ONE

VALERIE

"Will you be my luna?" he asked in a calm, serious tone.

Everyone in the hall went silent. I, on the other hand, was stunned beyond belief. Who could have thought?

Alpha Evan, my step-brother, is asking for my hand. And he wants me to be his luna? I want to believe it, but a part of me knows what he is doing. 

But then again, I have loved him for as long as I can remember. Everyone knows it. He knows it.

So is it cruel if I give him my word? 

I tore my gaze away for a moment and looked at the crowd that had gathered. This year's mating ball, it was presumed that Evan was going to pick a luna. If he were lucky enough, he would meet his mate and pick her. So imagine my disappointment when I realized I wasn't his mate. Although I made up my mind, I wasn't going to give it up, I certainly didn't expect this.

"I asked you a question." Evan's voice snapped me out of my trance. I raised my eyes and meet his cold, deep-blue ones.

"I..." I paused. Why am I hesitating?

To be honest, this is what I wanted from the very beginning. The reason I trained hard day after day and excelled in it that it won me the award of 'Best Warrior In Training', and now standing here having to face him. 

His eyes, when he asked that question, held a desire aimed directly at me. But it's nothing close to the look of desire I see when approached by many men here before him, each I turned down gently as I could. His desire was that to protect, and not for a deep connection that I long with him. 

I gulped, now feeling the weight of pressure under the menacing gazes of the people around me. They all called me by different names. 

Luna wanna-be. Attention-seeker. Whore princess, saying I was groomed and had slept with father and now my eyes are on his son. But they're wrong, and they know that. It disgusts me that they would insinuate such a thing, especially now that he is no longer with us.

But I knew that if he were here, he would tell me to follow my heart.

"I..." I cleared my throat as a cover for the time I spent calming down my heartbeat, knowing the whole pack could hear it now.

"I'd love to." I respond and smile, although I am not the best at it, I tried. Gauging the reaction on his face, his eyes are cold as ever. His face showed no joy nor excitement from my agreeance. My wolf bristled, calling him rude and all the other messed-up names she could think of behind the scenes. This time I ignore her rather than admonish; she always disapproved of my feelings. And now that it is confirmed, I am not his mate and him not mine, her feelings just got ten times more stronger.

"Then it is settled. I will have the papers ready by morning for the official announcement." He said and turned around to leave, like he's leaving from a business arrangement and nothing else. I clutched my dress and feel a wave of embarrassment sweep through me as the murmurs intensified. 

But he turned around and gave me a look that has me straigtening up on my feet.

"We are leaving," he said, and it failed to register to me that he meant it as an order as I stood there battling with my wolf. She could be a real handful sometimes, but no one knows that.

She had been a real pain in my rear ever since she appeared when I was only 8 years old. The only person who knew that was Alpha Xander, Evan's father and my guardian. 

After my parents' death, the Alpha took care of me and raised me as his own, without all the adoption papers and all that process one has to go through. Now I ponder why he refused to go through it. 

I flinched when I felt something warm graze my fingers. Only to look down I see Evan's hand in mine. My heart rolled over like a puppy and the warmth that spread through my hand reminded me of the sun's kiss in a previously gloomy day. 

He sighed, and I am reminded of his dislike towards my tendency to space out and squeeze into my little head, which happens most days and every important occasion, apparently.

"Let's go home." He said. He didn't smile, but the warmth of his hand on mine was enough. It always was, always has been. 

I nodded and left the gaping crowd to figure out what happened all on their own. It was clear they never saw THAT coming. Neither did I, despite my best efforts, I always thought he was out of my reach.

Well, for now at least. I thought to myself, looking down at our hands intertwined as he leads me to our awaiting car.