Chapter 1

Katrina.

Seven Years Ago ...

Finally, it's my eighteenth birthday. I'm so excited to meet my wolf and mate!

I hope that it's my long-term boyfriend, Damien Smiths.

Everyone wanted us to be the endgame, and I've always been wishing that he will be my mate.

Both of our families support each other.

Once I become the mate of the future Alpha of Hawthornpack,  I'll become his luna and serve the pack.

"I really appreciate you coming, Mr. Smiths," my mother said as she shook hands with Damien's father and turned to give Lily Smiths, the woman next to him, a cheek kiss.

Damien came over and slapped my butt cheeks lightly. I let out a giggle, in which both of our parents turned our heads because of it, so I cleared my throat and tiptoed.

My mother's eyebrows raised because of my behavior. Oh no, that's a clue that I'm misbehaving.

She has been training me to be the refined and ideal Luna of the Hawthornpack.

I could already hear her reprimands in my head.

So, I made some excuse to remove myself from the scene, together with my boyfriend.

"Thank you for attending my party, Mr. and Mrs. Smiths. If you excuse us and Damien..."

I bowed my head a little and snaked my arms around Damien.

Before we turn our heels away from them, my mother said. "Don't drink tonight, Katrina. Damien? Please be on guard with her."

"Aye aye, captain!" Damien smiled at my mother and made a salute gesture with his hand.

"Dad," I bid goodbye to my father, but he just nodded at me. He was now talking with Damien's dad regarding their merging of companies once Damien and I became married.

As we got away from our parents, I heard Damien whispering at me. "So, where are we going, my beautiful wife?"

I grin at him. "Just getting out of there. I hate my mom's nagging about, 'Oh! You have to become like this and that. Don't do this and that. Nyeh, nyeh!'" I even made a face in front of Damien, and he burst out into laughter.

"Come on, babe. Your mother just wants the best of you."

"I know right? But she is so strict and suffocating sometimes! It's my birthday! Can't she have a day off of lecturing me? Urgh!"

Damien sighed and pulled me into a hug. "Aww, my baby is frustrated. Will a hug can cure you?"

I melted into his arms and sighed. "Yeah. Thank you very much."

"Oh well. Here comes the birthday girl and her oh-so-loving boyfriend!"

Daphne arrived and brought me a gift. My eyes sparkled when I saw her, and I immediately hugged her.

"Nat! You arrived on time!"

"Yeah, of course. It's your special day," I heard her whispering while we were hugging.

"Daphne, you're hugging my girlfriend too much!"

I pulled out of Daphne's tight hug and saw her rolling her eyes at Damien.

"So possessive, Damien! Can't you give me a second to greet my best friend a happy birthday?"

Damien grins at her. "Not too touchy like that."

Daphne rolled her eyes again at him. "Oh, come on! You're still believing those rumors?"

Inside my head, I was laughing because apparently, there were rumors in our school that she was kissing a girl, making Damien paranoid like this.

Damien gave Daphne a middle finger and greeted Daphne's brother who was coming behind her.

I exited the scene as I let him have fun with his friends on the table.

I felt the overwhelming emotions inside me.

The sun was almost setting down, and I still couldn't feel my wolf inside me.

I'm dying to meet her and my fated mate... which I am sure that it's going to be Damien.

“Drinks?” A waiter asked me but I shook my head and smiled at him.

“I can’t," I smiled at him.

He grabbed something out of his pocket.

"For you," he said when I was just staring at him and the piece of paper.

Grabbing the paper, I curiously read my birthday message of me. The sender also wants to meet me in the garden tonight.

I let out a sarcastic laugh. "Why would the person give a piece of paper when he can just greet me in person?"

He looks at me with a blank face. I couldn't read the expression on his face, so I let out a small laugh.

"Just kidding! Thanks for this. Uhm, any clue who this came from?"

“You wouldn’t want to know. He came from HawthornHigh," he replied.

“Oh,” I whispered.

HawthornHigh is a school supported by my father wherein they offer scholarships to those lowest ranks of pack members. My father personally picks those students to get free education access, so they are indeed smart and have unique skills despite their background.

However, students from our school, Pinecrest High, hate every student of that school because of the stupid ideology of rankings in society. They believed lowly omegas didn't deserve free education.

I showed the waiter my perfect Luna smile in front of me. "So what if he came from HawthornHigh? Unlike others, I'm not immature who thinks they don't deserve free education."

He smirked as if I was making a joke. "You are the future Luna of our pack. The infamous girlfriend of Damien Smiths. Of course, you are one of them."

How should I convince this guy to believe me?

