Chapter 003

Crystal's POV 

Shock spread throughout the hall. People gasped, murmured and exclaimed. This had to be impossible! She was the best the pack had to offer. And she still wasn't enough? 

I was both shocked and confused. How? Why? What was he looking for that he didn't see in Rachel? She was beautiful, strong and the pride of the pack. Wasn't that every alpha's dream?

Rachel didn't accept it either. "You didn't understand me. I am the best my pack has to offer. If you didn't come here for me, you're in the wrong place because you wouldn't find anyone better than me! I am the best here! How dare you refuse me? I am specially blessed by the Moon Goddess. I only accepted you becau-" 

"YOU..? ACCEPTED...ME?" He asked in a thunderous tone.

Everybody fell silent. He was infuriated.

"You think I can be accepted? You think I'm an offer? I'm the one who chooses. I'm the one who accepts. And everybody else is an option to me. You are not worthy of me. My wolf doesn't even acknowledge you and you think you can accept me?" He bellowed, walking menacingly towards her as he climbed down the steps.

Fear gripped everybody. No one dared speak or move. I shook in my insignificant spot. My little sister had unknowingly triggered the devil and now she was in danger.

Luna Cersera knew she had to act fast.

"Apologies for her insolence, Alpha Adrian. She doesn't know who you are. Please forgive her ignorance" she pleaded from her seat.

But Adrian was already enraged. He turned to her with his eyes burning red with rage. 

"I came to your pack for a mate, requested for your best offers and you made me go through the lowest you had to offer and after wasting my time and energy, you brought your daughter to insult and infuriate me and now you beg on her behalf? If she groveled at my feet I might have considered leaving her with a slight punishment but she couldn't even apologise for herself. She has to die for defying me" he bellowed and turned back to Rachel.

Die? Just because she disrespected you a little? What kind of devil was this? My little sister was about to be killed and the guards and warriors present couldn't even do anything. None of them moved! 

Even the so-called Luna just stood from her seat and stared like she was powerless. Your daughter was about to be killed!

I couldn't get it. Who was this guy? Who did he think he was and why were they all scared of him? He was just one man. Why couldn't they all rush him and immobilize him? 

I kept watching as he took steps towards Rachel who walked backwards slowly. She was petrified, staring at Luna Cersera who was too scared to do anything.

My brain refused to accept this. Flashes of me and Rachel playing when we were still little passed through my mind. She was still my baby sister. Nothing changed about that. 

I stopped thinking and my body dashed forward without me even moving it. I guess I loved my sister more than my own life. 

I stepped in-between them just as he was about to raise his hand on her. 

"Stay away from my sister!" I yelled at him, my teeth clenching in hatred. If no one would stand up to him, I would.

He stopped, sized me up and squinted his eyes. 

"What do you think you're doing, Crystal? You imbecile!" Luna Cersera yelled from the throne.

"I'm doing what you're too weak to do, protecting my family!" I yelled back at her. 

In this moment, I was in the spotlight. Everybody had their eyes on me. I could see their shock and surprise. Some of them had even forgotten I existed.

"And who are you?" I heard the devil ask. 

His eyes were no longer burning for whatever reason. He looked as if his madness was gone and now that I was up close to him, I saw his face properly. Black messy hair and dark deep eyes that were void of emotions.

"I'm her elder sister. And her guardian. You're not allowed to touch her" I said fiercely, not appearing intimidated by him at all. I didn't care what was going to happen but he wasn't touching Rachel.

Then he chuckled. Huh? The devil had a humourous side? Except I wasn't seeing what was funny. 

"What's funny?" I asked, obviously offended.

"Of everybody here in this hall, you're the least person to be afraid of. You don't have anything of interest or even a whiff of power in you. I can't even sense a wolf in you. You're literally the weakest here and you're the one stopping me?" He smirked. 

What a sadistic bastard! He was finding joy in my weakness and the fact that I was the one who stood up to him? Talk about a psycho. 

"I may be the weakest but I won't let you anywhere near Rachel. You'll have to tear me to pieces before you go anywhere near her. And even after you do, my ghost will still protect her. Trust me, you don't want the ghost of a cursed girl haunting you" I threatened.

I saw Luna Cersera staring at me like I was some lunatic or I had gone crazy. Everybody in the crowd looked at me the same. But it didn't matter to me. He wasn't touching my sister.

"Tear you to pieces? Heh, I would never do that. As a matter of fact, you just saved your entire pack from being destroyed" he said and turned around.

What? He wasn't bloodthirsty anymore? I was confused.

"What do you mean?" I asked. 

He stopped and looked over his shoulder. "What I mean is I've found my mate. Nothing about you interests me whatsoever but somehow my wolf howled for you inside me. That makes you my mate" he said and began walking out of the hall.

"Meet me in my quarters" he ordered before exiting.