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CHAPTER ONE

ANDREA'S POV

What comes to mind when you hear the word mate?

Well, for starters, it’s probably a bond filled with love, romance, heat. Sex even. Mine was different. Way different.

Like every other she-wolves, I’d once prayed to the moon goddess at the temples to grant me just that. Maybe even more but the moon goddess has a way of shattering your highest hopes. When I see she wolves praying at the temples, I smile. I don’t blame them. I can’t.

It's the dream of every she wolf to want a mate who’d love, guide and protect her from all the evil in the world. Many were lucky. I wasn't.

I couldn’t really blame my younger self for wishing for a prince charming standard mate. The moon goddess gave me just what I wished for.

Him.

Alpha Michael of the Blackthorne Pack.

I’ve had a crush on him moon seasons before he picked me as his Luna. I expected him to offer me love, respect and companionship but he didn’t give me that. In place of the sweet nothings I’d envision he'd fill my ears with after a hot night of non stop sex, I received insults instead.

“Ugly bitch!”

“Fat cow!”

“I’m doing this only to get an heir from you.”

My lips pulled into a shaky smile as his words crossed my mind for the umpteenth time today. My skin flamed each time. Something about his words made my breath hitch every time. Every god-damned time.

Michael agreed to marry me for pack alliances. He never loved me. He didn’t even bat an eye at me on our wedding day. I wore the softest fabrics and all the shiniest pearls to catch his attention. I failed. I always failed at it.

All he cared about was getting an heir from me. Upon protocol, he made it a pact to come to my chambers every full moon to make love to me. That wasn’t love. I knew what it looked like and the look in his eyes when he made “love” to me didn’t even fall in category.

It was far apart.

His eyes usually remained dark. So dark I barely caught a glimpse of they're original color. Last moon season, I intentionally set the moon lamps to be brighter, and just as he was about to pull out, I saw it. Disgust.

Tonight I’d have to see it again. Akasha, my wolf, howled in pain as sharp jolts burrowed into my chest.

“Did you hear?”

The soft floating voices of gossiping traders filled the air. I tightened my grip on the fruit basket and waved at the maids to head over to the next stall when a voice cut through the heavy wrap of voices in the market.

“Alpha Michael was seen with a new mystery lady last night. Rumors getting to me hints she’s going to be the next Luna after Andrea.”

I paused in my tracks. The raucous heat of the blazing sun licked at my sides. Sweats formed on my forehead as my breath hitched. Mystery lady?

I felt an urge to turn and strut over to the stall where the voice came from but I held myself back. As Luna, I couldn’t be seen gossiping. I wouldn’t want to get on Michael's nerves.

With a pale look on my head, I headed back to the packhouse and dropped off the veggies for the full moon feast at the kitchen before rushing up the stairs. I sent out all the maids except one.

“Do you think he’ll ever love me?” Tears prickled my vision. I turned in Madeline’s direction for confirmation but the fog over my eyes didn’t allow me see her expression. I wiped my eyes with pale, shaky fingers before I got a clearer view.

“D-do you?”

My breaths rolled out in heavy, fractured puffs now. Madeline strutted towards me, her eyes ever so soft. Her fingers ran down my hair as she removed the hair pins.

“I know Alpha Michael is a lot to handle. What’s it this time?”

Madeline’s voice calmed my flaming nerves. I mouthed a low gasp before lifting my back from the bed and glaring at her. “My greatest fear has come to life. At the pack market, I overheard the traders gossiping about him.”

I paused to catch my breath. “H-he was seen with a mystery lady last night and not just that. Rumors circulating says he might just make her his Luna soon.”

Madeline’s eyes flared with a mix of shock and pity as her finger tips teased my scalps with soft precision. I stared into the mirror and caught a glimpse of a smirk on her face. It disappeared almost immediately replaced by her soft, soothing voice.

“There’s two ways about rumors, Andrea.” She paused for a second, as her touch against my scalp roughened. “It might be true, might be fake.”

“But... none of that matters tonight , Andrea. You’re the Luna and nothing…” There was a pause. “Literally nothing that can stop you.”

“Thanks for the confirmation, Madeline.”

“I have to return to Maid duties. The pack halls are understaffed. I have to take on an extra shift.”

With that, she got up, traced her steps to the door and headed out. I admired her rich golden brown hair from afar. I’d always wanted full curls like her. Running a finger through my straight raven black hair, I got up and did the same.

The main hall was booming with staffs. Each of them scurried around, fear in their eyes and quivering equipment. I could sense the tension the air. Tonight was the most important night of the year.

The guests would soon be here and from the looks of things, we were running out of time. “Are the tables all set? How about the lights?”

I asked Richard, the event planner and watched as he nodded shakily. “Y-yes Luna. Everything was set just like he likes it.”

Speaking of ‘he’, I hadn’t seen Michael all day. I made sure to finish setting up the entire arena before strutting towards the beta, David.

“Have you seen Michael,” I asked.

David’s face lit up quickly. “He’s with James. He should be here any time soo—”

His eyes darted away from mine and launched in the direction of the door. His voice rolled in next, “That’s him right there.”

