beta's family. And I have enough proof to assure you that I am the daughter.”
How? As if reading my mind, she walked towards me, let out a guttural growl. Her eyes glowed, and her body shifted into a sleek gray wolf.
Tall, graceful, and purebred. The symbol of a true beta lineage.
My father's eyes lit with pride, and my mother pressed a hand to her lips in astonishment.
While I gawked at her.
Maria’s eyes locked on mine, and I saw the mischievous glint in them. She was waiting for me to shift.
How dare she challenge me! My heart pounded.
I took a breath, reaching deep within me, trying to summon the wolf I had known my whole life must be there. I heard her voice before.
I imagined the pull, the heat, the instinct. But there was… nothing.
Not even a flicker.
“It’s your turn, Ashley. Shift!” My father’s eyes narrowed.
Panic tightened in my chest.
Not now. Not in front of them.
I tried again. Harder. Come on, wolf. Please help me, just this one time. I'd be grateful. But nothing came of it.
“Enough,” My father said coldly. “She can't do it. This is as clear as day. It’s obvious who the real daughter of this household is.”
“You can't be serious, Father. I've lived here my whole life!” I shouted. “You raised me! Trained me! You—”
“You can't even shift,” my father cut me off coolly. “How do you claim to be my daughter when you can't even do something as simple as that? We could have raised you as our child, but that doesn't make you one.”
My heart clenched. His words were hurtful. How could he forget the moments we had easily? How could he not detect this was a lie and an impersonation of my character?!
“Mother, please, say something…anything.”
She still stood in the spot she was in, a frown etched on her face.
I couldn’t tell if she was thinking about the situation or wondering if she should pick Maria over me as well.
“I love you, Ashley, after all, we raised you.”
My mother placed her hand around my shoulder, and all the hope of her being sane instantly vanished.
“But Maria is our daughter. She has proof that she is our daughter as well. This is hard for everyone, not just you…”
“Actually, I don’t mind having Ashley as a sister.” Maria stepped in, sliding her hand into mine like we were old friends. “We can get along, right?”
Get along? After you took everything from me?
“That’s wonderful! Ashley, there’s no harm in being Maria’s sister. We won’t cast you aside. Let’s just… coexist.” My mother announced it without giving me a chance to agree.
My father shrugged as if he didn't care whether we coexisted.
And just like that, I became the outsider in my own family. My mother left my side while my father showed Maria around the house. I stood in the spot I was, watching all that was happening. It was like I didn’t exist as they began to dote on her like she was the best thing ever happening to them.
Maybe she was. I could only watch now because my parents weren’t mine anymore.
“She’s perfect for the Alpha,” a maid whispered to another as they walked towards Maria to prepare her for bed. “The mating ritual tonight—what fate! The Alpha getting matched to a daughter of this household?”
The words hit me like ice water.
The mating ritual.
How could I have forgotten? I was the future Luna the Seer had foretold.
If Jason recognized me as his mate, everything could change.
The Moon Goddess won’t lie. It would prove that I belonged. That Maria was the impostor.
Night arrived just as fast as I wanted it. Howls resounded around the ceremonial ground where we gathered to commence the event. Everyone was dressed in different silver attire designs. Mates held onto each other, waiting nervously and anticipating the bond rush.
While I stood, waiting. Alone, but hopefully.
I trust that Jason would stand by me. To the pack house members, he was Jason Blackwell, the alpha heir. To me, he was my Jason.
He was only five years older than I was, so we grew up together. I always ran after him, wanting to be around him. Jason didn't mind how clumsy I was. He was cool and composed compared to my rowdiness, allowing me to cling to him if I wanted to.
The best part of our friendship was the woven charm bracelet with Moonstone and wolf hair I gave him when I was twelve and he was seventeen. I had a massive crush on him, and that didn't end.
Jason always wore the bracelet, never taking it off. Not once.
Our bond was real. It had to be!
The Howls stopped, and silence fell on the crowd. I strained my neck to see who was coming as the circle the crowd had formed seemed to split.
Jason.
He wore black. Not the silver everyone was on.
He was coming towards me!
My eyes moved from his handsome face to his hand. He was wearing the bracelet. My breath caught in my throat, and excitement surged inside me.
“I, Jason Blackriver, the Alpha heir of the Blackriver pack house, am here to make a declaration,” Jason announced, his voice echoing through the circle holding me and everyone here spellbound.
This was it. He was about to name me his mate. He had to. But then-
“You bewitched me, Ashley,” Jason said, his voice a little louder than necessary.
What? My breath caught.
“Witchcraft?” The crowd murmured.
“Isn't she a werewolf?”
Panic clawed at my chest. Before I could speak, he went on.
“You used witchcraft to create a fake mate bond with me!”
