Chapter 1

Sophia's POV

"Wake up, Sophi. I told you last night that Alpha is out of the pack. I have to go to the pack house early today."

I was sleeping soundly when I heard a loud knock on my door. I tried to sleep once more, this time with my pillow over my ear.

My brother, Abraham, was banging on the door.

He was three years older than me. He had recently been promoted to Gamma of our Night Shade pack. As a result, his responsibilities increased day by day.

"If you don't come out right now, I will kill your boyfriend." He threatened me.

I opened my eyes instantly and sat up.

"Tsk! Why are you doing this to me? I am coming. Wait for me."

"Good girl."

I rolled my eyes. He was well aware of my weakness, which was my boyfriend, Bruce Morrison.

It was a blessing to have a man like him in my life. He loved me. I had complete faith in him.

He was the younger brother of our Alpha, Bryan Morrison.

Despite sharing the same blood, they were totally different in nature.

Bruce was a calm, collected person. He could get along with everyone.

On the other hand, his big brother, Bryan, was a really cold-hearted man. Everyone in our pack was frightened of him. They said that with a gaze as sharp as a dagger, he exuded an air of danger that sent shivers down the spines of those who dared to cross his path. His every move was calculated, and his every action was deliberate in the realms of wolves.

His deadly demeanor had the ability to kill any Alpha at any time. He was not only the strongest Alpha but also a business tycoon who catapulted our pack to the top of the world's richest packs.

Well, that's what I had heard about him. I had seen him once. On Bruce's last birthday, I caught a glimpse of him.

I was relieved that Bruce was not cold like him. Bruce was a gentleman, and most importantly, he cared about me.

I went to have a shower, dressed in a simple blue long dress, and put on a pair of sneakers. I quickly grabbed my phone and bag, then dashed downstairs.

"See? She is seldom on time."

I overheard my brother complaining about me to my mother.

"Mom, don't listen to him. He and his Alpha are both just getting on my nerves. He informed me last night that we would be leaving early. But at what time? He never said that. I can't even get a proper sleep because of him."

My mother laughed. She was used to this bickering.

Abraham and I said our goodbyes to our mother and left our house.

We got into his car, and he began driving.

"Mom assigned me the duty of sending you to your university every day; otherwise, you would have gone there by foot.”

"Okay, you don't have to drop me then. I will tell Bru-"

"Don't even think about it. I'll drop you off every day. I don't like that guy."

"Of course you can't like him. Because he is not your boyfriend, but mine. I know him better than anyone. He loves me. In fact, he promised me that he would come to have a conversation with mom about us after my eighteenth birthday." I replied in a mocking tone.

When every pack member reached the age of eighteen, they found their mates.

A lot of people today would rather have the person they chose than their fated mate. So they could reject their mate if they wanted.

However, there was a different law that only applied to the head Alpha.

Our pack's head Alpha could not reject his fated mate. If he did, his mate would die.

Additionally, other Alphas would degrade his position as the leader of the Night Shade Pack, which was worse than death.

"Which is tomorrow. It's your birthday tomorrow, Sophia." My brother reminded me.

"Then he will come the day after tomorrow."

"I will keep an eye on him first, then I will let you be his mate."

Bruce was the same age as my brother. I did not know why, but my brother was not fond of him at all. However, he assumed Bruce might be my mate, so he had to accept us together.

"Okay, okay, my brother. As you wish." I remarked sarcastically.

He lightly hit my head with his knuckles, which made me laugh.

He dropped me off at the main entrance of my university.

'UNIVERSITY OF NIGHT SHADE'

It was my ideal university. I had to put in a lot of effort to get here. I was in my freshman year.

After attending a few classes, I was feeling bored. My best friend, Luisa, was not with me. She did not show up today.

'Where is she?'

I thought about it and dialed her number. She did not answer my call.

I was missing Bruce as well. He did not come either. I dialed his phone number. He received the phone call after two rings.

"Hello."

"Where are you, Bruce?"

"Baby, I told you, Brother went to the Moon Valley pack to bring my sister-in-law here. He is returning today. Their engagement is tomorrow. So I am at the pack house right now."

"Oh! yes. How did I forget about big brother-in-law's engagement ceremony? I think because of this, my brother went there early today. He also informed me that we were invited to the ceremony."

"Don't worry, baby. If you had forgotten, I would have reminded you. So there is no need to worry. I am currently quite busy. I wish you were here. But it's okay. You should be in your class. I will call you later."

"Okay, bye."

"Bye."

I sighed as Bruce hung up the phone. He was doing the right thing by helping his family.

Suddenly, an idea popped into my mind.

'I should go to the pack house to surprise him. I will lend him a hand at work. He will be overjoyed.'

I exited my university and hailed a cab. I got to the pack house area in twenty minutes.

I paid the cab driver and then proceeded to the pack house.

Guards halted me at the entrance at first, but when I told them I was Gamma Abraham's sister, they let me in.

As I stepped into the house, a wave of fragrance enveloped me, filling the air with the sweet scent of blooming flowers. Every corner was adorned with an abundance of vibrant petals, creating a rainbow of colors that danced before my eyes. The walls were adorned with delicate bouquets, their petals gently cascading down like a waterfall of nature's beauty.

The whole pack house looked like a bride. I laughed at the thought of referring to a house as a bride.

Why would they not decorate the house? It was Alpha Bryan's engagement. Everyone would get their Luna tomorrow.

I looked around to find Bruce, but he was nowhere to be found.

"Excuse me, where is Bruce?" I asked a maid.

"He is not here." The maid responded with a gentle smile.

I assumed he might be in his room. So I asked,

"Where is his room?"

"Upstairs, in the corner," she replied before returning to her work.

"Thanks."

I went upstairs and looked at the two corners.

"Which one? The right one or the left one?" I asked myself, remembering that I had forgotten to ask about which corner.

I followed my instincts and went to the far left corner. I realized the room was at the end of the corner.

I walked slowly and came to a halt in front of the door.

I opened the door and gasped.

It was a master bedroom.

A sense of order and cleanliness washed over me. Every corner was meticulously arranged, as if each item had been carefully placed with purpose.

A king-sized bed stood proudly at the center, its regal presence commanding attention.

The room itself had an air of elegance, with flawless white furniture carefully arranged to create a sense of peace. The walls were painted a dark color. The window beside the bed gave a view of the forest.

To my surprise, I felt completely different vibes in this room.

"Bruce?"

I called his name. But I got no reply.

Where was he? Didn't he say he was in the pack house?

I tried to dial his number, but his phone was unreachable.

I thought he would be back soon. So I took my time studying the entire room. My gaze was drawn to a photograph on the nightstand.

I took a slow step toward it and took the photo frame. It was a picture of two brothers.

Bruce and his big brother.

Unknowingly, I sat on the soft mattress and stroked Bruce's face through the glass frame.

It looked like this picture was taken in their teenage days. Bruce looked cute, and his brother looked frigid, as others said about him. When he arrived at Bruce's birthday celebration last year to wish him, I had only seen a glance of his face from afar. Bruce couldn't even introduce me to him since he had to leave in a hurry for a pack meeting.

The age difference between them was only two years. However, Bruce respected his brother a lot.

In this picture, his brother looked handsome but was a very arrogant boy.

Who had thought that one day this boy would become the most powerful Alpha?

Whispers of his name echo through the corridors of power, spreading like wildfire among those who have witnessed his ruthless attacks in the war.

I was lost in the picture.

All of a sudden, a cold voice behind me made me come out of my thoughts and trembled me to the core.

"How dare you enter my room without my permission?"