1. FATED MATE

Rhea’s POV

Artavius is now the official future Alpha of the Valcrest Pack. After years of being gone, he is officially returning home tonight.

Yesterday, the pack had just received news that Artavius, our Alpha’s only son had emerged victorious from the Ascension Rite.

It is an old werewolf tradition where any werewolf who seek to rule must face various trials totest their strength, knowledge, character, and leadership skills to prove that they are worthy to rule a Pack.

Blood alone doesn’t earn a throne. Werewolves had always valued strength and power above anything else.

The strong rise. The weak fall. Those who cannot keep up become Omegas or worse… rogues — werewolves so weak, or so evil that no pack would accept them.

“Commander!” A warrior called out, stealing my attention.

“I caught a few pack members hiding in the dark, how should I deal with them?”

My gaze shifted to the group behind him—young women, trembling, unable to meet my eyes.

They didn’t need to explain.

News had spread that Artavius hasn’t met his mate yet, and all the unmated women in the pack was hoping to become the future Luna. These ones had simply been bold enough to sneak out and catch the first glimpse of him.

I exhaled softly. We’d already caught several before them.

“Let them go,” I said. “Escort them back to the Packhouse. Make sure no one else is sneaking around.”

We had no choice but to let them all go or else the pack would turn against us if we punished them.

“Wise call, commander,” Leomar, one of the warriors I’m close with said at my side, his voice low with approval. “How did you know that this would happen?”

“Artavius had always been popular with women,” I answered.A quiet chuckle slipped past him. “Mm. And you know that because you’re a woman too.”

I finally turned, narrowing my eyes. “Careful, Leomar.”

“What?” he lifted a brow, amusement clear. “Everyone knows you two grew together. He’s aman and beneath that rough personality and brute strength, you’re still a woman.”

My jaw tightened. “We were classmates. We trained under the same mentor.”

Our mentor was a legend among werewolves - feared, respected and impossible to reach. Alphas and warriors sought him out, offering wealth and power just for a chance to learn under him. Yet he turned them all away except for me and Artavius.

My fingers curled slightly at my sides as the memories surfaced. The relentless drills, endless  sparring, bruises layered over bruises, blood staining the ground beneath our feet. There was no mercy. He forged us like weapons until weakness was beaten out of us.

Because of it, I rose through the ranks faster than anyone expected. I became the strongest warrior in the Pack, second only to the Gamma.

And Artavius made history as the first man to conquer all trials in the Ascension Rite.

“Trained,” he echoed, dragging the word out. “Studied, sparred, grew up side by side—“

“And?” I cut in.

“And nothing,” he said lightly, though the grin lingered. “Just wondering if that’s all it ever was.”

I broke eye contact first, my gaze dropping before he could read any more from it.

He had guessed right.

I secretly like Artavius. With the years we have been together, I slowly developed feelings for him.

I never told anyone about it, not even him.

Because to Artavius — I was nothing more than a classmate, a training partner. I doubt he had ever seen me as a woman.

I opened my mouth, about to give him an answer when suddenly the air shifted.

My wolf went rigid… then lowered in submission. He’s here.

My head snapped toward the forest, and there he was.

Our eyes locked instantly, like he had been searching for me.

His golden eyes struck me deep, stealing the air from my lungs.

Everything slowed around us.

I couldn’t move.

I couldn’t breathe.

All I could see was him.

Then something, like an invisible string connected us.

My wolf that was frozen in submission, suddenly turned restless within me. Her paws started  fidgeting as she howled within me.

“Mate,” she growled. “He’s our mate.”

My body ran cold.

‘That couldn’t be,’ I spoke to my wolf in disbelief.

Artavius is my mate? It felt too unreal

“Rhea.”

My wolf purred in delight.

I blinked, pulling myself from a trance.

“Rhea,” Artavius spoke my name again, softer.

I had only realized that he’s already standing in front of me. His face, unreadable is just mere inches in front of me.

Did my wolf made a mistake? Or didn’t he feel the mate bond?

“Long Live the Alpha!” The warriors shouted in unison and fell to their knees before I could even react.

Startled, I move to follow, but his hand caught my arm.My skin tingled at his touch. I looked up, eyes widened — and he pulled back just as fast like he felt it too.

I lowered my head, hiding the heat rising to my face.

He felt it.

It’s real. He is my mate.

Artavius, the man I had loved in silence fore years is my mate!

My heart fluttered in joy.

“Let’s not waste more time.” A sharp voice cut through us and I stiffened.

Karl, the Beta’s son, Artavius’s close and trusted friend, stepped forward, his expression tight with impatience.

“The Pack has been waiting. We can stand here all night or we can move,” he continued in a clipped tone.

His eyes were on me like he was blaming me for the delay.

“Yes… we should go back,” I answered with a forced a smile.

They moved ahead and we followed, but my eyes kept finding their way to him as we escorted  them back—and even as we reached the Packhouse.

