Chapter One

~ Zora

Today is the day.

The day I say goodbye to being the bullied and abused servant at the packhouse and become the future Luna of this pack. I can hardly wait to see everyone’s face when the Alpha’s son publicly claims me as his own.

The thought made me giddy with excitement. Without warning, my bedroom door swung open, and in came my elder sister wearing an expression that said she had something to tell.

“Have you heard?” She asked wide eyed, moving past me into my bedroom before I could register a thought.

“Heard what, Hailey?” I sighed. Sore and exhausted from scrubbing the floors at the pack house, I was in no mood for gossip especially after being threatened by a guest earlier today.

“I just heard that the Lycan King is choosing a wife for himself.” She beamed. “Tonight!”

That caught my attention. “How sure are you?”

“Pretty sure. Everyone is talking about it.”

My curiosity suddenly piques and I am grabbing a nearby chair to sit before my sister.

“Tell me everything.” I said.

“Apparently, the whole thing was meant to be hush hush.” She wiggled her brows. “But the Lycan King didn’t want everyone knowing he was choosing a mate for himself so, he quietly sent out orders to all the Alphas to select the best and most eligible of maidens from their packs and have them show up at The Hunt!”

I covered my mouth with my two hands in surprise. When it comes to finding and claiming a mate, werewolves, and lycans differ in tradition. Werewolves had something called, ‘The Claiming’ – a ceremony happening today where mates who had found or chosen each other publicly claim their mate as their own, at which point a marriage proposal follows immediately.

On the other hand, the Lycans have a ceremony called ‘The Hunt’ and from what I have heard, it is sometimes brutal and downright savage. Lycans cannot have mates like werewolves, so they created The Hunt - a situation where all eligibles are sent into a thick forest to run and hide. After they have been given a head start, the Lycans let all their senses take over, venture into the woods and let their wolf choose a mate by scent.

The more afraid an eligible is, the stronger their scent which makes The Hunt such a terrible mating ceremony. Once a lycan finds the bearer of the scent his wolf is drawn to, they immediately do a ritual called ‘The Exchange’. I had no idea what it entailed however I was told the ritual was meant to create a special mating call between them that binds them together just like when werewolves meet their predestined mates for the first time.

“But why now?” I asked. The lycan king had stayed unmated for years moreover it was unusual for him to suddenly decide to choose a wife on such short notice.

Hailey shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe his terrible icy heart has finally melted and he’s lonely.”

I gave my sister a don’t-be-ridiculous look. From what I had heard about the Lycan king, he was a ruthless ruler feared by all and merciless to his enemies. Some say he is a monster, content to rule from the confines of his territory. No one else except his people had seen his face, instantly, I felt sorry for the girl he chooses as his bride.

“Speaking of ceremonies, are you ready to be claimed tonight?” My sister grinned, nudging me on the side.

I rolled my eyes but smiled.

“All hail the future Luna!” My sister gave a mock bow and now I was nudging her on the side, causing her to laugh.

Ever since I had found out that I was mated to the Alpha’s son, I had been over the moon. We had been dating secretly but after today, we won’t be a secret anymore. My sister and my parents would no longer be low-ranking members of society. Our lives would change for the better.

My phone beeped and buzzed in my hand, so I clicked it open to see a green bubble text from, "The Love Of My Life".

"Hey Zora, can you come right now? I'm at the packhouse. I need to see you before the ceremony."

I read and reread the message. Zora? Since when did my mate call me by my first name?

"Is everything okay?" Hailey asked, catching my frown. I clicked my phone off and gave her my best smile.

"Yeah, everything is fine." I stuttered. "It's Tyler. He wants to see me before The Claiming. Sounds important. I have to go."

Hailey stares at me for a moment before shrugging. "Okay. I'll take a shower and get dressed."

"Alright. See you there." I smiled and left the room. The moment I closed the door behind me, I replied to Tyler.

"Is everything okay?" I typed and clicked 'Send'. Almost immediately, I saw the moving three dots that signified he was replying.

"Yes, dear. Just need to discuss some things."

Dear. That's better, right? That means he's not mad at me or anything. Although it's a far cry from 'my love,' which he usually calls me or 'my princess'.

