Chapter 1

Freya’s POV

I was scrubbing like mad, and my knuckles were very sore after hours of cleaning. I could not help but hit my knees into a wooden floor as they were burning, and I could not stop. The large hall of the Blueblood Pack was all bright gold and silver, with chandeliers that made everything look perfect.

Everything except me.

The scent of roasted meat and fresh bread hung in the air, and my empty stomach was very much growling. I couldn't recall the last time I had eaten anything other than leftovers or scraps.

“Freya!” It was like a whip; Marissa broke my thought right in the middle. I jumped, looking at her. A smooth dark blue dress had been fitted to her perfectly, and her shiny hair was twisted back in a fancy braid.

“Yeah, Marissa?” I said, and averted my eyes.

“You missed a spot.” Her nails were very well manicured, and she pointed to a corner of the hall with a smirk. And do I need to remind you how pathetic you are even when it comes to the easiest things?

“No, Marissa.” I went on my knees and rubbed more vigorously, without letting my tears be seen.

“Good. We can not have the Alpha calomel stepping on the floor when he is to appear all big. She sneered. Not that one wants a lot out of a weakling like you.

With a laugh, she walked away. My chest tightened, and I was not going to cry. Not here. Not in front of them.

No one could have been more excited than the pack was in preparation for the Alpha ceremony of Kane. Everyone was talking about him.

Kane will be a legendary Alpha, dude. Someone said. Powerful, brutal... like his father.

I switched them off and turned my attention to the floor. Kane was massive, and his name made my stomach jump. Everybody loves him, yet he is remote to me and god like.

I ended my cleaning and sneaked behind the back of the hall as I hoped to remain unnoticed. The ritual was on the verge of beginning, and I was well aware not to attract attention to myself.

Kane was in the midst and had a godlike look. He was a long man with wide-set shoulders. His hair was trimmed, and his blue eyes, with the iciness they possessed, were what made everyone halt.

I couldn’t help staring. He was all the things I was not: powerful, strong, and confident.

As I was watching, a strange sensation came into my heart--a flash in me. My heart got racing, and my wolf began to get moving.

Mate.

I kept on bouncing the word in my head, and it was as clear as hell. My eyes were opened, and I knew what it was. Kane… Kane was my mate.

I felt like I couldn’t breathe. How could this be? The Moon Goddess had picked him out for me?

I was nervous with fear and hope. Perhaps it was an opportunity, perhaps fate had its purpose.

But then Kane’s gaze met mine. He suddenly pulled his eyes, and I fancied that there was a flicker.

And then, everything went cold.

Kane walked right to me, with the intent and power of it. He would move nearer, and with each foot, my chest tightened, causing me to shake.

As he paused, all was still in the room.

“You.” His voice was not high but he spoke intensely enough to slice through the air.

I swallowed, my mouth dry. “Alpha Kane… I—”

“Don’t.” He had an icy voice, and his eyes were colder still. “Don’t even try.”

I blinked, totally confused. “I didn’t know…”

“Silence!” He snapped, booming. The crowd heaved, and everybody stared at me.

The lips of Kane twisted into a snarl. “You? My mate? The Moon Goddess can never be mean to make fun of as such.

The language was like a bodily blow. My feet were shaky, and I held on to the end of an adjacent table.

You are weak, Freya, contemptuous, he went on. “Pathetic. A servant of no value to this pack. Why should you even attempt to defend me?

People murmured.

His mate? Someone said.

Another said, What a disgrace.

It is no wonder he is rejecting her, somebody chuckled.

The following remarks of Kane closed the mouths of everybody. Freya, I, Alpha Kane of the Blueblood Pack, will not accept you as my mate.

It was a glitch of a shot of pain down my chest. It was as though my heart were torn to pieces. My wolf whimpered and went back into my head.

The laughter and snickers in my company increased. I might feel their disapproval, sympathy, or horror.

Cast off by her own lover, somebody sneered. “Pathetic.”

I just wanted to vanish.

The humiliation was insane. I turned and made my way out, against the crowd, hearing them laugh at me. As I leapt out of the corridor and out into the damp night, tears were streaming down my face.

The forest was dark and scary ahead, but I did not care. I just needed to get away. Away from the pack. Away from him.

Using its branches, the tree brushed my arms and my face, and I started to walk deeper into the woods clumsily. I cried and cried, and with each step, my pains in the chest enlarged.

Why? How come the Moon goddess matches me with a man like Kane? Why put me to hope and then destroy it?

I slipped on a root and hit the ground, the effect of which shook my entire body. I remained there with the dirt in my hands, crying.

A crack in a tree caused me to freeze. I shook my head upwards and looked around the darkness. The forest was so quiet.

Then I heard-- a growl,-- low,-- and then the rustle of leaves.

I was in a frenzy of heart when two bright eyes came out in the darkness. Then another. And another.

Rogues. They moved towards each other, their snarls resounding. I scampered back, trembling my hands.

Please, I said, in a

very quiet sort of way. “Don’t…”

The first rogue lunged. I screamed and was preparing for the worst.