PROLOGUE

ESMERAY

"I pronounce you Alpha and Luna; you may now kiss the bride!" It was the loveliest scene I had ever witnessed. They looked absolutely gorgeous together. Princess Natalie and Alpha Gustavo were the perfect mating bond that the Moon Goddess had ever formed.

"Now it's time to dance!" the best man echoed, and Natalie and Gustavo, the newlywed couple, made their way down the altar in grand style, with prelude music playing in the background.

I took the opportunity to steal her for a moment. "Congratulations, sweetie! I'm so happy for you. But don't think that means I'm not jealous. Hold onto your alpha tightly, or I might just try desperately steal him for myself," I said, chuckling.

"Thank you so much, Esmeray. And as for stealing my husband, well... That's why I always carry this dagger with me." She stylishly revealed a dagger from under her wedding dress, surprising me. "I'll stab you before you go through with it," she added with a laugh.

Whoa, she took the joke a bit too far, but I'm sure she did that cause she knew me well.

"I've got to go have that first dance as a married couple with my mate, sweetie," she exclaimed excitedly, winking at me.

"Yeah, go have fun... Damn! you look so beautiful," I admired her from head to toe.

"Thank you! And you too... Hey, don't be shy! Try to find your mate at my wedding. It would mean a lot to me. I mean, there are so many handsome prince hunks here. Dig in, girl!" She encouraged me.

"Sure, sure," I chuckled. The music was so loud now that we had to talk into each other's ears.

"Hey, don't take too long. Aside from your sweet hunk of a groom, another reason my parents haven't taken me home yet is because of the flower toss. I'm dying for you to throw them... I need to know if my prince charming is coming my way anytime soon," I pleaded into her ears, and Natalie's expression showed she understood.

Natalie nodded with a smile and left me to myself.

Ever since I was a child, my ultimate dream had been to find my mate and live happily ever after, just like Natalie and Gustavo were doing right now. But even I now knew it wasn't as easy as it sounded.

I had recently turned eighteen years old, and still, no mate!

I was one of the bridesmaids at Princess Natalie Frankwood's wedding. She was from a neighboring pack to my pack, the Silverstone pack of the Lycan kingdom, and had found her mate at her eighteenth birthday party. She was lucky.

I, on the other hand, hadn't been so fortunate. Ever since I turned eighteen, I had attended numerous birthday parties, hoping I would somehow meet my mate.

But my father always reminded me that my mate was among the Alpha Fist, the young Alpha who would emerge as the winner of the contest. It was a competition that my kingdom had practiced for generations, where the young alpha who won would become the princess's mate. In my case, that was me—I was the princess of the Silverstone pack of the Lycan kingdom.

"Hey, gorgeous," a husky voice reached my ear from behind, and a firm, gentle hand touched my palm, pulling me in its direction.

I snapped out of my thoughts and turned to see a handsome young man dressed in royal attire with beads attached to his white clothing. He must be a prince.

"Hello, I'm Esmeray," I shyly introduced myself quickly, trying to stay composed.

'Fox, is he our mate?' I asked my wolf desperately in my head.

'No... He is not. This handsome young man isn't the one for us to claim,' Fox responded, and my shoulders slumped in disappointment.

"Lovely to meet you, Esmeray," he bowed slightly and brought the back of my hand to his lips, kissing it softly, sending shivers down my spine. "I'm Alejandro. Come drink with us, me and the guys," he said, pointing to three other young men on the other side of the ceremony, drinking and laughing.

"I wish I could, but I'm not allowed to drink. Thanks," I responded politely and quickly made haste to join the bridesmaids on the dance floor, feeling disappointed.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed me, but this time it was rough.

"No one says no to me. I am a prince..."

"Oh yeah, and I am the princess of the Silverstone pack. Now, let go of me," I snapped.

"In your dreams," he smirked and tugged me away, against my will. Soon, we arrived at a table filled with specialized alcoholic drinks for werewolves since regular alcohol doesn't affect us much.

"Drink up!" He poured a drink into a glass, filling it halfway, and handed it to me.

"I dare you, if you finish this... I'll fill the glass next round. I bet you don't have the guts," he smiled devilishly at me, and the guys in the background started chanting for me to drink it.

My hands began to feel sweaty and shaky as I grabbed the drink from him slowly. Anxiety was written all over my face; I had never drunk alcohol before because my father forbade me from doing so. On top of that, I felt pressured to drink it in front of these guys.

As my hands were about to pour the glass of alcohol into my wide-open mouth, a husky and familiar voice echoed from behind me.

"What are you doing, Esmeray?"

Startled, I stopped immediately and turned to see my father's harsh gaze fixed on me.

"Dad! It wasn't my fault... They forced me to drink," I quickly admitted, turning my gaze to the handsome jerk who had brought me here and his crew. Surprisingly, their faces were frozen with fear.

"You forced my daughter to drink," my father stepped forward to confront their leader, Alejandro now. "I'll forgive you because the daughter of my good friend is getting married in this ceremony. And for that reason alone, I'll let you off with a warning. Try this again, and you'll regret it. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir!" He yelled in a frightened manner.

"Don't try this again," I couldn't help but laugh at how frightened they were at the mere sight of my father, king Rofus of the Lycan kingdom.

"Come on, Natalie says to call you. She's about to throw the flowers," my father said as he guided me with him through the crowded grounds of the ceremony.

"Really?" I gasped in excitement, and my father nodded in response with a smile.

I hurried forward to join the gathering where Natalie was preparing to throw the bouquet. All the other bridesmaids and single she-wolves were present, eager to catch the flowers. Goosebumps filled my belly, and my breath quickened with the anxiety that came with it.

"And one..." Natalie began to count. "And two... And... Threeee!" With a swift motion, Natalie tossed the bouquet high into the air.

I was pushed and jostled by the other girls, some of whom were alpha females, while the bouquet hung in the air. I regained my composure and stamina just in time. Right before the flowers could touch anyone else's hands, I leaped higher than I ever had in my entire life, catching it mid-air and crashing onto the ground with a slightly painful landing.

But damn! it was so worth it!

"Yaaayyy! Esmeray, you'll find your mate and get married anytime soon!" Natalie, my friend, excitedly congratulated me as she helped me up from the ground.

Applause erupted from the crowd and my fellow bridesmaids. I was in the spotlight now, holding the bouquet with my heart busting in joy, and I couldn't wait to meet my mate.