EPISODE ONE— Not Her Parent’s Daughter

December 23.

Mara's POV 

“After the wedding tomorrow and the solstice ritual succeed, I will fulfill all that I have promised —make you the minister of affairs in the pack and also transfer $100,000 thousands to you.”

My mate—Leon Wolfe—Alpha of the Silver Howl—voice reached my ears from outside my father's study. Tomorrow was our mating ceremony after four years of being betrothed. He had visited our mansion to speak to father and mother had told me to bring them coffee.

My brows narrowed in confusion. Father would become a Minister? My family was in the middle class in the pack. We were not rich, neither were we poor; we were comfortable.

What was he talking about? What is the solstice ritual?

“Will she die?” My father asked, his voice thick with a mix of guilt and sadness. “Is there any way to keep her alive somehow? Even though she will be of no use at all?”

“No, Ronan,” Leon answered, his voice sharper than I have ever heard and he did not sound like the man who'd speak so softly to me. “She has to die. The ritual needs not only her blood, but her life—only then can I live and become the most powerful Alpha in all of the Western regions. But Mara is not your real daughter anyway… So why did you care so much?”

My body trembled violently, the coffee in my hands splashing onto my feet—the hotness burned into my skin but it was nothing compared to the burning of my chest.

I tried to hold the tray tightly but my hands betrayed me and the tray dropped to the floor, the sound of its shattering echoed through the empty hallway.

“Who is there?” Leon growled, his footsteps already approaching. 

I panicked. My eyes darted around—searching for a place to hide, but I found nowhere at all. The hallway is cold, empty and haunting.

When I heard the sound of the door knob twisting, I regained myself. I turned and ran, my feet hitting the floor sharply.

“Mara!”  Leon thundered just before I could turn the corner.

I turned back. His eyes were blazing with anger and disgust. 

“You heard everything right?” He stated. “Come here now or else..”

I don't need any soothsayer to tell me that I was going to lose my life if I went back to him or even remained in this mansion.

Father joined him. “Mara… let me explain.”

"Explain?” I repeated, my voice husky. My eyes watered with unshed tears. “What else is there to explain other than the fact that I'm nothing but a bargaining chip? Your way to the top and the fact that I'm not your real daughter.”

“Calm now, Mara,” father said, taking a step forward. “You are my daughter and I love you so much…”

I knew what he was trying to do at the moment. He was trying to trap me with his words and grab me when I lost my guard. “Go to hell,”  I spat through gritted teeth and ran out of the mansion, shoving the Christmas tree by the door away.

—————

It was winter. I used to love winter but not tonight—tonight that it seemed like I was going to die from all the pains shooting through my body.

My legs ache but I knew I couldn't wait. I couldn't stop. Not with Leon's army chasing after me. 

My throat was dry but there was no water. Not in this thick, foreboding forest.

My chest was heavy as several thoughts coursed through my mind. I was not their real daughter. That explained everything. That explained why Mia, my younger sister, was the most loved and got the best of things while I used her old things; clothes, even when they hardly fit since I was bigger, books and even foods. I only get to have them after she has had enough. But I thought I was the problem. I thought if I tried harder I'd get them to see me for once and that was why I never argued when mother told me to marry the Alpha.

Hot tears streamed down my cheeks as I remembered Leon's words. How he promised me love, care and forever. He said, “Once you become my Luna, no one would look down on you anymore for being wolfless , weak and scentless.”

But they were all lies. Blatant lies. 

“Don’t let her go,” Beta Adrian, who was also the commandant of the soldiers chasing after me, roared. “And don't hurt her. The Alpha wants her alive.”

Of course, he wanted me alive. For his ritual. What is the solstice ritual? And why did it require my life?

No… I can't die. Not like this. I ran harder, weaving through the trees, leaves. I must survive! I just have to. Moon Goddess, please… help me. Save me just this once. 

“There she is,” a voice thundered, followed by the lights of torches pointing at me. 

The brutal stomping of boots got me distracted for a while and my ankle got caught in a weed, causing me to stumble forward and I fell hard on my knees. 

“Arggghh,” I groaned as immense pain coursed through me and blood dripped down. 

I cast a wary glance around the forest and the men were closing in. I tried to stand up but I couldn't. Just then, a strong arm wrapped around my arms and pulled me up. 

“Come here, mate.” He held my wrist firmly, protectively and started leading me away.

Mate?

What?

As we ran, I snapped my head to the side but no matter how many times I tried to look at his face, he had a golden mask on. We kept running, until we reached a mountain top and below.. There were rocks.

“Fuck!” He cursed under his breath as he glanced around nervously but there was nothing. No way out. There was only one route and it led back to where we were coming from.

My breathing was heavy as fear crashed down on me. 

Just then Leon's army appeared, stood in front of us, their jaws were tight with their guns aimed at us. The man stood protectively in front of me, letting me hide behind him.

“Who the hell are you?”  Beta Adrian growled, aimed his gun at him. “I will advise you hand the lady over and leave now.”

I shrunk further into him, holding the sides of his polo tightly like a life line. 

“No, you get lost,” he let out a guttural growl. “No lady goes nowhere.” 

“Is that so? Then we have no choice but to kill you first before taking her.”  Adrian cocked his gun.

The man turned towards me. “Don't worry.. I will protect you even if I have to give up my life.”

I nodded. I knew I wasn't supposed to trust anyone but I trusted this stranger.

Before I could blink, his clothes ripped off, his bones realigned and he shifted into his wolf form—black, dangerous and gigantic. He pounced on them. Beta Adrian was the first that he ripped apart, before he started tearing through the rest of them, their blood soaked the earth.

I smiled in relief. He is so powerful. It must have been the Moon Goddess who sent him to me. But then, he mentioned mate. Am I his mate?

The sound of a gun echoed through, and I felt a silver bullet tearing through my heart. Weakly, I clenched my bleeding chest, blood pouring out of my mouth.

It's a pity eventually lost my life, despite how much I tried not to.

Through my bloodshot eyes, I saw his wolf turn towards me and he shifted back to his human form. “Noooo,” he roared, stormed towards me and his arm wrapped around me as we tumbled backward off the cliff, the world spinning in a blur of snow and blood.

I was in his arms, while his body hit the rocks beneath, our blood soaked the ground. His fingers touched my face weakly. “I'm sorry mate,” he whispered against my ears. “In my next life, I will make sure to find you earlier.

Slowly, life drained out of me and I blinked my last tears before I closed my eyes forever.