I kept my distance, forcing my wolf down, controlling the desire to run straight to him and claim  him.

The crowd surged the moment he stepped inside the Packhouse. Everyone was calling his name competing to have a conversation with him.

I was pushed aside and I could only watch and wait for him at the sidelines, but he never looked my way. Not even once.

My wolf whined, hurt by his actions. He is deliberately ignoring us.

I understand this wasn’t the time. He had just returned and he must show respect to the Pack who

had been waiting for this moment, but a simple eye contact wouldn’t have hurt.

Why does he have to ignore me completely?My pupils darkened and my wolf growled inside of me when a group of women started clinging  to Artavius.

Sharp jealousy twisted in my chest as a fierce and possessive thought came unbidden.

I stormed outside before I could lose control of my wolf and rip their throats out.

I barely made it a few steps when a hand caught my arm. I was yanked back, my breath leaving me in a gasp as I collided with a rock-hard chest.

I looked up and saw Artavius.

Before my mind could register a thing, he dipped his head and crashed his lips against mine.

In an instant my anger melted away and the noise faded in the background.

That was my first kiss.

My wolf surged forward, no longer restrained, and I melted into him without hesitation.

My hands fisted against his chest as heat rushed through me—overwhelming, consuming,

blurring everything else.

“Artavius…” My voice came out ragged as I broke the kiss, breathless.

“Mate,” he growled, the word low and rough as his lips trailed to my neck.

A soft sound escaped me, surprising even myself.

My wolf trembled with the intensity of him—with the hunger he had been holding back this whole time.

“Not here,” I whispered, my voice barely steady.

He didn’t argue.

In one swift motion, he lifted me, and the world spun. I barely registered where we were going—only the heat of his body and the way everything else slipped out of reach.

The next moment, I was pressed against soft sheets, the door closing somewhere behind us.

Clothes fell away in a blur of hurried movements, desperate and unpracticed on my part — my hands uncertain, learning him as I went.When instinct took over, my canines slipped free, a quiet growl rising in my throat as I leaned in to mark him, but his hand caught me — stopping me.

“Not now,” he muttered.

I froze. I was confused, but I didn’t resist.

I had been waiting for him to mark me first as he pressed kisses along my neck, but he never did.

Still, I obeyed him without question.

That night we crossed a line neither of us could take back.

I gave my first to him.

But when it was over, there was no mark on my skin.

And none on his.

—————————————————————-

I woke up with my body aching and my heart unbearably light.

For a few quiet seconds, I simply lay there, staring at the ceiling as the memories of last night returned to me in fragments.

His warm skin, his voice, rough and shaken, whispering the one word I had dreamed of hearing from him for years.

Mate.

A foolish smile tugged at my lips before I could stop it.

For once, I didn’t feel like a warrior, I felt like a woman.

Chosen.

Wanted.

Loved.

Then I turned, only to find cold sheets and empty space beside me.

My smile faded. Where is he?My wolf stirred restlessly inside me, pushing against my chest with an instinctive need to find him. The bond was still new, still raw, still pulsing beneath my skin like a second heartbeat.

I dressed quickly, ignoring the soreness that I felt and the faint marks he had left on my body.

Each one made heat rise to my cheeks, but it also made my chest ache with longing.

Something important must have happened that needed his attention.

He was the future Alpha now. He would no longer have the luxury of simply being Artavius. Every hour of his life would be claimed by duty, politics, and expectation.

And as his mate, I will have to support him, and help him carry his burdens beside him for the rest of my life.

I reached the private council room where Pack matters are discussed and attended. Something about the atmosphere felt wrong even before I stepped in.

When I entered, everyone turned.

Artavius stood near the center of the room, his broad shoulders tense, his face unreadable.

Beside him was Brielle.

My sister looked pale, her hands clasped tightly in front of her stomach. Her silver-blonde hair fell perfectly over her shoulders, smooth and polished as always.

Even distressed, she looked delicate. Like porcelain. Like something made to be protected.

Alpha Elias and Luna Lynette stood near the long table.

And across from them were my parents.

Had Artavius told them already? Had he called them here because he planned to announce me as his mate?

But then Artavius looked at me.

Only for a second.

Then he looked away.

My heart dropped.

“Rhea, it’s good that you’re here.” Mother looked relieved.“What’s going on?”

Brielle glanced shyly toward him before looking back at me.

“Rhea…” Her fingers curled gently over her stomach. “I’m pregnant.”

The words stunned me into silence.

“I’m carrying Artavius’s child,” she added.

Mother softly smiled as she took Brielle’s hands in hers.

“We were just discussing their mating ceremony,” she spoke happily. “Artavius already spoke

with Alpha Elias, he had chosen to have your sister as his Luna.”

I swallowed hard as I stared at Artavius who simply stood there while another woman smiled happily about becoming his Luna.