"Alright. I won't force you, then. Please tell the guy or girl who gave me this paper a warm thank you."

He grins at me, "You can say that to him in person if you want. Meet him at the garden."

He was challenging me.

I give him a small smile. "Sorry, I don't meet strangers."

His smile faded and his voice became serious. "And you had the courage to say earlier that you're not one of them."

After he said that, he immediately exited the scene.

What he said pissed me off. I brushed my hair using my fingers and was about to go to that garden when I spotted Damien wearing a waiter uniform while handing drinks to a familiar sight of the girls.

What prank is he pulling this time? Is he mascotting as a waiter?

My forehead creased when I saw the girls flirting with him on the table. Damien is friendly, but he's not the type to flirt back, and how dare those girls try to flirt with him when everyone knows who he belongs to!

I turned my heels towards their table but  I suddenly paused when I felt something peculiar in my stomach.

I smell something different. It was the first time I was captivated by his scent. It was warm and earthy, like the rich soil of the forest after a fresh rain, grounding and reassuring.

I inhaled deeply, letting the layers of his scent fill me with a sense of warmth and belonging.

"Mate," I growled, my voice low and possessive.

His head jerked up at the sound, and when our eyes met, his eyes widened in shock, rendering him momentarily frozen in place.

Without hesitation, I strode toward him, gripping his hand firmly to pull him away from the crowd.

The last thing we needed was to create a scene or attract unwanted attention.

I didn't stop until we reached a secluded, shady spot, in the garden. Only then, did I let out a hearty laugh; shocked and happy because of the news.

"Damien... we're fated mates."

The reality of it washed over me in waves of euphoria.

The Moon Goddess had always favored me, but this?

Damien remained silent, his gaze fixed downward.

He seemed taller though. Did he take some supplements?

“Baby, did you hear what I said? I told you. We are mated to each other!” I exclaimed, my voice breaking slightly as my eyes welled up with emotion.

Gosh, my thirst for him is indescribable. I want him to touch me; to feel the rapid beating of my heart.

I want him to claim me right now!

I was about to grab his hand when he stepped back as if he was afraid of what I was going to do.

“Damien – “ I started, my voice softening with a mixture of confusion and hurt.

An unfamiliar, baritone voice cut me off. “I’m not Damien.”

My jaw fell open at his words.

What? I mouthed at him, my heart sinking with realization.

The leaves of the fake tree we stood beneath cast shifting shadows across his face, obscuring his features. He remained where he was, standing just beyond the edge of clarity. Then, with a step, he invades my personal space.

I gasped.

He looks like my boyfriend but he wasn’t my boyfriend.

It was evident in his eyes. His drooping green ocean eyes make me think of the deep forest. His eyes were more mysterious and deeper than Damien's lively ones. I was at a loss for words as I looked at him.

"I apologize, but could you please say it again?" I questioned, startled by the exchange we had.

"I am not your boyfriend," he restated his previous statement. He put both of his hands in his pocket, as I noticed.

The only thing that comes out of my mouth is "Oh."

"Yes," he pressed a thin line on his lips and looked away.

"I understand. My deepest apologies."

I took a step backward, biting my lower lip as I chuckled gently. "You look like my boyfriend."

“Yeah, I always get that phrase every time. But I’m not related to Damien,” he answered with a devilish grin.

I cleared my throat, scrunching my nose in confusion and disbelief.

Heaving a deep sigh, I felt my forehead crease with worry. “B-But... but we're mates. Did you feel the mate bond, too? This is ridiculous!" The realization of being mated to this stranger began to sink in, unsettling me deeply.

I could feel hysteria creeping up on me.

"Yes, I've already felt the mate bond before," the man said in an emotional voice. He looks at me like he wants to touch me, to feel me, to devour me, but he knows he can't.

My mouth dropped open as I stared at him incredulously. "No, this is a mistake! I'm not mated to you!"

I was screaming every word out of my mouth.

Shocked by the revelation, I turned away from him... until he called my name which sent shivers down my spine.

"Katrina..."

I felt dizzy when he called my name. It felt right.

Damn it! I felt so right yet so wrong in many ways.

My heart beats like crazy. I've never felt this when I'm with my boyfriend. It felt like I was betraying Damien! I wanted to cry so bad at frustration! I should get out of here!

“Don’t you want to know my name?” It wasn’t a question. It was more like a statement.

Tears started forming in my eyes, and my hand found my mouth to stop myself from crying.

No, no, no...

Damien is not my fated mate!

This stranger who looks like him is my mate... and I can't accept that!

When I didn't answer him, he continued speaking.

“I’m Archer. Archer Ellington."