Isn’t it obvious?

Ezekiel's POV

"I don't think I understand what you're looking for in my room. Haven't you already done what you wanted to do?" I turned again to my father, who stood at my doorstep with pleasure written all over his face.

How could someone be so glad after being so cruel to another person?

"I didn't need to tell you I was going to banish her. You wouldn’t have allowed it."

"No, I wouldn’t. Because I’m not sick in the head, and I’m not cruel."

"It's all because you don't understand, Ezekiel," he said as he clicked the door shut and slowly walked toward me.

"I don't want to hear anything from you, Father. If you needed my opinion, you should have asked for it before kicking the innocent girl out of the pack."

"You call her innocent?" Father sat on the bed and laughed hard, which only annoyed me more.

"If she's not innocent, what crime did she commit? I’m done with this. Argue with yourself," I said, pushing myself off the bed and walking away from his presence. But then he stopped me at the doorway with his words.

"Are you walking out when I’m not done talking to you?"

"Isn’t it obvious?" I shrugged and turned to him again.

"We shouldn't waste any more time. I can’t wait to see you officially handling the throne as strongly as you should," he said with a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Together with someone strong by your side. Speaking of that, I’ve informed the South Pack of our interest in their Beta. She’ll be here tomorrow morning, and she will be your Luna."

What was this man talking about? I thought he’d been joking about finding me a mate. What does he take me for? A child? A child who can rule the pack but can’t choose the best mate for himself?

I’d promised my mother to rule the pack as Alpha and lead the wolves with someone strong by my side. And I could find that person myself, especially now that my true mate was gone.

"I’m becoming the Alpha. I know who’s best for me," I finally said.

"I doubt that, Ezekiel. Once she’s got the right looks, you wouldn’t care how weak she is. Besides, this will strengthen our bond with the South Pack," Father said with enthusiasm.

Then the scent hit me. It was from Violet’s jacket. She’d left it behind on the bed, and the smell captivated me. Each time I breathed it in, it felt as though she were standing right beside me.

I grabbed the jacket and walked out of the room with it, ignoring my father’s shouting. What else could he do?

He’d trapped me with the promise I made to my mother, and now that I was ready to be Alpha, he was making decisions that should be mine alone.

I could feel my eyes stinging as I loosened the buttons on my shirt. Damn it. I’d told Jeremy to update me about the party tonight, and maybe that was exactly what I needed right now.

The only thing that could ease this pain was having Violet back in my arms. The scent was intoxicating, but the woman who carried it was the one I truly needed.

"Dan?" I waved at a figure heading toward another district. He paused, glanced back at me, and then smiled when he realized it was me. He walked toward me.

"What's up, man?" I shook hands with my yellow-eyed friend, who didn’t seem to notice my mood.

"Good. Where’s Jeremy? Aren’t we partying tonight?"

"Depends on what we decide," Daniel replied with a slurred tone. "You want to get drunk, don’t you?"

Even though Jeremy knew me better than anyone else, Daniel was still a close friend. Usually, they were the ones inviting me to parties, and now that I was asking for it, it probably did sound like I wanted to get wasted.

I nodded. He understood without me saying more. We had plenty of options, but we’d have to travel a few meters outside the pack to make it happen.

"Overnight, and we’ll return in the morning," I told Jeremy as soon as Daniel led me to him. I slung an arm over his shoulders. He knew I wasn’t feeling great; Otherwise, I wouldn’t have called him dumb earlier.

It didn’t take long for the three of us to walk into a room filled with pounding music and flashing lights. The heavy beats shook the floor as people moved together to the rhythm. For a moment, it felt like my sorrows were melting away.

People stared at me. News must have spread, but I didn’t care. I’d endured worse. We found our seats and ordered strong drinks as the music thumped on.

"Why do I feel like this is your last time celebrating with us?" Daniel asked midway through his drink, his eyes already heavy.

"Exactly. That’s why the last one of us should be here," I said, scanning the crowd until I spotted Fred. He joined us, and soon we were laughing at jokes that weren’t even funny.

My eyelids grew heavy. I’d never been this drunk. The waiter kept bringing our orders, and I couldn’t even blame him. They wanted to sell out to the rich playboy.

The next morning, I slowly opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling as reality crept in. No music, no girls, no noise. Just silence.

The sheets were spread over me, and as I looked around, I realized I was back in my room. Someone must have brought me here.

The door creaked open and my father stepped in again. Damn. The third time. Wasn’t he tired of this?

He crossed his arms and walked toward me. "I’ll forgive what you did last night because you’re not tied to a mate yet."

I scoffed. "I didn’t ask for forgiveness. And I didn’t ask you for a mate."

"Yeah, you didn’t ask. Isn’t it exciting that I’ve given you two things you didn’t even have the humility to request?" Father said in his frail voice. "The lady’s already here, and the ceremony will begin this afternoon. You’ll be mated to her in the coronation hall. Make me proud, son."

I ignored him, running my fingers through my hair with a groan as the heaviness lingered.

"Afternoon, yeah? Leave me alone until then. I’ll lock my door." I glared until he got up.

"And don’t forget to thank Jeremy. He had a tough time dragging three drunk friends home last night," he said with a chuckle. Jeremy would never get drunk. He was always the careful one.

I nodded, then locked the door after he left. I returned to the bed and inhaled Violet’s jacket again. Rose and cinnamon, heavenly and bittersweet. I tucked it away in my wardrobe. I didn’t trust Father not to take it.

Afternoon came too quickly. I rubbed my palms together and pressed them to my face, sighing deeply. This was one of the hardest moments of my life, being mated to someone who wasn’t my true mate. It felt like losing twice.

The ceremony began. They handed me my outfit, and when I arrived at the hall, I saw the woman seated on the high platform, her face covered as if they’d brought me a package to unwrap in front of everyone.

I scoffed and walked to the stage without acknowledging the clapping. I sat and waited for the Priest to finish whatever speech he had.

"Today, I make you all witnesses to the mating ceremony of Ezekiel Linus and Kira Reid," the Priest declared. She was led to the altar, and I joined her.

Father could be foolish, most of the time, in fact. Why was the first time I heard her name from the Priest? Not that I cared.

I took her hands and lifted the veil from her face. Nothing. No spark, no ripple across my skin like with Violet. I scoffed. She stared at me, smiling shyly as the wolves cheered.

"Calm down, little girl. I’m not marking you. This is just for show," I whispered in her ear, which seemed to ease her nerves. I lowered my head as if to mark her neck, making the wolves roar with excitement, then pulled back.

We stepped down from the altar, and without hesitation, I walked out of the hall, unbuttoning my shirt. Screw this. Kira wasn’t unattractive, but there was no connection, no goosebumps, no thrill. There was no way I could spend the rest of my reign with her.