Since standing here would not give me any answers, I sent him a text that I was on my way.

________________________________________________________________________

At the packhouse, people mill in, and out, chatting animatedly amongst themselves. I catch whispers and murmurs about the Lycan King choosing a wife tonight. Some wondered who it would be while some wished they were there.

Looking around I couldn't find Tyler but I could perceive his scent, so I sent him a text about my arrival and almost immediately he replied.

"Come upstairs, I'm in my father's office."

Okay. Something is wrong.

I thought back over the past few days. Everything had been great between us until he started acting distant and I couldn't fathom why. I didn't do anything wrong, so I sighed and trudged up the stairs to the Alpha's office. When I got to the door, I could hear muffled voices but when I knocked, they immediately went silent.

"Come in!" The voice of Alpha Scott boomed from the other side of the oak door but before my hand could touch the door handle, the door flew open and I raised my eyes to see sky-blue ones.

"Hey." Tyler sighed.

"Hi," I replied, watching him carefully. His eyes shifted from me to the floor as he stepped back to let me in.

That's when I knew for sure that something wasn't right. I saw Alpha Scott seated behind his office desk and by his side was his wife, Luna Michelle. They both looked at me with stone-cold gazes.

Standing to one corner was a man whom I immediately recongized. When our eyes met, surprise flashed in them and I immediately remembered the guest from another pack who threatened me today. Although it wasn't this strange man who smelt different like he was from a place filled with flowers of different kinds but he was very much an active part of why I got threatened.

Then my eyes landed on the woman sitting in a chair in front of Alpha Scott and I froze. The moment our eyes met, she readjusted in her seat and crossed her legs. This was the woman who had looked me in the eye earlier today and had threatened to kill me if I so much as utter a word of her secret.

I wondered if that was why I was called to the Alpha's office. Just like the strange man, she smelt like flowers too and looked like she would be around my age.

My gaze found Tyler who still wouldn't meet my eyes and fell back on the woman looking at me nervously. I greeted them all and when they didn't reply, I asked the only logical question, "Am I in trouble or something?"

All eyes turned to Tyler who now had his hand rubbing the back of his neck in a frown. As if taking a hint, his eyes finally met mine but there was no warmth in them.

Somehow, I knew something very bad was about to happen. Still, I forced myself to say, "Baby, what's wrong?"

Tyler grimaced as if my words made him uncomfortable. "Zora, I can't claim you as my mate anymore." He said.

I couldn’t believe my ears. Immediately, my wolf whimpered. "Excuse me?" My heartbeats get louder in my ears. "Why?"

"Because you are not a good fit for a Luna and as future Alpha, I have to do right by my pack and find someone worthy." He said, his eyes left mine and landed on the lady who was staring at me nervously.

"You have got to be kidding me!" I shook my head. Denial was already at the tip of my tongue and I could feel my wolf threatening to come to the surface.

"No." I shook my head. Tears stung my eyes, running down my cheek. "No!" I repeated.

"Zora, you have to understand." Tyler took a step forward and I took a matching one back.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, then he closed it again. I suddenly felt so alone. My wolf continued to pace restlessly within me, whimpering and whining.

If Tyler breaks up with me, my life is over. I'll go back to being the servant girl who was always bullied and had no one to save her. My case would be worse than my sister's because at least Hailey has hope. Hope that her mate is still out there somewhere.

But what could be said of me? I found my mate, and now my mate doesn't want me. There's no other hope elsewhere. I will be doomed to scrub floors, wash stinky toilets and suffer abuse for the rest of my life!

I can't go back! I can't do that again. I will do what it takes to keep my mate. Not minding the audience, I slowly went on my knees before Tyler. His eyes went wide with shock and embarrassment but I didn't care.

"Tyler, please. Don't do this." I begged. "I am your mate. You always said you and I were forever."

I stared into his eyes, searching for mercy. "Not anymore," Tyler said and I gasped at the stone-cold expression on his face and in his voice. "You and I are over. I, Tyler Spruell, reject you Zora Sparks as my mate and future Luna. Accept it now and let the bond that binds us be forever broken."