Chapter 3

Kieran POV

It has been five years. Five years of pain in my heart since the day she left, and all she left was a text for Ezra. I never got to tell her how sorry I am for what I did to her. I was supposed to be a good Alpha, a good leader, but I was a failure. I tried apologizing by call and text, but she blocked all my numbers and asked Ezra to tell me not to call her again.

I heard she found her mate, but my wolf, Kade, seemed saddened when we were informed. My so-called mate tried to steal bonds worth two hundred million dollars meant for the upkeep of the pack on the night of my accession to become the Alpha of the pack…which was the only reason she accepted to be my mate in the first place.

She had a lover she wanted to elope with, and money was their solution. When she was caught, she told me to my face that she never loved me, and she cursed me when she found out she was my mate. I can't believe my mate hated me because she was my mate…a soulmate given to me by the Moon Goddess.

The confused me thought she was just angry at me for sleeping with Elina, until she tried to kill me…my wolf took over and ripped her head off her neck. Kade was enraged by the betrayal, and we never recovered.

And Elina.

I couldn't stop thinking about her.

“What got you lost in your thoughts, Kieran?” Ezra asked. I looked at him but didn’t answer. Ezra is my Beta, and he is more like my brother than my best friend and advisor. He and Elina had the same eyes but different hair…hers is strawberry blonde while Ezra’s hair is dark brown. I hate that whenever I think about her, all I want is to have her in my arms, naked.

“Lost in thought yet again,” he said teasingly.

“A penny for your thoughts, Kieran,” he continued and walked closer to me, sitting right in front of me.

“Nothing much, just thinking about the deal with the Silver Pack,” I lied. How could I tell him I was thinking about his sister naked…our sister, I mean.

‘Well, you are still thinking about her, and you are half hard, Kieran,’Kade taunted.

“Is the Alpha of the Silver Pack still obsessed with finding the Moon Goddess vessel? I mean, it's just a myth. She never existed,” Ezra said.

“Does it matter? He is just looking for power that doesn’t exist,” I replied. A Moon Goddess vessel is considered the Moon Goddess herself. They were said to appear once every hundred years and possess the power of the Moon Goddess, but for the past five hundred years none had been found or seen. They create balance between the wolf packs and prevent…or create…a great war in the supernatural world.

“What if they existed? Is it true that the pack they accept as their guide…the Alpha becomes powerful with them on their side? And she can break your curse?” Ezra asked.

“I don't care, Ezra. All I care about is my pack members' safety,” I answered.

My father once told me that if there truly is a Moon Goddess vessel, her power would start showing at twenty. It begins as a tattoo that suddenly appears on her back and spreads, telling her story from the very beginning. Then her power becomes fully accessible. Without a guide to train her, if the vessel can't control the power, it may lead to self-destruction…and there is also the possibility that she can help break the generational curse on us.

“Well, E is getting married to that asshole of her mate today. I wish I could beat the fuck out of him. How could she tell me I wasn’t invited to the wedding…my sister’s wedding…and she agreed? I never agreed or supported them marrying. That guy is up to no good; I can feel it in my gut,” Ezra ranted.

“He is her mate, Ezra. She can take care of herself. I think it is time we start letting her make decisions for herself,” I said.

‘Don't play supportive brother now, Kieran. You and I know you are not,’Kade voiced. I hated her so-called mate…for being her mate.

“I have a feeling Elina is hiding something from me, and I will surely get to the bottom of it. And you know what surprised me more? She never once asked about you, and whenever I try to talk about you or the pack, she shuts me out,” Ezra said.

My body went cold. It pained me that she never asked for me or wanted to talk about me. I knew I hurt her. She acted as if I never existed to her anymore. And what if Ezra found out I slept with Elina? I couldn’t come clean…not if it would ruin our friendship.

I couldn't afford to lose my Beta and best friend. I hated this feeling. I should have told him. I decided to keep it a secret because Elina didn’t say anything. God, I am a terrible person.

“I think you shouldn't think too much. If she doesn't want you at her wedding, she probably has a reason,” I said calmly.

What stupid reason? I wanted to see that mate of hers and rip his head off. The wedding was my opportunity to see her for the last time before she belonged to someone else. I was planning to go if she sent an invite…but she didn’t.

“Whatever the fucking reason is, I don’t care. I just hope she is fine,” Ezra said.

We both went silent. I didn’t know what to say. I stared at him, then looked away. Kade and I were still hurt by what Naya did. I chose not to take a new Luna, even though werewolves could take a new lover if their mate died. How ironic…I killed mine.

Ezra’s phone rang, disturbing the silence in the office. I took a sip of my cold coffee.

“It is Elina,” Ezra said as he walked out of my office.

I wanted to use my wolf hearing to listen to their conversation but decided against it. Still, my ears picked up when Ezra asked Elina if her mate did something to her. During that conversation, I knew Elina was coming back…but she asked Ezra to keep it a secret from me. I was overjoyed.

Ezra walked back into my office. I could see it on his face…whether to lie to me or not…so I decided to let him know I already knew she was coming back.

“If E is coming back to the pack, I will pick her up from the airport,” I stated, going straight to the point.

“How do you…? You were not supposed to eavesdrop. She said she doesn’t want you to know. Can you just pretend like you didn’t hear our conversation?” he suggested.

“If she is not letting me know she is coming back, I need to know why. So I am picking her up…and that is an order,” I said when he looked like he was about to argue.

“Dude…” he started, but I cut him off.

“Stay with Lina. She needs you now, especially since she is almost due,” I said. Lina is Ezra’s mate; he met her four years ago, and surprisingly, they are expecting their second child soon.

“I will talk to E tomorrow after picking her up,” I continued, trying to keep my emotions in check. I wanted to be the first to see her and have her for the day…because the next day, I wouldn’t be able to. I would have become that monster.

★★★

I checked my outfit as I leaned against my bike. I didn’t bring a car because I wanted to take her somewhere to talk before going to the pack estate. The bike was an excuse to feel her close…even though I am a biker. I had a pack member bring a car for her luggage.

‘Isn’t it hilarious…checking yourself out and looking good for a girl you consider a little sister?’ Kade teased.

I ignored him. Since our mate betrayed us, he had made it his job to taunt me. He thinks I wasn’t enough to keep our mate happy…but he was the one who killed her. I couldn’t blame him, though. Naya used a silver blade coated with the most powerful poison…wolfsbane…to stab me. It took a year for us to recover.

I checked my watch. It had been about ten minutes since her flight landed. I stared at the crowd moving in and out of the airport.

Then I saw her.

She looked different…more mature and beautiful. Her strawberry-blonde hair was darker than before. Her skin looked paler. That young girl was now a woman.

This same woman had locked herself in my head since that day, and some thoughts of her made me hard. I was getting seriously hard from the images running through my mind.

Then I heard Kade say, “Mate,” as I walked closer to her.

I stopped in my tracks as cold ran down my spine.

“Mate. Mate. You idiot…go hold her,” Kade said.

No. It can’t be.

Then our eyes met.