CHAPTER 4

Xander's POV:

"Greetings, Alpha Xander Roland. Happy birthday to you," the Wise One, Jeffrey Miles, said. He wore a red top, black trousers, and a pair of black shoes. He stood as a tall, slender, brown-skinned man with long black hair.

"What brings you here, Wise One?" I asked him, irritated to see him, and he smiled.

"Alpha Xander, I come here to give you the same warning that I gave to your father twenty-four years ago. Do not make the same mistake and crown the wrong woman as your Luna. Find your real mate and do what is right," he said before he turned around and left the banquet hall.

After I heard what the Wise One Jeffrey said, hushed sounds of mutterings echoed in the banquet hall. Quincy hastily pulled her right hand away from mine and ran out of the hall. However, I chased after her.

"Wait, Quincy!" I called her name, but she kept running away. However, I gave chase and caught her arm, pulling her into a warm hug.

"Why did you not stop when I asked you to?" I asked Quincy, holding her arms firmly.

Quincy sobbed against my chest because she had made me leave everyone in the celebration hall to pursue her.

"Let us break up, Alpha Xander. I do not serve as your real mate. I cannot stand the thought of you with another woman. I love you," she cried, hugging my waist and resting her head against my chest.

"It is okay. You do not have to cry. I love you too, Quincy. Come on, let us finish my birthday celebration first, and I have a lovely present for you," I said, my tone soft as I held her hand and led her back into the banquet hall.

"I do not want the pack members to look down on me as their Luna. They already know that I do not serve as the real Luna," Quincy sobbed again, walking along with me, and I draped my arm over her shoulder, calming her down with my alpha pheromones.

"It is fine. We will get married no matter what," I assured her before I turned her around to face me. I placed a kiss on her forehead and said, "Trust me," my voice comforting her.

"What if you find your real mate?" Quincy asked me, her blue eyes holding pain.

"No way. I do not have a real mate, and I do not believe the Wise One Jeffrey. He wants me to remain single for the rest of my life just because he wants me to choose my real mate as the new Luna," I said, but my wolf, Johnny, growled in my head.

"Damn you, Xander! We have a mate! Just be patient, and we will find her soon. I have a feeling that our mate just comes of age and turns eighteen," Johnny said, clinging to the hope that I have a real mate.

"Shut up, Johnny! Then where is the real mate? No other woman stands as beautiful as Quincy in the entire Autumn Pack! I would rather choose Quincy than any other woman beneath her level," I growled back at my wolf, Johnny, through our link, and he growled louder. "Lies! Quincy has a beautiful face but a dark heart like charcoal. I do not approve of her as your chosen mate. She proves worse than the devil."

"Shut up!" I snarled at my wolf and warned him, "Do not you dare speak of my chosen mate like that before me."

"Or what? What will you do? Block me! Ugh! You will regret this! Argh…" Johnny growled and shut me out.

Carefully, I placed my arm around Quincy's shoulder and led her back into the banquet hall as she wore a lovely green dress and a pair of black shoes. The jade earrings made her stand out like a real queen.

As we walked back into the banquet hall, no one dared to protest against Quincy. They stood silently watching me as soft music played in the background. It was my twenty-seventh birthday after all.

My father rose to his feet, dressed in a black shirt and trousers. He warned me, "Xander, I will not approve of Quincy as your chosen mate. Only your real mate may appear in my presence from today henceforth. Find her and bring her to me to help cure your mother, or keep your relationship with Quincy out of the palace. You make your mother's mental condition worse."

Dad walked away from the celebration hall angrily, not waiting for me to cut my cake.

I firmly held onto Quincy's hands, assuring her, "Do not worry. I have you."

The pack members stood tensely after my father walked away. Beta Adrian and his son, who served as my best friend, Kaleb, appeared worried. But they smiled when they saw me hold onto Quincy's hand, no matter what the situation may be.

Quincy and I sliced my twenty-seventh birthday cake, and the pack members applauded and cheered us.

"May I have this dance with you, my love?" I asked Quincy as I extended my open hand to her.

Quincy smiled and accepted my hand, and I pulled her gently toward me and twirled her around to face me.

Looking up at my face, Quincy smiled as she stood tall and elegant. The black stilettos that she wore made her height comparable to mine.

"Yes, my Alpha. I will dance with you," Quincy replied with a happy voice, and I held her hands and guided her steps as we danced to the rhythm of the soft music echoing in the hall.

After the music stopped playing and Quincy and I drew our dance to a stop, I leaned next to her and placed a warm kiss on her forehead. The night had fallen. The moon glowed and cast diamond sparkles around the Alpha's mansion.

Turning to face the crowd, I thanked them once more. "Thank you all for coming to my birthday celebration. You can all leave for your homes."

One by one, the distinguished pack members came forward to present their gifts to me before leaving.

As the hall emptied out, my sister, Bailey, walked up to meet me. She wore a dazzling purple dress and a pair of brown shoes. She stood tall and slender, a full resemblance to my mother when she was younger.

"Happy birthday, brother. I brought this gift for you," Bailey said, extending a package to me.

"What is in it?" I asked her, and she laughed.

"When you unbox it, you will see it. But for a tip, it is a fortified bracelet to help you find your real mate," Bailey said, and my scowl deepened as did Quincy's.

Bailey did not like Quincy, but it did not fall to her to choose a girlfriend for me. I had dated a few beautiful young women before Quincy.

"Bailey, I do not need this," I said, pushing the gift back to my sister.

"Brother, I traveled to the Rock Valley Pack to get this gift for you. Mom needs you, so please wear it," Bailey said as she refused to take the gift back. She hoped that we could find my real mate, even when I had already lost hope of finding my real mate.

"Fine," I grunted, and Quincy did not appear happy about it, even as Bailey smiled and said, "I have to go. Joy and Jaxon need me." She spoke about her twin pups. I smiled and wished her, "Good night. My regards to them. I will come visiting tomorrow."

Steven Edmond, my gamma and brother-in-law, stepped forward and said, "Enjoy your birthday night, Alpha Xander." He placed his hand over my sister's shoulder, hugged her warmly, and led her away.

After they left and all the guests had already left, Quincy turned to face me and asked, "Do you really plan to wear this and find your real mate? Do you forget your promise to me just now?"

Shutting my eyes, I thought about my mother, who had gone feral and could no longer recognize us. My father had locked her up in a cell because she could accidentally kill anyone next to her.

"Quincy, trust me. I do not think I have a real mate. If I do not accept this, Bailey will feel sad, and I do not want that," I said, trying to comfort her.

Quincy shook her head. "What if the bracelet proves real? What if it helps you find your real mate? What will happen to me?" She pointed at her chest, tears in her eyes.

Shutting my eyes, I declared, "You serve as my love, and no other woman will take your place in my heart. Not even my real mate. If I find her, I will only accept her for the sake of curing my mother, but she cannot replace you."

Quincy smiled and drew me into a kiss, her lips locking with mine even as her family waited to escort her home.

"I love you, Xander," Quincy whispered after our lips parted.

"I love you more," I told her, my eyes locking with hers.

After that, Quincy turned and walked out of the banquet hall with her parents and her older brother leading her away.

As I stood in the hall and the guards surrounded the mansion, I pulled open the package that Bailey had given me.

An emerald bracelet lay in it. Picking it up, I wore it around my right wrist. "If this will help me find my real mate, so be it. I only need her for Mom." As I turned around, I walked away and went to the prison house to find my mother.