Chapter Three

Phoebe's pov

"I want you, Phoebe Wildheart," Hendrick said, holding my hands in the presence of them all.

Julian was still laughing. My parents had to come to the middle of the arena to be sure they were seeing clearly.

When Hendrick saw them, he asked me, "Are they your parents?"

I couldn't even look him straight in the eyes.

"Yes, they're my parents," I replied.

They came closer to where we stood. "And who are you?" my father asked him.

"I am Hendrick Stormwell, Alpha of the Apex Moon pack. I'm here to claim your daughter," he said.

My father looked him over from head to toe. "I know of the Apex Moon pack, but I've never seen its Alpha. Well, ask her, and if she agrees, you can take her with you."

I knew he was only trying to play it cool. He didn't want to seem desperate. Hendrick didn't need my permission to take me anyway, and if my father could have, he would have sold me off to the most despicable suitor in the world.

The whole arena grew quiet. My heart thumped in my ears.

"Phoebe Wildheart, will you agree to come with me and be my Luna, so we can rule the Apex Moon pack together?"

I didn't have a choice. This was my only chance to leave behind all the mockery that had been glued to my image and my personality here. I had taken enough, so I had to say yes.

"Yes, I agree."

Murmurs broke out at once. I could hear some people laughing. But as far as I was concerned, I was leaving, so whether they thought I was desperate or not, it didn't matter anymore. For the first time in my life, I let their opinions slide off me.

"You just made me the happiest Alpha in Crescent Heights," Hendrick said.

"Let me go get my things," I said, wanting to grab them quickly and get out of there.

"No need for that. I'll take care of everything you need over there," he said.

He opened his car door for me. I had been standing for too long, but I couldn't leave empty-handed, so I hesitated.

"Phoebe, go now!" my mother said.

"No! I can't leave without my diary. I'm sorry, Alpha," I said, and I rushed inside to my room.

As I ran past my sister, I heard her whisper, "Get ready for disasters."

I couldn't do anything about it. She stood beside the Alpha King's son, and I had no power against her. I grabbed my diary, ran out, and got into his car right away. My diary was the only thing I left with.

It was my best friend. It never judged me, and it couldn't give feedback, only hold whatever I put down in ink. It was my greatest confidant, and I couldn't do without it. As I left, Dahlia smiled cunningly at me. She knew exactly what she was doing.

Hendrick's car smelled nice, and the air conditioning made it worthwhile.

"Make yourself comfortable," he said as we drove past the gates of the Redline pack.

Everything I had been through in that pack had not prepared me for this. I had not even told my parents goodbye. I hadn't had a proper send-off, and I wished I had. I used to fantasise about it just before I turned eighteen. A tearful farewell, a hug, a blessing. Instead, it felt like I was being thrown out like useless garbage that nobody needed anymore. I held my diary tighter against my chest.

"I want you to know, Phoebe, you're the most beautiful person I've ever met. I'm not saying it to flatter you. I really do think you're special," he said, looking at me and then back at the road.

He said he didn't mean to flatter me, but I was flattered. I had never been complimented in my life, not even for the things I did well, so I was blushing in the car. He saw something that no one else had ever seen in my twenty-three years of living. Even I hadn't seen whatever it was he saw in me that gave him chills.

"Thank you, Alpha. I'm really glad," I said.

"I came all this way to find you. I promise you don't need to call me Alpha. You're going to be my Luna soon."

I smiled. Okay, Hendrick, if that pleased him better.

"And it's okay to look me in the eye, you know. I'm not scary," he added.

I smiled even more. He had caught me. I wasn't afraid to look him in the eye. I was just shy.

It was a forty-five-minute drive from the Redline pack to the Apex Moon pack base, and it was a wholesome one. When we arrived, he came around to open the door for me.

"Thank you for agreeing to do this with me," he said as we walked in.

But who was doing whom a favour? He had just saved me from a lifetime of nonstop embarrassment and mockery. My throat tightened, and I swallowed hard to keep the tears back.

Apex Moon was a beautiful place. Everything there glowed. It was daytime, and I couldn't wait to see the night view. There were ornaments everywhere, and the smell and the ambience were top-notch.

A group of people came outside. They looked aged and very wise.

"The Alpha has brought a Luna with him. The goddess will be so pleased!" they chanted together. There were six of them, all men.

They carried incense and garlands. One of them stepped forward and placed a garland around my neck and then around Hendrick's.

"We have been waiting for Hendrick to choose a Luna, and by his choice, we know Apex Moon is blessed by the goddess," the same wolf said.

"Let the wedding ceremony begin!" another of the six said loudly.

Hendrick and I looked at each other. I saw his mesmerising eyes, and he smiled at me again. My cheeks warmed, and for the first time that day, I felt wanted. He held me by the hand as we walked into the Alpha's chambers.