Chapter 1

Lyra

"I, Kyon Draven, reject you, Lyra Ashford, as my mate. Moon Goddess, bear me witness."

The words left his mouth without the slightest hesitation. When he finished speaking, he looked at me with a pair of eyes so cold that I almost wondered if this was even the same man from last night. Just hours ago, those same eyes had been filled with warmth as he touched me like I was the only woman in the world. Now there wasn't even a trace of that man left.

"I need you to say you reject me too."

I could only stare at him. "Are you joking?" I asked, still trying to process what I had just heard.

We had spent the entire night together. He had worshipped every inch of my body like it was his favorite temple. Neither of us had gotten a second of sleep, and the unopened bottle of expensive alcohol still sat on the table exactly where room service had left it. He hadn't taken a single sip.

So no, I couldn't even blame this on alcohol.

"You think both of us are mates?" I asked with a smile spreading across my face.

"I just need you to say those words."

I pulled the duvet closer around my body before sitting up on the ridiculously soft bed. This was the most expensive hotel room I had ever stepped foot in, yet somehow this morning had become the most ridiculous one of my life.

"I am human, and there is absolutely no way I'm mated to a werewolf. Besides, I don't believe all that soulmate nonsense or whatever you people call it."

The look he shot me could have frozen hell over. Apparently, I had just committed the greatest crime known to werewolves.

"Fine," I said with a shrug. "I will say it." I cleared my throat dramatically. "I, Lyra Ashford, reject you, Kyon Draven, as my mate. May whoever is listening to this bullshit bear me witness."

I folded my arms and looked at him. "Happy now?"

He closed his eyes and instinctively pressed a hand against his chest, as though he was waiting for some unbearable pain to hit him. He remained like that for a few seconds before slowly opening his eyes again, nothing happened.

Without another word, he walked around to the other side of the bed where his jacket and wallet had been tossed carelessly on the chair the night before. He picked them up, slipped a hand into the inner pocket of his jacket, and pulled out several thick bundles of cash.

He tossed them onto the bed, the money landed beside me with a soft thud. "That's your payment for your service."

"What the actual fuccccck..." Before I could even finish the sentence, he had already walked out of the room, the door clicked shut behind him.

I glared at it with pure disbelief, I seriously just had a one-night stand with a complete lunatic. My eyes slowly drifted to the piles of cash scattered across the bed. "Such a jerk," I muttered.

I couldn't help staring at the money for another second, that was a ridiculous amount of cash. Just how rich was that mad idiot?

Well, hopefully I would never have to see him again. Because if fate ever made the mistake of crossing our paths again, this fat ass was definitely going to give him a piece of my mind.

Last night was my twenty-second birthday, I had decided not to celebrate it with my family because being around them always left me feeling miserable. Every gathering somehow turned into another lecture about my weight. If they weren't pointing out how big I looked, they were reminding me that no man would ever want to marry me unless I lost weight.

Honestly, who needed birthday wishes when you already had free body-shaming included? So I lied to my mom, I told her I had an interview in the city. She didn't want me to go, but I came anyway. I left the werewolf world behind for a while and came to the city—the only place where I truly felt like I belonged to celebrate my birthday on my own.

Life in the pack had become unbearable. Every single day, someone found a new way to mock my size or remind me that I didn't belong there. As if being plus-sized wasn't enough, I also had the misfortune of being human. No wolf, no rank. Just another easy target for everyone's cruel jokes.

Girls my age in the pack had all found their mates four years ago, the moment they turned eighteen. Meanwhile, I was twenty-two and still waiting.

Not that I believed too much in the whole mate thing anyway, but it was hard not to feel left out. Everywhere I went, someone was talking about their mate. They went on and on about how amazing it felt, how perfect the bond was, and, of course, how incredible the sex was.

Even my younger sister, Selena, had a boyfriend. She never stopped talking about how adorable her relationship was or how wonderful her sex life had become. Meanwhile, I couldn't even get a man to ask me out on a single date.

Forget having a boyfriend, most men looked straight through me as if I didn't exist. So, for once, I decided to leave the werewolf world behind and step into the human city.

That was how I met that impossibly handsome, ridiculously commanding stranger.

The bartender at the club had pointed him out to me last night. He said the man only showed up there occasionally and was usually accompanied by plus-sized escorts. Since he happened to be sitting alone, I figured it was my chance. I just never imagined he would turn out to be such a first-class jerk.

I climbed out of bed and gathered the bundles of cash. There was absolutely no point pretending to be offended enough to leave the money behind, money was money.

After getting dressed, I walked out of the hotel and headed home. During the ride back, my thoughts kept drifting to everything that had happened the night before.

It had been my first time, as much as I hated admitting it, I couldn't imagine anyone handling me the way he had. The man had enough energy to power an entire city. He barely let me get any rest, and by morning I felt like every ounce of strength had been squeezed out of my body. Seriously, where did that madman get all that stamina?

Then there was his name, Kyon Draven. It sounded strangely familiar, like I had heard it somewhere before. I frowned for a moment but eventually shrugged it off. It probably wasn't important.

The taxi stopped in front of my parents' house, as soon as I stepped out, my eyebrows knitted together. Several expensive luxury cars were parked outside our home.

My heartbeat immediately picked up, please don't let something be wrong. I quickly paid the driver, climbed out of the car, and hurried toward the house.

Before I could reach the door, it swung open, Mom stepped outside. The knot in my chest instantly loosened. Honestly, I didn't care if anyone else in that house had decided to burn the place down. As long as my mom was safe, I could deal with everything else later.

She hurried over to me with a bright smile. "Welcome back home, honey," she said. "I've been calling you. We have a guest, a very special one. The Alpha King is here to seek your sister's hand in marriage."