ASHLEYI didn't know how long had passed or what day it was. I couldn't even tell what the weather was and how beautiful it looked. Ever since I was taken, all I could see was darkness. Total darkness. My eyes were covered with some sort of blindfold.I leaned against the wall I had managed to find a few seconds ago, breathing in and out, trying not to make any sound so my captors wouldn't come in. I had even stopped making sounds. The first time I was brought into this place, separating me from Kael, I had screamed for help, but all I ever received was cruel laughter. Nothing else.No one had even moved to help me, even attend to my needs. I believed I was left in here to wither away as she had promised.Maria.I twisted my hands behind me several times, groaning as the rope used dug deep into my skin. I swallowed, wincing at the sour taste in my mouth, my ears perking up as I heard sounds, and I fell back to the position I was in, no moving.The door opened, and my breath hitched;
JASONTWO DAYS LATERThe great hall was packed with guests. We had done the necessary ritual, and now it was time to exchange vows that'd finally bind us together.But I wasn't interested in what the Elder was saying one bit. My mind had been off since the ritual began. I was staring at the entrance of the great hall, hoping to see Ashley, but of all the guests that had arrived, she wasn't among them.Not even her scent was anywhere in the room to be able to tell she was hiding somewhere or not.That wasn't all; weirdly, I hadn't seen Ashley since two days ago. I asked her parents and Maria, but no one was saying anything meaningful to me.Maria told me Ashley was indoors and wanted to be alone, while her father only just shrugged and sometimes gave the same narrative as Maria. Yet, I believed something was wrong. But I couldn't say they were lying. I had no evidence.Besides, it would be weird if I went searching for her myself. I had thought of doing that, but decided to let it go d
JASONI glared at where my father had sat. He left the room after he was done dropping the canon. My head still reeled from what he had said.I couldn't possibly go on with what he had said. I didn't want to fucking mate with Maria. I had no fucking feelings for her. But for tradition's sake.Damned the fucking tradition. I couldn't escape it. I shut my eyes, dragging in a deep breath, and I opened them as a familiar scent wafted into my nose.It was foul, and it made vomit surge up my throat—Maria’s scent.‘She's here!’ My wolf growled, claws out, threatening to rip itself out of me to charge at her. ‘She should not be here. She isn't our mate!’I grunted, suppressing it. ‘Leave her alone.’‘Why?’ My wolf retorted. ‘Why do you keep entertaining her when she isn't ours? Who knows what evil she has already committed before she came in here? We don't like her scent. She shouldn't be here!’‘Stop it!’ I slammed down the voice of my voice.It wasn't Maria’s fault. It was the rule. No matt
ASHLEY“I stole from you?” I asked incredulously. “Why would I want to do that? You are still the alpha heir, whereas I am nobody. You are getting married to Maria. If there's one person who should be complaining right now, it should be me!” I flung at him.Why would he suddenly say such silly things that made no sense? Could he continue with his ridiculous narrative of me deceiving him and stealing from him? That was one thing I had never done. He was the one who had hurt me over again without thinking about how I felt.Jason laughed out loud. He held his stomach as he did.I bite my lips, about to shout at him again for laughing at my misfortune, but Kael's grip on me stops me from doing so.“I don't have much time to live, Ashley,” he whispered. His voice had gotten even weaker, and his lips were turning blue.“What are you talking about? I told you I won't let you die. I'm going to make sure you return to the clinic,” I vowed, staring at my hands that were now stained with his blo
ASHLEYSomething was terribly wrong.I could sense it. I didn’t need to have a wolf to tell me that. Since the minute we stepped into the forest, an unfamiliar cold chill enveloped me. Every one of my senses was on alert, and I felt something trying to rip out of me.It was painful. And I tried my best to suppress every urge I felt while walking further with Jason.I felt danger. But Jason was with me. He wouldn't hurt me. Even though he wasn't in his right senses, and he had chosen someone else over me, he would protect me. He had done the same with Warrior Bob, even though he acted like he didn't care about me.“How long do we need to walk for?” I asked him, already feeling my limbs hurting. I was hoping we'd rest for a bit before continuing the journey. Also, it was starting to get dark, and I didn't think it was a good idea to keep walking deep into the forest.“Not very long,” Jason answered, his grip still tight on my hand.I looked around, barely recognising where we were. I co
JASONThey were still pursuing their wishes. I had even tried to convince them to give Ashley the chance to make her own choice, but they told me it was the best for her. I didn't argue. No matter what I said, Beta Joshua would still go ahead with what he wanted.He was pretty stubborn. And I wondered if that was where Ashley had gotten her stubbornness from.I groaned, standing from where I was seated behind my desk, walking to the window. There was nothing much to see outside; it was getting darker, but I didn't make any move to leave the office.Ashley's thoughts occupied my head, and this was the only place where I could think about her without interruption. Also, the only place where my wolf wouldn't have the strong urge to want to rip itself out of me was because I was ignoring her and trying to comfort her myself.The door opened. I grimaced, without turning around to see who it was. My father. What did he want? I hope he wasn't here to speak about Maria.I had tried my best to