4

ANTHONY’S POV.

Claire is my mate; she has to be.

I fell in love with her at first sight. She is beautiful, and the moment I saw her on the battlefield despite the chaos surrounding us, I felt the bond between us. Even in her weak and fragile state, she is still the most beautiful woman I have ever seen and I felt pulled towards her. I knew then she is my mate, and I want no one else.

It is only right I bring her back to my pack and make her my Luna.

Even though everyone is against my decision apparently, I have no regrets. I know what I feel for her. They may not understand it now, but they would later on. A mate is always the best thing to happen to happen to a wolf, and to an Alpha wolf, a Luna, a fated mate is not just the best thing to happen to him but to the pack as well.

So, this is ultimately for everyone as well. I will still choose Claire as my mate over and over again if I have to.

At night, I was prepared to mate with Claire for the first time ever. With the whole turmoil of the war and everything, there was not a time for that at all, I could not even find time to be with her alone or mark her despite her asking me to do so.

I get her insecurities. It would be hard for everyone to accept her given her human status, and especially after what happened earlier today, I know she is right. It is best for me to mate and mark her, then her insecurities might go away, and they can all understand just how firm I am on this.

As I remained seated on the bed, I watched as Claire emerged from the bathroom dressed in nothing but a flimsy lingerie. Her lips slanted upwards into a sultry smile as she stepped further into the room, a gentle sway to her hips with each step she takes.

She slowly undressed herself, revealing her naked body as she reached the edge of the bed. My eyes darkened, and her smile widened at the action, as she leaned downwards, slowly crawling over to me.

My hand went to the nape of her neck, as I buried my face there, inhaling her scent. However, my wolf’s voice suddenly came in my mind, halting any further thoughts I have.

“I can’t smell the mate scent from her,” He grumbled, grouchier than he normally is. “Why would you betray Esmeralda in public this morning? She is a good warrior and will be a good and Luna, you know it. The pack will accept her easily as well and I am more at ease with her as well.”

His words made me furious, and any feel I had contrary at the moment evaporated. “Esmeralda is my parent’s choice, not mine,” I gritted back at him, because she truly is. Yes, she is a good warrior and might have been a good Luna as well, and yes we messed around quite a lot but it ends at that, us messing around. “I want a mate I chose myself, not the one they want.”

My whole life, everything seems to have been predetermined already by them, and I stick to it through every step of the way. However, not when it comes to my mate, I cannot let them decide for me on something that important.

So, I tried to block out my wolf and focus on having a great time with Claire, but he had too much of control over me. And against my own judgement, I found myself whispering a ‘sorry, I can’t do this’ to Claire and then moved away from her.

“Wait, Anthony…” I heard her voice behind me, a mixture of surprise and worry but I ignored it, wanting to be as far away from her so I will not have her witness this internal battle.

Heading away from the pack house, I made my way directly to the woods, the one place wolves all seem to find solace and where I know I would too. I do not know how long I kept walking, but at one point, the anger from earlier had dissipated and in its stead, a sweet scent hit me, making me stop in my tracks.

As the scent registered, my wolf’s voice came again, only this time, it was anything but angry. “Mate!” He exclaimed, making my whole body perk up.

Turning around, I followed the scent, but it felt fleeting, as if the person is moving in a fast pace. I chased after it, running in between trees and despite the darkness of the night, I chased that scent until it stopped.

Then, I saw the figure from behind, and I found myself breathing, taking in that scent greedily as I yearned to see who the owner of the scent it. The person then turned around, and my jaw dropped to the floor.

Esmeralda…she is my mate?

No. How could it be?!