Chapter 1- The matebond

"You will behave, you will not speak unless spoken to, and you dare not embarrass me in front of my father, or there will be hell to pay," Ryker growled at me as I stood before him in his office.

"Yes, Alpha," I answered, and he scoffed.

"And cover up that bruise. Don't make me tell you again. One single mistake is all it would take, just one. I advise you to pull yourself together," he snapped at me, and I hastily covered up the bruise on my shoulders, the one that had been given to me earlier this morning .

I was a slave, in disguise of a mate, to the Alpha of my pack.

We had been mated for three years, and those three years had been filled with torment and resentment.

To everyone, I was his treasure, his beautiful Luna, but no one knew what went on behind closed doors, how he hit me at any silent inconvenience, how the doctor stitched me up, how I struggled with broken bones every single day.

If anyone even knew, they ignored my suffering to avoid the wrath of the alpha.

And today was one of those days, and it came as a surprise to me when he informed me of the Alpha King's visit to our pack.

Alpha King Aseal.

The Alpha King who ruled millions of wolves across the globe, and it so happened that he turned out to be Ryker’s adoptive father.

And the one man I had hated all my life was coming back to this pack. The last time he was here, I had watched him pull out my father’s heart from his chest in the most brutal way imaginable. The memory of how he had pulled his heart from his chest all those years ago and smashed it in front of him haunted me, and my mother didn't survive long after my father's death. They were fated mates, and she died soon after he died.

And my father's pack was given to Ryker, his adopted son, who had forced me into being his mate.

"Now get out, and make yourself decent. I'll not have you, looking like a maid in front of my father," he hissed at me, and I clenched my fist as I bowed my head in respect before I walked out of the office.

I held myself together, holding back a sob at the memory of this wretched place.

The pack I had once grown to love, now I hated it with every bit of me, and I knew no matter how hard I tried, this would never be my home, not anymore.

"And I better not see your goddamn face at the feast. It would be better if you remained inside; your presence would taint the environment and could piss off my father,seeing as he wouldn’t want a daughter of a tratior around him” he snarled into midlink, just as I took a step away from the door. I clenched my fist knowing there was no use answering him. On the other hand, I was relieved he had spared me from having to see the face of the wretched murderer.

I returned to my room. As I turned and glared at the mirror, my Red hair gleamed back at me, which was tied in a bun, just as Ryker liked it. The black dress I wore hugged my figure and fell to the ground, and it was chosen by Ryker. He said he loved me in black, said it made me look bold. For many years, I hated myself, hated my beauty.

And the mystery it put me through.

As soon as Ryker had taken the pack and saw me, he wanted me, not because he loved me, but because he was so used to getting exotic things, and I was one of them, a pretty obedient woman who would stand by his side and be called Luna.

As much as I hated him, there wasn't much I could do to oppose him. He was one of the most feared alphas in all the packs, after the alpha king. Everyone knew not to mess with him unless they wanted the alpha king after them.

I stayed indoors, sitting in one position, and I sat there for hours, staring out the window at the garden below me, waiting. Hours passed until it was late at night, when the door opened. I stood to my feet as Ryker stumbled in, held by two male servants. He was drunk, I could tell as he mumbled all sorts of garbled nonsense.

"Where is that damn woman? Have her run my bath," he spat, as the men laid him on the bed. I stood there knowing what was coming next; he was going to fall asleep in a few seconds and he wasn't going to wake until morning.

And I was right. In a minute he was snoring, laying in black trousers, spread out on the bed, with no space for me.

I shook my head as I walked out of the room, wanting to get some fresh air, having stayed in one position for too long, knowing now would be a good time to explore the mansion garden, seeing as Ryker would be knocked out.

The halls were empty as I walked towards the stairs I had come up earlier. As I rushed towards the staircase, my nostrils were overwhelmed by the reek of alcohol.

Then I saw him, a male figure climbing up the stairs. The first thing I noticed was his massive body, but it was not his figure that shocked me; it was the electricity that rippled across my skin and stirred my wolf. Beneath the reek of alcohol, I could sense him, a scent I found appealing, the smell of the forest and an addicting scent I had never smelled before.

Then he looked up at me, his gold eyes reminded me of Ryker, but unlike Ryker, his were bright, glowing orbs.

"Mate," my wolf whispered with so much longing, I stumbled back.

I shivered as it hit me, who he was, that face, that look, everything.

It was him.

Alpha King Aseal.