CHAPTER 1

"They're back!" A pack member giggled as she ran past me towards the pack square.

I followed at a slower pace, not really enthusiastic about the whole thing. About a year ago, young wolves who wanted to be pack warriors or leaders had been sent to an academy in a neighboring pack. Today was the day of their return.

As the daughter of the Alpha, I was expected to be there. I sighed again. Julietta was with Father, doing Alpha things, while I, the reject, was here. No one really cared what I did.

I felt a little twinge of resentment at the whole thing. As the first born of Alpha Hugo, I was supposed to be heir to the Alpha title, not Julietta, my younger sister. But Father was adamant that he choose his heir, and Julietta was his choice. She was his star child. She could do no wrong, even though she was basically the weakest in the pack because she had no wolf. Her eighteenth birthday had come and gone.

Dad would rather appoint a wolfless alpha for the pack than let me do the job I was born to do.

By the time I got to the square, the bus was empty, and people were heading back to their homes, hand-in-hand with their family, laughing and hugging.

I sighed, then turned to leave. Just as I took a step away, a scent caught my attention, making my heart start to pound.

That scent...it was familiar and strange at the same time. And it smelled wonderful.

My wolf began to howl from excitement at what was happening. I recognized the signs too.

"Mate, mate, mate," she chanted.

I turned around slowly. Who was it? I knew everyone who had left for the program. The only person I hoped would be my mate was...

"Iris," a deep voice said.

A huge smile broke out on my face as I saw the person who had spoken.

"Axel."

Just a year away from the pack had filled him out with even more muscle, and he looked even handsomer than before. Axel was my first and only love. I'd tried to keep my crush on him a secret before he left, but I couldn't.

Everyone knew I was head over heels for him. And everyone also knew he didn't care. He had eyes only for my sister, Julietta. And now...all that would change.

He was mine. The Moon Goddess had decided.

I felt like I would burst with happiness as I rushed forward and threw my arms around him, hugging him tightly.

Tears seeped out of my eyes, and I sniffed.

"We're mates! Can you believe it?"

Axel was stiff and didn't return my hug, but I didn't care. He'd always been a little awkward. When I pulled away, he gave me a small smile that didn't seem to reach his eyes.

"I can't wait to tell everyone," I said, wiping the tears from my eyes. I took his hand in mine and tried to pull him towards the pack house. "Let's go."

"Wait." Axel gently pulled his hand away. "Can we... Do this later?"

"But why?" I was confused.

He shrugged a bit. "I just... It's been a long day. You know, the trip, and... I just want to have a little time to myself first."

"Oh! Of course. Sorry. I didn't think of that." I grinned, unable to help myself. "Would you like me to bring something for you to eat over to your room? You must be hungry."

He shook his head and took a step back. "Thank you, but no. I'll...see you around."

As he walked away, I tried not to let my disappointment show. I always thought finding my mate would be a romantic experience. Or at least an enthusiastic one.

Maybe it was just because Axel was tired.

Humming to myself, I hurried back towards the Alpha house where my family all lived.

I couldn't wait to share my news with everyone, and it was almost dinner time, so everyone would be home.

They were already at the table when I arrived, just beginning to eat.

"I have news! You won't believe what happened!" I said excitedly as I took my seat beside Julietta, across the table from Mom and Dad.

"You're late," Mom said without looking up from her meal.

Dad and Julietta remained silent.

"Yeah, I know. But it was because something amazing happened. Don't you want to know what it is?"

I looked at them all. They all ignored me, but I plowed on.

"I found my mate!" I announced, unable to keep a new smile from forming.

At this, everyone paused, and looked at me for once.

"What?" Julietta asked.

"Who is he?" Dad asked.

I was giddy. "It's Axel! Can you believe it? And he's going to be the new Beta, so—"

Dad went back to eating. "Reject him."

At the same time, Julietta snarled at me.

"You slut! How dare you! Axel is my boyfriend. You can't be mated to him!"

I was shocked, but not because of what Julietta said. I had been expecting a reaction like that from her anyways. But Dad?

"What do you mean?" I asked him.

"Did I stutter?" He looked at me again. "After dinner, go out there, and reject him."

My heartbeat slowed down from the excited pounding it was doing before.

"But...why?" I shook my head. This didn't make sense. I knew my family could be harsh sometimes, but I didn't think my Dad could say something like this.

"A marriage has already been arranged for you," he said.

"A marriage?" I yelled, pushing my chair back and getting to my feet. "You arranged a marriage for me without my consent? With whom? No. I don't even care who it's with. I'm not marrying anyone that's not Axel. He's my fated mate! The Moon Goddess chose him for me!"

"And I've chosen someone else for you," Dad said, the look on his eyes daring me to defy him. "You will marry the man I chose. You don't get to do what you want, Iris. You know that."

"No! I'm not marrying him!"

"You don't even know who he is yet," Mother said. "He might be better than this Axel of yours."

Julietta scoffed. "No one is better than Axel. He's mine. And Iris isn't taking him from me."

"Fine," I said. "Who is this person you think you can force me to marry?"

"An alpha," Mom said. "You should be thankful. Since you'll never be an Alpha here, you can at least be a Luna elsewhere."

"Who is he?!" I screamed.

"Cassian Stone," Dad said coldly.

I froze. Time seemed to slow down.

"W-what?" I choked out. "The... The Bloody Prince?"

There was an expression of glee on Julietta face as Dad nodded.

The Bloody Prince was just as his name implied. He was a monster who was controlled by his feral wolf. Everyone knows he killed his first chosen mate. He was unpredictable, and he was known to go into fits of rage and madness that made him slaughter anyone that stood in his path.

Surely, Dad wouldn't try to give me to him? I would be dead within a week. Didn't he care about...

No. Of course he didn't care about me. The look on his face was answer enough, even though it's something I'd known from a young age.

"You can't do this," I whispered.

"It's already done, Iris," he replied. "Another alliance arrangement has been made. You'll marry Cassian to seal the deal. You have a few days to prepare yourself and end this nonsense about having a fated mate. Are we clear?"