I followed his gaze, my breath quivering. When I met the sight of dark polished shoes and tall, long legs, my heart doubled it’s pounding. I raised my gaze and alas, it's him. Dressed in a suit with deep gray eyes and sharp black suits that made the other maids around me stop, drop glass utensils and gasp.

The sound of shattering glasses echoed all throughout in the hall. I flashed cold stares at the maids staring and they immediately shrug out of the Alpha-Micheal trance.

He had that effect over people.

Don’t be fooled. He was no prince charming. To the public, he was but to me, he was different. Way different. He was a beast.

Thin beads of sweats clung to my forehead as he strutted towards me, a cold frown on his face. His shoes clapped against the floors in a hushed whisper. The repeating sound they made sent sharp jolts of fear into my chest when he halted in front of me.

“Why are you standing there like some sickly incompetent weakling— oh wait, you actually are one. Why isn't the hall set up? And the staffs? The incompetence rate is over the roof.”

Michael’s cruel words stabbed a hole in my heart. He was about to blame me when I told him to approve the preparation quotation I'd made month ago but he waited until a week before finally signing on it. Instead of allowing his words to get to me, I stiffened, a cold look in my eyes. “I was just doing that, Mich—”

His eyes met mine and my breath caught in my throat. His eyes darkened almost immediately. “It’s Alpha Micheal to you, Andrea.”

My lids flustered shakily. “Y-yes Alpha.”

I lowered my head in respect, fear and a piece of my heart racing heavily. I expected him to acknowledge the work I’d put my mind to but he didn’t. Typical Micheal behavior. He strutted up the stairs to his chamber and that was the last time I saw him during the preparation period.

We finished off an hour early so I had time to go freshen up. I didn’t meet Madeline there. It seemed she was off her shift and had probably gone to have her night rest at the maids’ quarters.

The available maids offered me a rose bath and dressed me up in a fancy white dress. They did my hair in a chignon and helped me into the dress. The corsets made breathing a lot harder but I pushed through and headed out to go supervise the guests and see if they were getting properly attended to when I caught a glimpse of Michael.

He was rushing up the stairs with someone. She had a cloak on. My blood ran cold at the sight. Was she…?

The pack trader’s voice echoed in my mind as I muttered. “The masked lady?”

My legs quivered as if they’d been standing on the spot for hours. The corsets dug deeper into my flesh as I rubbed a hand over my stomach with rge, fear and anxiety bubbling in me.

Were the rumors true?

Before I could ponder, the duo vanished in front of my eyes. They hadn't seen me yet. I traced them slowly, clinging to the aged walls of the pack until they finally got into the Alpha’s chamber.

My wolf immediately stirred in my flesh, maddened with fury. She wanted to lash and tear into them but I held her back. I was just an Omega. Michael would crush me easily.

“And besides, it might not be true. That’s the thing about rumors.” I sent to her over the mind link but that wasn’t enough to convince her.

It wasn’t even enough to convince me. My chest was heaving so heavily, I placed a hand over it and pressed down, hoping and praying to the moon goddess not to pass out from the wave of emotions whirling in me. When I finally got a hold of my emotions, I heard it.

Moans.

My drained legs shook against the floors when I heard a familiar voice jet through the air.

“Oh god, I never thought hand maidens were so sweet.”

Michael’s voice revved through the air. I gripped a handful of my gown, trying my best to stay stable but that didn’t work. He was cheating on me and to make matters worse, he was doing it with a maid.

Tears stung my eyes. I tried to blink back the droplets gathering in my eyes but it broke loose and dripped down my cheeks in a straight cascade. My wolf howled in despair. It sniffed the air, trying to catch a scent of the lady my mate was with.

I was just about to send a mind link telling her it was all useless at this point when I heard it.

“Fuck me harder, Alpha.”

That voice was familiar. I must be hearing things. My breath caught heavily in my throat. My lungs burned. Akasha thrashed at my insides, asking me to give her full control so she could let herself in and trash into them but I held her back. I’ve never seen her like this. I guess there really is a first time for everything.

My entire body system began to malfunction. First were my legs. They started folding slowly. I gripped a nearby cabinet for to support when all of a sudden, I felt a sharp pain lodge in the back of my head and I fell. Right on the cold, hard tiles.

The cold from the tiles bit at every bit of warmth in my veins.

The thudding sound that came from my body blew my cover. Michael’s smell grew closer and with each thud of shoes I heard from the other side of the door, I felt my heartbeat harder and heavier. My world spun. I tried to crawl away, to vanish off the face of the earth but I couldn’t do that.

I was weak.

The door slammed open and the sight of Michael’s tall frame came to view. His eyes darkened with disgust as usual. Beads of sweat formed on my face when I lowered my gaze to find out his fully erect member pressing against the fabric of his trousers.

My eyes watered. He was never that hard for me. I opened my lips to speak but even before I could muster up words, I heard the thud of heels. I tried to gather as much breath as I could but nothing could have prepared me for the sight that was about to grace my eyes.

“Why did you leave me hanging, Alpha.”

I raised my jaw, meeting the gaze of the other woman. The masked woman. Golden curls. Familiar cold blue eyes. And that silky voice that used to calm me out of frenzies.

Right three, standing beside my mate, was no one other than Madeline. The edges of my vision darkened slowly until darkness enveloped me and I gave out.